Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has appointed independent advisors to help the Department's work on the future sustainability of Rugby League.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
To support the Rugby Football Union and Premiership Rugby Limited on their plans for the future of professional Rugby Union, Government appointed Rugby Football League’s former CEO Ralph Rimmer and Chris Pilling of UK Sport to work with the sport’s authorities.
The independent advisers’ remit only extended to cover issues facing Rugby Union.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much her Department has spent on support for (a) Rugby Union and (b) Rugby League clubs in each year since 1 March 2020.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Government provides the majority of its support for Rugby Union and Rugby League through its arms-length body Sport England. A breakdown of funding for each year for both sports is outlined below:
Rugby Union
2020/21- £26,305,065 (includes £21,565,000 of COVID-19 Sport Winter Survival Package provided to the RFU)
2021/22 - £1,484,441
2022/23 - £15,185,674 (This includes £12,505,000 of System partner funding provided to the RFU to grow and develop the sport between the years 2022 and 2027)
2023/24 - £5,737,648
Rugby Union also received £160 million through the Sport Survival Package, helping professional and community sport clubs survive the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns and ensure the continuation of sport competitions and events.
Rugby League
2020/21 - £7,044,354
2021/22 - £10,860,922
2022/23 - £10,849,990
2023/24 - £886,207 (The Sport England funding register is only updated to December 2023 at this point, so funding awarded since December has not been captured in this sum)
Rugby League also received £17.1 million through the Sport Survival Package, which included grant funding to support the delivery of the Rugby League World Cup in 2022.
Asked by: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool, Wavertree)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much her Department has spent on support for grassroots amateur Rugby League clubs since 5 March 2021.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Supporting grassroots sport is a key government priority and we recognise the importance that high quality facilities play in encouraging people to take part in sport and ensuring participation rates continue to grow. Our new strategy ‘Get Active’ sets out our unapologetic ambition to build a more active nation, with a target to get 3.5 million more people classed as ‘active’ by 2030.
Between 2021 and 2025, the UK Government has committed over £400 million to multi-sport grassroots facilities across the UK. This is all part of our mission to ensure every community has the pitches and facilities it needs.
We provide the majority of support for grassroots sport through our arm’s length body, Sport England - which receives £323m in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year. Since 2021, Sport England has provided over £22.6m of support to programmes which facilitate participation in grassroots rugby league.
In partnership with the National Lottery, Sport England has also supported the ‘CreatedBy’ capital grants programme. Which delivered £26.4m in legacy funding to celebrate England’s hosting of the 2022 Rugby League World Cup, providing investment in facilities and equipment to encourage participation.
Mentions:
1: Kevin Brennan (Lab - Cardiff West) The Bill includes the premier league, the championship, leagues one and two, the national league, the - Speech Link
2: Kevin Brennan (Lab - Cardiff West) rugby match in the Six Nations at the weekend. - Speech Link
3: Philip Davies (Con - Shipley) , the rugby league world cup, the Olympics, athletics and so on. - Speech Link
4: Alex Norris (LAB - Nottingham North) From the third tier to the champions league final, I have been there and seen it all. - Speech Link
Feb. 22 2024
Source Page: Opinion on the welfare implications of different methods and systems for the catching, carrying, collecting and loading of poultryFound: This is known as the ‘rugby ball’ grip.
Feb. 22 2024
Source Page: Immigration Rules archive: 31 January 2024 to 18 February 2024Found: is two or more linked events, such as a tour, or rounds of a competition, which do not add up to a league
Mentions:
1: Richard Foord (LD - Tiverton and Honiton) I have recently visited sports clubs in Honiton, including youth rugby, gymnastics and football. - Speech Link
2: Sarah Dyke (LD - Somerton and Frome) I myself enjoyed a long and prosperous rugby career playing in national league 1. - Speech Link
3: Mary Robinson (Con - Cheadle) Cheadle Town FC have been a member of the north west counties football league since 1983. - Speech Link
4: Dan Jarvis (Lab - Barnsley Central) I have suggested to the English Football League that it adopts a postponement promise that would stop - Speech Link
Correspondence Feb. 22 2024
Committee: Health, Social Care and Sport CommitteeFound: All Clubs who apply for a UEFA License (all Premiership Clubs and SWPL Clubs who play in Champions League
Feb. 20 2024
Source Page: Immigration Rules archive: 28 December 2023 to 15 January 2024Found: is two or more linked events, such as a tour, or rounds of a competition, which do not add up to a league
Formal Minutes Feb. 19 2024
Committee: Finance Committee (Commons)Found: donation or nature and value if donation in kind: Ticket with hospitality for the Wales v England Rugby