Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between John Spellar and Jeremy Wright

Thursday 1st November 2018 Commons Chamber

[The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Jeremy Wright)]

I should say at the outset—

[John Spellar (Warley) (Lab)]

Where’s Tracey then? Where is the Sport Minister?

[Jeremy Wright]

I am about to explain. The Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, my hon. Friend the Member for Chatham and Aylesford (Tracey Crouch), has been visiting the United States this week for meetings, including a White House roundtable on doping in sport, and she is travelling back this morning.

I can tell the hon. Member for Bolton North East (Sir David Crausby) that, over the next four years, almost £100 million of public money will help to build and upgrade artificial and grass pitches, encourage greater participation and enhance coaching programmes. He will also be aware that football is benefiting from £100 million a year up to 2019 from the Premier League, and I have begun discussions about ensuring that investment remains at least at that level for the next three years.