THE SPORTS COUNCIL (Hansard, 10 June 1971)

§ BARONESS BURTON OF COVENTRY
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

§ THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE, DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT (LORD SANDFORD)
My Lords, the Government have decided to seek from Her Majesty the Queen a Royal Charter for the establishment of an independent Sports Council with executive powers; and, similarly, for independent Sports Councils for Scotland and Wales. The functions of the Councils will include the provision of grant-aid to sport from Exchequer funds, and Parliament will be asked to provide increased funds for this purpose to meet the growing needs of sport. I am pleased to announce that Dr. Roger Bannister has accepted my right honourable friend's invitation to become Chairman of the Sports Council on a part-time basis. The full announcement, made to-day. is fairly long. It will be published in the OFFICIAL REPORT. In the meantime I have arranged for copies of it to be placed in the Library.
Following, is the announcement referred to:
The Government have decided to seek from Her Majesty the Queen a Royal Charter for the establishment of an independent Sports Council with executive powers. Her Majesty will also be asked to approve the grant of Royal Charters to new independent Sports Councils for Scotland and Wales which will replace the existing advisory bodies. This 386 decision has been taken after careful consideration of all the factors and representations made.
It is the Government's intention to foster the development of sport in all its aspects, to stimulate the provision of more and better facilities, and to ensure that these, and those which already exist, shall be used to their fullest capacity. The Sports Council has a leading part to play in this; but it is not enough for the Sports Council merely to advise. Accordingly the Government have decided to enhance the Council's status, give it independence and extend its role, so that it may be enabled to take positive action to further this policy.
The members of the Sports Council, which will include Scottish and Welsh representatives, will be appointed by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Wales. I am pleased to be able to announce that Dr. Roger Bannister has accepted my right honourable friend's invitation to become Chairman on a part-time basis.
Exchequer aid will be given to the new Sports Council to carry out its tasks and help to meet the growing needs of sport. Parliament will be asked to provide additional funds for this purpose. The new Council's functions will include the provision of appropriate grants for sporting organisations, activities and projects; assistance to British representative teams competing in international sports activities and the handling of links with international and foreign sporting bodies; the provision and management of national sports centres; and the forging of closer sporting links with and among local authorities, the Armed Services, private enterprise and the large spectator sports.
The new Scottish and Welsh Sports Councils, whose members will be appointed by the respective Secretaries of State, will be responsible for sports matters in Scotland and Wales, including the administration of grant aid. The new Sports Councils will have discretionary powers to make grants to local authority sports projects of a specialist nature or of wider than local significance. Direct grant aid from Government sources for the capital provision of purely local club facilities will in general he discontinued, but the funds now used for this purpose will continue to be available to the Sports Councils, who will have discretion to make such local grants in special circumstances.
It is intended to retain the nine regional Sports Councils in England, with certain extensions of their functions. The new structure will also include arrangements for governing bodies and other national sports and recreational organisations, as a group, to advise the Sports Council and be represented on its membership. Detailed arrangements will take some time to complete, but I hope that the new Sports Councils will become operative before the end of the year.
I should like to pay tribute to the valuable work the present Sports Council has done in the six years of its existence. On behalf of my right honourable friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and Wales, I would also 387 like to pay tribute to the work of the existing Advisory Sports Councils for those countries.
I shall be inviting the C.C.P.R., which has done such good work for many years, to join in setting up a Working Party to consider its place, and the role of its staff, in the new arrangements.

§ BARONESS BURTON OF COVENTRY
My Lords, I am delighted. Is the Minister aware that before the Sports Council was established, and ever since, I have been pressing for an independent Sports Council on the lines of the Arts Council, having similar powers to allocate its own money, and that it is most heartening that this principle has been accepted? May I ask the Minister whether, in the note which he has had placed in the Library, mention is made of the Central Council of Physical Recreation, whose devoted and expert work has made a great contribution to anything which has been achieved? Finally, may I ask him whether he is aware that the appointment of Dr. Roger Bannister will give the greatest of pleasure to all sports organisations, and that we wish him well?

§ LORD SANDFORD
My Lords, I am glad to be the harbinger of good news for which the noble Baroness has been waiting for so long. I am also glad, as I am sure everybody else is, that Dr. Roger Bannister has been able to accept this invitation to serve as Chairman of the new Sports Council. So far as the C.C.P.R. goes, my right honourable friend will be inviting that body, which has done such good work for many years, to join in setting up a working party to consider its place and the role of its staff in these new arrangements.

§ LORD BESWICK
My Lords, I am not sure, but I may have missed something in the original Answer. Did I miss, or did I not, the congratulations of the noble Lord to my noble friend on the result of her petitioning?

§ LORD BYERS
My Lords, may I ask the noble Lord whether he is aware that I was going to make the point that a number of people throughout sports circles will be very grateful to the noble Baroness for the tenacity which she has shown in this matter? I hope the noble Lord will also feel it in order to convey 388 to the Government the sense of gratitude among sports circles for the decision which they have taken.

§ LORD LINDGREN
My Lords, much of the success of the work of the Sports Council has been owing to the field work by the Regional Sports Councils. Can the noble Lord say whether their function in sport is to continue, and, if so, whether it is to be enhanced or diminished?

§ LORD SANDFORD
My Lords, I can certainly confirm that the Regional Sports Councils will remain in being. Their precise function is bound to need to be adjusted in the light of these new arrangements.

§ LORD LEATHERLAND
My Lords, I am not in a nagging mood, but may I ask the noble Lord this question? Inasmuch as many of the grants the Council will give will be for things like swimming baths, recreation grounds, and other facilities which are normally provided by local authorities, will the amount of the grants from the Council be deducted from the grants which the local authorities would be receiving in the ordinary course?

§ LORD SANDFORD
My Lords, the new Sports Council will be responsible for disbursing grant aid to all those bodies, including local authorities, which are making provision for other than purely local sports facilities. This limitation, of course, does not include local facilities of a specialist nature, or those of more than local significance. But I would confirm what I said in my original Answer; namely, that overall there will be an increase of Exchequer funds in support of sport as a whole.

§ BARONESS WOOTTON OF ABINGER
My Lords, while immensely welcoming the success of my noble friend's efforts and the co-operation of the Government, may I ask whether the Chairman and the members of this Council are to serve on a paid basis, from public funds, or an unpaid basis?

§ LORD SANDFORD
My Lords, I do not think I am able to answer that precisely and surely without notice.

§ BARONESS WOOTTON OF ABINGER
My Lords, may I ask the Minister, if he is looking into this question, whether he 389 will have it in mind that the members of the new Advisory Council under the Misuse of Drugs Act are not to be paid, and will he consider the relative claims of sport and the misuse of drugs?

§ LORD SANDFORD
My Lords, the reason why I cannot give a precise answer to that question is that the exact composition and number of members of the new Sports Council is a matter still to be considered.

§ LORD BALERNO
My Lords, may I ask when we can expect the announcement of the name of the Chairman of the Scottish Sports Council?

§ BARONESS WHITE
And, my Lords, of the Welsh one?

§ LORD SANDFORD
My Lords, I cannot say for certain.

§ BARONESS BURTON OF COVENTRY
My Lords, may I ask the Minister finally whether I am correct in assuming that for the implementation of these decisions by Royal Charter—as I think he said—legislation will not be necessary?

§ LORD SANDFORD
My Lords, I can confirm that legislation will not be required.

§ LORD BARNBY
My Lords, may I ask whether, in view of the difficulty in drawing the line between recreation and sport, it is under consideration that the name should be changed from "Sports Council" to "Recreation Council"?

§ LORD SANDFORD
No, my Lords, that is not being considered.

§ LORD BARNBY
My Lords, on what grounds?

§ LORD SANDFORD
My Lords, difficult as it may be to draw the line, it can be done.

§ LORD CONESFORD
My Lords, is there not very great value in a monosyllable when it is correct?