Horse Racing
Culture Media and Sport
Written answers and statements, 28 June 2006
Malcolm Moss (Shadow Minister (Culture, Media & Sport), Culture, Media & Sport; North East Cambridgeshire, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to her statement of 18 March 2005, Official Report, column 29WS, on funding of horse racing, what progress has been made in working with football leagues to develop solutions to the funding difficulties arising from a judgment by the European Court of Justice.
Richard Caborn (Minister of State (Sport), Department for Culture, Media & Sport; Sheffield Central, Labour)
I have met with representatives of the premier league, football leagues, Scottish football leagues on a number of occasions to discuss the impact of the European Court of Justice's ruling on database rights.
I understand that a deal is now under negotiation between Football Dataco, which licenses football fixture data, and British bookmakers which I am optimistic will provide guaranteed funding for the football leagues in the short to medium term.