Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to support community-led regeneration projects in (a) areas facing economic deprivation and (b) other areas in Bury South constituency.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
So far, the £150 million Community Ownership Fund has awarded £71.4 million of funding to 257 projects across the UK. This includes £260k to rebuild the Whitefield Bowling Club in Bury South so it can continue to host the club, serve as a hub and meeting space for community groups and provide much needed community services.
Bury Community Football Club Supporters Society was awarded £1 million in 2021 through the Community Ownership Fund, allowing the stadium to be purchased and brought back into use as a home for Bury FC and as a focal point for community life and events.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of piloting alcohol sales in sight of pitch in (a) women’s, (b) National League and (c) League Two football.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As set out in “A sustainable future - reforming club football governance”, the Government acknowledges the case for pilots of alcohol sales in sight of the pitch in the lower leagues as set out in the Fan Led Review of Football Governance, and will continue to engage with a range of stakeholders on this.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
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 include anti-racism teaching in the objectives of the independent regulator for English football.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Regulator’s primary strategic purpose will be to ensure that English football is financially sustainable for the benefit of fans and the local communities football clubs serve. This approach was set out in the football governance white paper, the Government’s subsequent consultation response, and the Government’s response to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee’s report on football governance. As such, the Regulator will focus on the financial sustainability of clubs, the financial resilience of the football pyramid, and safeguarding club heritage. Industry is therefore best placed to lead on such issues, and I continue to engage closely with football authorities on these important topics.
Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress her Department has made on implementing the non-regulatory reforms on player (a) welfare and (b) support outlined in her Department's policy paper entitled A sustainable future - reforming club football governance, published on 23 February 2023.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
In the football governance white paper, the Government set out a clear expectation for industry to take further action on player welfare and support. It is for industry to implement these reforms, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has had a number of discussions with the sector to discuss this work.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what recent progress the Financial Sanctions Implementation Office has made on the dispersal of the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea FC.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The proceeds from the sale of Chelsea FC are frozen in a UK bank account while independent experts establish a foundation to manage and distribute the money. They cannot be moved or used without a licence from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation. We want this money to reach Ukraine as quickly as possible and remain open to any arrangement that clearly delivers this.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made a recent assessment of the contribution of the seventh and eighth tiers of English football to the economy.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Football is an integral part of our national life, and local football clubs, including those in the seventh and eighth tiers of English football, are the lifeblood of communities. The Government wants to see them protected for fans now and in the future.
While the independent regulator for football will be focused on the top five tiers of the men’s game in England, the whole football pyramid will benefit from improvements in financial regulation and sustainability, and increased standards.
Additionally, the Government issued a Competition Law Exclusion Order in 2021 to maintain funding stability within the English football pyramid. In exchange, the Premier League agreed to increase their solidarity funding by at least £100 million to the football pyramid across 2022-2025 seasons, including the creation of a Club Development Fund to increase the sustainability of National League system clubs, improve the playing experience and enhance connections with the local grassroots community; and additional funding to the the Football Stadia Improvement Fund to support ground grading improvements within the National League system and the women’s pyramid.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with the EFL and Premier League on adequate funding and support for the seventh and eighth tiers of English football.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Football is an integral part of our national life, and local football clubs, including those in the seventh and eighth tiers of English football, are the lifeblood of communities. The Government wants to see them protected for fans now and in the future.
While the independent regulator for football will be focused on the top five tiers of the men’s game in England, the whole football pyramid will benefit from improvements in financial regulation and sustainability, and increased standards.
Additionally, the Government issued a Competition Law Exclusion Order in 2021 to maintain funding stability within the English football pyramid. In exchange, the Premier League agreed to increase their solidarity funding by at least £100 million to the football pyramid across 2022-2025 seasons, including the creation of a Club Development Fund to increase the sustainability of National League system clubs, improve the playing experience and enhance connections with the local grassroots community; and additional funding to the the Football Stadia Improvement Fund to support ground grading improvements within the National League system and the women’s pyramid.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding for the seventh and eighth tiers of English football.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Football is an integral part of our national life, and local football clubs, including those in the seventh and eighth tiers of English football, are the lifeblood of communities. The Government wants to see them protected for fans now and in the future.
While the independent regulator for football will be focused on the top five tiers of the men’s game in England, the whole football pyramid will benefit from improvements in financial regulation and sustainability, and increased standards.
Additionally, the Government issued a Competition Law Exclusion Order in 2021 to maintain funding stability within the English football pyramid. In exchange, the Premier League agreed to increase their solidarity funding by at least £100 million to the football pyramid across 2022-2025 seasons, including the creation of a Club Development Fund to increase the sustainability of National League system clubs, improve the playing experience and enhance connections with the local grassroots community; and additional funding to the the Football Stadia Improvement Fund to support ground grading improvements within the National League system and the women’s pyramid.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has had discussions with Stoll on the sale of Sir Oswald Stoll Mansions to Chelsea Football Club.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
Officials from the Office for Veterans’ Affairs continue to engage with Stoll regarding the sale of Sir Oswald Stoll Mansions and the support being provided to residents during the transition period.
This Government has dedicated nearly £30m towards the provision of veteran housing. This includes £8.55m through the Reducing Veteran Homelessness Programme for veteran supported housing; the launch of Op FORTITUDE as the single referral pathway for homeless veterans and the £20m Capital Housing Fund which will increase the stock of veteran housing through the refurbishment of existing properties and the construction of new builds.
We remain committed to upholding the Armed Forces Covenant and ensuring that the UK becomes the best place in the world to be a veteran.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to increase pupil access to (a) sports and (b) arts opportunities out of school.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Sport and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health and this government is committed to ensuring every child, no matter their background or ability, should be able to play sport and be active.
That is why in ‘Get Active: A strategy for the future of sport and physical activity’ we introduce an ambition that all children should meet the Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines on physical activity, with a target of getting 1 million more active children by 2030.
Schools play a key role in allowing all children to have high quality opportunities to take part in PE and sport, setting them up for a lifetime of physical activity. In July we published an update to the School Sport and Activity Action Plan. This builds on the announcement we made in March that set out new ambitions for equal access to PE and sport, with guidance on how to deliver 2 hours of quality PE a week, alongside over £600 million funding for the Primary PE and Sport Premium and School Games Organiser network.
Outside of the school day, the £57 million Opening School Facilities programme will support the most inactive young people to access facilities that will enable them to play sport and take physical exercise. By opening school sport facilities, including swimming pools, disparities in access to opportunities seen between socio-economic groups will begin to be tackled through the programme.
Over the school holidays, the Government offers £200 million of support per year to the Holiday Activities and Food programme, which provides disadvantaged children in England with enriching activities (including physical and creative activities) and healthy meals. Last summer, the programme reached over 685,000 children and young people in England, including over 475,000 children in receipt of free school meals.
We are also investing over £300 million in grassroots football and multi-sport facilities across the UK by 2025 which will further support youth participation in sport.
The Government is additionally providing significant arts and cultural opportunities for young people both in and out of school.
This includes our creative careers promise, which is backed by £115m a year to increase young people’s access to cultural and music education. The upcoming Cultural Education Plan will support all children and young people to access a broad range of high-quality cultural and creative activities and experiences inside and outside of school. Our Enrichment Partnerships Pilot aims to improve the availability and quality of enrichment activities in up to 200 secondary schools within Education Investment Areas. In addition, 79% of the organisations in Arts Council England’s 2023-26 Investment Programme portfolio are delivering activity specifically for children and young people of all ages, wherever they live.
Separately, the Government funds a diverse portfolio of music and arts education programmes that are designed to improve participation in the arts for children. The National Saturday Club, for example, gives 13 to 16-year-olds across the country the opportunity to study the subjects they love for free, including arts and creative subjects, on a Saturday at their local university, college or cultural institution. Government and Arts Council England also co-fund 15 National Youth Music Organisations offering large-scale, inclusive performances, high-quality music programmes, residencies, summer schools and workshops, to help develop young people’s skills, experience, and knowledge of music, supporting them to excel as young creatives outside of school.
The National Plan for Music Education includes £25m funding for musical instruments and equipment for schools, and the Music Progression Fund supports disadvantaged pupils with music tuition. Furthermore, we have created four new Music Hub Centres of Excellence to improve inclusion and create pathways to industry for talented young people from all backgrounds.