Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what information his Department held on the Rugby Football Union’s plans to reduce funding for championship clubs; and what steps he is taking to help ensure the viability of club rugby.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport does not hold any information on the Rugby Football Union’s (RFU) plans to reduce funding for championship clubs. The stewardship of rugby union in England is the responsibility of the RFU, as the National Governing Body for the sport. The Government expects good governance from all our sports bodies, as set out in the sports governance code.
Through Sport England, government has invested £11.53m into grassroots rugby union in the three years to 2018/19. This includes investment in both the RFU as the national governing body for the sport, together with investment in specific community rugby union projects. Over this time period, Sport England has invested a further £12.61m in multi-sport projects where rugby union is one of the sports benefitting.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of women playing professional rugby in the UK that are (a) UK and (b) non-UK citizens; and what the (i) immigration and (b) visa status is of those non-UK citizen rugby players.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) currently contracts 28 fifteen-a-side players and 13 seven-a-side players and these players must have the right to live and work in the UK. Currently there is no central database of professional contracts at club level but the RFU has informed us that a system is being developed.
It is important to note that any female players who are contracted to play professionally in England must be UK Nationals, EU Nationals or have the right to live and work in the UK through a route other than as a professional sportsperson.
There are no female professional rugby league players in the UK.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2015 to Question 12304, on consumer protection measure, what the names are of the main stakeholders who were alerted to the call for evidence; when those stakeholders were altered; and how those stakeholders were alerted.
Answered by Nick Boles
These stakeholders were notified by email on 13 October 2015:
Academy Music Group
Advertising Standards Authority
All England Lawn Tennis Club
Association of Leading Visitor Attractions
AEG Worldwide
Agents Association
Andrew Bingham MP
Arts & Business Scotland
Arts Council England
Arts Council of Northern Ireland
Arts Council of Wales
Association of Chief Trading Standards Officers
Association of Festival Organisers
Association of Independent Festivals
Association of Independent Music
Association of Secondary Ticket Agents
Association of Show and Agricultural Organisations
Baroness Grey Thompson
Baroness Hayter
Baroness Heyhoe Flint
Birmingham Hippodrome
British Association of Concert Halls
Brighton Centre
British Arts Festival Association
British Boxing Board of Control
British Cycling
British Phonographic Industry
Business in Sport and Leisure
Cardiff International Arena (Motorpoint Arena)
Chartered Trading Standards Institute
Cinema Exhibitors Association
Citizens Advice
City of London Police
Competition and Markets Authority
CBI
Concert Promoters Association
Creative Scotland
eBay UK Ltd
David Morris MP
Direct Selling Association
England and Wales Cricket Board
England Rugby Union
Equity
European Arenas Association
European Commission
European Secondary Ticketing Association
Event Industry News
Fan Freedom
Federation of Small Businesses
Festival Republic
Festivals Edinburgh
Football Association
Football Supporters Federation
Greater London Assembly
Historic Houses Association
Historic Royal Palaces
Incorporated Society of Musicians
International Live Music Conference
Lawn Tennis Association
Live Nation
Live UK
Liverpool Echo Arena
Local Government Association
Lord Addington
Lord Borwick
Lord Clement-Jones
Lord Moynihan
Lord Stoneham
Lord Younger
Manchester Arena
Mark Garnier MP
Mark Pritchard MP
Mastercard
Millennium Stadium plc
Motor Sports Association
Musicians Union
National Campaign for the Arts
National Operatic and Dramatic Association
National Police Chiefs’ Council
National Theatre
National Trading Standards Board
NEC Group
Nick Smith MP
Nigel Adams MP
NOISE Festival
Paypal
Penny Mordaunt MP
Premier League
Premiership Rugby
Racecourse Association
Ricoh Arena
Royal Albert Hall
Royal Horticultural Society
Royal Opera House
Royal Parks
Royal Shakespeare Company
Rugby Football League
Rugby Football Union
Sadler’s Wells
Sage Gateshead
Seatwave
See Tickets
Sharon Hodgson MP
Society of London Theatre
Sound Diplomacy
Southbank Centre
Sport and Recreation Alliance
Sport England
Sport Northern Ireland
Sport Scotland
Sport Wales
Sports Rights Group
STAR (Secure Tickets from Authorised Retailers)
Stephen McPartland MP
Stubhub
Supporters Direct
The Federation of Scottish Theatre
Ticketmaster UK
Trading Standards Institute
Trading Standards Scotland
UK Cards Association
UK Music
UK Sport
UK Theatre Association
Viagogo
Visa
Visit Britain
Welsh Government
Wembley Arena
Which?
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2015 to Question 12304, what the names are of the main stakeholders who the Government consulted on the terms of reference of the Review into Secondary Ticketing Market.
Answered by Nick Boles
The following stakeholders were invited to provide input:
All England Lawn Tennis Club
Association of Leading Visitor Attractions
CBI
Competition and Markets Authority
eBay UK Ltd (StubHub)
England and Wales Cricket Board
England Rugby Football Union
European Commission Representation in the UK
Fan Freedom
Lawn Tennis Association
Northern Ireland Executive
Parliament
Royal Opera House
Scottish Government
Society of London Theatre
Sport and Recreation Alliance
STAR (Secure Tickets from Authorised Retailers)
Ticketmaster
UK Music
Viagogo
Welsh Government
Which?
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to promote the legacy of the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The Rugby World Cup is expected to attract 466,000 international visitors to England – more than any previous RWC. Research from Visit Britain tells us that sport tourists traditionally stay for longer, have a propensity to travel around the country and spend more money when doing so. International visitors are expected to contribute up to £869 million in direct expenditure to the UK economy. Last year, an economic impact study by EY estimated a boost of almost £1bn to the UK’s GDP (of £2.2bn total spend generated). This includes £85m of infrastructure projects and the support of 41,000 jobs.
There are strong plans to drive legacy benefits from the tournament. The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is working to spread the game's popularity and there are also plans around the host cities to maximise economic and community benefits.
The RFU's plans to grow the game include:
DCMS and the Government continue to be fully supportive of these plans.UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is coordinating a Rugby World Cup Business Festival programme of activity across 8 of 9 regions, aligned to the locations of fixtures. A Global Investment Conference (GIC), hosted by UKTI, launched the festival on 17 September 2015 at Lancaster House. This brought together government leaders and 150 senior potential and existing investors from 9 key Foreign Direct Investment target market countries with teams competing in the tournament.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what legacy he expects from the UK's hosting of the Rugby World Cup.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The Rugby World Cup is expected to attract 466,000 international visitors to England – more than any previous RWC. Research from Visit Britain tells us that sport tourists traditionally stay for longer, have a propensity to travel around the country and spend more money when doing so. International visitors are expected to contribute up to £869 million in direct expenditure to the UK economy. Last year, an economic impact study by EY estimated a boost of almost £1bn to the UK’s GDP (of £2.2bn total spend generated). This includes £85m of infrastructure projects and the support of 41,000 jobs.
There are strong plans to drive legacy benefits from the tournament. The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is working to spread the game's popularity and there are also plans around the host cities to maximise economic and community benefits.
The RFU's plans to grow the game include:
DCMS and the Government continue to be fully supportive of these plans.UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is coordinating a Rugby World Cup Business Festival programme of activity across 8 of 9 regions, aligned to the locations of fixtures. A Global Investment Conference (GIC), hosted by UKTI, launched the festival on 17 September 2015 at Lancaster House. This brought together government leaders and 150 senior potential and existing investors from 9 key Foreign Direct Investment target market countries with teams competing in the tournament.