Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if her department has received the newly published evidence and impact report on the benefits of Erasmus+ by LEAP Sports Scotland.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
This Government has agreed an important new deal that will open up opportunities for people to study, live and learn in the EU through our reassociation into the Erasmus+ programme in 2027.
We have noted the report published on 26 February 2026 by LEAP Sports Scotland regarding the benefits of Erasmus+. The government recognises the value of international exchange and will consider all relevant evidence as we prepare for reassociation.
Our approach to EU relations will always respect the role of the devolved governments and legislatures. We are working closely with colleagues in the devolved governments to achieve this.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to (a) ensure adequate funding to youth clubs and (b) promote social inclusion in communities.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
This Government is committed to rebuilding and improving local youth services to ensure every young person across the country has a community.
We’re also investing in the #iWill Movement to support place-based youth social action work. In this work, young people will play an active role in addressing local issues, supporting their sense of belonging and connection to community.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what criteria are used to determine allocations between national governing bodies and grassroots sport providers.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery Funding.
Sport England allocates funds to National Governing Bodies and grassroots sports providers primarily based on their ability to deliver against the aims set out in their ‘Uniting the Movement’ strategy around getting more people active, reducing the number of inactive people and tackling long-standing inequalities. Sport England’s website provides transparency data about how their funding is invested.
As part of this, Sport England are committed to reducing inactivity within lower socio-economic groups. Through their place partnership work, they have invested into more than 90 places across England, focusing resources and efforts on communities that need the greatest levels of support and experience the greatest levels of inequality. Each place is in the top 20% of the country for inactivity, social need, deprivation and health inequality at a national level.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure grassroots sport funding reaches areas of high deprivation.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery Funding.
Sport England allocates funds to National Governing Bodies and grassroots sports providers primarily based on their ability to deliver against the aims set out in their ‘Uniting the Movement’ strategy around getting more people active, reducing the number of inactive people and tackling long-standing inequalities. Sport England’s website provides transparency data about how their funding is invested.
As part of this, Sport England are committed to reducing inactivity within lower socio-economic groups. Through their place partnership work, they have invested into more than 90 places across England, focusing resources and efforts on communities that need the greatest levels of support and experience the greatest levels of inequality. Each place is in the top 20% of the country for inactivity, social need, deprivation and health inequality at a national level.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to improve transparency in the allocation of grassroots sport funding.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery Funding.
Sport England allocates funds to National Governing Bodies and grassroots sports providers primarily based on their ability to deliver against the aims set out in their ‘Uniting the Movement’ strategy around getting more people active, reducing the number of inactive people and tackling long-standing inequalities. Sport England’s website provides transparency data about how their funding is invested.
As part of this, Sport England are committed to reducing inactivity within lower socio-economic groups. Through their place partnership work, they have invested into more than 90 places across England, focusing resources and efforts on communities that need the greatest levels of support and experience the greatest levels of inequality. Each place is in the top 20% of the country for inactivity, social need, deprivation and health inequality at a national level.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of public funding for sport is allocated directly to grassroots clubs.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery Funding.
Sport England allocates funds to National Governing Bodies and grassroots sports providers primarily based on their ability to deliver against the aims set out in their ‘Uniting the Movement’ strategy around getting more people active, reducing the number of inactive people and tackling long-standing inequalities. Sport England’s website provides transparency data about how their funding is invested.
As part of this, Sport England are committed to reducing inactivity within lower socio-economic groups. Through their place partnership work, they have invested into more than 90 places across England, focusing resources and efforts on communities that need the greatest levels of support and experience the greatest levels of inequality. Each place is in the top 20% of the country for inactivity, social need, deprivation and health inequality at a national level.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of public swimming pool provision in England; and what steps are being taken to ensure long‑term sustainable access to swimming facilities.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to swimming facilities, which are great spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and which play an important role within communities.
The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.
In June last year, we committed £400 million to transform sports facilities, including public leisure, across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that the grassroots sport fund provides targeted support for swimming pools in areas with limited access to aquatic facilities.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to swimming facilities, which are great spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and which play an important role within communities.
The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.
In June last year, we committed £400 million to transform sports facilities, including public leisure, across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what support is available to assist swimming pools with (a) energy efficiency upgrades and (b) operating costs.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to swimming facilities, which are great spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and which play an important role within communities.
The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.
In June last year, we committed £400 million to transform sports facilities, including public leisure, across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated.