Asked by: Baroness Grey-Thompson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that public investment in sports facilities supports a balanced range of sports, including court-based activities such as tennis and padel.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
At least £400 million will be invested in new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities, promoting health, wellbeing and community cohesion. This includes the 2026/27 Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme currently in delivery, which is investing £85 million in grassroots sports facilities across the UK. At least 40% of projects funded by this programme will have a multi-sport offer to allow more people to participate in sports other than football, meaning more people can get access to a wider variety of sports and activities that appeal to them including rugby, cricket and basketball.
At least £15 million is being invested into new delivery models across England in 2026/27, to allow more people to participate in sports they wish to. At least £2.5 million will be invested through the LTA for covered courts in England for tennis, padel and other activities, with additional funding will also enable a wider range of sporting bodies to trial innovative funding pathways.
We are now working closely with the sports sector and local leaders to develop plans for funding for a range of sports across the country based on what each community needs. Although a decision has yet to be made regarding future funding year allocations, we understand the value of multi-year commitments to our delivery partners and will aim to confirm allocations as soon as possible.
Asked by: Baroness Grey-Thompson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide multi-year capital funding settlements for community sports facilities.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
At least £400 million will be invested in new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities, promoting health, wellbeing and community cohesion. This includes the 2026/27 Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme currently in delivery, which is investing £85 million in grassroots sports facilities across the UK. At least 40% of projects funded by this programme will have a multi-sport offer to allow more people to participate in sports other than football, meaning more people can get access to a wider variety of sports and activities that appeal to them including rugby, cricket and basketball.
At least £15 million is being invested into new delivery models across England in 2026/27, to allow more people to participate in sports they wish to. At least £2.5 million will be invested through the LTA for covered courts in England for tennis, padel and other activities, with additional funding will also enable a wider range of sporting bodies to trial innovative funding pathways.
We are now working closely with the sports sector and local leaders to develop plans for funding for a range of sports across the country based on what each community needs. Although a decision has yet to be made regarding future funding year allocations, we understand the value of multi-year commitments to our delivery partners and will aim to confirm allocations as soon as possible.
Asked by: Baroness Grey-Thompson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to address the stigma associated with menstruation for women and girls in sport.
Answered by Baroness Barran
Periods should never be a taboo subject. Women and girls should feel comfortable discussing their menstrual cycle, and how it affects their attitude to sport and their sporting performance.
We are determined to encourage more women and girls to get active and break down the barriers that prevent them from doing so, something we set out in our sport strategy Sporting Future. Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign was created to get more women active regardless of shape, size and ability, and aims to tackle head on the social barriers that can prevent women from feeling like they can join in. The latest phase of the campaign, launched earlier this year, addressed periods, showing a tampon string towards the end of the advert. The reaction to this in the press and in online discussion was overwhelmingly positive with a recognition that it shows the truth of women’s lives.
Sport England are also supporting the government taskforce to tackle period poverty, primarily around actions to tackle the stigma relating to women in sport, and particularly their impact on teenage participation in physical activity in schools.
In addition, we welcome the work that the English Institute of Sport is doing through their SMARTHer campaign to open up conversations amongst athletes, coaches and staff in high performance sport around athletes’ menstrual cycles in order to improve support.
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
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: Baroness Grey-Thompson (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that the terms and conditions required by governing bodies of sport as the promoters of major events should be adhered to and take priority over secondary market interests.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The terms and conditions on an event ticket are a matter of civil law. We do, however, expect there to be a reasonable balance between the terms and conditions which apply when purchasing goods and enabling consumers with unwanted tickets to dispose of them fairly and openly.