Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2024 to Question 15373 on BBC Scotland, whether representations were made on extending the list of free-to-air matches to include Scottish (a) men's and (b) women's international (i) European and (ii) World cup qualifying fixtures.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As outlined previously, Ministers and officials regularly receive representations from the Scottish Government on a range of issues. Members of the Scottish Government have raised the issue of Men’s football matches directly with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Sports policy is devolved. The Government’s view therefore remains that it would be for the Scottish Government to comprehensively evaluate whether there is currently the right balance between Scottish rights holders' ability to generate sufficient income to reinvest in Scottish sport, and access for Scottish audiences to those sporting events. The UK Government would then take those considerations into account.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has (a) received representations from and (b) had discussions with her counterpart in the Scottish Government on ensuring that Scottish (i) men's and (ii) women's international football matches are shown on free-to-air TV.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government believes that certain sporting events of national interest should be shown on free-to-air television rather than behind a paywall, so that they can be enjoyed by as wide an audience as possible. That is why we have the listed events regime.
The Government believes that the current list strikes an appropriate balance, and has no current plans to undertake a full review of the events on the list.
Sports policy is devolved, and it would be for the Scottish Government to comprehensively evaluate whether there is currently the right balance between Scottish rights holders' ability to generate sufficient income to reinvest in Scottish sport, and access for Scottish audiences to those sporting events. The UK Government would then take those considerations into account.
We have regular engagement with our Scottish counterparts on a range of issues.
Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to publish outcomes from the implementation group meetings established to take forward the recommendations from the Carney Review.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We remain committed to hosting the initial implementation group meetings in March and July 2024 as set out in the Government response to the Review of Women’s Football. Minutes summarising actions and outcomes will be published on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Julie Elliott (Labour - Sunderland Central)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2024 to Question 10161 on Future of Women's Football Review, whether she plans to chair all further meetings of the implementation group.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Secretary of State will chair the first meeting of the implementation group in March and future meetings will be chaired by either the Secretary of State or Minister for Sport.
The implementation group will include key decision-makers from the organisations with responsibility for taking forward the Review recommendations. These organisations are the FA, NewCo, Football Foundation, Sport England, the Sports Ground Safety Authority, the EFL, the Department for Education and the Premier League. The Secretary of State will be writing to senior representatives to formally invite them to the first meeting in March.
As set out in the Review, these representatives will be required to provide updates at the implementation group. DCMS will convene the group and will provide a secretariat function to make sure stakeholders are progressing with the recommendations, and we will monitor this accordingly.
We remain committed to hosting the initial implementation group meetings in March and July 2024. We will work collaboratively with stakeholders to assess the frequency of the future implementation group meetings.
We will continue to keep Ministers, Parliament and the Culture, Media and Sports Select Committee updated on progress.
Asked by: Julie Elliott (Labour - Sunderland Central)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2024 to Question 10161 on Future of Women's Football Review, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the (a) transparency and (b) accountability arrangements for the implementation group in the context of its reporting to (i) Ministers, (ii) Parliament and (iii) the Culture Media and Sports Select Committee.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Secretary of State will chair the first meeting of the implementation group in March and future meetings will be chaired by either the Secretary of State or Minister for Sport.
The implementation group will include key decision-makers from the organisations with responsibility for taking forward the Review recommendations. These organisations are the FA, NewCo, Football Foundation, Sport England, the Sports Ground Safety Authority, the EFL, the Department for Education and the Premier League. The Secretary of State will be writing to senior representatives to formally invite them to the first meeting in March.
As set out in the Review, these representatives will be required to provide updates at the implementation group. DCMS will convene the group and will provide a secretariat function to make sure stakeholders are progressing with the recommendations, and we will monitor this accordingly.
We remain committed to hosting the initial implementation group meetings in March and July 2024. We will work collaboratively with stakeholders to assess the frequency of the future implementation group meetings.
We will continue to keep Ministers, Parliament and the Culture, Media and Sports Select Committee updated on progress.
Asked by: Julie Elliott (Labour - Sunderland Central)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2024 to Question 10161 on Future of Women's Football Review, if she will list who has (a) been invited and (b) accepted invitations to join the implementation group.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Secretary of State will chair the first meeting of the implementation group in March and future meetings will be chaired by either the Secretary of State or Minister for Sport.
The implementation group will include key decision-makers from the organisations with responsibility for taking forward the Review recommendations. These organisations are the FA, NewCo, Football Foundation, Sport England, the Sports Ground Safety Authority, the EFL, the Department for Education and the Premier League. The Secretary of State will be writing to senior representatives to formally invite them to the first meeting in March.
As set out in the Review, these representatives will be required to provide updates at the implementation group. DCMS will convene the group and will provide a secretariat function to make sure stakeholders are progressing with the recommendations, and we will monitor this accordingly.
We remain committed to hosting the initial implementation group meetings in March and July 2024. We will work collaboratively with stakeholders to assess the frequency of the future implementation group meetings.
We will continue to keep Ministers, Parliament and the Culture, Media and Sports Select Committee updated on progress.
Asked by: Julie Elliott (Labour - Sunderland Central)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2024 to Question 10161 on Future of Women's Football Review, if she will list all future meeting dates of the implementation group.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Secretary of State will chair the first meeting of the implementation group in March and future meetings will be chaired by either the Secretary of State or Minister for Sport.
The implementation group will include key decision-makers from the organisations with responsibility for taking forward the Review recommendations. These organisations are the FA, NewCo, Football Foundation, Sport England, the Sports Ground Safety Authority, the EFL, the Department for Education and the Premier League. The Secretary of State will be writing to senior representatives to formally invite them to the first meeting in March.
As set out in the Review, these representatives will be required to provide updates at the implementation group. DCMS will convene the group and will provide a secretariat function to make sure stakeholders are progressing with the recommendations, and we will monitor this accordingly.
We remain committed to hosting the initial implementation group meetings in March and July 2024. We will work collaboratively with stakeholders to assess the frequency of the future implementation group meetings.
We will continue to keep Ministers, Parliament and the Culture, Media and Sports Select Committee updated on progress.
Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will Chair the group established to implement the Carney Review recommendations.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Secretary of State will be chairing the first meeting of the implementation group taking place in March. The implementation group will include key-decision makers across industry with responsibility for taking forward the Review recommendations.
Asked by: Julie Elliott (Labour - Sunderland Central)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Government response to independent review: reframing the opportunity in women’s football, published on 4 December 2023, what powers the implementation group of stakeholders announced in the Government’s response to the Carney Review will have to hold (a) the FA, (b) NewCo and (c) the Government to account; and how the implementation group will publish its findings.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government supports the recommendations set out in the Review of Women's Football, and believes that these must be acted on as a priority to ensure that we build on the unprecedented successes of recent years, and maximise the potential of the women’s game.
The implementation group will include key decision-makers from organisations with responsibility for taking forward the recommendations set out in the Review. Implementation group members will be mutually accountable for delivery of the recommendations, with members providing updates on how they are addressing the recommendations.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Football Association about the implications for fairness and safety for women in football of their policy developments on the inclusion of transgender people.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Football Association has previously attended a roundtable meeting about participation in sport by transgender people, hosted by His Majesty's Government, where we set out the position below.
When it comes to competitive sport, HM Government believes that fairness has to be the primary consideration. HM Government is clear that a way forward is needed which protects and shows compassion to all, whilst being clear that the integrity of competition must be maintained.
Where sex does have an impact on the fairness of competitive women’s sport, domestic governing bodies and international federations must provide clear direction to protect the integrity of women's sport.
It is ultimately for all individual sports’ National Governing Bodies, including the Football Association, to decide on the specific appropriate initiatives to make women’s sport fair and safe in their organisations whilst making football inclusive for all.