Extract from Business
Questions
(Ipswich) (Con) [V]: I will touch on the same issue
covered by my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool South (). As the Leader of the House will know, when it comes to
sporting prowess, East Anglia is very much top of the pile, as he
would have witnessed at Lords when Essex edged past Somerset in the
County Championship final. However, it is not just in cricket that
East Anglia is at the forefront, but in football too. He will know
that Ipswich Town football club is one of the great clubs of this
country, with Sir Bobby Robson part of its legacy, as well as FA
cup and UEFA cup wins. However, right now they are struggling. They
were going to be a test case that would have allowed 1,000
season-ticket holders into the stadium but that was cancelled at
the last minute. Ipswich is an area with very low levels of
covid-19, fortunately, and it is very much the view of Lee O’Neill,
our managing director, that we could allow a small number of
spectators into the ground very soon to enjoy our soon-to-be
promotion to the championship.
Mr Rees-Mogg: I did not much like the beginning of the message,
about Essex and Somerset. The match was pretty much rained off
and it was not a proper County Championship this year anyway, but
Somerset still have not won—it is my lifetime’s hope that
Somerset will one day win the County Championship, but there we
go.
In relation to stadiums and visitors, I reiterate what I said to
my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool South (). The decision not to reopen stadiums to spectators
will have major consequences for sport and clubs across the
country, and the Government are working hard with sport
organisations to mitigate the economic consequences.
Sport England has provided £195 million to
support community sport throughout the crisis and has recently
added a further £15 million to its community emergency fund to
help grassroots sport further. I absolutely accept that this is a
problem, and it is one of the consequences of the coronavirus.
Extracts from debate on
DDCMS
(East Devon) (Con):...One of the major fixtures of any
proper local radio station is hearing the results of sporting
fixtures across the area. I recently visited Exmouth Town football
club to meet the volunteers who put their heart and soul into their
local club. They have worked tirelessly to ensure the club is safe
for supporters and players, and I am pleased that the Premier
League gave the club £4,000 to support those efforts. Sidmouth Town
will also receive £2,000 to help the Vikings continue their battle
on their pitch and across the south-west. However, local rugby is
also in need. Sport England’s community emergency
fund gave Topsham rugby club £9,000—a big boost for a club that
punches well above its weight. However, further support is needed
to secure a future for Devon sport—and sooner rather than
later...
(Mansfield)
(Con):...Sport England’s research found that 53%
of adults had been encouraged to exercise by Government guidance
during lockdown. That includes me—I am a stone and a half down
compared with March, following in the PM’s footsteps. Those on
lower incomes or with disabilities have found it harder than ever
to be active during this crisis. Initial social distancing measures
meant that access to sport and activity had to be put on hold, but
I ask the Minister to ensure that should future lockdowns take
place, our access to those venues and opportunities is protected as
that is important for our mental health as a nation...
(West Bromwich West) (Con):...On the wider support that
the Department has offered to the sector, we have seen an array of
packages in conjunction with Sport England and the National
Lottery. These have been well received, and the feedback on the
whole has been positive. The £150 million funding roll-over and the
£55 million sector stimulus are absolutely vital funds, but as we
go forward we need to be flexible, as many hon. and right hon.
Members have highlighted. I want to reiterate the thanks that many
hon. Members have put on record to the Department and to my hon.
Friends on the Treasury Bench for their flexibility and openness to
having these discussions about vital community assets in our
constituencies. It is that flexibility, which we have had to have
during these unprecedented times, that has enabled our society to
remain open...
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital,
Culture, Media and Sport ():...Thanks
to our arm’s-length body, Sport England grassroots sport is
in the process of receiving a £195 million package of support to
help community sports clubs, which are so important at this time.
We have recently boosted the community emergency fund by a further
£15 million, taking the total to £210 million...
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