Tom Hayes

The Government is investing £85 million in grassroots sports facilities via the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities (MSGF) Programme in 2026/27, which is part of an overall investment of £400m into grassroots sport facilities through to 2030. Projects funded include new artificial grass pitches, grass pitch upgrades and pitch maintenance equipment.

Our delivery partner for the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme in England, the Football Foundation, plans its investment pipeline using Local Football Facility Plans (LFFPs) for each local authority, which are developed in partnership with local authorities so as to understand the needs of each community. LFFPs are publicly available here, and the LFFP for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is available here.

In Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole the Football Foundation has invested in four new artificial grass pitch and seven grass pitch improvement projects, and have identified priority projects suitable for further potential investment in the area.

The Government is determined to increase opportunities for girls to participate in sport, including football. Our new approach to PE and school sport will help ensure girls have equality of access to sport in schools, including football.

In May, Sport England announced £3 million of National Lottery funding, to support the creation of more clubs and organisations that give women and girls a safe, welcoming and accessible space to play, through the Lionesses HEre to Play Fund.

£85 million of the Government’s £400m investment into grassroots sport is being invested via the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities (MSGF) Programme in 2026/27, and we are doubling priority slots for women and girls at MSGF-funded pitches.

We are also acting on recommendations from Karen Carney’s Independent Review of Women's Football, including ensuring a strong voice on the FA’s Board for women’s football, from grassroots to the elite.

The Government is committed to driving participation in sport and physical activity in areas of greatest need across the UK. To help achieve this, we are investing £85 million in grassroots sports facilities via the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities (MSGF) Programme in 2026/27, which is part of an overall investment of £400m into grassroots sport facilities through to 2030.

In England, the Programme is delivered via the Football Foundation and funds projects such as new artificial grass pitches (AGPs), changing rooms and pavilions, and floodlights. As part of this, applicants to the Programme must support football participation alongside another sport.

We provide the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our arm’s-length body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding in areas of greatest need to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions.

Sport England’s latest Active Lives Children and Young People Survey shows that rugby participation among children and young people aged 5-16 years remains broadly stable at around 600,000 participants per week. However, participation remains below its pre-pandemic peak, with 597,200 participants per week in academic year 2024/25 compared with 684,500 in 2018/19.

Our arm’s length body, Sport England, is providing long-term investment of £16.9 million to the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and £15.7 million to the Rugby Football League (RFL) between 2022 and 2029 to support grassroots rugby participation, including for children and young people.

Responsibility for talent development rests with British Cycling, which operates independently of Government.

The Government supports the senior high-performance system through Exchequer and National Lottery funding distributed by UK Sport. As part of this, British Cycling has been allocated £30.5 million through UK Sport's World Class Programme for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle.

British Cycling is also responsible for identifying and developing talented young BMX riders with the potential to progress to elite competition. Alongside this, Sport England has committed over £33.5 million to British Cycling for the period 2022-2029 to support grassroots cycling, including BMX participation and development programmes.

The Government believes that opportunities to play sport and get physically active should be available to everyone, including playing rugby. The Government is committed to removing the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups, especially for women and girls.

Following the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2025, the Impact ‘25 programme has reached 850 clubs across England since its inception and 37,000 women and girls in the last year alone. The programme has helped build more female-friendly facilities at clubs to encourage female participation, and we will work with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) to continue to grow the game.

Our arm’s length body for grassroots sport, Sport England, is providing long term investment of £16.9 million to the RFU and £15.7 million to the Rugby Football League (RFL) between 2022 and 2029 to support grassroots rugby participation. The RFU and RFL, as the national governing bodies for their sports, are responsible for decisions on how and where to target their investment into grassroots clubs.

Article 48 of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Statutes, which facilitates the “3pm blackout” is voluntarily adopted by the Football Association (the FA) with the aim of protecting ticket sales for lower leagues in the football pyramid.

Article 48 of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Statutes, which facilitates the “3pm blackout” is voluntarily adopted by the Football Association (the FA) with the aim of protecting ticket sales for lower leagues in the football pyramid.

Article 48 of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Statutes, which facilitates the “3pm blackout” is voluntarily adopted by the Football Association (the FA) with the aim of protecting ticket sales for lower leagues in the football pyramid.

Article 48 of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Statutes, which facilitates the “3pm blackout” is voluntarily adopted by the Football Association (the FA) with the aim of protecting ticket sales for lower leagues in the football pyramid.

The Government believes that opportunities to play sport and get physically active should be available to everyone, including playing rugby. The Government is committed to removing the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups, especially for women and girls.

Following the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2025, the Impact ‘25 programme has reached 850 clubs across England since its inception and 37,000 women and girls in the last year alone. The programme has helped build more female-friendly facilities at clubs to encourage female participation, and we will work with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) to continue to grow the game.

Our arm’s length body for grassroots sport, Sport England, is providing long term investment of £16.9 million to the RFU and £15.7 million to the Rugby Football League (RFL) between 2022 and 2029 to support grassroots rugby participation. The RFU and RFL, as the national governing bodies for their sports, are responsible for decisions on how and where to target their investment into grassroots clubs.

The Government believes that opportunities to play sport and get physically active should be available to everyone, including playing rugby. The Government is committed to removing the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups, especially for women and girls.

Following the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2025, the Impact ‘25 programme has reached 850 clubs across England since its inception and 37,000 women and girls in the last year alone. The programme has helped build more female-friendly facilities at clubs to encourage female participation, and we will work with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) to continue to grow the game.

Our arm’s length body for grassroots sport, Sport England, is providing long term investment of £16.9 million to the RFU and £15.7 million to the Rugby Football League (RFL) between 2022 and 2029 to support grassroots rugby participation. The RFU and RFL, as the national governing bodies for their sports, are responsible for decisions on how and where to target their investment into grassroots clubs.

The draft Bill will be undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny until 22 January, when the Joint Committee will share its recommendations with the Government.

We will consider the Committee’s recommendations carefully and respond to them, after which we will introduce legislation when Parliamentary time allows.

The draft Bill will be undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny until 22 January, when the Joint Committee will share its recommendations with the Government.

We will consider the Committee’s recommendations carefully and respond to them, after which we will introduce legislation when Parliamentary time allows.

The Government is committed to ensuring as many people as possible can participate in sports of their choosing. We recognise the need to provide a range of facilities based on what communities need across the UK. We are collaborating with the sports sector, including British Cycling, and local leaders to develop investment plans for a range of sports across the country based on what each community needs.

We are investing £400m through to 2030 in new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities, promoting health, wellbeing and community cohesion, while removing the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups, including people with disabilities. Further details on funding allocations for sports for this funding package, including cycling, will be confirmed in due course.

When the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes Grand Départs comes to the UK next year, the Government will invest £32 million to ensure we not only deliver these iconic races, but also support the new JOY Makers social impact programme to deliver a lasting legacy from the event.

It is crucial that all trans people, regardless of age, are safe, included and protected from discrimination.

There are strong protections in place for young trans people to live free from discrimination and harassment. In addition to this, work is already underway to fulfil the commitments set out in the Government’s manifesto, advancing the rights and protections afforded to young trans people. This includes delivering a trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices and equalising all existing strands of hate crime to make them aggravated offences.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s (EHRC) consultation on the changes made to the draft updated statutory Code of Practice following the Supreme Court ruling closed on 30 June. We will consider the EHRC's final draft Code of Practice once it has been submitted. It is important that the Code provides the clarity service providers need, in line with the Supreme Court ruling, and ensures people have appropriate access to crucial services.

Once the final draft is sent to us by the EHRC, we will follow the correct process for decision-making including considering equality impacts in line with the public sector equality duty and providing for full parliamentary scrutiny in line with the Equality Act 2006.

This Government’s position is that conversion practices are abuse. Such practices have no place in society and must be stopped.

We are committed to bringing forward a comprehensive trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices. This is a complex issue, and it is imperative that we get this right. That is why, in collaboration with Ministerial colleagues, my officials and I are working hard to draft legislation that protects LGBT individuals from these harmful practices.

We will publish our draft Bill later this session for pre-legislative scrutiny.

This Government is clear: someone’s race or ethnicity should never be a barrier to opportunity. For Black History Month, we are celebrating Black British changemakers, past and present, and encouraging others to do the same.

We are also engaging with grassroots activists and community leaders, and showcasing their work on Government channels. We stand in solidarity with those affected by racism and are committed to understanding and addressing the causes of racial inequality.

We are clear that the Equality Act 2010, which provides protection against direct and indirect discrimination across a range of fields, including employment, service provision and housing, already offers some protection for single parents.

Significantly more women than men, and disproportionately more members of particular ethnic groups, have single parent responsibilities. Accordingly, employers in particular must ensure that their rules and practices which may affect single parents do not indirectly discriminate on grounds of sex or race. We continue to keep the effectiveness of the Act under review and are committed to supporting every woman to thrive in her working life.

The Government is responsible for setting statutory minimum wage rates which provide consistency and clarity for all employers and workers operating across different locations and different sectors. When it comes to sector-based policy, we are currently working to deliver the first Fair Pay Agreement process for adult social care in England, which will see sector representatives negotiate pay, terms and conditions for the sector.

Based on the lessons learned from this, officials will carefully consider any future sectors where such arrangements may be relevant.

Employment status is not a choice: it depends on the reality of the relationship between an individual and their employer. Individuals working for delivery companies may be employees, limb (b) workers, or self-employed. As private sector businesses, delivery companies are responsible for determining the engagement models that best suit their operations, provided they comply with the law.

While the Government recognises temporary or self-employed arrangements can provide valued flexibility, we also recognise concerns regarding exploitation of the current employment status framework and will consult on addressing these as soon as possible.

The department has not made any such assessment as we believe current liability provisions are clear. When a consumer purchases a product, the contract is with the seller, not the delivery company. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the seller is responsible for delivery of goods bought online until they are in the consumer’s possession.

In addition, under the Digital Markets, Competition & Consumers Act 2024, an invitation to purchase is between the trader and consumer, and traders must not mislead consumers about delivery arrangements.

The Government recognises that play is vital for children's physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development, while also strengthening community bonds and promoting inclusive, healthy environments. The Department for Business and Trade has not published a specific estimate of the economic impact of the play industry.

However, the Department continues to engage with retailers and manufacturers of sporting goods, to understand the sector’s potential and to support growth and export opportunities.

The Industrial Strategy launched in June 2025 sets out this government's plans to kickstart an era of economic prosperity. A new approach, it will create a more connected, high-skilled and resilient economy where every person, place and business can flourish.

The accompanying Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan sets out specific support for manufacturers, outlining how government will work with industry to build resilience, champion innovation, support businesses to scale up and develop a skilled future workforce.

The Plan features interventions focused on six frontier industries – batteries, automotive, aerospace, space, agri-tech, advanced materials as well as cross-sector measures supporting the wider manufacturing ecosystem.

The Government is committed to making life better for families. In the Plan to Make Work Pay we promised to review the parental leave system. We are delivering on this commitment and launched this review on 1^st July.

The review presents a much-needed opportunity to consider our approach to the system of parental leave and pay. All current and upcoming parental leave and pay entitlements will be in scope.

The UK has some of the best universities in the world - four in the top ten – and according to research by Global University Venturing, in 2022 was second only to the US in total investment into university spin-outs. The Government recognises the contribution that Bournemouth University, Health Sciences University and other institutions make to higher education and their unique and critical role as engines for innovation and for meeting the skills needs of our growth-driving sectors and places where they concentrate. We will continue to support our universities including through Higher Education Innovation Funding, worth £280 million in 2024-2025, and as part of our broader record public investment in R&D of more than £86 billion over the Spending Review period.

My Department works closely with English UK and has provided support for their English with Confidence campaign, including through the production of promotional material and hosting English language teaching agents during familiarisation visits. Most recently the Department took a delegation of UK providers from the sector to Mongolia, and to the Study World event in China.

As the Minister for Exports, I regularly meet with ministerial counterparts to discuss DBT's interests with regards to International Education. I am due to have a meeting with the Minister for Migration shortly to discuss these interests, including that of English Language Teaching (ELT) schools.

English UK have just released an assessment of the value of English Language Teaching (ELT) to the UK economy. The report assessed that the sector contributed almost £2 billion of GVA to the UK economy in 2024. Bournemouth, as one of the main centres for ELT in the UK, was used as a case study in the report.

We continue to work with providers of English Language teaching to help them increase their growth and therefore in turn contribute to the UK economy.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) sponsors the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) as the national accreditation body. UKAS is independent of government, however DBT is working with UKAS to seek out and assess opportunities for supporting SMEs' participation in and use of accreditation. Certification processes are based on international standards and UKAS accredits to these standards to ensure certification bodies are fit for purpose. Where certification schemes exist, these are initially assessed by UKAS and reviewed on a regular basis by UKAS with the scheme provider.

The Government’s forthcoming Small Business Strategy will set out how national and local business-support schemes can align to increase growth and productivity. Existing offers available include the Business Support Service, local Growth Hubs across England and The Help to Grow scheme.

Financial support is available to businesses through the Government-backed British Business Bank (BBB) to improve access to finance for investment and growth. In Bournemouth East, businesses can access resources such as the South-West Investment Fund, offering loans to SMEs through the BBB, and the joint Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council/UK Shared Prosperity Fund economic development programme

This Department has not made an estimate of the number of English Language Teaching (ELT) centres that have closed permanently since the pandemic began, but is aware of data published by English UK which states that one in six of the UK's 415 language schools, 69 in total, closed in the first year of the pandemic.

This Department works closely with English UK and have provided support for their English with Confidence campaign, including through the production of promotional material and hosting ELT agents during familiarisation visits. We will continue to ensure that the ELT sector’s recovery and ambition is captured in the Government’s International Education Strategy and via the English Language Teaching Action Group. DBT will be supporting English UK’s Study World event in the UK and in China and will support the sector at ICEF (International Consultants for Education and Fairs) Berlin, alongside considering ELT mission destinations for the next 12 months.

This Department has not made an estimate of the number of English Language Teaching (ELT) centres that have closed permanently since the pandemic began, but is aware of data published by English UK which states that one in six of the UK's 415 language schools, 69 in total, closed in the first year of the pandemic.

This Department works closely with English UK and have provided support for their English with Confidence campaign, including through the production of promotional material and hosting ELT agents during familiarisation visits. We will continue to ensure that the ELT sector’s recovery and ambition is captured in the Government’s International Education Strategy and via the English Language Teaching Action Group. DBT will be supporting English UK’s Study World event in the UK and in China and will support the sector at ICEF (International Consultants for Education and Fairs) Berlin, alongside considering ELT mission destinations for the next 12 months.

It is not Government policy to make commitments on youth mobility as a routine part of any trade deal. The UK generally seeks provisions in trade agreements that focus on business mobility, these help to expand opportunities and enhance certainty for UK businesses seeking to export services. The UK English Language Training sector is considered and consulted where necessary to ensure that their interests are supported.