Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Paralympic Games

Thursday 1 July 2021 · 2 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 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Department added the Paralympic Games to the listed events regime in 2020, ensuring free-to-air television coverage.
  • Research by Scope indicates that 69% of people with disabilities believe the Paralympics help tackle negative attitudes.
  • Three in four people with disabilities feel the public's perceptions of disabled people have worsened or not shifted during the pandemic.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Lisa Cameron SNP
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The question arises due to the Paralympic Games in summer 2021 and the desire to encourage public participation.

Question

What plans does his Department have to promote and encourage people to watch the Paralympic Games in summer 2021?

Answer from John Whittingdale (Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Paralympic games are one of the highlights of the sporting calendar. In recognition of their special national significance, we added the Paralympic games to the listed events regime in 2020, meaning that they will remain available on free-to-air television. I wish all our athletes every success in Tokyo and very much welcome Channel 4's plans to broadcast live coverage of the Paralympics throughout the games.

Answered
Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q2 Lisa Cameron SNP
Employment Benefits & Welfare Women & Equalities
Context

A report by Scope indicates that 69% of people with disabilities believe the Paralympics help tackle negative attitudes. However, three in four people with disabilities feel public perceptions have worsened during the pandemic.

Question

New research by Scope has shown that 69% of people with disabilities believe that the Paralympics help to tackle negative attitudes. This comes as three in four people with disabilities believe that the public's perceptions of disabled people have worsened or not shifted during the pandemic. Scope and ParalympicsGB have teamed up to call for the Paralympic games to be a catalyst for change. The all-party group on disability, which I chair, asks the Secretary of State and the Government to commit to work across broadcasting to champion inclusion in sports and employment for people with disabilities, alongside celebrating the fantastic achievements of our Paralympians.

Answer from John Whittingdale (Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government absolutely share the ambition of the hon. Lady and her all-party group to increase the participation by disabled people in sport. The Paralympics have been an extraordinary success in demonstrating the remarkable achievements of disabled athletes. I share her hope that the Paralympics will again receive record viewing figures and that the UK Paralympic athletes will continue to do as well as they have in recent times.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask for a commitment from the government to work across broadcasting sectors was not addressed with concrete actions or timelines.

How: Shares Hope Without Commitment

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email