HL Deb 23 March 2004 vol 659 cc88-9WA
Lord Moynihan asked

Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will provide details of the contractual arrangements in place between the Youth Sport Trust and the Department for Education and Skills. [HL1839]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Baroness Ashton of Upholland)

The Department for Education and Skills is funding the Youth Sport Trust to:

provide support to aspiring sports colleges and those already within the programme; this work is currently overseen by the Secretary of State's financial memorandum with the Youth Sport Trust and a grant letter, and work is carried out in accordance with the programme's delivery plan;

provide development support for academies; this work is currently overseen by a grant letter;

provide development support within the School Sports Partnerships programme; this work is currently overseen by a grant letter and carried out in accordance with the programme's delivery plan;

co-ordinate and contribute to the gifted and talented work strand within the national PE, school sport and club links strategy. The work is currently being overseen by a letter of intent and is being carried out in accordance with the programme's delivery plan.

From April 2004, it is intended that all these areas of work will be brought under one financial memorandum.

The Departments for Education and Skills and for Culture, Media and Sport have also appointed the Youth Sport Trust to co-ordinate the United Kingdom's participation in the 2004 European Year of Education through Sport. This work is being overseen by a grant letter and the arrangements for the year stipulated by the European Commission.

In addition, the Youth Sport Trust is part of the consortium (the British Association of Advisers and Lecturers in Physical Education, the Physical Education Association of the United Kingdom, Sports Coach UK and the Youth Sport Trust) which successfully tendered, via an open competition, to develop and manage the PE and school sport professional development programme. The consortium is currently working under a letter of intent, while a contract for the programme is negotiated. and is being carried out in accordance with the programme's delivery plan.