§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the extent of racism in cricket; what negotiations he has had with the England and Wales Cricket Board in respect of racism in cricket; and what steps he proposes to reduce the incidence of racism in cricket. [42614]
§ Mr. BanksThe Government are committed to stamping out racism in all areas of sport, and the English Sports Council has established a Racial Equality Advisory Group to work with national governing bodies to encourage racial equality in sport. We support fully the initiatives undertaken by the England and Wales Cricket Board to reduce racism and to promote the widest possible participation in cricket. These include
an extensive network of cricket development officers nationwide, whose brief is to promote cricket to all ages, sexes, colours and creeds;a proposed Racial Equality Campaign for cricket in conjunction with the English Sports Council and the Commission for Racial Equality; and49Wa co-ordinated national audit of recreational cricket, via the 38 county boards, in order to gain a clearer picture of the level of Asian and black involvement in cricket.