Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will ask the Football Association to review the effectiveness, utility and accuracy of the its Whole Game System in the context of recent decisions to penalise Rayners Lane FC; and if she will make statement.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The policies and procedures for handling formal complaints within football are independent of the government.
I would encourage Rayners Lane FC to submit a formal complaint to the FA and follow their complaints processes (including any procedures for appeal). If they are not satisfied with the response of the FA or require additional support, Sport Resolutions UK is an independent dispute resolution service available for sport in the UK.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will have discussions with the Football Association on the decision of the Middlesex FA to exclude Rayners Lane FC from the final of the Middlesex Premier Cup; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The policies and procedures for handling formal complaints within football are independent of the government.
I would encourage Rayners Lane FC to submit a formal complaint to the FA and follow their complaints processes (including any procedures for appeal). If they are not satisfied with the response of the FA or require additional support, Sport Resolutions UK is an independent dispute resolution service available for sport in the UK.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the claim by the YMCA that, adjusted to real terms, Harrow West has experienced a decrease in funding for youth services of 61 per cent in the last decade; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Local Authorities have a statutory duty to allocate funding to youth services in line with local need. This is funded from the Local Government settlement, which was over £12 billion this year.
The government recognises the vital role that youth services and activities play in improving the life chances and wellbeing of young people. The government is investing £560 million over the next 3 years in a new National Youth Guarantee, so that by 2025 every young person will have access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has had any (a) financial contract and (b) meetings with (i) Clifford Chance LLP, (ii) FTI Consulting and (iii) Fenchurch Advisory Partners in the last five years; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The Department has awarded a contract to FTI Consulting in November 2017 for a period of 4 months to a maximum value of £29,250 (excluding VAT).
Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly and can be found on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2021 to Question 2176 on events industry: coronavirus, what physical evidence was required of attendees at those events that they had conducted a Lateral Flow Test and were covid-19 negative before they were granted entry to those events.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Admission of participants to Event Research Programme events—including the FA Cup final—is, and has been, subject to evidence of a negative Lateral Flow Device (LFD) test result for Covid-19, generally carried out in person at an Asymptomatic Test Site (ATS) either on the day, or on the day before, an event.
Following taking a test, participants receive a text or email from NHS Test and Trace which they need to present to staff at each event in order to gain entry. A negative LFD test result, taken within the timeframe specified, is required for entry, and results are validated by the event organisers before ticket-holders are admitted to the venue. Entry is denied to those that cannot provide evidence of a negative test result.
Pre-event communications inform attendees that ID checks can take place upon entry, and spot photo ID checks have taken place to check that names on negative tests match ID.
Event organisers only hold the standard data required for ticket purchasing and processing. The personal data that Government collects includes first name, last name, address, date of birth, postcode, and email address.
Event organisers send a list of all individuals who attend an event to Public Health England (PHE), using secure transfer methods. Attendee information—including an attendee’s self-reported name, date of birth, sex, and full address—is linked to NHS number, and the NHS number is then used to link to a testing dataset; this allows testing data to be obtained for the purposes of the research study conducted by PHE, more details of which can be found on GOV.UK. The aim of this study is to provide evidence on the feasibility of pre-event rapid antigen testing with LFDs in mitigating the risk of Covid-19 transmission amongst spectators, participants, or audiences.
Any positive tests are reported through NHS Test and Trace, with contact tracing undertaken to ascertain details of activity during the day of the event, including travel, seating, and activity at the venue.
Records are not kept of attendees who are denied entry to an event for not providing evidence of a negative test result. The research findings from the first phase of pilots of the Event Research Programme will be published on GOV.UK shortly.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2021 to Question 2177, what physical evidence those attending the FA Cup Final in Wembley on 15 May 2021 were required to show to the NHS evidencing a negative covid-19 test result before they received their text or email granting them admission to that event; how the event organisers validated those results before attendees were admitted to the stadium; what records are held to confirm that all those who were granted entry had tested negative for covid-19; and how many people were not granted entry because they were not able to prove that they were covid-19 negative.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Admission of participants to Event Research Programme events—including the FA Cup final—is, and has been, subject to evidence of a negative Lateral Flow Device (LFD) test result for Covid-19, generally carried out in person at an Asymptomatic Test Site (ATS) either on the day, or on the day before, an event.
Following taking a test, participants receive a text or email from NHS Test and Trace which they need to present to staff at each event in order to gain entry. A negative LFD test result, taken within the timeframe specified, is required for entry, and results are validated by the event organisers before ticket-holders are admitted to the venue. Entry is denied to those that cannot provide evidence of a negative test result.
Pre-event communications inform attendees that ID checks can take place upon entry, and spot photo ID checks have taken place to check that names on negative tests match ID.
Event organisers only hold the standard data required for ticket purchasing and processing. The personal data that Government collects includes first name, last name, address, date of birth, postcode, and email address.
Event organisers send a list of all individuals who attend an event to Public Health England (PHE), using secure transfer methods. Attendee information—including an attendee’s self-reported name, date of birth, sex, and full address—is linked to NHS number, and the NHS number is then used to link to a testing dataset; this allows testing data to be obtained for the purposes of the research study conducted by PHE, more details of which can be found on GOV.UK. The aim of this study is to provide evidence on the feasibility of pre-event rapid antigen testing with LFDs in mitigating the risk of Covid-19 transmission amongst spectators, participants, or audiences.
Any positive tests are reported through NHS Test and Trace, with contact tracing undertaken to ascertain details of activity during the day of the event, including travel, seating, and activity at the venue.
Records are not kept of attendees who are denied entry to an event for not providing evidence of a negative test result. The research findings from the first phase of pilots of the Event Research Programme will be published on GOV.UK shortly.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many people attended the FA Cup Final in Wembley on 15 May 2021; and whether those people were required to (a) provide a negative Lateral Flow Test and (b) confirm their identity with photographic ID linked to a negative covid-19 test result before they were allowed access to the stadium.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The number of attendees at the FA Cup Final in Wembley on 15 May 2021 was 18,720 people.
Admission to the event was subject to evidence of a negative Lateral Flow Device (LFD) test result for Covid-19. Participants receive a text or email address from NHS Test and Trace which they present to staff at each event in order to gain entry.
Results were then validated by the event organisers before ticket-holders were admitted to the venue. Pre-event communications stressed to attendees that ID checks would take place upon entry. Spot photo ID checks took place across all operating entrances to check that the name on the negative test matched the ID.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many people have taken part in his Department’s covid-19 testing trials for the return to events with large numbers of people; where those trials took place; how many people were tested before each event; how were those people required to present the evidence of a negative covid-19 test before they were allowed access to events; what steps were taken to ensure that access was allowed only to those who could prove they had a negative covid-19 test; and how many people took part in post-event testing.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Over 80,000 people have taken part in the ERP’s first phase of events in total, covering:
FA Cup Semi Final, Wembley Stadium (18 April)
World Snooker Championship, Sheffield Crucible Theatre (17 April-3 May)
Carabao Cup Final (25 April)
ACC Business Event, Liverpool (28 April)
Circus Nightclub, Liverpool (30 April-1 May)
The Sefton Park Pilot, Liverpool (2 May)
BRIT Awards, London (11 May)
Mass Participation Run, Kempton (15 May)
FA Cup Final, Wembley Stadium (15 May)
Public safety is our main priority and proof of a negative lateral flow test was required for entry to all these ERP events. Throughout the ticket purchase and consent form process, all attendees were informed and reminded of the negative Lateral Flow Test being a condition to entry. To aid research, participants are also requested to undertake a PCR test as close as possible to their attendance at an event, and again five days after attendance at an event. The scientific research teams are still collating the data on post-event testing.
The ERP’s research findings, including the independent scientific reports, will be published shortly.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what additional covid-19 testing capacity will be provided to support the return of fans to Wembley Stadium; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Events Research Programme aims to examine the risk of transmission of Covid-19 from attendance at events and explore ways to enable people to attend a range of events safely. To achieve this, the programme will explore how a combination of testing and non-pharmaceutical interventions (actions that people can take to mitigate the spread of coronavirus) can inform decisions on safely lifting restrictions at events.
As part of the Events Research Programme, there will be three events taking place at Wembley Stadium: an FA Cup Semi Final, the FA Cup Final and the Carabao Cup final.
To test transmission of COVID-19 at the event itself and effectiveness of pre-event LFD testing in detecting those infected with COVID-19, participants will also be asked to provide a PCR test on the day of the event and a home PCR test five days after the event.
Testing will largely be delivered through the existing community testing network, with results validated by the event organisers before ticket-holders are admitted to the venue.