HC Deb 04 August 1966 vol 733 cc169-71W
Mr. Milne

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will give particulars of grants and other payments made by him to the various school and amateur sports associations in Great Britain during the past twelve months;

(2) if he will give details of conditions laid down by his Department in making grants to amateur and schools sports organisations.

Mr. Denis Howell

In accordance with arrangements approved by the Treasury, grants may be made by the Department under the Physical Training and Recreation Act, 1937, to national voluntary sports organisations, including schools sports organisation, and to local voluntary organisations as follows (actual expenditure is given under each head in respect of the latest year for which figures are available):

  1. (a) Current grants to national voluntary organisations towards the costs of headquarters administration and national coaching schemes. Each case is considered on its merits, taking into account the needs of the organisation, its programme of development and its ability to meet a reasonable part of the cost from its own resources. The organisation concerned must be a non-profit-making body. In the financial year 1965–66 grants totalling £488,753 were made to 64 organisations;
  2. (b) On the recommendation of the Sports Council, grants to national voluntary organisations in respect of:
    1. (i) International, Under-23, Youth and School teams taking part in international events overseas, and delegates to important international conferences overseas. Grants are based on a contribution to the travelling costs of competitors or delegates. Grants totalling £23,615 to 37 organisations in England and Wales were recommended by the Sports Council for a variety of events taking place during the financial year 1965–66. Actual expenditure was borne on the Votes of the Foreign Office and Commonwealth Relations Office but responsibility for such grants was transferred to the Department as from 1st April, 1966.
    2. (ii) World, Commonwealth, and other events of outstanding importance for international, under-23, youth and school teams, staged at home in England or Wales. Grants are based on a contribution to administrative costs and a contribution to the daily accommodation costs of visiting competitors. In the financial year 1965–66 grants totalling £4,500 were made by the Department for two events of this kind. A payment on account of £2,000 was also made to the Central Council of Physical Recreation in respect of an International Conference on Sport, Recreation and Education held in July, 1966;
  3. (c) Capital grants to local voluntary organisations for the provision or extension of sports facilities. A grant of up to half of the approved cost of an acceptable scheme may be made. The maximum grant is normally £10,000. The main conditions which must be met in order to qualify for capital grant are: the application must be submitted by a non-profit-making organisation; the organisation must show financial need; membership of the organisation must be 171 open to the public in general; and there must be adequate security of tenure of the new facilities. Expenditure on capital grants for sports facilities in the financial year 1965–66 amounted to £627,051. (This includes a grant of £71,655 to the Central Council of Physical Recreation for the development of existing national recreation centres.)

On the recommendation of the Sports Council, grants may also be made under the Science and Technology Act, 1965, in respect of research into the sociological, psychological and physiological aspects of sport and physical recreation. Two grants were made to the national voluntary organisations in the financial year 1965–66; a grant of £2,500 towards the cost of the British Olympic Association research project at Mexico City and a grant of £2,110 to the Central Council of Physical Recreation towards the establishment of a mobile research laboratory at Crystal Palace National Recreation Centre.