Frequent points are bandied about (9)
I believe the answer is:
patronise
'frequent' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'points are bandied about' is the wordplay.
'bandied about' is an anagram indicator.
'points'+'are'='pointsare'
'pointsare' anagrammed gives 'PATRONISE'.
(Other definitions for patronise that I've seen before include "Sponsor" , "champion" , "Talk down to" , "Finance" , "Give encouragement or treat with condescension" .)