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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to fund research recommended by the Sports Concussion Research Forum.

The impact of the Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport is currently being evaluated by the Department for Health and Social Care, with DCMS involvement, including an assessment of how National Governing Bodies have made use of the guidelines. The evaluation is expected to be published in 2025.

The Sports Concussion Research Forum, established by DCMS and chaired by the Medical Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation, published its independent report into the key research questions in this important area in September 2024 - https://www.ukri.org/publications/concussion-in-sport/

Evidence-based sports research is an important component in ensuring that sport is made as safe as possible for all participants and I would encourage the sport sector to prioritise addressing the gaps in concussion in sport research identified in the Forum’s report.

The Government will continue to discuss athlete safety, including the recording of head injuries, with relevant stakeholders and the sports sector to ensure that everyone can take part in sport as safely as possible.