Sport: Rugby League World Cup 2013

Baroness Billingham Excerpts

Tuesday 23rd November 2010 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Garden of Frognal]

My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that very constructive and helpful question. I assure him that the Government remain fully behind England’s 2018 bid and will continue to support the bid in any way possible in the build up to FIFA’s decision on 2 December.

[Baroness Billingham]

My Lords, perhaps I may press the Minister further on this matter. We have listened with great interest to her thoughtful replies. Is there not a moral obligation here? We have a situation in which the Rugby League organised sponsorship of £1 million from the RDA and then the RDA is swept away and it is left without support. In those circumstances, I should have thought that the Government, as perpetrator of the sweeping-away, would immediately step in and say, “We will fully underwrite it”—not half of it. I think the Minister must take this back to the DCMS and press much more firmly for fair treatment for a very important sport.