§ 13. Mr. Huw Edwards (Monmoud)What discussions he has had with the National Assembly for Wales about the hosting of the Ryder cup in 2009. [149398]
§ The Minister for Sport (Kate Hoey)Neither I nor my right hon. Friend the Secretary of state have discussed the Welsh bid with the National Assembly. The sports cabinet discussed the need for co- ordinating bids for major events at its recent meetings.
§ Mr. EdwardsI was delighted to attend the launch of the 2009 Ryder cup bid to be held, I hope, at the Celtic Manor hotel in the beautiful Usk valley, near my constituency. I should like to pay tribute to Mr. Tony Lewis, the chairman of the Welsh bid. Does my hon. Friend agree that bringing the Ryder cup to Wales would be a tremendous boost for golf and for Wales? Will she join me in commending Mr. Terry Matthews for all the investment that he has made in the business and sporting life of south-east Wales?
§ Kate HoeyMy overall aim is to bring the Ryder cup to the United Kingdom. My hon. Friend has been involved with the Welsh bid and has done a neat deal to support it. There is also a Scottish bid and a bid from north-east England, so there are three UK bids. All those bids are commendable and are worth considering. At the end of the day, we will have the UK bids and one eventual winner. Co-ordination is important to ensure that different parts of the United Kingdom do not compete against one another. However, the Ryder cup is specifically not a governing body-led event; it is led by an organising team. I wish all the bids great success.