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Written Question
Swimming Pools: Coronavirus
Wednesday 29th July 2020

Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what financial support is available for local councils to maintain swimming pools while they remain closed; and if he will allow public swimming pools to open subject to protections being in place to prevent covid-19 contagion.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

Sports and physical activity facilities play a crucial role in supporting adults and children to be active. Outdoor swimming pools have been able to open from 11 July, and from 25 July indoor gyms, leisure centres (including sports halls) and swimming pools in England should be able to reopen. These facilities will be able to offer on-site services to customers, provided they are COVID-secure and follow Government guidance.

Sport England have announced a £195 million package of support to help community clubs through this crisis. It recently boosted its Community Emergency Fund by a further £15 million to meet the demand, taking the total up to £210 million.

The income scheme announced on Thursday 2 July by the Secretary of State for Local Government, aims to support local authorities who have incurred irrecoverable loss of income from sales, fees and charge which they had reasonably budgeted for. Further guidance will follow on the principle of the scheme.

Written Question
Inland Waterways: Coronavirus
Monday 13th July 2020

Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to support (a) heritage and (b) tourism on the inland waterways during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

We recognise that waterways businesses have been severely impacted by the current crisis. My Department will continue to work closely with the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to assess how we can most effectively support heritage and tourism on inland waterways following COVID-19.

Waterways businesses and workers can access the Government’s comprehensive economic support package, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Bounce Back Loans scheme. The £10 million Kick-starting Tourism Package will give small businesses in tourist destinations grants of up to £5,000 to help them adapt their businesses following COVID-19.

Through the Cultural Renewal Taskforce and its working groups, we have developed COVID-secure guidance which will help heritage and tourism businesses reopen safely.

VisitBritain have also introduced an industry standard quality mark that tourism businesses - including those associated with waterways - can acquire if they are compliant with COVID-secure guidance.

The £45m Discover England Fund encourages visitors to enjoy the West Midlands’ diverse waterways, including the Trent & Mersey Canal in Lichfield.

Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 09 Jul 2020
Oral Answers to Questions

" What steps she is taking to prevent conventional and social media reporting which may lead to contempt of court; and if she will make a statement. ..."
Michael Fabricant - View Speech

View all Michael Fabricant (Con - Lichfield) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions
Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 09 Jul 2020
Oral Answers to Questions

"Journalists get training, but the average person does not know about contempt of court and we get contempt of court through social media, so what can the Solicitor General’s Department do to try to educate people when they might be doing just that inadvertently?..."
Michael Fabricant - View Speech

View all Michael Fabricant (Con - Lichfield) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 28 Oct 2019
Shared Rural Network

"This is very good news for Staffordshire. Even around the Lichfield area we have notspots. What consideration did my right hon. Friend’s Department give to roaming? If roaming were permitted, as it already is for 999 calls, this could be introduced so much quicker...."
Michael Fabricant - View Speech

View all Michael Fabricant (Con - Lichfield) contributions to the debate on: Shared Rural Network
Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 31 Jan 2019
Oral Answers to Questions

"Nick Clegg seems to have landed on his feet since leaving this place and is now the government affairs officer or director or vice-president of Facebook, earning a million or two I understand—..."
Michael Fabricant - View Speech

View all Michael Fabricant (Con - Lichfield) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions
Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 31 Jan 2019
Oral Answers to Questions

"A bit more, I am told by a colleague sitting in front of me. Nick Clegg seemed startled at the idea that Facebook has any responsibility in this area when asked about it on television recently. Does my right hon. and learned Friend have any plans to speak with Mr …..."
Michael Fabricant - View Speech

View all Michael Fabricant (Con - Lichfield) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions
Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 31 Jan 2019
Oral Answers to Questions

"1. What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Crown Prosecution Service in prosecuting money laundering. ..."
Michael Fabricant - View Speech

View all Michael Fabricant (Con - Lichfield) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions
Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 31 Jan 2019
Oral Answers to Questions

"It seems that the Government need to get an even firmer grip on the Serious Fraud Office and the Crown Prosecution Service. Does my right hon. and learned Friend have any plans to strengthen oversight in that way?..."
Michael Fabricant - View Speech

View all Michael Fabricant (Con - Lichfield) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions
Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 13 Dec 2018
Oral Answers to Questions

"When the library in Lichfield was too costly to maintain, the Tory-controlled Staffordshire County Council sold it and moved the library to a museum in the centre of Lichfield. It will now be bigger and better than before. Will the Minister congratulate t’Tory-controlled Staffordshire Council?..."
Michael Fabricant - View Speech

View all Michael Fabricant (Con - Lichfield) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions