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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they have introduced in 2014 to improve disabled access to sporting venues in line with the Guidelines of the International Paralympic Committee.

The Government is committed to ensuring all spectators have enhanced and appropriate access to sporting venues and services, and that professional sports clubs are aware of their responsibilities towards disabled spectators.

Many smaller clubs struggle to meet even modest provisions for disabled access and raising the bar even higher, while admirable, would be placing an unreasonable burden on those clubs. The International Paralympic Committee’s guidance is there for clubs that want, and can afford, to meet the highest standards on inclusion and accessibility, but the Accessible Stadia guidance helps all clubs to meet the basic standard in the first instance.

As such, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working with the Department of Work and Pensions on a range of measures to ensure that the rights of disabled spectators are met by professional sports clubs.