Walter Smith OBE: Contribution to Scottish Football
Nigel Huddleston Excerpts(4 years, 10 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Watch Debate Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Nigel Huddleston)
I am very grateful to the hon. Member for Argyll and Bute (Brendan O'Hara) for securing this debate today about a true Scottish footballing great, and for the moving contributions that he and many others have made today. I know that many others would have liked to contribute, but are not able to be in the Chamber today. I also send my condolences to Walter Smith’s wife, Ethel, and the rest of his family and close friends and pay tribute to an absolutely incredible ambassador for football in this country. The fact that a diehard Celtic fan has tabled this debate to celebrate a Rangers legend is testament to Walter Smith’s legacy, his reach across football and so much more.
Julian Knight (Solihull) (Con)
That legacy is not just about Rangers and Celtic, but Everton. What a fantastic manager Walter was at Everton. On this side of the House, we wish to say to the hon. Member for Argyll and Bute (Brendan O'Hara) that Walter cut across all divides. He was just a very good man and a very good manager. I think that is a lesson to us all in this place and beyond. We should celebrate his life and perhaps in future we should just understand, given how he cut across all divides, that we are all one in that respect. He was a great football manager. From my friends at Everton football club, I know he was an absolutely delightful man in many respects.
Nigel Huddleston
I thank my hon. Friend for those comments; I could not agree more. While Walter is best known for his managerial career, as the hon. Member for Argyll and Bute mentioned, he did play more than 100 times for Dundee United. Aside from a brief spell in Dallas, he played his entire career in the Scottish league. His greatest impact though, as we have heard, is when he made that all-important transition to management. Over more than two decades, he took charge of teams at the very top of the elite game in this country. As we have heard, there was his incredible performance at Glasgow Rangers, where he won 10 titles, multiple Scottish cups and Scottish league cups, including the domestic treble in 1993. He also completed a record-equalling ninth league title in a row near the end of his first spell at the club—a record that still stands to this day. To have established such dominance at the top of the Scottish game, given the ever-changing nature of our domestic leagues, is a true testament to his managerial prowess.
Smith is also remembered for his activities further south; as my hon. Friend the Member for Solihull (Julian Knight) just mentioned, he was at Everton for four notable years. Some may recall he then briefly spent time in the dugout with another Scottish great, Sir Alex Ferguson, at Manchester United. Everton may have regretted that move across the M62 though, after an example of Smith’s eye for talent, which I have heard a lot about, benefited his new side. Smith had spotted a certain Wayne Rooney when he was just 14 years old and scoring regularly for the under-19s. Some 559 appearances and 253 goals a few years later, it is clear that Smith was on to something. That is just one example of his scouting and coaching prowess. Former Everton and Rangers captain David Weir once claimed that Smith had a “sixth sense” when it came to the needs of his players.
During Smith’s spell at Man U, he was credited with playing a key role in the development of no less than one Cristiano Ronaldo, helping him emerge arguably into one of the best players who has ever played the game. Smith’s success in club football was rewarded ultimately with the men’s Scottish national team job in 2004.
Smith did not just produce one-off performances. Scotland rose a remarkable 70 places in the FIFA world rankings during his time at Hampden—a truly incredible feat. It is not just what he achieved with Scotland, which of course was remarkable, but how he did it. That has been a very clear theme in what we have been hearing this evening. In appointing Tommy Burns, a rival from his time as Celtic manager, as his assistant, he helped to unite a nation of football fans.
Smith would, I am sure, have been delighted with the progress of the national team on Friday, after they confirmed a place in the World cup qualifying play-offs with the 2-0 victory in Moldova. I am sure that hon. Members, particularly on a certain side of the House, will join me in wishing Steve Clarke and his exciting young squad the very best of luck for the play-off campaign.
Off the pitch, it was fair to say Smith did not suffer fools gladly. It has been interesting to do some background reading on Walter, and it is probably true to say that he would occasionally have used some unparliamentary language that I am not allowed to repeat this evening, tempted though I am.
As we have heard again and again, Smith was not just a great football manager, but a great man. That was illustrated by the awarding of an OBE for services to association football in 1997. He clearly made a huge impact on all those he worked with, and will be remembered fondly by his colleagues and supporters at club and national level. He is yet another example of the positive influence that our sportspeople and sport can have on the many lives that sport can touch.
I would like to sign off this debate with another thanks to the hon. Member for Argyll and Bute for enabling the House to celebrate an incredible life. It is one that made such an important contribution to the national game in this country, and to many millions of Rangers fans and beyond. Rangers chairman, Douglas Park, summed him up perfectly when he said that
“he was much more than just a football manager. Walter was a friend to many, a leader, an ambassador and most of all a legend.”
I could not agree more.
Perhaps most importantly, a message to Ethel and Walter’s family is what a remarkable legacy it is that Walter has left because, even this evening, he has managed to unite the House of Commons. Thank you, Walter.
Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Nigel Evans)
Brendan, in my experience, no one has been paid more touching tributes in an Adjournment debate that I have heard. Please could you send our deepest condolences to Walter Smith’s family from all of us at the House of Commons.
Question put and agreed to.
Cultural Objects (Protection from Seizure) Bill
Nigel Huddleston Excerpts(4 years, 10 months ago)
Public Bill CommitteesRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Alison McGovern (Wirral South) (Lab)
It is, as others have said, a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Hosie. I commend the right hon. Member for Central Devon for bringing the Bill forward. It is limited in scope and effect. It extends existing powers, and we had a good discussion on Second Reading about the principles that sit behind it. As such, at this point, we have nothing further to add.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Nigel Huddleston)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Hosie. I thank my right hon. Friend the Member for Central Devon for bringing forward this private Member’s Bill, which has strong Government support. I also thank the outstanding former Minister for Digital and Culture, my hon. Friend the Member for Gosport, for eloquently setting out that Government support on Second Reading and for being a much-valued Committee member.
My right hon. Friend the Member for Central Devon mentioned that the Bill passed Second Reading with supportive remarks from hon. Members on both sides of the House. That is testament to the positive impact that the Bill will have on museums right across the UK. Last month, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer confirmed Government funding of £850 million for cultural and heritage infrastructure, which will help to safeguard national treasures and boost culture in local communities and on high streets. An additional £150 million investment was also announced for national museums and other Department for Culture, Media and Sport public bodies to help them recover from covid-19.
That funding recognises the important role that culture and heritage sectors play in our society. Our museums and galleries must be able to operate as effectively as possible in order to continue to carry out the enriching and educational work that they do for the public. The Bill seeks to make a practical, sensible change to existing legislation that will make the exhibition planning of our museums and galleries easier, and reinforce good relationships with international lenders and overseas partners. It is therefore a timely proposal that reflects the Government’s continued support for cultural sectors.
It has been emphasised that the risk of seizure of cultural objects while they are on loan in the UK is small, but the contribution immunity from seizure makes to the core activity of museums is evidently great. This weekend, the V&A will open its latest exhibition, “Fabergé in London: Romance to Revolution”, showcasing a host of fascinating artefacts, many of which are on loan from Russian institutions. Without immunity from seizure, those loans would not have gone ahead, nor would National Museums Scotland have been able to borrow some of the objects featured in last year’s exhibition, “Tyrannosaurs”, and China’s terracotta warriors would not have made it to National Museums Liverpool the year before that.
Museums are critical to the UK’s £75-billion tourism industry and the 4 million jobs that the sector supports, and the ability to put on international blockbuster exhibitions is a huge selling point of many of them. Borrowing objects allows museums to stage exhibitions and displays that would not otherwise be possible, and enables them to further contextualise their own collections. These loans create opportunities for museums to attract new audiences, but also to re-engage their existing visitor base.
We must not forget that underpinning many of these successful exhibitions is an understanding with international partners that, subject to conditions being met, the objects will be fully protected from seizure during their stay in the UK. Opportunities for immunity from seizure protection to be extended, where justified, will alleviate potential unforeseen obstacles. The proposed opportunity for a three-month extension is more than a useful contingency for when things do not go to plan; it is a recognition that the partnerships our museums build with international institutions are very much worth maintaining. The extension of that protection will come as a welcome measure to the many foreign lenders who insist on immunity from seizure protections when they loan their precious objects. By reinforcing their confidence, the Bill will help to ensure that the UK continues to host some of the finest cultural objects from across the globe. I urge the Committee to support the Bill.
Licensed Standing in Seated Areas: Early Adopters Programme
Nigel Huddleston Excerpts(4 years, 10 months ago)
Written StatementsRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Nigel Huddleston)
On 22 September, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the Sports Grounds Safety Authority announced an early adopters programme for licensed standing in seated areas at football stadia. The programme will be implemented in the second half of this football season between 1 January 2022 and 31 July 2022. I can confirm today that the football clubs that will act as early adopters are Cardiff City, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
The early adopters programme represents a significant step towards fulfilling the Government’s manifesto commitment to work with fans and clubs towards introducing licensed standing in seated areas at football grounds. It will enable the Government to evaluate how successful licensed standing areas could be as a strategy to manage persistent standing across five different football grounds with varying challenges, before it considers making any substantive policy changes or wider implementation. It will be subject to a formal independent evaluation.
I have today laid a statutory instrument which directs the SGSA to amend the “all-seater condition”, which requires stadia to provide all-seated accommodation, in any licence to admit spectators issued to these five football clubs under the Football Spectators Act 1989 by the SGSA. This will allow the five specified clubs to admit spectators to their home grounds to watch designated football matches from a standing position, provided certain conditions are satisfied. This means doing so in areas of the ground where the seating accommodation has been adapted so there are seats incorporating a barrier or seats with an independent barrier. The SGSA has produced supplementary guidance (SG01) providing further information about the standards-requirements which must be met. This guidance is available online. These modern—non-terraced—stands or areas with seats therefore still allocate one person to one seat.
The selection of these clubs followed an expression of interest process which was conducted by the SGSA between 22 September and 6 October 2021. The SGSA invited applications from football clubs in the top two tiers of professional football in England and Wales currently subject to the all-seater policy to become early adopters of licensed standing in seated areas. The SGSA analysed the applications against the published early adopter criteria, which are available online, before providing written recommendations to DCMS. This advice was carefully considered before receiving final ministerial approval.
In addition, prior to their publication, the early adopter criteria and licence conditions for standing in seated areas were subject to a six-week consultation—28 July-6 September 2021—with key stakeholders. This included safety committee members—the Premier League, English Football League, Football Association, UK Football Policing Unit, Football Supporters’ Association, Football Safety Officers’ Association, Safety Advisory Group Regional Chairs Lead and the National Counter-Terrorism Security Office—local authorities, football governing bodies and licensed football clubs. DCMS worked closely with the SGSA to ensure that consultation responses were used to inform the final criteria clubs were required to meet to become early adopters, which are available online.
The Government’s approach is driven by safety considerations. Given the wider context and background to the current all-seater policy, it is right that we carefully consider any wider change in policy, looking at all the evidence and assessing the potential safety impacts of any change. The Government are not complacent about spectator safety, nor are we complacent about the safety policies that have served spectators well for many years. We will continue to work closely with the SGSA, football clubs, the football governing bodies and local authorities to ensure that spectator safety remains paramount.
[HCWS376]
Premier League Domestic Broadcasting Agreements: Exclusion Order
Nigel Huddleston Excerpts(4 years, 10 months ago)
Written StatementsRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Nigel Huddleston)
Following my written ministerial statement of 8 September, I would like to further update the House on the making of an Exclusion Order under the Competition Act 1998 regarding the Premier League’s domestic broadcasting agreements.
In that statement I confirmed that the Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) (Kwasi Kwarteng), had concluded that there were exceptional and compelling reasons of public policy to make the proposed Exclusion Order.
The statutory instrument was laid on 14 October 2021 and came into force yesterday, 7 November 2021. This will allow the Premier League to renew its current UK broadcast agreements with relevant broadcast rights holders for a three-year period, on substantially the same terms, without carrying out the normal tender process. This is a temporary measure undertaken in response to the financial strain placed on the sector by the pandemic, and will secure the release of over £1.6 billion of funding for the entire football pyramid, including grassroots, women’s and lower league football.
As part of the agreement to make an Exclusion Order, the Premier League has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalise their financial commitments to the football pyramid with the Government. The MoU has been published on www.gov.uk alongside this statement. The Premier League has also passed a shareholder resolution confirming the funding as below, and is contractually obliged to deliver many of these agreements. The MoU gives the Government further assurances on the agreed financial commitments as set out below:
guarantee existing levels of financial support for the football pyramid for four years from 2021-22 to the end of the 2024-25 season. This includes solidarity payments, parachute payments, youth development funding and funding for grassroots football at existing levels, worth over £1.5 billion over the three-year rights cycle;
maintain at least this level of funding even if its international broadcast rights decrease in value when they are re-tendered individually over the next year into 2022, and to increase the level of funding if its international broadcast rights exceed their current value;
and provide a further minimum £100 million in solidarity and good causes funding to the end of the 2024-25 season. This will include: additional solidarity payments to National League and English Football League—League One and League Two-clubs; investment into the professional and grassroots women’s game; funding for grassroots community facilities; investment into youth players’ pathways; and funding for projects to improve equality, diversity and inclusion, and combat discrimination within the game. This investment will make a significant difference to the whole football pyramid and community.
The Premier League will update the Government and the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee annually on progress against these financial agreements and the impact this funding has had on the pyramid.
This Exclusion Order is an exceptional and temporary measure in response to the pandemic. The normal tendering process is expected to be followed for subsequent broadcast rights agreements. The Exclusion Order will expire, at the latest, after the end of the 2024-25 Premier League football season or on 31 July 2025—whichever is earlier. It does not apply to broadcasting rights beyond that season and the normal tendering process is expected to be followed for subsequent broadcast rights agreements.
[HCWS378]
Coronavirus Community Support Fund: Evaluation
Nigel Huddleston Excerpts(4 years, 11 months ago)
Written StatementsRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Nigel Huddleston)
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the National Lottery Communities Fund (TNLCF) have recently published a series of reports detailing the evaluation of the Coronavirus Community Support Fund. The reports will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The reports can also be found online.
The £200 million Coronavirus Community Support Fund (‘the Fund’) was part of the unprecedented £750 million of Government funding to support voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations to continue their vital work during the covid-19 pandemic. The funding was provided by DCMS. TNLCF managed, distributed and oversaw the funding. Additional management support was provided by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
The purpose of the fund was to increase community support to people disproportionately affected by the covid-19 crisis, through the work of VCSE organisations; and reduce temporary closures of essential VCSE organisations, and so reduce the burden on public services.
The funding went to 8,200 organisations who in turn supported an estimated 6.5 million people. This included children and young people—supported by 39% of grant holders—people with mental health conditions (40%) and older people (32%).
Without the £200 million fund almost one fifth of recipients would have been forced to close their doors, while over half revealed that they would have delivered significantly fewer services if it had not been for assistance from the fund. Over 6,200 employees of these organisations were brought back or prevented from being furloughed, and over 4,200 new staff members were recruited. This is in addition to grant holders mobilising 136,000 existing volunteers and over 47,000 new volunteers that they had not worked with previously.
The CCSF has also played a major role in the Government’s commitment to tackling loneliness across all grants, with 63% reporting they had promoted ways of building social connections during the pandemic, 79% reporting that beneficiaries felt less lonely, and 70% reporting beneficiaries had more access to social contact.
The findings also underline the positive impacts felt by volunteers who were mobilised during the pandemic. 84% of people who volunteered through the fund felt like they were making a difference, and 66% people felt it gave them a sense of purpose.
[HCWS320]
Oral Answers to Questions
Nigel Huddleston Excerpts(5 years ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Watch Debate Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Sally-Ann Hart (Hastings and Rye) (Con)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Nigel Huddleston)
The Government have already provided more than £35 billion for the tourism, leisure and hospitality sectors in the form of grants, loans and tax breaks throughout the pandemic. When I last spoke to the House about this, the figure was £25 billion, so there has been a considerable increase since then. As our tourism recovery plan makes clear, we will continue to support the sector’s return to pre-pandemic levels and beyond, hopefully well ahead of independent forecasts. For example, the £10 million national lottery days out campaign, to be launched next month, will stimulate demand for more off-season day trips to tourist sites across the UK this autumn and winter.
Sally-Ann Hart
Tourism and hospitality has often been viewed as a Cinderella industry, but we know, particularly after covid-19, how vital it is not only to local economies such as mine in Hastings and Rye—of which it represents more than 30%—but to the UK economy, and also what a wide range of opportunities it offers globally. What steps is my hon. Friend taking to encourage people, particularly the young, to choose this industry as a fantastic career path?
Nigel Huddleston
I thank my hon. Friend for raising this topic. I know that she is passionate about the sector, having visited her fantastic constituency on a beautiful sunny day in June this year.
We recognise the importance of recovering from the pandemic with a more resilient tourism industry that will offer exciting, good-quality, well-paid jobs to young people as well as long-term careers for everyone, throughout the country. We work closely with the Tourism Industry Council to ensure that the sector is signposted to key Government initiatives such as the £2.5 billion national skills fund and the UK-wide kickstart scheme.
Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)
I thank the Minister for all the help that he has given us over the recent period. In my constituency, tourism is a key marker for economic growth, jobs, wages and so forth. May I ask the Minister what has been done in co-operation and partnership with the Northern Ireland Assembly, and the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in particular, to ensure that we all benefit in this great United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland—always better together?
Nigel Huddleston
I could not agree more with the hon. Gentleman. I had the privilege of visiting Northern Ireland this summer, and saw many tourist attractions there. We work very co-operatively with our colleagues in Northern Ireland, including, obviously, Members in this House, who I know talk passionately—as the hon. Gentleman does—about tourism and the value of tourism. Obviously, the tourism recovery plan has implications for the whole United Kingdom, although some elements are devolved, but we work closely with our Northern Ireland colleagues, and there is Northern Ireland representation on the Tourism Industry Council. They contribute significantly, and I hope that positive relationship continues.
Steve Double (St Austell and Newquay) (Con)
I thank the Minister for all he has been doing over the last 18 months to support the sector, and for meeting hoteliers in my constituency this week. He will recall that, despite Cornwall’s having the busiest summer it has ever had, many hotels were operating at less than capacity because of the lack of availability of staff. As he will understand, one of the issues is accommodation, and the current limit of £58 that staff are allowed to offset on accommodation provided by their employer. Will he commit to work with me to get that figure reviewed, so that we can have a more workable solution for the future?
Nigel Huddleston
I thank my hon. Friend for his continued passion and support for the sector throughout the country, let alone in his own fantastic constituency, which I have also had the pleasure of visiting. Perhaps I have travelled a bit too much, although I am sure there is no such thing.
This issue was indeed raised by my hon. Friend’s constituents during the conversation that we had earlier this week, and they provided some compelling information. I make the commitment to him and his constituents that we will look very carefully at the issues raised, and that I will work across Departments to see what solutions can be found.
John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington) (Lab)
Lee Anderson (Ashfield) (Con)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Nigel Huddleston)
That sounds like a very good idea, and I know there are many D. H. Lawrence fans in this House, including my hon. Friend. I should explain that it is not normal practice—in fact, it is very rare—for central Government to fund or get particularly involved in new memorials and statues. Of course, organisations often propose, fund, develop and deliver memorials commemorating a huge variety of events and people at local and sometimes national level. These groups should work with the relevant planning authority and other organisations to identify a suitable site and obtain the necessary planning permissions. I hope his proposal is treated sympathetically.
Martyn Day (Linlithgow and East Falkirk) (SNP)
Nigel Huddleston
The hon. Gentleman raises an important point, and we are all alarmed about the situation. We are closely monitoring the situation in Afghanistan and stand ready to provide whatever support we can to help to protect Afghanistan’s rich cultural heritage for future generations. We urge all parties in Afghanistan to protect the cultural heritage of their country, including the museums and cultural institutions.
Theresa Villiers (Chipping Barnet) (Con)
Warm congratulations to the Secretary of State. It was a big relief to everyone that the Government withdrew their vaccine passport plan but, if we do see the return of vaccine passport ideas or other covid restrictions, please can the Government distinguish between events and conferences, where covid-secure measures and tracing are highly developed, and nightclubs and mass gatherings, where more precautions may be needed? They are very different sorts of venues, and they require different sorts of precautions.
Nigel Huddleston
I know that conference venues and organisers have put a huge amount of work into reopening safely, with many already using voluntary certification. I appreciate my right hon. Friend’s huge support in this area. I take her point about the nature of business events; they are more organised and structured than some other events. The Prime Minister announced a range of plan B measures. Further details will be coming out, but I should emphasise that they are plan B. I would be happy to talk further with her.
Alex Davies-Jones (Pontypridd) (Lab)
Nigel Huddleston
I know the hon. Lady’s passion for all things sport. We should probably take the opportunity also to congratulate Alfie Hewett, Gordon Reid and Joe Salisbury on their success last Saturday in the United States. On the point the hon. Lady is raising on women’s sport, I can tell her that that is absolutely a priority of mine and of the Department. W£58e have a women in sport working group, which is very effectively looking at what further actions we can take to promote and support women’s sport. I would be happy to continue talking to her about this and other issues.
Several hon. Members rose—
Sport Broadcasting Update
Nigel Huddleston Excerpts(5 years ago)
Written StatementsRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Nigel Huddleston)
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport wrote to the DCMS and Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committees on 2 August to set out the final decision on making an Exclusion Order under the Competition Act 1998, regarding the Premier League’s domestic broadcasting agreements. This followed the open letter sent to the Premier League informing them of Ministers’ “minded to approach” and inviting representations from interested parties. This approach sought to guarantee around £1.6 billion of funding for the football pyramid, including for grassroots football, women’s football, and lower league clubs.
On 13 May 2021, in a written ministerial statement to Parliament, I confirmed that officials at DCMS had written to the Premier League, and to Sky, BT, Amazon and the BBC as the current holders of the Premier League’s UK broadcast rights. This informed them that the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, my right hon. Friend the Member for Spelthorne (Kwasi Kwarteng), was minded to make an Exclusion Order under the Competition Act 1998, allowing the Premier League to renew its current UK broadcast agreements with relevant broadcast rights holders for a three-year period without carrying out the normal tender process. Such an Exclusion Order would be a temporary measure to provide stability for the football pyramid coming out of the pandemic, guaranteeing around £1.6 billion for the game. This funding would spread across the pyramid including grassroots football, women’s football, funding for lower league clubs, and long-term income for clubs to plan for the future. This is crucial given the losses sustained by football during the pandemic, with around £2 billion lost by the Premier League and its clubs alone.
The Government invited interested parties to make representations before a final decision on the Exclusion Order was taken. Of the 15 representations submitted, most were supportive of the Exclusion Order because of the stability that would be provided by renewing the broadcast agreements. The Secretary of State for BEIS and DCMS Ministers acknowledge the concern that was raised in one representation about the inclusion of the “Near Live Package” of broadcast rights in the renewed agreements. However, we have concluded that subdividing the rights packages could disrupt the current arrangements, which would undermine the intended purpose of providing stability to the football pyramid. Moreover, the Government have not received representations indicating a potential bid for the Near Live Package if a tender were to be run.
We also note one concern raised about consumers potentially facing higher prices in the absence of a competitive tender process. We have carefully considered this point and concluded that the risk of higher prices is low and outweighed by the significant public policy benefits that would be delivered by providing stability to the English football pyramid. We expect broadcasters to keep the costs of their packages at current levels, as a result of the renewed broadcast deal on existing terms. Finally, in response to a question that was raised by one stakeholder, I can confirm that the “fair dealing” exemption in copyright law will not be affected by the Exclusion Order.
Having carefully considered the representations made, the Secretary of State for BEIS has concluded that there are exceptional and compelling reasons of public policy to make the proposed Exclusion Order. I can therefore confirm that, subject to the Premier League formalising their financial commitments to the football pyramid with the Government, as set out in my written ministerial statement on 13 May, the Government will bring forward secondary legislation to make the Exclusion Order.
The Exclusion Order will disapply UK competition law to allow the Premier League and the relevant broadcast rights holders to agree to extend the Premier League’s UK broadcast agreements on substantially their current terms to the 2022-23 and 2024-25 seasons, without the Premier League carrying out a competitive tender process.
If the Premier League’s current UK broadcast agreements are renewed for seasons 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25, the Premier League has committed to:
guarantee existing levels of financial support for the football pyramid for four years from 2021-22 to the end of the 2024-25 season. This includes solidarity payments, parachute payments, youth development funding and funding for grassroots football at existing levels, worth over £1.5 billion over the three-year rights cycle;
maintain at least this level of funding even if its international broadcast rights decrease in value when they are re-tendered individually over the next year into 2022, and to increase the level of funding if its international broadcast rights exceed their current value; and
provide a further minimum £100 million in solidarity and good causes funding to the end of the 2024-25 season, in roughly equal shares, to the National League, women’s football, League One and Two clubs, grassroots football and cross-game initiatives. This would make a significant financial contribution, including doubling the support for the non-league system, and providing crucial financial support for the women’s game.
This Exclusion Order is a temporary measure in response to the pandemic. The normal tendering process is expected to be followed for the subsequent broadcast rights period following the 2024-25 Premier League season.
[HCWS271]
Adviser on Concussion in Sport
Nigel Huddleston Excerpts(5 years, 2 months ago)
Written StatementsRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Nigel Huddleston)
I wish to inform the House that the Secretary of State for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, has appointed Laurence Geller CBE as a ministerial adviser on concussion in sport.
Mr Geller is a leading expert in dementia care and is a pioneer in bringing the latest research and technology to bespoke dementia care facilities. He has a background in the business, hospitality and charity sectors.
The Secretary of State and I have made the issue of concussion in sport a priority. Mr Geller is an advocate on improving the safety of players across a wide range of contact sports and attended the two ministerial roundtables held on the subject earlier this year—attended by players and the national governing bodies of sport.
Mr Geller will work with DCMS officials to improve understanding of head injuries in sport and co-ordinate action to address it. Mr Geller’s experience in this area will be invaluable in increasing safety standards in sport to the benefit of individual players and sport as a whole.
This role is not remunerated.
[HCWS215]
Oral Answers to Questions
Nigel Huddleston Excerpts(5 years, 2 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Gordon Henderson (Sittingbourne and Sheppey) (Con)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Nigel Huddleston)
We recognise the impact of covid-19 on the tourism industry, which is why we published the tourism recovery plan to help the sector to return to pre-pandemic levels as quickly as possible and build back better for the future. The Government have already provided over £25 billion of support to the tourism, leisure and hospitality sectors in the form of grants, loans and tax breaks. As our plan sets out, we will continue to support the sector as it recovers.
Caroline Ansell
I thank my hon. Friend for his answer and for his visit last week to my beautiful constituency of Eastbourne, where he will have seen no shortage of ambition or potential—only a shortage of new recruits to the hospitality workforce. What plans do he and the Department have to promote careers in hospitality and tourism, which is a vital sector in the UK and in Eastbourne? Would maintaining the 5% VAT rate help employers to offer ever more competitive wages?
Nigel Huddleston
It was a joy to join my hon. Friend in her incredibly sunny and warm constituency last week and see at first hand the hard work she has been doing on behalf of her constituents, and particularly those in the tourism sector. I know she shares my view that developing skills and careers within tourism and hospitality is vital for the sector’s recovery. As stated in the tourism recovery plan, we will work closely with the sector to ensure that businesses can employ more UK nationals in year-round better paid, high-quality tourism jobs. Regarding extending the temporary VAT cut, as we discussed last week, including with her constituents, the Government keep all taxes under review. I have noted her suggestion and I am sure that Treasury Ministers have, too.
Henry Smith [V]
Inbound tourism in normal times contributes about £28 billion to the UK economy. What discussions has my hon. Friend had with other Departments about reopening safe international travel so that UK tourism jobs can be protected and indeed grown as we go forward?
Nigel Huddleston
I know what a great champion my hon. Friend is for tourism and international travel, as we heard at Prime Minister’s questions yesterday. He is right that inbound tourism is vital. A lot of talk has been about outbound tourism, which is also a really important sector, but, in 2019, 40 million visitors came to the UK, spent money and had a great time. We are having frequent conversations. I talk to the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Robert Courts)—the aviation Minister—and others on an almost daily basis. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy also has an interest in this area. I can therefore assure my hon. Friend that we are having many cross-Government discussions about the importance of the tourism, international travel and aviation sectors.
Gordon Henderson [V]
As more people decide to holiday at home in the UK, we have a golden opportunity to improve the economy of our seaside communities, some of which have high levels of social deprivation. However, to direct visitors to those areas, we need more brown tourist signs on motorways and major trunk roads. What support can my hon. Friend give to the campaign in my constituency to get Highways England to put up a brown tourist sign on the M2 to showcase the many wonderful attractions on the Isle of Sheppey?
Nigel Huddleston
I commend my hon. Friend for his work on behalf of tourism businesses on the Isle of Sheppey. The purpose of brown signs is primarily to direct road users to a tourism attraction or facility to aid the efficient management of traffic. They are not meant to be billboards or adverts as such, but, as he articulated, they do fulfil a useful purpose. He will be aware that such decisions are for local authorities and Highways England, but I appeal to them to listen sympathetically to his request.
Alex Sobel (Leeds North West) (Lab/Co-op [V])
I have been speaking to leaders in the tourism industry who are distinctly underwhelmed by the Minister’s tourism recovery plan. An inclusivity ambassador, a rail pass and £10 million of vouchers is not the level of ambition that they were expecting from the much vaunted plan. In particular, coach operators, fairgrounds and tour guides missed out on support during the pandemic. What sector-specific support does the Minister plan to give to those areas that missed out on support during the lockdown and pandemic and had to suffer through three consecutive winters with a lack of support from the Government?
Nigel Huddleston
To date, as the hon. Member will be aware, the Government have provided more than £25 billion of support for the tourism, hospitality and leisure sector. That may not be appreciated by him but I know it has been by the sector as a whole. We are continuing to give support and that number will go up considerably. In terms of the sectors that have not automatically qualified for assistance, that is precisely why, as I have stated in the Chamber, the additional restrictions grants were out there—more than £1 billion of funding to help those sectors that did not automatically qualify—and we will keep the support under review constantly. Many in the sector welcome the ambition in the tourism recovery plan not only to get back to 2019 levels of tourism activity domestically and inbound, but to go well beyond that, and I hope that the Opposition will work with me and others to achieve that goal.
Anum Qaisar-Javed (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP)
Neale Hanvey (Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath) (Alba)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Nigel Huddleston)
The Government have provided more than £25 billion in support to the tourism, hospitality and leisure sectors over the course of the pandemic. We are continuing to support travel agents with, for example, restart grants and the extended furlough scheme. Our tourism recovery plan sets out a range of measures to support the sector, with the aim of recovering domestic tourism to pre-pandemic levels by 2022 and international travel by 2023, both at least a year faster than independent forecasters predict.
Neale Hanvey [V]
The headline numbers—that £25 billion—tell only part of the story. Unfortunately, because of the asymmetry of the Government support and the asymmetry of the travel recovery plan, much of that money has not found its way into the hands of travel agents such as Moorelands Travel and Travel Your World in my Kirkaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency. These family-run small and medium-sized enterprises have, like many others across the country, kept the lights on for the travel industry. They have given their all and sold the silver, and there is nothing left to give. They now face the possibility of going under. That will disrupt holidays and the travel recovery itself, so will the Minister explain to them—not to me—why their efforts and their businesses no longer matter?
Nigel Huddleston
The hon. Gentleman’s final comment is an unfortunate characterisation. He will be aware that many elements of the tourism sector are devolved matters, but we are working co-operatively with the Scottish Government on many issues. The Scottish Government have developed their recovery plan and we have developed one as well, and it does have UK-wide implications. For those sectors in England that have been unable to get grants and support automatically, we have put in place measures to help them, such as the additional restrictions grant. We will continue to assess support measures.
Dr Lisa Cameron (East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow) (SNP)
Christian Wakeford (Bury South) (Con)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Nigel Huddleston)
I am afraid that I cannot promise the weather—I wish I could! I am delighted to join my hon. Friend in wishing all those participating in the Maccabi 24-hour football challenge the very best of luck. I have no doubt that the time will fly by if they keep top of mind the inspirational example of Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling from Tuesday’s success against Germany. This is a fantastic opportunity for volunteers to raise money for their club to refurbish a local pitch, and I understand that the FA will be matching some of the money raised. I wish him the very best of luck.
Jeff Smith (Manchester, Withington) (Lab) [V]
Draft Birmingham Commonwealth Games (Compensation for Enforcement Action) Regulations 2021
Nigel Huddleston Excerpts(5 years, 2 months ago)
General CommitteesRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
The Chair
Before we begin, I remind colleagues to remain socially distanced and to wear their masks unless they are speaking. Any speaking notes from the debate should be sent to Hansard via email.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Nigel Huddleston)
I beg to move,
That the Committee has considered the draft Birmingham Commonwealth Games (Compensation for Enforcement Action) Regulations 2021.
It is a real pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Rosindell, for the first time.
The regulations were laid in draft before the House on 17 May. Before I detail the specifics of the regulations, I will briefly set the scene for the Committee. With under 13 months to go until the Commonwealth games, preparations are ramping up for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth games. They will be the biggest sporting and cultural event ever staged in the west midlands. Despite the significant delivery challenges they have faced, the games remain very much on track and on budget.
Home to more than 187 nationalities, Birmingham 2022 will be a home games for every nation. I am delighted that west midlands residents will have the first opportunity to apply for tickets through a west midlands ballot in July, before a main ballot in September. Hosting the games will bring a wealth of opportunities for people across the west midlands and the UK including through cultural engagement, business, trade, volunteering, physical activity, jobs, education and tourism. The games offer a massive opportunity for the region, and will play a key part in supporting its economic recovery.
Volunteers are also the backbone of any great games, and the Commonwealth collective will be no different. As the faces of Birmingham 2022, the collective will represent the very best of the region, the country and the modern Commonwealth. Birmingham 2022 will also be recruiting hundreds of 15 to 17-year-olds through a separate process in the near future, which will be a huge experience for those young people, broadening their horizons and giving them important life skills. The Commonwealth games are a huge opportunity for the city and the people of Birmingham.
Measures in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games Act, which gained Royal Assent in June 2020, include those that restrict the resale of the games tickets and prevent unauthorised advertising and trading in and around specific games locations. They also include those that ensure that tickets to the games remain accessible and affordable, that the rights of commercial sponsors are protected, and that spectators can easily and safely move to and from the games locations. To ensure swift action against breaches, the Act provides a suite of enforcement powers that build on those available under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. For example, the 2020 Act provides powers to seize and detain infringing goods or documents.
Enforcement activity can be undertaken by a trading standards authority in England or, for the ticketing offence only, a trading standards authority in Wales or Scotland, or the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland. As the Minister for the Commonwealth games, I want everyone to get behind them, and the measures in the 2020 Act aim to strike a balance that ensures that people in the west midlands can support, celebrate and benefit from the games, while offering commercial sponsors the assurances they need and ensuring the economic benefits of the games are fully realised.
For that reason, the measures in the Act are intended to be a strong deterrent against anyone seeking to ambush the games or to sell tickets at inflated prices. As with previous games, we expect formal enforcement action to be taken only as a last resort. To that end, we are working closely with the organising committee and enforcement authorities to ensure that there is a consistent, co-ordinated and proportionate approach to enforcement. None the less, as a safeguard in the enforcement framework, the 2020 Act provides a person with a right to compensation in the event of property damage arising from unlawful enforcement or the use of unreasonable force in enforcement action. The draft regulations before the Committee set out the administrative process by which a claim for compensation can be made, considered and appealed. That ensures the process is clear, consistent and proportionate both for potential claimants and for the enforcement authorities involved.
On the detail of the regulations, where someone believes that they have experienced damage to their property as a result of enforcement action being unlawful or unreasonable, they will be able to submit a claim to the local trading standards authority where the damage occurred, or to the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland. They are known as the “relevant authority” in the regulations. Claimants should submit a claim, in writing with the necessary information, within 90 days of the end of the games, and that should include the date on which and location where the enforcement action took place, the nature of any damage and any supporting evidence. Within 14 days of a claim being received, the relevant authority should determine whether it has sufficient information and evidence to make a decision on the claim. If so, the authority will have 28 days to decide whether the claimant is entitled to compensation and the amount due, and to communicate that outcome alongside information about how to seek a review.
The 2020 Act provides that a person is entitled to compensation for the cost of repairing the property damaged during the enforcement action or, if it is not possible to repair it, for the cost of replacing it, and the amount of any other loss that was the direct result of damage to the property. If a claimant is unhappy with the relevant authority’s decision, such as the amount of compensation offered, they will have 14 days to request a review of the decision. The relevant authority will then have a further 14 days to consider that request and to provide a response. If the claimant remains unsatisfied with the outcome of the review, they will be able to submit an appeal within 21 days to the county court, or to the sheriff in the case of Scotland.
I would like to reassure members of the Committee that we continue to work closely with the organising committee of the games and enforcement authorities to develop a co-ordinated and proportionate approach to enforcement. We know that supporting businesses need to understand what they can and cannot do, and that will be key to reducing the need for formal enforcement. We are already working closely with the games partners and local authorities to identify those who could be affected. The organising committee will develop resources to support traders and businesses in understanding the measures, including publishing guidance on the operation of the advertising and trading restrictions. The organising committee will also be working with venue local authorities to develop brand protection training for enforcement officers.
In the context of the regulations before us, it is important to recognise that local authorities routinely exercise enforcement powers proportionately and reasonably, in accordance with the law and established policies and procedures. Moreover, because the restrictions on advertising and trading can be in place for a maximum of 38 days only, I expect any compensation claims arising from enforcement to be minimal. Indeed, I am not aware of any arising from similar regulations that supported the 2012 London Olympic games and Paralympic games, or the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth games.
In summary, the regulations set out the process that will govern any compensation claim that is made under the provisions specified in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games Act, including the right to appeal any decisions made by an enforcement authority. They are a small but nevertheless important part of the ongoing preparations to deliver a fantastic Birmingham games next year, and I commend them to the Committee.
Nigel Huddleston
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his comments, and I am very impressed that he managed to get in his congratulations on England’s success before me. I am sure that we are looking forward to the next games. I appreciate the co-operative tone that he and his colleagues have adopted towards the Commonwealth games. They are a games for everyone and that goes for politicians as well. I have been very pleased to work with hon. Members of many different parties on the games locally in Birmingham and across the country.
As the hon. Gentleman said, sport is a great opportunity to bring people together. Now that large-scale sporting events are finally coming back that creates many opportunities but, as he alluded to, that also creates some challenges, particularly in relation to ticket sales. The regulations will help to resolve some of the challenges and dangers of ticket-touting, but broader issues still need to be addressed. In that context, the hon. Gentleman was correct to praise the work of the hon. Member for Washington and Sunderland West and my hon. Friend the Member for Selby and Ainsty. We had the pleasure of working with them on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, when we considered the broader issue of ticket-touting. I think that progress has been made, and regulations and consumer rights in particular are now being enforced by the CMA in a manner that was perhaps lacking a few years ago. We are seeing progress but the hon. Gentleman is absolutely right that we need to keep a very close eye on the issue because we have seen how some touts act in an incredibly unprofessional and exploitative manner. Some of the sites also lack professionalism. We will keep a close eye on such behaviour, particularly as more tickets will come on sale, which means that the problems and risks of secondary ticketing could return. I praise the CMA for taking enforcement action that was perhaps lacking a few years ago. We are in a better situation than we were but let us not take it for granted.
The hon. Gentleman asked about resources. On the Commonwealth games, we are working very closely with the West Midlands Combined Authority, Birmingham City Council and others. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has a very positive relationship with the organising committee. Birmingham City Council has said that its funding for the games should not have an impact on day-to-day services and should not come from council tax. We are also confident that we have the resources available for enforcement and what we expect of the various stakeholders, but I take note of the hon. Gentleman’s comments on the ongoing funding challenges.
The Birmingham Commonwealth Games Act criminalised the unauthorised sale of games tickets, and the organising committee is working closely with Birmingham 2022, the official ticket provider, to ensure that there are appropriate protections in place for the games. The organising committee is also working closely with enforcement authorities, including trading standards and the police intellectual property crime unit, to ensure that clear processes are in place to identify and to act against unauthorised sales of games tickets. The issue is getting due attention, as the hon. Gentleman rightly pointed out and requested.
The regulations are important because they represent a procedural milestone in the preparations for delivery of the Commonwealth games next year. If hon. Members have further questions about the good progress being made to deliver the games next year, officials in my Department would be very happy to listen and to discuss the matter.
I recommend the regulations to the Committee.
Question put and agreed to.