Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Derby County Football Club and other football clubs, and (2) whether the implementation of the recommendations of the Fan-Led Review of Football Governance, published on 24 November 2021, could have helped to mitigate the financial difficulties experienced by football clubs during the pandemic.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government continues to engage on a regular basis with the English Football League and the administrator about Derby County Football Club. The additional financial impacts of COVID 19, to the club and to the wider football sector, were significant. We have supported the football sector throughout the pandemic, from the early return to behind closed doors, to provisions for international players and teams to honour their playing commitments, and more recently supporting mitigation for capacity crowds. Furthermore, we distributed over £25 million to National League clubs through the Sport Survival Package which ensured their survival.
The final report of the Fan Led Review is a thorough and detailed examination of the challenges faced by English football now and in the future. Whilst the Government cannot retrospectively intervene, we intend to improve future outcomes for clubs and their communities. The Government welcomes the findings of the Review and has endorsed in principle the primary recommendation of the review, that football requires a strong, independent regulator to secure the future of our national game.
The Government will now consider the detail of all the recommendations, including those made on improving fan engagement and ensuring future financial stability, and work at pace to determine the most effective way to deliver an independent regulator, and any powers that might be needed.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking (1) to tackle economic crime, and (2) to prevent fraudulent companies from accessing public funds.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
The Government has set out a comprehensive programme for addressing economic crime with the private sector through the jointly published Economic Crime Plan.
The Government is making measurable progress in delivering the Economic Crime Plan and is on course to deliver 49 of the 52 actions it sets out. The Government published a Statement of Progress in May 2021 updating the public and stakeholders on the Plan’s implementation.
The steps taken to prevent fraudulent companies accessing public funds depend on the nature of the public funding. Common due diligence approaches include Spotlight, the government’s online automated due-diligence tool, fraud prevention data analytics, and Credit Reference Agency due diligence services.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk to British athletes exercising their freedom of speech while attending the Winter Olympics in China, following reported comments from a Chinese official about "punishment" for those who act or speak "against the Olympic spirit"; and what steps they are taking, if any, to protect British athletes.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have provided specific advice to the British Olympic and Paralympic Associations, including in respect of security, Chinese law and society, to ensure Team GB and Paralympics GB are as well prepared as possible for the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing. We wish our athletes every success and they will continue to have our full support throughout the games. Officials in Beijing stand ready to provide consular assistance if needed.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether there are sufficient CCTV cameras on the Parliamentary Estate to record all interactions involving Members of the House of Lords which might be considered contrary to the Code of Conduct.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Detailed discussion on the deployment of security cameras on the estate is not appropriate because of the security implications involved in the release of this information. The positioning of CCTV cameras on the estate is based on security requirements.
When deciding on the location of CCTV cameras, privacy and information assurance considerations have to be taken into account and the widespread deployment of CCTV to several parts of the estate would be an unacceptable invasion of privacy and yield only limited, if any, security benefit. Security cameras are of limited use in determining breaches of the code of conduct as they do not record sound.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent survey by the Tourism Alliance which found 41 per cent of tourism businesses think they are “quite likely to fail”; and what steps they are taking in response to protect the travel industry.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Tourism Alliance is a member of the Tourism Industry Council, a collaboration between the Government and the tourism industry focusing on improving the tourism sector and the visitor economy as a whole.
The Government is committed to the full recovery of tourism businesses in the UK, and published the Tourism Recovery Plan in June 2021 to outline a clear roadmap for the industry’s recovery.
In addition to the commitments made in this plan, HM Treasury announced in the October Budget a new temporary business-rates relief in England for eligible retail, hospitality, and leisure properties for 2022–23, worth almost £1.7 billion. We have also continued a reduced VAT rate, which will remain at 12.5% until 31 March 2022, to help businesses manage the transition back to the standard rate.
In response to the Omicron variant, in December 2021 the Government announced a further £1 billion worth of support for businesses in the tourism industry. This included a new grant scheme (up to £6,000 per premises), the reintroduction of the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme, and further funding released through the Culture Recovery Fund. There is also more than £100 million of discretionary funding available for local authorities to support other businesses.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take, alongside sporting bodies and associations, to tackle racism in cricket.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Racism has no place in cricket, sport, or wider society. The Government is committed to ensuring that sports bodies do all they can to tackle racism and all forms of discrimination.
In December 2021 DCMS’s arm’s-length bodies UK Sport and Sport England published an updated version of the Code for Sport Governance. As part of this, sports at Tier Three of the Code are required to publish an annual diversity and inclusion action plan with Sport England and/or UK Sport.
Sport England, UK Sport, and the other sports councils across the UK also published the results of a detailed, independent review into tackling racism and racial inequality in sport. In December 2021, the five Sports Councils released a joint update outlining the current actions being taken to address the commitments.
The Government welcomes the recent developments from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC). We will continue to monitor their actions, including the implementation of the ECB’s new plan for diversity and inclusion and YCCC’s pledge to work with it on a game-wide diversity and inclusion action plan.
The Government will continue to liaise with the cricket authorities on tackling racism and hold them to account on this. We reserve the right to take further measures if necessary.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had about the future of Derby County Football Club; what assessment they have made, if any, of allegations of financial mismanagement at that club; and what assessment they have made of the impact, if any, on the (1) players, (2) coaches, and (3) fans.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government continues to engage closely with the English Football League (EFL) about Derby County Football Club. It is for the EFL, the administrator, and the club to resolve issues to ensure the survival of Derby County FC, but the Government has urged pragmatism from all parties to find a solution for the benefit of fans, staff, and the community that the club serves. The EFL must preserve the integrity of the league on behalf of all member clubs, but all parties want to see one of the founding members of the Football League continue this season and beyond under appropriate ownership.
The Fan-Led Review of Football Governance, commissioned by the Government, made proposals directly addressing how to prevent clubs ending up in such difficult financial situations. We have endorsed in principle the primary recommendation of the review: that football requires a strong, independent regulator to secure the future of our national game. The Government is now working swiftly to determine the most effective way to deliver an independent regulator, and any powers that might be needed.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, alongside sporting bodies and associations, to combat sexism in sport.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
There is no place for sexism in sport. It is vital that sports bodies continue to work together to tackle it – and, indeed, discrimination of any kind.
The Government is committed to ensuring that sport is inclusive and free from discrimination. Recent changes to the Code for Sports Governance mean that all sport organisations receiving public funding from either UK Sport or Sport England (including national governing bodies) are now required to develop a detailed and ambitious diversity and inclusion action plan. These plans should set out how they intend to improve diversity and inclusion across the whole of their organisation, not just at board level. The Code also now requires each funded sport to appoint a board member to lead on welfare and safety across the organisation.
We have also established a working group on women’s sport, which the Minister for Sport chairs, to explore the challenges and opportunities in women’s sport, and meetings have focused on participation, visibility, and commercial investment. The Government also welcomes the work of organisations such as Women in Sport and Women in Football in challenging discrimination and breaking down inequalities between the sexes.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what the consequences will be for frontline NHS staff who refuse to get vaccinated by 1 April 2022.
Answered by Lord Kamall
We continue to encourage all National Health Service staff to become vaccinated to help protect themselves, their colleagues and the people they care for. Over 92% of NHS staff have now done so.
The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment)(Coronavirus)(No.2) Regulations set out that a person who is unvaccinated again COVID-19 must not be deployed in the provision of Care Quality Commission-regulated activity subject to certain conditions. In instances where staff choose not to be vaccinated there may be an option, on a case by case basis, to move into a non-patient facing role.
Asked by: Lord Pendry (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of specialist homeless health services across the NHS; and what plans they have to commission more of these services.
Answered by Lord Kamall
Most specialist homeless health services are commissioned locally which enables local areas to tailor services to the needs of their population. The National Health Service committed up to £30 million from 2019 to 2024 through the NHS Long Term Plan to establish new specialist mental health provision to improve the health of homeless people. Additionally, the we have provided £16 million for specialist out of hospital care services with support from discharge and beyond.