Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to raise awareness of football related Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy caused by repetitive head impacts from heading a football.

The safety, wellbeing and welfare of everyone taking part in sport is absolutely paramount. National Governing Bodies are responsible for the regulation of their sports and for ensuring that appropriate measures are in place to protect participants from harm.

Mitigating the causes and effects of head injuries in sport is of huge importance to the Government. The Secretary of State for Culture and I have met with affected family members and ex-footballers, including individuals associated with the Football Families for Justice organisation, to discuss player safety and welfare for those suffering from neurodegenerative diseases. We heard first-hand about players’ experiences and the views of the group on how safety and welfare at all levels of the sport could be improved.

The Government remains committed to working with sports stakeholders to build on the positive work that is already taking place, including the UK Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport, to ensure that everyone can take part in sport as safely as possible.