Extract from Business Questions Jacob Young (Redcar) (Con): Eston
swimming baths have been closed since the start of the pandemic,
and will sadly remain closed for at least another year because of
the state of disrepair, which it is estimated will cost almost £3
million to put right. I have said from the start that I am
committed to having a swimming pool in TS6 for the people of TS6,
and I am working with the council on a plan for a brand-new pool
there so that everyone in South Bank,...Request free trial
Extract from Business
Questions
(Redcar) (Con): Eston swimming baths have
been closed since the start of the pandemic, and will sadly remain
closed for at least another year because of the state of disrepair,
which it is estimated will cost almost £3 million to put right. I
have said from the start that I am committed to having a swimming
pool in TS6 for the people of TS6, and I am working with the
council on a plan for a brand-new pool there so that everyone in
South Bank, Normanby, Teesville, Grangetown and Eston can have a
pool that they can use for decades to come. Does the Leader of the
House agree with me on the importance of community swimming pools,
and will he make time for a debate on this in the next
Session?
The Leader of the House of Commons (
): I congratulate my hon. Friend on the
work he has been doing to save the Eston baths, and I know that he
has raised this matter with Ministers. He is an absolutely
brilliant champion for his constituents in Redcar, and for ensuring
that they are kept in the swim, so to speak. This is important work
and the Government have provided unprecedented support to
businesses throughout the pandemic to ensure that these vital
facilities remain for people to enjoy after the pandemic has come
to an end. This includes the £100 million national leisure recovery
fund and £270 million from Sport England.
Extracts from end of day
adjournment debate on British Wrestling
(Bolsover)
(Con):...Wrestling falls between two different worlds. Is it
an art, or is it a sport? We think we have answered that question,
and we have separated it out in the report. Our idea is that those
who are training to be wrestlers and are in wrestling schools are
undertaking a sporting exercise—those foundations are largely
physical and require teaching, so that is the sporting aspect. When
someone attends a wrestling show, they are watching a performance.
We think that that is a helpful distinction, because it gives a
clear pathway for the different aspects of the industry to move
forward. Has the Minister considered our recommendation that
schools be considered sporting and shows be considered theatrical?
Does he agree that this is the first step to unlocking the
industry’s potential? Will he write, as we recommended, to
Sport England and Arts Council
England and work with devolved counterparts to do the same, so that
we can get things moving?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital,
Culture, Media and Sport ():...The report also addresses how wrestling
should be categorised. We have spoken about that on several
occasions; it is a challenge. The report recommends that training
should be considered a sport and the performance element an
entertainment. Personally I can see the logic in that distinction,
but that is a matter for Sport England I understand that
there is engagement with Sport England and I suggest that
that continues.
My hon. Friend is doing a brilliant job. I asked whether he
would write to Sport England in support of our
recommendation; would he be willing to do so?
I thank my hon. Friend. I will definitely write to
Sport England and ask it to
seriously consider it. He will understand that, because the matter
is at the discretion of Sport England if I were to get
involved and strongly suggest that it should decide one way or the
other it might be considered inappropriate, but what I will do is
consider the application very seriously and get back to him. Look,
personally I understand it, but this is not for me to decide, and I
need to respect the appropriate decision-making bodies.
As the report made out, this is a complex area; it is not
clear, but it is a perfectly valid point to raise. The report
highlighted the fact that support from the two most relevant
Government arm’s length bodies, Sport England and Arts Council
England, has been provided to many projects in the past, where the
projects have met the relevant funding criteria. Where that is
clearly sport or clearly entertainment, that has been
straightforward. Where that is not the case, there are obviously
challenges, but the door is open for discussions about what support
can be provided to wrestling, and I would urge the industry, as
well as the APPG—but it is the industry that would benefit here—to
be very clear about the exact nature of the support they are
looking for and therefore pursue that help. It is for wrestling
itself to make the case for support and how it fits with those
organisations’ strategic aims, just as it is for any other
organisation looking for publicly funded support. We all want to
see wrestling prosper, but the industry needs to be clear about
what it wants to achieve...
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