Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure maximum use of (1) government, and (2) school, sports facilities to provide access for (a) local clubs, and (b) the general public, during evenings, weekends and the school holidays.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We have announced £30 million for PE teacher training and to open up school facilities to provide access to the wider community. At the recent Spending Review, we announced £205 million to build or transform up to 8,000 state-of-the-art community football pitches and multi-use sports facilities across the UK. This was in addition to a £30 million package to renovate park tennis courts across the country.
Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many civil servants are employed full time in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on sport and recreation policy.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Please the staff figures below for DCMS teams that work on sport and recreation policy. Data based on staff in post on the 26/07/2021.
Team | Headcount |
Commonwealth Games | 42 |
Major Sporting Events | 8 |
Sport Policy | 25 |
Grand Total | 75 |
Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish the evidence on which they based their policy to only allow two-ball golf matches to be played during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Sports and physical activity including golf are incredibly important for our physical and mental health, and are a vital weapon against coronavirus.
On Monday 4 January the Prime Minister announced a national lockdown and instructed people to stay at home to control the virus, protect the NHS and save lives. The National Restrictions are designed to get the R rate under control through limiting social contact and reducing transmissions. All decisions made by the Government relating to the pandemic and sport have been based on advice and guidance from health and scientific experts. We have no plans to publish the evidence for individual decisions relating to specific sports.
You can continue to exercise alone, with one other person or with your household or support bubble. This should be limited to once per day, in a public outdoor place and you should not travel outside your local area. You should maintain social distancing. Indoor and outdoor sports facilities, including golf courses, must close.
Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to partner with the sport and entertainment sectors to underwrite contingency insurance for live events.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Government is aware of the concerns which have been raised about the potential challenge of securing insurance for live events, including those in the sporting and entertainment sectors. We have been working closely with the affected sectors over the last few months to understand the challenges and to keep the situation under review.
Understandably, the bar for considering Government intervention is set extremely high, especially in light of the furlough scheme and local business support, so the evidence of market failure specific to DCMS sectors must be clearly demonstrated and robust.
Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK Anti-Doping Agency's capability to test for (1) gene editing, and (2) synthetic messenger RNA, to meet the ban on the non-therapeutic use of genes, genetic elements and cells as set out in the World Anti-Doping Agency Code, that have the capacity to enhance athletic performance; and whether they are collecting and storing samples for such testing in the future.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
It is the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) role to approve new testing processes. WADA has not yet developed a test for gene editing due to the complexities in identifying gene doping. To mitigate the threat of gene doping, WADA has a Gene and Cell Doping Expert Group which provides direction to its Health, Medical and Research Committee. The Committee develops strategies to prevent and detect non-therapeutic manipulation of gene/protein in sport.
WADA has approved tests for RNA, but these are only being used in experimental environments for research, and not yet by anti-doping organisations (including UK Anti-Doping).
UK Anti-Doping split the samples they collect from each athlete into “A” samples which are analysed, and “B” samples which are stored securely for potential future tests. Samples can be stored for up to 10 years.
Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether UK Anti-Doping has refused requests to share information or samples with any national anti-doping agency or international federation seeking to access samples for analysis relating to any British Olympic athletes since 2012.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Any information which UK Anti-Doping receives is handled with the strictest data protection compliance. Therefore, it is not always possible for UK Anti-Doping to share information or samples from British athletes with third parties when this breaches data handling requirements.
UK Anti-Doping has already publicly set out its position on sending samples related to the investigation of Alberto Salazar to the United States Anti-Doping Agency. To date, the World Anti-Doping Agency has not requested to reanalyse any of UK Anti-Doping’s samples of British athletes overseen at any time by Alberto Salazar.
UK Anti-Doping has always supported the work of other anti-doping organisations and the World Anti-Doping Agency. When UK Anti-Doping cannot share information or samples, it always works for a constructive outcome to progress cases where there is a joint interest.
Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether UK Anti-Doping has ever refused to provide samples requested by (1) the World Anti-Doping Agency, or (2) the United States Anti-Doping Agency, from British athletes whose training was overseen at any time by Alberto Salazar or his colleagues at the Nike Oregon Project.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Any information which UK Anti-Doping receives is handled with the strictest data protection compliance. Therefore, it is not always possible for UK Anti-Doping to share information or samples from British athletes with third parties when this breaches data handling requirements.
UK Anti-Doping has already publicly set out its position on sending samples related to the investigation of Alberto Salazar to the United States Anti-Doping Agency. To date, the World Anti-Doping Agency has not requested to reanalyse any of UK Anti-Doping’s samples of British athletes overseen at any time by Alberto Salazar.
UK Anti-Doping has always supported the work of other anti-doping organisations and the World Anti-Doping Agency. When UK Anti-Doping cannot share information or samples, it always works for a constructive outcome to progress cases where there is a joint interest.
Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many tests were undertaken by UK Anti-Doping in the UK during the periods (1) January to March 2019, (2) April to June 2019, (3) July to September 2019, (4) October to December 2019, (5) January to March, (6) April to June, and (7) July to September.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
UK Anti-Doping defines a test as any attempt to test a single athlete in a single Sample Collection Session. During the periods:
January to March 2019, it conducted 3,803 tests
April to June 2019, it conducted 2,212 tests
July to September 2019, it conducted 2,943 tests
October to December 2019, it conducted 2,789 tests
January to March 2020, it conducted 2,512 tests
April to June 2020, it conducted 126 tests. The drop in testing during this period was due to UK Anti-Doping’s decision in March 2020 to significantly reduce its testing programme due to Covid-19.
July to September 2020. The testing statistics for this period have not yet been released.
All testing in the first quarter of 2020-2021 (April-June 2020) conducted in the UK was done in England. However, this does not mean that athletes from Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales were not tested during this time. UK Anti-Doping publishes its testing figures on a quarterly basis and combines the figures for blood and urine samples. This ensures transparency of its testing activity, while protecting the confidential methodology which goes into planning a testing programme.
Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) blood samples, and (2) urine samples have been collected by UK Anti-Doping in the UK each month since March, in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Northern Ireland, and (d) Wales.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
UK Anti-Doping defines a test as any attempt to test a single athlete in a single Sample Collection Session. During the periods:
January to March 2019, it conducted 3,803 tests
April to June 2019, it conducted 2,212 tests
July to September 2019, it conducted 2,943 tests
October to December 2019, it conducted 2,789 tests
January to March 2020, it conducted 2,512 tests
April to June 2020, it conducted 126 tests. The drop in testing during this period was due to UK Anti-Doping’s decision in March 2020 to significantly reduce its testing programme due to Covid-19.
July to September 2020. The testing statistics for this period have not yet been released.
All testing in the first quarter of 2020-2021 (April-June 2020) conducted in the UK was done in England. However, this does not mean that athletes from Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales were not tested during this time. UK Anti-Doping publishes its testing figures on a quarterly basis and combines the figures for blood and urine samples. This ensures transparency of its testing activity, while protecting the confidential methodology which goes into planning a testing programme.
Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a claim by athletes at a testing location that someone in their household is self-isolating, quarantining or shielding provides sufficient grounds for UK Anti-Doping not to continue with testing; and how many cases in each of these categories have been noted by UK Anti-Doping since the restrictions arising from COVID-19 were imposed.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
If attempting testing at an athlete’s home, Doping Control Personnel or “Testers” will check whether anyone present at the athlete’s residence is self-isolating, quarantining or shielding. If so, then this would provide sufficient grounds for UK Anti-Doping not to continue with testing. If testing outside of an athlete’s home, Doping Control Personnel will check the athlete does not have Covid-19, Covid-19 symptoms, or is in an at risk-group before proceeding. UK Anti-Doping has developed a protocol which its Doping Control Personnel are required to follow to determine whether an athlete can be tested. This procedure is in line with the World Anti-Doping Agency’s guidance for resuming testing, and is fully outlined on UK Anti-Doping’s website.
Doping Control Personnel also warn the athlete that if they (or anyone else on their behalf) provide any information which is later found to be false, misleading, inaccurate or incomplete they may be committing the Anti-Doping Rule Violation of ‘Tampering or Attempted Tampering’ which could result in sanctions.
So far, there have not been any cases where testing has not proceeded due to self-isolation, quarantining or shielding.