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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much and what proportion of the £30 million allocated for the UK’s proposed bids for the (a) 2025 Rugby World Cup and (b) 2026 Tour de France Grand Départ has (i) been spent on each event and (ii) is yet to be spent as of 21 February 2024.

DCMS works closely with UK Sport on the hosting of major sporting events. UK Sport often undertakes feasibility work into major sporting events to understand the costs, impacts and technical requirements of hosting.

This supports the UK’s strategic objective to secure a programme of major sporting events into the 2030s that will generate impact across the cities and regions of the UK and allow our world-class events sector to thrive.

In May 2022, England were announced as hosts of the Rugby World Cup 2025. This event has ambitions to be the best attended women’s Rugby World Cup ever. Up to the end of Financial Year 2023/24, around £11 million will have been invested into staging costs for the Rugby World Cup 2025, and the RFU-led Rugby World Cup 2025 Impact programme.

The Tour de France Grand Départ is being considered as part of the UK’s ongoing feasibility work.