Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Covid-19: Sporting Sector

Thursday 4 June 2020 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • John Spellar inquired about steps taken to support the sporting sector during the COVID-19 outbreak.
  • The Minister acknowledged the significant impact of the pandemic on sport at all levels and chairs fortnightly meetings with over 25 sporting organisations.
  • The Minister expressed relief that live sports are returning, citing horse racing as an example, and praised the positive public reaction to this development.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 John Spellar Lab
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The MP seeks information on measures taken to support the sporting sector which has been heavily impacted by the pandemic.

Question

What steps he has taken to support the sporting sector during the covid-19 outbreak. I am concerned about the significant impact of the pandemic on sport at all levels and want to know what specific actions have been undertaken to address this issue.

Answer from Nigel Huddleston

Covid-19 has significantly impacted sport at all levels right across the country. To fully understand the issues faced by the sector, I chair a fortnightly meeting with more than 25 sporting organisations representing millions of people who participate in sport. Sporting organisations have been supported by the Government through their job retention scheme, business loan scheme, business rates relief and business grants. In addition, Sport England has announced £210 million of funding to help sport and physical activity organisations with the effects of coronavirus.

Answered
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Q2 John Spellar Lab
Employment Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The MP acknowledges the positive return of live sports but seeks assurance for a regulated, job-providing gambling industry.

Question

With all these Ministers running in and out, it is less like a Westminster farce and more like a Whitehall farce, but I hope that the Minister will appreciate my tone slightly more than the Home Secretary did yesterday. I want to congratulate him on his efforts in getting live sport back, which is not only a huge boost to morale across the country but also a major provider of jobs. To take one example, racing alone supports more than 80,000 jobs, and in addition, the betting industry supports 100,000 jobs and pays £3.2 billion in tax each year to the Treasury. Will he ensure an early return for a properly regulated, job-providing, successful, British-based gambling industry?

Answer from Nigel Huddleston

I do appreciate the right hon. Member's tone and I agree with him. Indeed, we are very relieved that millions of people across the country were very pleased to see racing back this week, and other sports are coming as well. It was great to see Newcastle races on Monday. We have Newmarket today. I would like to thank everybody involved in making sure that we are able to get sport back safely.

Partly answered

Not addressed: the specific ask about gambling industry regulation

How: Acknowledges The Positive Return Of Live Sports But Does Not Address The Request For Assurance On Regulated, Job-Providing Gambling Industry

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Q3 Alison McGovern Lab Birkenhead
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The MP references Sport England's research indicating an increase in physical activity but notes that it is less pronounced for people with limited outside space access, seeking specific and permanent changes.

Question

Sport England's research tells us that one positive aspect of the lockdown is the increase in people doing physical activity, but as we might expect, its data shows that the trend is not so strong for people who have limited access to outside space. What specific and permanent change will the Secretary of State make so that we can tackle that health inequality?

Answer from Nigel Huddleston

I thank the hon. Lady for that comment. She shares my passion to make sure that we get sport and physical activity really high on the agenda. There are all sorts of things we can do at the young people's level, such as revising the sport and activity action plan so that we can get young people engaged in 60 minutes of sporting activity and looking again at the sport strategy.

Partly answered

Not addressed: the specific ask for permanent changes to address health inequalities

How: Acknowledges The Issue But Does Not Provide Specific Or Permanent Changes

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