Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the English Cricket Board’s intention not to schedule matches at Old Trafford in Lancashire and Headingly in Yorkshire as part of the next Ashes series held in this country; and what steps, if any, they will take to persuade the ECB to reverse this decision.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The hosting of Ashes test matches is a matter for the ECB as the governing body for cricket in England and Wales.
His Majesty’s Government is committed to supporting the hosting of sporting events across the UK and encourages all event organisers to consider not only the economic benefits that their events will generate, but also the wider social benefits they will bring such as volunteering, community engagement, and physical and mental wellbeing.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number and proportion of state schools that offer cricket as part of games and sports lessons.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department does not routinely collect data on which sports schools offer and how much they are spending to deliver them during physical education (PE) lessons and extracurricular time.
Schools can organise and deliver a diverse and challenging PE and school sport offer which best suits the needs of their pupils. Factors influencing that decision include the spaces available for sports, along with available equipment.
Where schools want to provide specific sports, they can draw on support from the relevant national governing body. The England and Wales Cricket Board offer a wide range of resources and age appropriate guidance and advice for delivering cricket in schools.
On 8 March 2023, the Department announced over £600 million across the next two academic years for the Primary PE and Sport Premium, and £57 million up to March 2025 for the Opening School Facilities programme. Schools can use this funding to increase provision and raise the quality of sports such as cricket.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made of an estimate of the cost to the public purse of cricket equipment procured by academy schools in each year since 2010.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department does not routinely collect data on which sports schools offer and how much they are spending to deliver them during physical education (PE) lessons and extracurricular time.
Schools can organise and deliver a diverse and challenging PE and school sport offer which best suits the needs of their pupils. Factors influencing that decision include the spaces available for sports, along with available equipment.
Where schools want to provide specific sports, they can draw on support from the relevant national governing body. The England and Wales Cricket Board offer a wide range of resources and age appropriate guidance and advice for delivering cricket in schools.
On 8 March 2023, the Department announced over £600 million across the next two academic years for the Primary PE and Sport Premium, and £57 million up to March 2025 for the Opening School Facilities programme. Schools can use this funding to increase provision and raise the quality of sports such as cricket.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the number of pupils in local authority maintained schools playing cricket each week in each year since 2010.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department does not routinely collect data on which sports schools offer and how much they are spending to deliver them during physical education (PE) lessons and extracurricular time.
Schools can organise and deliver a diverse and challenging PE and school sport offer which best suits the needs of their pupils. Factors influencing that decision include the spaces available for sports, along with available equipment.
Where schools want to provide specific sports, they can draw on support from the relevant national governing body. The England and Wales Cricket Board offer a wide range of resources and age appropriate guidance and advice for delivering cricket in schools.
On 8 March 2023, the Department announced over £600 million across the next two academic years for the Primary PE and Sport Premium, and £57 million up to March 2025 for the Opening School Facilities programme. Schools can use this funding to increase provision and raise the quality of sports such as cricket.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the number of pupils in academies playing cricket each week in school hours in each year since 2010.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department does not routinely collect data on which sports schools offer and how much they are spending to deliver them during physical education (PE) lessons and extracurricular time.
Schools can organise and deliver a diverse and challenging PE and school sport offer which best suits the needs of their pupils. Factors influencing that decision include the spaces available for sports, along with available equipment.
Where schools want to provide specific sports, they can draw on support from the relevant national governing body. The England and Wales Cricket Board offer a wide range of resources and age appropriate guidance and advice for delivering cricket in schools.
On 8 March 2023, the Department announced over £600 million across the next two academic years for the Primary PE and Sport Premium, and £57 million up to March 2025 for the Opening School Facilities programme. Schools can use this funding to increase provision and raise the quality of sports such as cricket.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an estimate of the cost to the public purse of cricket equipment procured by local authority maintained schools in each year since 2010.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department does not routinely collect data on which sports schools offer and how much they are spending to deliver them during physical education (PE) lessons and extracurricular time.
Schools can organise and deliver a diverse and challenging PE and school sport offer which best suits the needs of their pupils. Factors influencing that decision include the spaces available for sports, along with available equipment.
Where schools want to provide specific sports, they can draw on support from the relevant national governing body. The England and Wales Cricket Board offer a wide range of resources and age appropriate guidance and advice for delivering cricket in schools.
On 8 March 2023, the Department announced over £600 million across the next two academic years for the Primary PE and Sport Premium, and £57 million up to March 2025 for the Opening School Facilities programme. Schools can use this funding to increase provision and raise the quality of sports such as cricket.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to encourage girls from disadvantaged backgrounds to take up cricket.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to supporting women's sport at every opportunity including pushing for greater participation.
There has been real progress in the number of women and girls taking up cricket in recent years, and wider developments in the women’s game, as noted by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket report. Initiatives like Chance to Shine, which receives funding from Sport England, play an important role in that. The project is focussed in areas with a lack of accessible clubs and green spaces making cricket accessible to young people throughout the country. More widely, Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign has already inspired millions of women and girls to get active regardless of shape, size and ability.
However, we recognise that there is more to do. The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket report notes that while progress has been made in the women’s game, there are still areas for concern. Clearly the sport needs to reflect carefully on these findings and consider how best to deliver clear and sustained cultural change across cricket. The Government will review the findings of the report and we welcome the ECB’s commitment to bring forward a plan to tackle these serious issues, which must be addressed fully.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to support the foundation of a specialist charity for tackling all forms of discrimination in cricket.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is clear that there is absolutely no place for racism, discrimination, bullying or harassment in sport or society. We are reviewing the findings of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket report, and we welcome the ECB’s commitment to bring forward a plan to tackle these serious issues, which must be addressed fully.
There are a number of organisations and initiatives that aim to tackle discrimination and improve diversity and inclusion in cricket.
This includes the African-Caribbean Engagement Programme (ACE), which addresses the decline in cricket participation by members of the Black community in cricket, and has received £540,000 of Sport England funding between 2020 and 2023.
The Chance to Shine foundation, which receives funding from Sport England, is focussed in areas with a lack of accessible clubs and green spaces, making cricket accessible to young people throughout England and Wales.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the implications for her policies of the disparity in earnings between male and female cricketers at a professional level.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is fully committed to supporting and growing women’s sport, from the grassroots through to elite competition. This includes cricket.
However, we recognise that there is more to do. The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket report notes that while progress has been made in the women’s game, there are still areas for concern. Clearly the sport needs to reflect carefully on these findings and consider how best to deliver clear and sustained cultural change across cricket, including around equitable treatment of men and women working within the sport. The Government will review the findings of the report and we welcome the ECB’s commitment to bring forward a plan to tackle these serious issues, which must be addressed fully.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussion her Department has had with Sport England on racism and discrimination in cricket.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is clear that there is absolutely no place for racism, discrimination, bullying or harassment in sport or society. The government will review the findings of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket report, and we welcome the ECB’s commitment to bring forward a plan to tackle these serious issues, which must be addressed fully.
The Government works closely with the sector, particularly its arm’s length bodies Sport England and UK Sport, and national governing bodies of sport, to tackle racism and discrimination. As a funding partner, Sport England will continue to work with the ECB to ensure that progress is made in tackling discrimination and increasing diversity in cricket.