Asked by: Baroness Grey-Thompson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that (1) the Access to Work programme, and (2) related programmes, give participants the opportunity to volunteer at major UK sporting events, including (a) the Rugby League World Cup 2021, (b) the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, and (c) the UEFA Women's Euro 2022.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Access to Work support is available for disabled people and those who have a health condition whose disability or health condition affects the way they do their job. To be eligible for Access to Work the customer must be aged 16 years or over and satisfy certain criteria. As volunteering does not satisfy all the eligibility criteria, volunteers are not eligible for Access to Work support. Where individuals are employed into paid roles, the government will assist applications to the Access to Work programme if requested.
The Rugby League World Cup 2021 Board has launched a volunteer programme called The Power Squad. This programme makes a commitment to celebrate the inclusive and diverse population of England as well as the rich history of host towns and cities.
The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games provides a fantastic opportunity to accelerate employment and skills opportunities for residents of the West Midlands. A comprehensive volunteering programme is due to launch in 2021, with up to 1000 roles ring-fenced for West Midlands residents and with a focus on disadvantaged groups.
UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 will create a number of paid employment opportunities, plus a sizeable volunteer programme of stadium and host city volunteers. These paid and voluntary roles will be open to all and will enable as many people as possible to be part of the tournament.
Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to provide financial support to professional (a) football, (b) rugby and (c) cricket clubs during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the impact that Covid-19 is having on the sporting sector, and has supported elite sports to return to "behind closed doors" competition, which enabled vital broadcast revenue, retained competitive integrity and brought joy to millions of sports fans. The government also ensured Project Restart was shared with everyone by getting Premier League football on the BBC for the first time ever.
The safety and security of players and spectators remains of paramount importance.
The government recognises that fans will be disappointed that sports pilot events were paused and that spectators were not able to be admitted to stadia from 1 October. The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is working with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what can be done to provide further support. The Department will also continue to work with colleagues across Whitehall to support the sector.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had on additional specific financial support for rugby league clubs, and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
On 1 May this year the Government announced that the Rugby Football League would receive a £16 million cash injection to safeguard the immediate future of the sport for the communities it serves. This emergency loan will help the sport deal with the extreme financial impact of COVID-19. We are continuing to engage with the Rugby Football League and other sporting bodies on the consequences of the decision not to reopen stadia to spectators on 1 October.
Government is also supporting rugby league through more than £11m of Sport England investment in the Rugby Football League over 2017-21 and investment of up to £10m in rugby league facilities to help drive a legacy from the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have with the GMB trade union on financial pressures and salary caps in Rugby League Super League due to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has had no such discussions with the GMB trade union, but trade union attendance across a range of DCMS working groups was agreed with the TUC, with PFA and TUC attending the sport working group
The Government announced on 30 April that the Rugby Football League (RFL) will receive an emergency loan of up to £16 million to safeguard the immediate future of the sport for the communities it serves, and is continuing to work closely with the sport to understand the issues they face and discuss how we can support them further through this difficult time. The RFL is fully engaged with the process and is ensuring that the sport as a whole is aware of the assistance available and how to access support. It is a matter for individual clubs to pursue the support appropriate for their situation.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their most recent advice on playing the game of rugby (1) in schools, and (2) between clubs, in England.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Sports and physical activity facilities play a crucial role in supporting adults and children to be active. The Government has made it clear that it will adopt a phased approach based on scientific and medical advice, and that the primary goal is to protect public health.
The government has released new guidance to enable competitive grassroots team sports to be played – starting with cricket from 11 July. The government has asked individual sports including rugby union and rugby league to consider the steps that would need to be taken, and the conditions that would need to be met, for their activity to resume. Once those plans have been cleared by the government, the sport will be able to return.
Asked by: Lord Hayward (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they intend to have with the Rugby League authorities about its policies on equality, and in particular homophobia, following the re-signing of Israel Folau by a Super League club.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
There is no place for racism, sexism, homophobia or any other kind of discrimination in sport. Government’s sport and physical activity strategy ‘Sporting Future’ sets out the ambitions for sport to be at the forefront of equality and inclusion.
Government has frequent discussions with the Rugby Football League on a range of issues including equality. It continues to support national governing bodies and other sports organisations on anti-homophobia initiatives, for example Stonewall's Rainbow Laces Campaign.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of a commemorative coin for the Rugby League World Cup due to be held in England in 2021.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The merits of potential designs for UK coinage are assessed by the Royal Mint Advisory Committee, an independent committee who advise the Royal Mint and ultimately the Chancellor and HM The Queen on coin designs. The Royal Mint typically chooses to commemorate events, individuals or symbology that are of genuine national significance and not contentious.
Typically, the process of producing a commemorative design for UK coinage takes 18 months, from initial discussions to the production of a coin. Further details on the Royal Mint advisory committee can be found at https://www.royalmintmuseum.org.uk/, alongside a form to contact the committee.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid -19 outbreak on the development of women’s sport at the (a) professional and (b) grassroots level.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
I am keen that we continue to maintain the focus on women’s sport and build on the fantastic progress made in recent years. I am working closely with sports bodies on the return of top level sporting events, and there are a number of major women’s sporting events coming up in the UK to look forward to, for example the women’s Rugby League World Cup next year and the UEFA Women’s Euros in 2022.
However, we need to continue championing and raising the profile of women’s sport. That is why on 29 May I wrote to the Football Association, the Rugby Football Union, the Rugby Football League, the Lawn Tennis Association and the England and Wales Cricket Board to ask about their plans for promoting women’s sport at the elite level, increasing women and girls participation and ensuring covid-19 does not have an impact on either of those things. I will be considering their responses with interest.
At grassroots level, Covid-19 has brought new challenges to the way people are able to engage in physical activity. I welcome initiatives like Sport England’s “Join the Movement” campaign which is encouraging everyone to stay active during the lockdown. The latest data from Sport England on activity levels during lockdown shows that 33% of women are doing at least 30 minutes of activity on five or more days in the last week, and that women are doing more walking and home-based physical activity.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Government support packages made available for charities, the tech sector and rugby league, whether the Government plans to provide additional sector-specific support packages during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The Government has announced unprecedented support for business and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency including almost £300 billion of guarantees – equivalent to 15% of UK GDP. Businesses and workers may benefit from the range of support measures including:
The Coronavirus Job Retention (Furlough) Scheme to support employers with 80% of workers’ salaries up to £2,500 a month.
The Self-Employed Income Support Scheme which provides eligible freelance workers with up to £2,500 per month in grants for at least three months.
The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme provide significant access to cash for eligible businesses in need.
The Bounce Back Loan Scheme is a fast-track finance scheme designed to support small businesses.
The Business Support website provides further information about how businesses can access the support that has been made available, who is eligible, when the schemes open and how to apply: https://www.businesssupport.gov.uk/coronavirus-business-support
In addition to the support packages highlighted, DCMS has also worked with its arms-length bodies on a range of measures to help our sectors:
Arts Council England is making £160 million of emergency funding available.
Sport England have launched an economic package of £210m to support the grassroots and community sport sector.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund announced a £50m Heritage Emergency Fund.
Historic England have announced a £2million programme of grants to support smaller, specialist organisations and projects.
Releasing emergency funding to help community radio stations continue to provide programming and outreach projects for the communities they serve. Relevant stations were invited to bid for emergency grants to help meet their core costs through a process administered by Ofcom.
The Government’s economic strategy will be closely coordinated with the public health strategy to ensure a safe return to economic activity. We will continue to monitor developments to understand the economic impacts of COVID-19, including on industries and sectors, and consider how the Government can best support their recovery.
Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Wirral South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many rugby league clubs have (a) applied for and (b) received funding from Government backed business support loans.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government announced on 30 April that the Rugby Football League (RFL) will receive an emergency loan of £16 million to safeguard the immediate future of the sport for the communities it serves.
The Government recognises the impact that covid-19 is having on the sporting sector. The Chancellor has announced an unprecedented package of measures to help businesses in this period, including £330 billion worth of government-backed and guaranteed loans to support businesses across the UK.
Those support measures, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, and Self-Employed Income Support Scheme are open to businesses across the UK and in every sector, including Sport.
In addition, Sport England, has also announced £195 million of funding to help sport and physical activity organisations deal with the short and long term effects of the pandemic.
The RFL is fully engaged with the process and is ensuring that the sport as a whole is aware of the assistance available and how to access support. It is a matter for individual clubs to pursue the support appropriate for their situation.
We know this is a challenging period for all sports and we continue to work closely with the whole sector to understand the issues they face and how we can best support them through this difficult time.