The following is the full Hansard of the statement made in
the House of Commons today on Sport Sector: Financial Support by
Sports Minister,
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture,
Media and Sport ()
For millions of people up and down the country, sport is so much
more than a pastime. Sports clubs, large and small, enrich lives
both on and off the pitches, the courts and the grounds, and they
play a vital role in their communities. The value that sports
clubs bring to their communities has been clearer than ever
during this pandemic, and it is right that we support them.
Earlier this year, in May, we announced a £16 million emergency
bail-out for rugby league to prevent the sport’s collapse, and
the Treasury’s multi-billion-pound support packages, including
the furlough and loan schemes, have been a lifeline for countless
sports clubs and organisations across the country, helping them
to stay afloat when their doors remained closed. Sport England
has announced separate emergency funding of £220 million for
grassroots clubs, and we recently announced a £100 million scheme
for leisure centres. Together, that support has acted as a
significant buffer to the pain.
However, we know that the decision taken in late September not to
re-open the stadiums from 1 October has had major consequences
for sports clubs large and small. It was the right decision,
given the rate at which coronavirus was spreading across the
country, but clearly, not being able to generate gate receipts
deprives many organisations of a major source of income. The vast
majority of those sports operate on tight financial margins and
have been forced to make serious cost reductions such as locking
down grounds, furloughing their staff, cutting wages, and halting
excess payment. It was clear that if we did not act, a number of
clubs would go to the wall, with real consequences for the
grassroots game. That is why, over the past few weeks, we have
been working tirelessly with the sports sector to understand the
real pressures it is facing.
We promised to stand by the sports sector when we made the
decision to postpone the return of fans, and today I am pleased
to announce a £300 million sports winter survival package to see
major spectator sports through this difficult period. The
majority of that funding will be given through low-interest
loans, with flexible repayment terms and grants where
organisations are unable to repay loans. The package will focus
on those sports that have been severely impacted by the
restrictions announced in September, and it is the largest
package announced by any Government for its domestic sport sector
in the world.
I stress that these are provisional allocations of funding. They
were made on a needs-based assessment process, and reflect the
submissions made by the individual sports. Recipients will still
need to apply, and the funding process will be overseen by an
independent decision-making board, and supported by Sport
England. That funding will include a top-up for rugby league of
up to £12 million, as well as cash injections of up to £28
million for national league football and women’s football, up to
£135 million for rugby union, and up to £40 million for
horseracing. There is also up to £6 million for motorsport, up to
£4 million each for netball, basketball, and ice hockey, up to £1
million for greyhound racing, up to £5 million for tennis, and up
to £1.6 million for badminton.
Today’s provisional allocations are not the end of the story. The
door is open for any sport to apply where there is a need. That
includes cricket and other sports that are not on the initial
list of allocations. Full details of the application process will
shortly be announced by Sport England, with the first tranche of
support expected to be distributed to clubs and bodies before the
end of the year. In the meantime, if any individual club is
facing imminent collapse, we will work with it through its
national governing body. Based on the information that sports
have given us, this package will help them to survive until the
spring.
Of course, we would all prefer to see fans back in the stadiums.
Spectator sports need spectators, and with the real progress that
we are making on vaccines and testing, that goal is now firmly
within our sight. Until then, we have stepped in to protect not
just individual clubs and organisations, but entire sports and
the communities they serve. I commend this statement to the
House.
1.23 pm
(Wirral South) (Lab)
I thank the Minister for sight of his statement, and for the
accepting manner in which he has dealt with the pestering from me
and from other Members on this subject. Through you, Madam Deputy
Speaker, I also thank all the civil servants at the Treasury and
the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport for their
hard work on this support package for sport. That work is not
unnoticed, and we thank them for it. However, as I mentioned,
getting to this point has taken cross-party pestering, and
meanwhile, sports are hanging by a thread.
I know that, for the Treasury, sport in the context of the UK
Government’s spending is almost a rounding error. It is a
comparatively small commitment on the very, very big Treasury
spreadsheet, but that fact is irrelevant to how important sport
is to families in all our constituencies. It plays a huge role in
the life of our country and, given its place in keeping us
healthy, we needed a swifter response than this. That is
particularly the case when we see how sport has been messed
about. In August, with eat out to help out and the Prime Minister
saying that he wanted to see “bustle”, sports were told that it
was full speed ahead towards the reopening in October until No.
10 executed a sharp about-turn, and since then the pace has been
slow to glacial. So in order to speed things up, I would like to
help the Minister with some questions that will hopefully prompt
action.
In two weeks’ time, the current lockdown arrangements will come
to an end, and we hear rumours of a return to the tier system.
Can the Minister please clearly explain what that means for
grassroots sport? There are so many people who rely on swimming,
their football team, their rugby game, their running club or
their round of golf for their mental and physical health, and the
lack of sport is doing our country damage. It cannot go on for
much longer, and that is especially true when it comes to our
nation’s children, so will the Minister please tell us when
children can return to training? Robbie Savage speaks for the
nation when he counts down the days in frustration to when we can
play sport, and we need answers.
Next, we need to know that the money the Minister has announced
just now will reach sports quickly. The cultural recovery fund
did not reach cultural organisations quickly enough, so can we
ensure that we have no repeat of that experience? Will he commit
to coming back to the House next month to explain the detail of
the effect of this funding? Will it reach disability sport
effectively, and will it support women’s and men’s sport
absolutely equally, by penny piece? What measures will he put in
place to ensure that that happens?
We live in uncertain times, and the once predictable sporting
calendar has been shifted all over the shop, so will the Minister
commit to keeping the situation under review? I think I heard him
say that he had an open door for anyone who needed help. That is
a good thing, and I welcome it. In relation to that, he has
explained that these funds are in response to the cancellation of
the very slow piloted return of spectators that we were expecting
from 1 October. We had an extensive debate on this only last week
in Westminster Hall, so can the Minister bring us up to date on
that? What is the truth of the rumours that spectators will
return, but only in line with the as yet unannounced tier system?
There are also rumours concerning the number of spectators. Is it
true that the cap will be 1,000 people? While we are on the
subject of Members’ concerns, we have another Westminster Hall
debate coming up next week on the governance of football, and I
expect to see many Members there. If the Minister cannot give us
full details of the fan-led review of football at the Dispatch
Box today, I suggest that he does so next Wednesday.
Finally, Madam Deputy Speaker, I know it will not have escaped
your notice that the Government started this crisis accusing
premier league footballers of not doing their share, and ended
the summer U-turning on child poverty in response to the heroic
campaigning of a premier league footballer. That should be a
lesson to the Government. Sports people have been messed about
month after month, and the British people want better. My final
question to the Minister is this: in the face of a deadly virus,
nothing matters more than public health, so where is the
comprehensive plan for wellbeing right across the UK? This
funding announcement today is a panicked response to a bad
situation made worse by Government incompetence, and the country
deserves better.
I thank the hon. Lady for the gracious tone that she adopted—at
the beginning of her speech at least—and she has also given me
the opportunity to express my thanks to the Treasury team, DCMS
officials and all those involved, including the sports, the
governing bodies and the individual clubs who have worked
tirelessly to get us to this point. That is perhaps an indication
of why this has taken so long. It has taken several weeks to
gather the necessary amount of information in the forensic detail
required, but that was right because it is the disbursal of
public money that we are talking about. In terms of the total
amount, the Treasury estimates that around £1.5 billion, perhaps
more, of public money has gone into sports, because we are
talking not just about this fund but about the £200 million from
Sport England and all the additional money that has gone into the
various support schemes such as furlough, grants and reliefs over
a period of many months.
The hon. Lady is absolutely right to highlight the priority in
terms of reopening. It is a shared goal across the Chamber to
open as soon as it is safe to do so. That goes for grassroots and
elite sport. As the Secretary of State has said, he wants to
ensure that grassroots sport is at the front of the queue when it
comes to reopening.
I can confirm, as I mentioned in my statement, that we hope for
the money to be going out within weeks, and certainly for some of
it to be disbursed before Christmas. There will be an appropriate
proportion for women’s sport, and of course the total package
will also support women’s sport. The hon. Lady has heard me say
again and again—I will repeat it today—that with anybody
receiving Government money, I expect an appropriate level to go
to women’s sport. There is specific money for netball, as well as
women’s basketball and women’s football, in the package.
Governance is not necessarily the major topic of today, but we
will come to it again and again, and it is a priority. I am very
happy about the hon. Lady mentioning that she effectively
supports the Conservative party manifesto, which of course had a
commitment to a grassroots review of football. We will continue
that, and I welcome her joining us in that effort.
(Solihull) (Con) [V]
This announcement is very welcome. Rugby league, rugby union and
the national league have all expressed to me their concerns about
their survival during the latest lockdown period. Will the
Minister explain whether the apportioning of money to individual
sports clubs will be on the basis of lost ticket sales, revenue,
or a combination of lost ticket sales, revenue and hospitality?
The Minister has mentioned need. How will “need” be defined? How
long will it take? Furthermore, this is not a one-for-one
replacement for lost revenues, so what proportion of revenues
across the major sports contained in the package does the
Minister envisage will be covered?
I thank the Chair of the Select Committee for his comments and
look forward to working with him over the coming weeks. In terms
of the allocation of money, it is in the name: this is a winter
survival package. It is not meant to be a full pound-for-pound
compensation for lost revenue. The focus is from the point at
which we were unable to open sports stadiums on 1 October through
to spring. Therefore, while there may be hopes of and aspirations
for a greater package, we needed to focus on what was needed to
ensure that sports clubs can survive, and that is the focus of
this effort. We are confident the package will do that. It is a
substantial sum of £300 million and will make a huge effort in
that direction.
(Paisley and Renfrewshire North) (SNP)
I thank the Minister for advance sight of his statement. I have
spoken many times in this place about the power of sport and the
crucial role that sports clubs, be they amateur, semi-pro or
professional, play in our local communities. The Minister was
absolutely right to lead with that point.
I am disappointed that the Government have decided to go down the
loans route, rather than having 100% grant funding. While I
welcome his commitment to the national league and to women’s
football, the continuing omission of support for the senior
professional men’s game is disappointing. Scottish football does
not have the megabucks TV deal that the English game enjoys and
is almost three times more reliant than most European football on
ticket sales as a share of revenue, with gate receipts making up
nearly half of all revenue. Does the Minister recognise that even
if a small number of fans can return to stadiums, financial
support is still needed for these clubs?
If the Government pursue a reopening strategy at any future point
allowing the return of fans in low infection areas, what
provision will be made to devolved nations that have different
lockdown rules and permissions for fan return? Will the other UK
nations be forced to follow in England’s footsteps, or will
support for the industry from the UK Government respect devolved
decision making?
In September, I asked the Minister to commit to full engagement
with the Scottish Minister for sport, . Will the Minister confirm that he has spoken to
his counterpart in Edinburgh to explain the ramifications of this
announcement for the Scottish Government’s finances? The Minister
will be aware that the Scottish Government have still not
received clarity on the Barnett consequentials from previous
announcements. He should also be aware that the Scottish
Government do not have the powers to borrow to finance a similar
loan scheme in Scotland—an aberration that the Treasury could and
should fix.
To conclude, will the Minister please provide clarity to this
House and to Scottish Ministers about what Barnett consequentials
will flow from today’s announcements, so that the Scottish
Government can provide similar support in Scotland and Scottish
sport is not disadvantaged?
The mix of loans and grants will of course be driven by need and
the ability to repay. Of the £300 million package, we estimate at
this moment that £250 million will be loans and £50 million will
be grants. However, the loans will be on preferential terms and
will therefore have features of a grant in the early stages, such
as payment holidays, so immediate repayment will not necessarily
be expected. We all have skin in the game here, and the incentive
is to get sport back up and running and on its feet and paying
back some of those loans, because then we all benefit.
I can confirm that there are Barnett consequentials to this, as
there are for other support packages. I cannot provide the hon.
Gentleman with the details at the moment. I actually talked to
Minister FitzPatrick this week, and I am sure we will do so
again. How the money is spent is a decision for the devolved
Administrations; sport is a devolved matter.
(Chatham and Aylesford) (Con) [V]
I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this excellent package
of financial support for some core professional sports. I
particularly welcome the settlement for national football, and I
hope he will ensure that its distribution is based on gate
receipts rather than league position.
I will focus specifically on rugby union. The Minister will be
aware that, while the professional game has resumed, grassroots
rugby has not, thus putting many clubs, which are small
businesses themselves, in a challenging position. We have
healthy, well-supported rugby club rivalries across Kent, but I
fear that we are losing players and potential talent as a
consequence of their not being able to play for most of this
year, which threatens the viability of clubs due to the lack of
supporters. Will he therefore tell the House what conversations
he has had with the Rugby Football Union about the trickling down
of that money to local rugby clubs and about the safe resumption
of rugby at grassroots level, so that clubs can sustain
themselves for the future?
It is great to see my hon. Friend and I wish her well in her
recovery. On the rugby union package, we are in constant dialogue
with Bill Sweeney about the entire package and about both the
grassroots and professional game. The money announced today will
have trickle-down effects and will benefit the grassroots game.
Any professional club that is helped and saved with this package
will often share facilities with the grassroots game, so it will
help. As my hon. Friend knows, Sport England has provided £220
million of support, and we share the goal of getting grassroots
sport up and running as soon as possible. Dialogue will continue
on rugby union, and I look forward to talking to my hon. Friend
about it further.
Mr Deputy Speaker ( )
Lots of love, Tracey.
(Denton
and Reddish) (Lab) [V]
I very much welcome this statement, as will sports clubs locally.
Will this new package be backdated for sports clubs that faced
regional lockdowns? I also highlight the important role that
broadcasters played during the pandemic, and could continue to
play, with more sports fixtures universally available, free to
air. Has this not shown the importance of the listed events
regime?
The hon. Gentleman raises a range of issues. We have encouraged
free-to-air broadcasting, and we are pleased that sports that
have never been broadcast before, such as Premier League football
on the BBC, were broadcast during lockdown, and we are pleased
with the various moves by the Premier League and others to make
sure that their games are more accessible. This package runs from
1 October through to the spring, and that is the focus of the
package.
(Cleethorpes) (Con)
I welcome the Minister’s statement. He mentions leisure centres.
I also put in a plea for the great outdoors, because many of our
open spaces—parks and the like—are supported and maintained by
community groups and councils, and they need funding to provide
that. I also welcome his continued efforts to allow spectators to
watch sports. League Two Grimsby Town play their home games in my
constituency, and we fans are desperately keen to see at least
one or two games before the end of the season.
It is not a question from the hon. Gentleman without his
mentioning Grimsby Town. He never fails me on that. As I said,
the goal is to open up and get fans back into stadiums as soon as
it is safe to do so. We are working on the detail of the
disbursement of the £100 million leisure facility package and
will provide that information in due course. He is also right to
point out the importance of our great outdoors. Throughout the
coronavirus crisis, including during the first lockdown, the one
thing that we were able to do consistently—not every country did
this—was exercise outdoors. It is really important that people do
that, to keep activity levels up. That is an absolute priority of
the Government, as demonstrated in the latest lockdown
restrictions.
(Bath) (LD)
I, too, thank the Government for the support package that has
been announced today, but no matter how much financial support
there is, we need our supporters back into our stadiums. Bath’s
local football and rugby clubs have worked a great deal over the
summer to make sure that spectators can be safely brought back to
matches. I know the Government are also keen to see that, but we
need a clear road map from them on how our fans can return. Will
the Minister therefore meet me to discuss the plans of Bath Rugby
club and Bath City football club to get spectators back at the
earliest possibility?
I would be delighted to meet the hon. Lady and I am sure we can
arrange that soon. She is right to say that clubs have gone to
great efforts, and great expense in many cases, to make sure they
are secure and have followed the hygiene and coronavirus
procedures to a great degree. Recently, we had to press the pause
button on the reopening plans. We have not stopped those plans—we
have just pressed the pause button—and we want to get back to
reopening as soon as it is safe to do so.
(Ashfield) (Con) [V]
As a lifelong Mansfield Town supporter, I want to get back into
the One Call Stadium as soon as possible to cheer on the mighty
Stags. Having 1,000 fans inside football grounds is not enough to
cover clubs’ costs, and we need our clubs to survive. Will my
hon. Friend look at having a sliding scale attendance figure for
each Football League club, based on its current capacity, which
will allow fans to support their teams safely and give clubs a
financial boost, which they need to survive?
It is amazing what people can get away with on video link, isn’t
it, Mr Deputy Speaker? I do not think you would allow that scarf
to be worn in the House.
My hon. Friend raises valid points about when we will get back,
and what the criteria and process will be. All of those are live
issues and I would be happy to talk to him further about his
proposals.
Mr Deputy Speaker ( )
I will have words with you, Mr Anderson, when you come back to
Parliament. Get well soon.
(Sheffield South
East) (Lab) [V]
I thank the Minister for his statement. Three weeks ago, a number
of MPs met Rick Parry, the chair of the English Football League,
to discuss the crisis facing EFL clubs. He told us that 10 clubs
were unlikely to be able to pay their wages this month, and if
substantial financial assistance was not available soon a number
would go out of business. I have not heard anything in the
statement today that would give reassurance to the EFL and the
clubs.
I am sure the Minister recognises that clubs are not like any
other business; if one closes, fans cannot go down the road and
simply buy their football from another club. Fans give a lifetime
of support to their club and clubs are at the heart of their
community. So will the Minister now respond to the letter that I
sent him, along with the hon. Member for Folkestone and Hythe
(), on behalf of the all-party group on football? Will
the Minister agree to meet us to discuss the problem of the EFL
and meet Rick Parry, its chair, to have a look again at the
financial assistance that is going to be needed to ensure that
when spectators go back to football they will actually have a
team to support?
Mr Deputy Speaker
Before the Minister answers that, may I ask everyone to focus on
short questions and short answers, as we are really under time
pressure today?
I can confirm to the hon. Gentleman that I regularly meet Rick
Parry and Richard Masters from the Premier League; we met this
week, along with other stakeholders. As the hon. Gentleman will
know, the Premier League has made a commitment that it will not
allow any EFL club to go under. At the elite end we have that
commitment that no club will go under, and the package we have
announced today for football will make sure that the National
League does not go under. Therefore, across the whole pyramid we
now have this security, but it is up to the Premier League and
the EFL to come to a conclusion to those discussions. I encourage
them to do so on a regular basis.
(North West Durham) (Con)
I really welcome the Minister’s announcement that national league
clubs up to level 7 will get extra support. Unfortunately,
Northern league clubs including Consett, Tow Law Town, Crook Town
and Willington in my constituency, along with Northallerton Town
in the constituency of my right hon. Friend the Member for
Richmond (Yorks) (), are not quite there at the right level yet. We have
had support from Sport England and the Football Foundation, but
will he hear representations for support from the Northern
league?
I thank my hon. Friend for those comments. We have talked about
football many times, and I appreciate his support. The support
announced today is for national league steps 1 to 2 to the tune
of up to £11 million and national league steps 3 to 6 of up to
£14 million. The more grassroots level is not supported in this
package, but, as he mentioned, the route to get support is
through Sport England and other packages such as the Football
Foundation’s grants, which have helped clubs get back up to speed
and ready for reopening. I am happy to continue those
conversations with him.
(Aberdeen South) (SNP)
Football gives hope and joy to millions, just as we saw last week
when big Davie Marshall dived to his left-hand side to send
Scotland to our first European championships since 1996. For that
hope and joy to persist, we need our football clubs in Scotland
to exist. Will the Minister explain why £97 million-worth of
cultural funding has been made available to Scotland through
Barnett consequentials but we have yet to see a single penny of
direct funding to support Scottish professional football clubs?
May I add my congratulations on Scotland’s performance? As I have
said, there are Barnett consequentials to this package, as indeed
there have been to others, but how that is spent is up to the
devolved Administrations.
(Folkestone and Hythe) (Con)
I welcome the package. I take note of what the Minister said
about the football league, but, as he knows, there is no
financial package in place for community clubs in the football
league. People may wonder why it is that, for example, the Exeter
Chiefs—the premiership rugby team and European champions—will
benefit along with premiership rugby from Government support but
Exeter City football club, with its lower income and lower fan
attendance, has so far got nothing at all. There needs to be more
of a focus on those community clubs in the football league. After
the end of the lockdown on 2 December, will communities in tier 3
not see grassroots sport return? There is concern about that, and
I would be grateful for his reassurance, even if only to say that
no decision has yet been made.
I thank my hon. Friend for those comments. I know what a great
champion he is of sport and football in particular. Indeed, I
cannot commit to exactly what the tiering system will be—no
surprise there—but I repeat the commitment of the Secretary of
State, who said that we want to ensure that grassroots is at the
front of the queue. As I said, we all have an incentive to ensure
that sport opens up and we get stadiums open as soon as possible.
In terms of EFL support, I refer my hon. Friend to the comments I
made earlier about the Premier League and EFL needing to come to
an arrangement. On the grassroots, we are very reliant on, and
grateful for, the work Sport England has done with its £220
million of support for the grassroots game.
(Bedford)
(Lab) [V]
I have been contacted by sports clubs in my constituency, many of
which, including Bedford Town and Kempston Rovers, are still
unclear about what support, if any, they will get to help them
through the crisis. While today’s announcement may be a relief to
many rugby clubs, I am not confident that it will be enough to
save those with a sustainable model such as Bedford Blues. Will
the Minister guarantee that all clubs will be better off under
today’s announcement than they were under the furlough scheme?
Perhaps I should it make clear that we encourage all clubs to
take advantage of whatever Government support measures may be out
there, including the existing scheme. This scheme and
announcement is on top of existing schemes. I therefore encourage
everybody and anybody to apply for everything they are eligible
for. Of course, we are talking about a £300 million package, with
over £100 million going to rugby union. Therefore, by definition,
they will be better off than they would have been.
(Warrington South) (Con) [V]
I welcome the news that the Government have agreed further
financial support for rugby league clubs, which recognises the
really important work that clubs such as Warrington Wolves do in
our communities. Will my hon. Friend set out more details about
that assistance for rugby league clubs? What contribution can his
Department give to underwrite the world cup, which, as he knows,
is due to be played here next year?
I thank my hon. Friend. Indeed, we are announcing today an
additional £12 million for rugby league, and that is on top of
the £16 million that was announced earlier in the year. We will
be working with the Rugby Football League to distribute that
additional money. Actually, it has done a pretty good job so far,
and therefore we will continue with the existing scheme, but
topping it up with the £12 million. Like him, I am very much
looking forward to having my first visit to a game in an official
capacity as sports Minister, and maybe rugby might be one such
game, but I hope that is before the world cup.
(Eltham) (Lab)
There are many volunteer-led, grassroots sports clubs that are
really struggling at this moment in time, and equally there are
probably a number of would-be developers that are looking at
developing their assets. They are in a vulnerable situation, and
we need to make sure that this funding gets to the grassroots so
that we do not lose the vital sports fields in all our
constituencies. What is the Minister doing to ensure that that
does not happen?
The hon. Gentleman raises an important point about the
availability of spaces and fields on which to play a game or, in
fact, all sports. As I have said, the Sport England package of
£220 million to help clubs of all sports through coronavirus is
important, and today’s package will trickle down and help the
grassroots. In particular, it will help sustain clubs where, of
course, grassroots as well as professional and league games are
played.
(Brecon and Radnorshire) (Con)
The Minister knows I care passionately about the sports clubs in
my constituency, particularly the rugby clubs. I very much
welcome this announcement and his efforts to get stadiums back
open again, so that I might be able to go back to Gwernyfed rugby
club very soon. He has already mentioned that this decision
generates some funding for the Welsh Government. Can he tell me
what can be done to make sure that the Welsh Government actually
get the money to sports clubs in Wales?
I thank my hon. Friend, and indeed it is not the first time we
have talked rugby in this Chamber. To appeal to the common sense
and good will of our colleagues in Wales is the most important
thing we can do. There will be Barnett consequentials, but I
respect the fact that sport is a devolved matter, and I am sure
that they will be listening to this debate. As I have said, there
will be Barnett consequentials, and therefore I hope that they
will use this money appropriately.
(Newcastle upon Tyne North) (Lab)
Community leisure facilities are the most accessible way for
people to get fit and active, yet we face the real prospect of
sports facilities in clubs in more affluent areas of the country
enjoying reopening post pandemic, whereas those in the more
deprived and disadvantaged communities remaining unviable. In
Newcastle, we are very concerned that the West Denton swimming
pool, for example, is at risk of remaining permanently closed due
to the financial impact of the pandemic, despite the area facing
some of the worst health inequalities. This cannot happen, so
will the Minister commit to ensuring today that funding will be
given for community leisure facilities post pandemic to ensure
that sport remains genuinely accessible for all?
I thank the hon. Lady. Of course, community facilities and
leisure facilities are the responsibility of both central and
local government. I know how important they are for local
government, and as I say, information on the application process
for this £100 million package will be coming very soon. The hon.
Lady is absolutely right to mention the importance of making sure
that Government money is spread right across the country. The
very first sport package we gave out in order to help was for
rugby league, and today’s announcement will help clubs right
across the country.
(North Antrim)
(DUP) [V]
I welcome the £6 million announcement for motorsport in
particular. There is currently no certainty about the future of
next year’s world rally championship in the United Kingdom. Can
any of the resource that has been announced today be released to
facilitate the bid, which is being supported by racers and by
Motorsport UK, for Northern Ireland to host the WRC in 2021? This
is not a devolved issue; this is a UK-wide issue. I hope that the
Minister can help us, and help Elfyn Evans in what I hope will be
his world championship year to race it in Ulster?
I know what a fan the hon. Gentleman is of motorsports. What he
proposes is not the purpose of this package. As I said, this is a
sports winter survival package for the specific purpose I
outlined earlier, but I am happy to have conversations with him
about what he proposes.
(Southend West) (Con)
I am delighted that the Chancellor’s money tree continues to bear
rich fruit, but while the premier league is cash-rich, lower
league clubs such as Southend United have been suffering during
the pandemic as a result, dare I say, of poor results and
finances. Will my hon. Friend write to me to let me know
precisely how much of this money Southend United will get? Will
he also look at golf clubs and bowls clubs?
To be very clear, we are not announcing today, club-by-club, what
will be allocated. That is subject to the next stage of the
process, working with Sport England and governing bodies to make
sure the money is disbursed to individual clubs, but I am happy
to follow up with my hon. Friend as that process evolves. In
terms of other sports, the criteria we are talking about is the
financial challenge caused by the decision not to open on 1
October and what is required by sports to enable them to survive
through to spring. Therefore, for any entity that believes it
fits that criteria and deserves some money, while the allocations
I have announced are provisional, the door is open to other bids.
(Newport West) (Lab)
I thank the Minister for this welcome announcement for England. I
am sure he will join me in congratulating the Welsh Labour
Government on their £40 million funding package for Wales’s sport
and leisure sector, which was made in advance of his announcement
today. What conversations has the Minister had with the Welsh
Government and what funding will flow to the devolved nations
after this announcement today?
As the hon. Lady may have heard, I can confirm that there are
Barnett consequentials to the announcement today, and it is up to
Wales how it chooses to spend any money. I congratulate the Welsh
Government on prioritising sport and leisure. As sports Minister,
she would not expect me to say anything else.
(Ipswich) (Con)
I welcome this package of support. I am keen to get fans back
into Portman Road as soon as possible in a safe way.
My particular point is about the Landseer Park BMX track, which
lies at the heart of the Gainsborough community. It is unique and
has been there for a very long time. It is in a deprived area and
it gives young people there something positive to do. The track
is deteriorating and there is a campaign to raise money to
resurface it, but it is around £60,000 short at the moment. Will
the Minister work with me, Tracey from the BMX track and British
Cycling to, one way or another, make sure it gets that financial
support, so that that unique BMX track can remain at the heart of
the Gainsborough community?
My hon. Friend raises an important point about making sure we
have sports facilities of all sorts and ranges available for our
constituents. Sport England is the body most appropriate to
approach to seek funding. Of course, it has prioritised its
coronavirus response recently, but I am sure it will get back to
business as usual in allocations as soon as possible. I would be
happy to have further conversations about this with my hon.
Friend.
(Twickenham) (LD)
Today’s announcement is very welcome for premiership rugby clubs
such as Harlequins, as well as national league south football
clubs such as Hampton and Richmond, both of which are in my
constituency. The Minister is aware that Quins ran the largest
pilot event to date with spectators: 3,500 attended a match
earlier this year which was proved to be very safe and very
secure. We will naturally return, in time, to spectators in
stands, which will be a graduated process, so can the Minister
provide some assurances to clubs such as Quins and Hampton and
Richmond that support will not be withdrawn immediately, because
ticket revenues will cover only a small proportion of their
costs? Will he see to it that we will not have the perverse
situation whereby people are allowed into hospitality suites to
watch matches, but not outdoors in the stands where it is an
awful lot safer?
The hon. Lady and I have spoken a couple of times about some of
the points she raises. I can give her the reassurance that the
pilots that took place earlier this year in her constituency and
across the country were not a waste of time. They were fantastic
learning experiences and proved very well that we could open
stadiums safely, but of course there is a bigger issue in terms
of transport to and from stadiums and all sorts of other matters
that we need to consider in the context of the current
coronavirus environment. I would be happy to follow up on some of
the other issues she raises.
(Beckenham)
(Con)
May I ask my hon. Friend—my very good friend—to look at why UK
Athletics and England Athletics seem to be allowed to self-assess
what they do with the money given to them, especially with regard
to the results they achieve? Perhaps we could have a meeting on
the matter, to which I could bring some of the affected athletes
from my constituency, who feel most aggrieved.
I would be delighted to meet my hon. Friend for a whole host of
reasons, but in particular to talk sport. I note the concerns he
raises and would be happy to discuss them with him. To be fair, I
think we have made huge progress with British athletics. Think
back to 1996, which is not so long ago, when we got one gold
medal and were 36th in the medal table at the Olympics. We were
second, with 25-plus medals, at Rio. We have made progress, but
perhaps we can make even more.
(Angus) (SNP) [V]
Scottish football clubs, such as Forfar Athletic, Brechin City,
Montrose and Arbroath in my Angus constituency, are almost three
times more reliant on ticket sales, with gate receipts making up
approximately 43% of club revenues. The Minister advised my hon.
Friend the Member for Paisley and Renfrewshire North () that Barnett consequentials will be a feature of
this package, but he was unable to say how much it would be or
when it would be available. Can the Minister at least advise us
when this detail will be made available to Scottish Government
colleagues, so that they can, together with clubs, plan how to
invest it?
As I have said, I can confirm that, as with other support
packages, there are Barnett consequentials. I am not able to give
the hon. Gentleman the details he seeks today, but I will work
with Treasury officials and others to make sure that information
is forthcoming.
(Warley)
(Lab)
I welcome this package and congratulate the Minister on securing
it from the Treasury. However, we all recognise that it cannot
last forever, so does he accept that we need a change of approach
for sports participation, with its huge benefits for both
physical and mental health?
Does the Minister also accept that we need help for the huge
ecosystem of the sport and leisure industries, and their army of
employees? They have spent considerable sums on making things
safe, and they need the public back through their doors and
gates. That includes sports clubs, racecourses and gyms, as well
as pubs, clubs, betting shops and casinos. Can the Minister now
persuade the Department of Health and Social Care and the Cabinet
Office to abandon their risk avoidance and risk aversion
strategy, and to adopt an evidence-based risk management
approach?
The right hon. Gentleman makes a pertinent point about the
importance of the mental health benefits of sport, as well as its
physical benefits. The conversations about what we can open and
when are always ongoing, and all opinions are welcome, but we
will take an evidence-based approach to those decisions.
(Bury
South) (Con)
Smaller sports teams such as Radcliffe and Prestwich Heys in my
constituency sit at the heart of their communities and are a
source of local pride. I look forward to being able to get back
to the Neuven Stadium soon. Will my hon. Friend confirm that the
winter survival package will support sports teams in Britain’s
towns, and not just in big cities? Will he commit to looking
further at what support can be given to grassroots football?
It is always good to talk football with my hon. Friend—it is not
for the first time. I know his passion for the subject. As I have
said, it is really important that we get grassroots football up
and running again as soon as possible. We made great strides in
the summer and we want to get back as soon as we can. The package
announced today will benefit areas across the country—towns,
cities and rural areas will benefit.
(Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford) (Lab) [V]
I thank the Sports Minister for meeting me to discuss Castleford
Tigers, and for listening to us and the thousands of rugby league
supporters who have signed petitions and called for this urgent
help. The funding he has announced is really important to get
clubs through the winter, but as we do not yet know what next
year will bring, will he undertake to keep working with rugby
league, with grants as well as loans where needed, to guarantee
that none of our vital rugby league clubs go under because of
covid?
Yes, I would of course be happy to continue the dialogue. This
package is intended to provide help through to the spring. We do
not know what the circumstances will be next year—none of us has
a crystal ball—but we are all extremely hopeful that vaccines and
other measures will enable us to have a much brighter future. We
will address the circumstances as they arise.
