Oral Answers to Questions

Ben Obese-Jecty Excerpts

Thursday 3rd April 2025 Commons Chamber

[Anna Dixon (Shipley) (Lab)]

15. What steps is she taking to allocate funding to local grassroots sports facilities in the north of England.

[Ben Obese-Jecty (Huntingdon) (Con)]

16. What steps is she taking to support grassroots sports venues.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Stephanie Peacock)]

The Government are clear that people should have access to sport and physical activity when they want, no matter who they are and where they are in the country. That is why we recently announced a further £100 million investment across the UK for the coming year, to ensure better access to high-quality facilities.

--- Later in debate ---

[Stephanie Peacock]

I congratulate the teams that my hon. Friend mentions. Grassroots clubs do such an important job in nurturing sporting talent. Brilliant sports groups across the country will receive funding for facilities. We will be targeting the most deprived areas, supporting under-represented groups and providing the multi-sport benefit through the Football Foundation, which will deliver that through its local football facilities plans, which are being refreshed to reflect changes including the growth in the women’s game and need in other sports.

[Ben Obese-Jecty]

Rugby union is sadly a sport on its knees in this country, propped up solely by the six nations, with top-flight clubs going to the wall despite a ringfenced premiership cartel. Mismanagement of the game has become endemic. The Rugby Football Union sustained losses of £38 million last year, yet still found the cash to provide a total remuneration package of £1.1 million to Bill Sweeney, who has presided over the current shambles. Although he survived a vote of no confidence at a special general meeting of the RFU at Twickenham last week, forced by the Whole Game Union, the RFU is desperately trying to restore credibility with the grassroots game. What oversight are the Government providing of the management of rugby union in England, the implementation of the forthcoming modernisation programme and the six-point plan for community rugby? What support can they give to beleaguered grassroots clubs that are the lifeblood of the game and create our future internationals—

[Mr Speaker]

Order.

[Ben Obese-Jecty]

Players like George Furbank, who started his career at Huntingdon Stags?

[Mr Speaker]

Order. Please, Mr Obese-Jecty, there are other questions.