Asked by: Chris Grayling (Conservative - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the proceeds of the sale of Chelsea Football Club were not paid to Roman Abramovich; and what has happened with those funds.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Roman Abramovich remains subject to an asset freeze, meaning he will not benefit from the sale of Chelsea Football Club. The proceeds of the sale remain frozen in a UK bank account, awaiting the establishment of a Foundation to spend the proceeds on humanitarian purposes in Ukraine.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the funds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club are urgently made available to aid victims of the war in Ukraine.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The proceeds from the sale of Chelsea FC are frozen in a UK bank account. They cannot be moved or used without a licence from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation. Humanitarian experts outside of Government are responsible for the highly complex process to establish a foundation to manage and distribute the proceeds for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine. Setting up an organisation of this scale rightly takes time.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when charities in Ukraine are expected to receive the £2.3 billion from Roman Abramovich's sale of Chelsea.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The proceeds from the sale of Chelsea FC are frozen in a UK bank account. They cannot be moved or used without a licence from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation. Humanitarian experts outside of Government are responsible for the highly complex process to establish a foundation to manage and distribute the proceeds for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine. Setting up an organisation of this scale rightly takes time.
Asked by: Jonathan Lord (Conservative - Woking)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to help ensure the financial stability of football clubs in England.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
On 23 February 2023, the Government published a White Paper on reforming club football governance. This set out our detailed plans to improve the financial stability and governance of football clubs across all leagues through the introduction of an independent regulator. The regulator’s primary strategic purpose will be to ensure that English football is sustainable and resilient for the benefit of fans and the local communities football clubs serve.
We recognise the need for urgent action to safeguard the future of football clubs throughout the English football pyramid, so we will legislate to put the regulator on a statutory footing as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she is taking steps to increase the transparency of football club investigations into fan safety; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of mandating the publication of investigation recommendations such as that regarding the match between Sheffield Wednesday and Newcastle United on 7 January 2023.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The safety of spectators at sporting events is of the highest importance to His Majesty’s Government and we will continue to work closely with all relevant authorities to ensure that football fans can continue to enjoy the sport whilst attending matches safely.
Local authorities issue safety certificates for relevant football stadia within their boundaries, and are responsible for local engagement and assessment. Sheffield City Council convened a Safety Advisory Group (SAG) meeting following the concerns raised by Newcastle United supporters who attended the FA Cup third round tie at Hillsborough Stadium on 7th January 2023. The minutes from the SAG meeting have been published and Sheffield City Council have taken action to address the safety concerns that were raised.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support football clubs with maintaining stable finances.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government set out its position on these three questions in the White Paper on Football Governance on 23 February 2023. The independent’s regulator’s core focus will be to improve the financial resilience of clubs and the long-term sustainability of the football pyramid.
The Regulator will require every club to meet a minimum standard of fan engagement. It will also ensure fans are given veto rights over certain club heritage assets, including team names and badges, and will be consulted on any stadium sale.
Football clubs will only be able to participate in competitions which are approved by the Regulator against a set of published criteria. This will prevent English clubs from joining unapproved breakaway leagues such as the European Super League.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to prevent football clubs from forming breakaway leagues.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government set out its position on these three questions in the White Paper on Football Governance on 23 February 2023. The independent’s regulator’s core focus will be to improve the financial resilience of clubs and the long-term sustainability of the football pyramid.
The Regulator will require every club to meet a minimum standard of fan engagement. It will also ensure fans are given veto rights over certain club heritage assets, including team names and badges, and will be consulted on any stadium sale.
Football clubs will only be able to participate in competitions which are approved by the Regulator against a set of published criteria. This will prevent English clubs from joining unapproved breakaway leagues such as the European Super League.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help increase the role of football fans in decisions on (a) the running of clubs, (b) team names, (c) badges and (d) stadia.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government set out its position on these three questions in the White Paper on Football Governance on 23 February 2023. The independent’s regulator’s core focus will be to improve the financial resilience of clubs and the long-term sustainability of the football pyramid.
The Regulator will require every club to meet a minimum standard of fan engagement. It will also ensure fans are given veto rights over certain club heritage assets, including team names and badges, and will be consulted on any stadium sale.
Football clubs will only be able to participate in competitions which are approved by the Regulator against a set of published criteria. This will prevent English clubs from joining unapproved breakaway leagues such as the European Super League.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the relevant authorities take effective measures to tackle ongoing issues with large-scale pitch invasions at professional football games.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The safety of all players participating in football matches is a priority for the government and we are clear that pitch invasions are unacceptable.
Prior to the start of the 2022/23 football season, the Premier League and English Football League publicised that any fan entering the pitch would be banned by the club they support for a minimum period of one year. These bans could also be extended to accompanying parents or guardians of children who take part in these activities. These measures are in addition to the existing Football Banning Order regime which can be imposed by a court for a football-related offence, including entering the pitch.
In recent days I have met with the police and football authorities to review disorder at football matches and assess the measures in place to prevent large-scale pitch invasions.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the establishment of the new independent football regulator; and what assessment they have made of the impact the regulator will have on the financial stability of English football.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
On 23 February 2023, the Government published plans to reform club football governance. This set out that we will create a new regulator for football, independent of the Government and industry.
We recognise the need for urgent action to safeguard the future of football clubs throughout the English football pyramid, so will legislate to put the regulator on a statutory footing as soon as parliamentary time allows.
As the White Paper makes clear, the Government is also actively exploring establishing a shadow regulator ahead of legislation.