HC Deb 16 October 1995 vol 264 cc10-1
10. Mr. Hawkins

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what progress has been made with carrying out the Government's new sports policy, with special reference to competitive sport in schools. [35907]

Mr. Sproat

The working group on university sports scholarships, which is being chaired by Sir Roger Bannister, has begun its work, and the consultation stage on the sportsmark and gold star awards scheme for schools closed on 13 October. My Department and the Sports Council are now working towards the implementation of that scheme in secondary schools for the academic term 1996–97. The Department of the Environment will shortly publish a consultation paper on the Sports Council becoming a statutory consultee on planning proposals affecting school playing fields.

Mr. Hawkins

I thank my hon. Friend for that answer. Will he join me in welcoming the development of substantial local projects, of which two in particular are being proposed in my constituency—Blackpool cricket club's plan to develop new facilities for youngsters and a potential partnership between two local primary schools? One of those schools has a sports field but insufficient drainage and the other has no sports field but would like to share a sports field if the lottery will provide funding for a new exterior changing block and for drainage.

Mr. Sproat

I know of the hard work that my hon. Friend has done for Roseacres and for the other school. As long as those schools can show that what they want is good for the wider community, they will certainly be eligible for lottery funds. I wish them all the luck in the world.

Mr. Pendry

Notwithstanding the fact that the Government have no new sports policy—it is more a rehash of others, including parts of our own—does the Minister recognise that more than three quarters of those who responded to the Department for Education's consultation paper on the national curriculum opposed the narrow imposition of compulsory competitive sport in our schools?

If the Minister does not accept the dictum, vox populi, vox Dei, will he at least accept the view of one of our country's mortal sporting gods, Gary Lineker, who only last week spoke of the training programme of one of Europe's most successful soccer clubs, which included dance, aerobics and other physical movement activities? Will the right hon. Gentleman look again at that aspect of his policy?

Mr. Sproat

I was rather surprised to hear the hon. Gentleman say that we do not have a sports policy. When we announced our new sports policy on 14 July, it was heralded as the biggest revolution in sport for 50 years. We cannot produce policies every day of the week.

I agree that, by and large, the education establishment has been extremely supportive of our proposals, although there may be items that members of the education establishment wish to discuss with me in more detail. I have already met the National Association of Head Teachers. I shall meet Mr. McAvoy and Mr. de Gruchy and I shall listen carefully to what they have to say.

I appointed Mr. Lineker to the new United Kingdom sports council, which starts work on 1 January 1996; no doubt he will have the opportunity to make his views known to a wider public then.