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Written Question
Football
Thursday 11th January 2024

Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the European Court of Justice ruling on the European Super League on the future of English domestic football.

Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The attempt to create a breakaway European Super League was a defining moment in English football and was universally condemned by fans, clubs, and the Government.

We took decisive action at the time by triggering the fan-led review of football governance, which called for the creation of a new independent regulator for English football.

We will shortly be bringing forward legislation that makes this a reality, establishing an independent regulator that can stop clubs from joining any similar breakaway competitions in the future.


Written Question
Football
Thursday 11th January 2024

Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the European Court of Justice ruling on the European Super League.

Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The attempt to create a breakaway European Super League was a defining moment in English football and was universally condemned by fans, clubs, and the Government.

We took decisive action at the time by triggering the fan-led review of football governance, which called for the creation of a new independent regulator for English football.

We will shortly be bringing forward legislation that makes this a reality, establishing an independent regulator that can stop clubs from joining any similar breakaway competitions in the future.


Written Question
Culture: Disability
Tuesday 19th December 2023

Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)

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 with Cabinet colleagues to support disabled access to venues.

Answered by John Whittingdale

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is committed to improving the accessibility of cultural and heritage venues across the UK for everyone.

In June 2021, the Government Disability Unit launched an enhanced programme of Disability and Access Ambassadors. As part of this, David Stanley BEM was appointed as the Arts and Culture Disability and Access Ambassador. The Department is working closely with him to improve accessibility to the sector and its venues for people with disabilities.

DCMS investment is enabling important accessibility upgrades in cultural venues across the country, including via infrastructure grants to DCMS-sponsored cultural bodies. The joint DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund also has improvements to access and/or interpretation for visitors with disabilities as a core criterion, with recent awards including new accessible doors, lifts, ramps, and signage at the People’s History Museum in Manchester, amongst other projects.

Arts Councils across the UK are also working together with the British Film Institute to launch a free, UK-wide arts access scheme, called ‘All-In’. The pilot of this scheme is set to launch in Spring 2024. This scheme will operate across the UK in arts and cultural venues, for seamless, barrier-free booking which is responsive to individual circumstances and needs.


Written Question
Sports: Drugs
Tuesday 12th September 2023

Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's policy paper Get Active: A strategy for the future of sport and physical activity, published on 30 August 2023, what discussions she plans to have with the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity on the inclusion of the (a) legal and (b) health impacts of the use of (i) anabolic steroids and (ii) image and performance enhancing drugs in the development of a (A) national registration scheme and (B) structured career pathway for coaches.

Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The safety and wellbeing of everyone taking part in sport is hugely important. This includes the issue of image and performance enhancing drugs and the significant impact of these substances on the physical and mental health of those who use them.

UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), an arm’s length body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, is collaborating with the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) to embed clean sport content in CIMSPA’s professional standards for personal trainers and coaches.

The government’s call for evidence on sport integrity opened on 30 August 2023 alongside the publication of “Get Active”. It covers the handling of a range of sport integrity issues, including doping.

We will continue to support the work of UKAD and other partners to protect and promote clean sport and to look beyond the sporting community to shine a spotlight on the issue of image and performance enhancing drugs.


Written Question
Sports: Drugs
Tuesday 12th September 2023

Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the policy paper, Get Active: A strategy for the future of sport and physical activity, published by her Department on 30 August 2023, whether she is taking steps to ensure that UK Anti-Doping considers the (a) legal and (b) health impacts of the use of (i) anabolic steroids and (ii) image and performance enhancing drugs as part of its work.

Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The safety and wellbeing of everyone taking part in sport is hugely important. This includes the issue of image and performance enhancing drugs and the significant impact of these substances on the physical and mental health of those who use them.

UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), an arm’s length body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, is collaborating with the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) to embed clean sport content in CIMSPA’s professional standards for personal trainers and coaches.

The government’s call for evidence on sport integrity opened on 30 August 2023 alongside the publication of “Get Active”. It covers the handling of a range of sport integrity issues, including doping.

We will continue to support the work of UKAD and other partners to protect and promote clean sport and to look beyond the sporting community to shine a spotlight on the issue of image and performance enhancing drugs.


Written Question
Sports: Drugs
Tuesday 12th September 2023

Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the policy paper, Get Active: A strategy for the future of sport and physical activity, published by her Department on 30 August 2023, whether she is taking steps to ensure that the call for evidence on sport integrity will include focus on the potential use of (a) anabolic steroids and (b) image and performance enhancing drugs.

Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The safety and wellbeing of everyone taking part in sport is hugely important. This includes the issue of image and performance enhancing drugs and the significant impact of these substances on the physical and mental health of those who use them.

UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), an arm’s length body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, is collaborating with the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) to embed clean sport content in CIMSPA’s professional standards for personal trainers and coaches.

The government’s call for evidence on sport integrity opened on 30 August 2023 alongside the publication of “Get Active”. It covers the handling of a range of sport integrity issues, including doping.

We will continue to support the work of UKAD and other partners to protect and promote clean sport and to look beyond the sporting community to shine a spotlight on the issue of image and performance enhancing drugs.


Written Question
Sports: Drugs
Tuesday 12th September 2023

Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's policy paper Get Active: A strategy for the future of sport and physical activity, published on 30 August 2023, what steps she plans to take to help ensure that the use of (a) anabolic steroids and (b) image and performance enhancing drugs is included by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity in its work to self-regulate the workforce.

Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The safety and wellbeing of everyone taking part in sport is hugely important. This includes the issue of image and performance enhancing drugs and the significant impact of these substances on the physical and mental health of those who use them.

UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), an arm’s length body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, is collaborating with the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity (CIMSPA) to embed clean sport content in CIMSPA’s professional standards for personal trainers and coaches.

The government’s call for evidence on sport integrity opened on 30 August 2023 alongside the publication of “Get Active”. It covers the handling of a range of sport integrity issues, including doping.

We will continue to support the work of UKAD and other partners to protect and promote clean sport and to look beyond the sporting community to shine a spotlight on the issue of image and performance enhancing drugs.


Written Question
Sports: Rural Areas
Tuesday 12th September 2023

Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's policy paper Get Active: A strategy for the future of sport and physical activity, published on 30 August 2023, what steps she is taking to ensure that rurality is considered when meeting the target for at least 75% of Sport England place investment being committed to areas with the lowest levels of physical activity and social outcomes.

Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

We know that active people are fitter, happier and healthier - which is why in our new Sport Strategy - 'Get Active’ - we set out an ambitious strategy to boost our national health by getting 3.5 million extra active people by 2030. This includes bold targets to reach communities with the lowest levels of physical activity.

Building on their 12 local delivery pilot areas, Sport England is expanding their place-based work so that at least 75% of their investment is committed to areas with the lowest levels of physical activity and social outcomes.

Sport England are using a range of data sources to inform this approach including physical activity data from the Active Lives Surveys as well as wider social data including IMD, community need and health inequalities data. These datasets help to identify a range of diverse communities, including rural communities, across England that need support to become more active.


Written Question
Rugby: Finance
Tuesday 27th June 2023

Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the independent advisors appointed by Government will be able to take steps to help tackle financial issues at rugby union clubs.

Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Rugby union clubs play an important role in local communities, and make an invaluable contribution to our sporting heritage and national life.

However, the recent failures of several clubs have laid bare the challenges facing rugby union. That is why we have appointed two independent advisers to work alongside the RFU and PRL in their efforts to ensure the future sustainability of rugby union.

The independent advisers will develop a set of recommendations for all stakeholders involved in the game, to secure rugby union’s immediate future and advise on its future direction.


Written Question
Rugby: Finance
Tuesday 20th June 2023

Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the financial stability of Premiership rugby clubs.

Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government recognises the recent challenges faced by Rugby Union. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government went above and beyond through the Sports Survival Package to provide unprecedented levels of financial support to sports clubs, including rugby union clubs, to ensure their survival.

The Government is clear that robust governance is essential to sustainable and successful sport. The respective National Governing Body is responsible for the governance of their sport. In the case of Rugby Union, the Government is working closely with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Premiership Rugby League (PRL).

The Government shares the concerns of fans about where the game goes next, so has appointed two expert independent advisers to work with the RFU and PRL on their plans to secure the future of professional rugby union. They will report their recommendations to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport later in the summer.