Oral Answers to Questions

Neil Carmichael Excerpts

Thursday 13th September 2012 Commons Chamber

[Hugh Robertson]

Absolutely. The key statistic is that on average a grass pitch provides four hours’ use a week, but that rises to 90 hours on a new 3G pitch. This is not a new process: 246 school playing fields were sold off under the previous Administration.

[Neil Carmichael (Stroud) (Con)]

7. What steps she is taking to build on the success of the London 2012 Olympics in local community sport.

[The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Hugh Robertson)]

Through Places People Play, Sport England is investing £135 million in community sport facilities and local community sport, and to date over 700 community sport facilities have benefited from the programme. In addition, the new youth sport strategy includes funding to help local authorities improve sport provision and investment to enable schools to open up their sporting facilities for use by local communities.

[Neil Carmichael]

I thank the Minister for that reply. The Paralympics received a fantastic response, but can we extend those good things to ensure that wherever possible everybody has access to community sport—obviously with a focus on disabled people?

[Hugh Robertson]

That is absolutely the intention. Three initiatives are worth looking at in that respect. The new whole sport plans will include for the first time specific disability targets, as will Places People Play, and an inclusive opportunities fund is being run for the first time by Sport England to address exactly that issue.