§ 16. Lady Olga MaitlandTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will make a statement on her Department's funding for sport. [2849]
§ Mr. SproatThe Department's funding provision for sport in 1996–97 is £52 million. In addition, the National lottery sports fund has provided funding for sport in England of £305 million to date and £368 million for the UK as a whole.
§ 17. Mr. EvennettTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what steps she is taking to encourage young people to participate in sporting activities. [2850]
§ Mr. SproatThe Government's policy statement, "Sport: Raising the Game", published in July 1995, sets out our plans for putting sport back at the heart of school life, promoting links between schools and clubs and establishing a new British academy of sport as the pinnacle of a regional network of centres of sporting excellence and academies for particular sports. In July this year, we published "Sport: Raising the Game—the First Year Report", which reports progress on all these initiatives. Work is continuing on the various initiatives and a further announcement of progress will be made in the new year.