Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish a list of supported schemes made available during the COVID-19 lockdown, whether mandatory or discretionary in nature, to assist such bodies as community amateur and other amateur sports clubs and groups that own or maintain their own facilities.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Government has announced an unprecedented support package for sports clubs and other organisations affected by Covid-19, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Business Interruption loan scheme.
Full details of Government guidance and support for organisations including community amateur sports clubs can be found on the Gov.UK website.
In addition, Sport England have also announced a support package of £210m for the grassroots sport sector. Full details can be found on their website.
Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to produce a guide for community amateur sports clubs and other amateur sports clubs about how to access any support schemes run by central or local government, or endorsed by them.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Government has announced an unprecedented support package for sports clubs and other organisations affected by Covid-19, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Business Interruption loan scheme.
Full details of Government guidance and support for organisations including community amateur sports clubs can be found on the Gov.UK website.
In addition, Sport England have also announced a support package of £210m for the grassroots sport sector. Full details can be found on their website.
Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what comprehensive guidance they have provided to voluntary and sporting organisations which operate buildings and other facilities in respect of outlining the support available throughout the COVID-19 pandemic; and where any such guidance is published.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Government has announced a number of support packages for voluntary and sporting organisations, who have been impacted by Covid-19.
For sport, this includes Sport England’s announcement of a £195m package of support for the grassroots sport and physical activity sector, including a £20m Community Emergency Fund (CEF) to support those organisations that are suffering from immediate financial hardship. The CEF includes support for organisations which operate facilities and which require specific support to meet fixed and other costs relating to buildings. Further details are available here: https://www.sportengland.org/how-we-can-help/coronavirus/coronavirus-funding-and-flexibility.
For the voluntary sector, this has included the Government distributing £310m via the National Lottery Community Fund to support voluntary organisations most affected by Covid-19 as part of the wider £750m Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise funding package announced by the Chancellor.
These packages are in addition to the wider HM Treasury support packages, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Business Interruption loan, both of which the sport and voluntary sector are eligible for. Full details can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus.
Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a compulsory requirement for broadcasters to include a public service component in their programming following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Government recognises that broadcasting has an important role to play for UK audiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, Public Service Broadcasters (PSBs) have played a vital role during the pandemic, acting as sources of trusted news, entertaining and informing the UK population and bringing the nation together through shared moments.
Under the Communications Act 2003 Ofcom has a statutory obligation to periodically review the effectiveness of public service television broadcasting and to report on how it can be maintained and strengthened. The Government welcomes that Ofcom’s current PSB Review will bring together evidence not only about the main PSB services but also the range of media services available to consumers in the UK. The government looks forward to the outcome of the review in due course.
Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the loss of income of charities in the educational sector who rely upon providing training to teachers and lecturers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I am aware of the strain that many charities are under during this time of financial uncertainty and increased demand on their services. On 8 April, the government announced a £750 million funding package for charities delivering frontline services. Unfortunately not all charities will be able to benefit from this, so they should also consider whether they are eligible for other existing government schemes, such as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the Self Employment Income Support Scheme, Business Interruption Loans and deferring VAT payments.
Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) guidance, and (2) support, they have provided to voluntary and not-for-profit organisations such as amateur sports clubs who normally generate funds through social occasions in their own licensed premises to enable them to continue functioning after the lockdown period; whether any such guidance is published; and if so, where.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Government has announced a number of support packages for voluntary and not-for-profit organisations, who have been impacted by Covid-19. These include the National Lottery Community Fund’s £300m, the Arts Council’s (£50m) and Sport England’s (£20m) Emergency Funding packages. The Government is also distributing £310m via the National Lottery Community Fund to support voluntary organisations most affected by Covid-19 as part of the wider £750m Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise funding package announced by the Chancellor. This is in addition to the wider HM Treasury support packages, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, Business Interruption Loans and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants, all of which the charitable sector are eligible for.
Full details of Government guidance and support during the current coronavirus epidemic for organisations including amateur sports clubs can be found on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the availability of professional trainers and coaches provided by voluntary organisations and sports clubs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Sport England has been working closely with its strategic partners, the Chartered Institute of the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA), UK Active, Community Leisure UK and the national governing body for group exercise EMD UK to make it easier for personal trainers and group exercise instructors to provide physical activity for people in their community and beyond. This has included work to assist personal trainers to make sure they have adequate insurance cover and guidance to promote remote activity sessions safely.
Government recognises the impact that covid-19 is having on the sport sector, and we are continuing to engage with sporting organisations to understand how it is affecting them and to provide support.
At the present time, although all elite and grassroots sport has been suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak, the government recognises the importance of staying physically active for mental and physical health. There has been much innovative thinking across the sport and physical activity sector on how to keep people active whilst social distancing restrictions are in place.
Daily exercise is one of the reasons that people are allowed outdoors and campaigns such as Sport England's 'Join the movement ' campaign, under the hashtag #stayinworkout, provides the advice and tools needed to help people to stay as physically fit as possible. Its online hub offers free exercise content and advice from organisations such as the NHS. Workouts from fitness brands and influencers such as Les Mills on Demand, The Body Coach (Joe Wicks) and FiiT are also available via the hub, many of whom are offering extended free trials to help people get active at home.