Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to events at the Leppings Lane End at Hillsborough Stadium involving Newcastle United supporters on 7 January 2023, if her Department will take immediate steps with relevant stakeholders to improve fan safety at that stadium.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Football Association are investigating reports of overcrowding at the Leppings Lane End at Hillsborough Stadium on 7 January 2023.
The SGSA has a statutory responsibility for the issuing of licences to sports grounds for designated football matches in England and Wales, under the Football Spectators Act 1989. Grounds that are issued a licence, including Hillsborough Stadium, are all required to meet the same standards in order to safely admit spectators. The SGSA monitors this closely for all grounds that they licence.
The SGSA will remain in contact with the club, Sheffield City Council and the Safety Advisory Group as the facts are established and any implications for safety management arrangements at Hillsborough are considered. We are in contact with the SGSA on this matter.
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.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to allocate funds generated from the sale of Chelsea Football Club to humanitarian causes in Ukraine.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The proceeds from the sale are currently frozen in a UK bank account, and they cannot be moved or used without a licence from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI). An independent foundation is being established by humanitarian experts outside the Government to manage and distribute the funds for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine. A licence application will need to be made to move the funds to the foundation once established. The Government will closely scrutinise the details of any proposal to maintain the integrity of the sanctions regime.
Asked by: Aaron Bell (Conservative - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer (b) the Cryptoasset Taskforce, (c) the Premier League, (d) Premier League Football Clubs, (e) Premier League Football Club Supporter Associations and (f) the Football Supporters’ Association on the regulation of cryptoassets in sport.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government has noted a growing market of partnerships between sports bodies and crypto asset businesses.
The variety of crypto asset products is wide and evolving. We have always encouraged innovation in sports markets but this must be done with the interests of fans in mind and must be transparent on risks.
My officials have discussed cryptoassets in conversations with the Premier League, the English Football League and the Treasury.
As I stated in the recent Westminster Hall Debate on this issue, the government will continue to monitor the use and promotion of cryptoassets in sport and will factor this into considerations around the wider cryptoasset market and its regulation.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress the Government has made on distribution of the proceeds of the sale of Chelsea Football Club.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (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 (OFSI). An independent foundation is being established by humanitarian experts outside the UK Government to manage and distribute the funds for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine. Once the foundation has been established, a licence application will need to be made to move the funds to the foundation. The Government will assess this application against the risks of sanctions circumvention.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 17 October to Question 53318 on Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution, what the cost of all football kits purchased from each football club to support youth engagement projects was from the start of financial year 2020/21 to the end of October 2022.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The cost of all football kits purchased was £17,306.57 in FY 20/21 and £15,232.59 in FY 21/22. The transactions were with a range of individual clubs and commercial suppliers as set out below; most of these transactions were for kit from more than one EPL team. These kits are expected to be worn for four football seasons: an estimated 200 matches per kit.
Supplier | Sum of Billed Amount |
Brighton and Hove Albion FC | £ 491.95 |
Directsoccer.co.uk | £ 5,277.97 |
Kitbag | £ 3,845.95 |
Gotto Sports | £ 20.00 |
Leicester City Football Club | £ 736.10 |
Lord Jerseys | £ 609.00 |
Premier Services International | £ 7,891.49 |
Norwich City Football Club | £ 1,899.00 |
Sports Direct 373 | £ 35.98 |
SportsDirect.com | £ 9,754.72 |
Jersey Workshop | £ 405.00 |
West Ham United Football Club | £ 1,572.00 |
Grand Total | £ 32,539.16 |
Asked by: Holly Mumby-Croft (Conservative - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing an independent regulator for English football.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government published its response to the recommendations made by the Independent Fan Led Review of Football Governance in April 2022.
I recently met representatives from the Football Supporters’ Association, and from club supporters’ groups to discuss issues with our national game and what the solutions might be. I have also met representatives from the football authorities to discuss reform.
The Government recognises the need for football to be reformed to ensure the game’s sustainability in the long term. Therefore, the government is taking the time to consider the policy and consult the numerous stakeholders, but remains committed to publishing a White Paper setting out our detailed response to the Fan Led Review of Football Governance.
Asked by: Ronnie Cowan (Scottish National Party - Inverclyde)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to prevent football clubs making money from gambling losses.
Answered by Damian Collins
Football clubs can enter a wide variety of commercial partnerships but all partnerships with gambling operators must be conducted in a socially responsible fashion and never target children or vulnerable people.
Specifically the EFL and its clubs operated an affiliate scheme as part of their partnership with Sky Bet from 2013 to the 2019/20 season. The scheme has not been active since the 2019/20 season and the Department does not hold detailed estimates of club revenues.
The current impact of gambling sponsorship in sports is in scope of the government's wide-ranging Review of the Gambling Act. We are considering the evidence closely and a white paper setting out our conclusions and next steps will be published in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Ronnie Cowan (Scottish National Party - Inverclyde)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the implications for her policies of EFL football clubs receiving from bookmakers a share of money lost by their fans while betting.
Answered by Damian Collins
Football clubs can enter a wide variety of commercial partnerships but all partnerships with gambling operators must be conducted in a socially responsible fashion and never target children or vulnerable people.
Specifically the EFL and its clubs operated an affiliate scheme as part of their partnership with Sky Bet from 2013 to the 2019/20 season. The scheme has not been active since the 2019/20 season and the Department does not hold detailed estimates of club revenues.
The current impact of gambling sponsorship in sports is in scope of the government's wide-ranging Review of the Gambling Act. We are considering the evidence closely and a white paper setting out our conclusions and next steps will be published in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Ronnie Cowan (Scottish National Party - Inverclyde)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an estimate of the number of football clubs in the English Football League operating as affiliates for SkyBet.
Answered by Damian Collins
Football clubs can enter a wide variety of commercial partnerships but all partnerships with gambling operators must be conducted in a socially responsible fashion and never target children or vulnerable people.
Specifically the EFL and its clubs operated an affiliate scheme as part of their partnership with Sky Bet from 2013 to the 2019/20 season. The scheme has not been active since the 2019/20 season and the Department does not hold detailed estimates of club revenues.
The current impact of gambling sponsorship in sports is in scope of the government's wide-ranging Review of the Gambling Act. We are considering the evidence closely and a white paper setting out our conclusions and next steps will be published in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 September to Question 47402, for what reason it would cost more than £800 to provide an answer as to the purpose of the payments made by his Department to the official Norwich City Football Club online store of (a) £1,318 on 21 October 2021, and (b) £523.50 on 21 March 2022.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
This payment was one of 46 questions submitted by the MP, which referenced more than 250 transactions in total. The resource required to collate this information would be above the disproportionate cost threshold. This spend relates to purchases of one of twelve different English Premier League kits purchased to support youth engagement projects overseas. The purchases were made following set guidelines to ensure they were appropriate and achieved value for money.