UK Sports Council (Hansard, 2 July 1998)

§ Mr. Chris Smith

Our top sportsmen and women need more support from Government and they will get it when the present arrangements for excellence in UK sport are 243W strengthened and streamlined. Devolution offers the opportunity to be much clearer in future about who provides help for what aspects of sport. The arrangements I am announcing today will ensure that sport in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland develops in line with what is wanted in each of those parts of the United Kingdom, and that we combine our strengths on the international stage.

I have agreed with my colleagues that we will radically change the United Kingdom Sports Council, which we inherited from the previous Government. Our new strategy will give strong national direction and the powers to implement it. To support sport at UK level there will in future be: A "Sports Cabinet", chaired by me and bringing together the Sports Ministers of the four parts of the UK and others who are closely involved in the development of sport; and a stronger United Kingdom Sports Council to provide supports to our top athletes.

The Sports Cabinet will meet several times a year and will give the joint political direction which was lacking in the current arrangements. The group will bring together the Ministers responsible for sport in the four parts of the UK under my Chairmanship. As the Scottish Parliament and the Assemblies in Wales and Northern Ireland come into being the foremost member responsible for sport in each will take the place of the Government Minister for that part of the UK. The arm's length principle which we continue to hold important will be preserved, but the Cabinet will fill the policy vacuum which would exist if there were no opportunity for the collective political discussion of the most strategic priorities for UK sport.

The strengthened UK Sports Council will coordinate: support to sports which compete internationally as the UK; combating drug misuse; international relations; major events; and development work on the UK Sports Institute. The Council will continue to operate at arm's length from Government. It will receive public funding from me and that funding will be subject to an agreement about key priorities. I would therefore expect the Sports Cabinet to exercise considerable influence over the affairs of the UK Sports Council.

The Council will, for the first time, have direct control over Lottery funding which it will exercise independently. The funds will be allocated from the share Parliament has already allocated to the good cause of Sport. I will bring forward in the new session a negative resolution Order establishing the UKSC as a distributor and reallocating the sports good cause share between the five Councils. I estimate the UKSC will need about 5 per cent. (or £15 million) of the sports fund each year as well as a transfer to meet the commitment to building and running the Headquarters of the UK Sports Institute in Sheffield.

I am commissioning today the detailed work to put these arrangements in place. Working with the Councils we will define clearly what is the remit of each distributor, bring forward any amendments to the Royal Charters which may be necessary and prepare the policy and financial directions.

The Council also needs strong leadership. I have decided it is essential it has its own Chair, a person of standing in sport, who would not be the Chair of one of the Home Country Sports Councils. I have also decided 244W there should be at least seven independent Members including athletes and lay people with an enthusiasm for top class sport.

I am today announcing that Sir Rodney Walker will leave the English Sports Council (ESC) and become Chair of the UKSC after the ESC's meeting next Monday. I have also indicated to the Council that I would be pleased if Craig Reedie became Sir Rodney's named deputy, to reflect the fact that the Olympic sports must compete as Great Britain and the role the British Olympic Association is expected to play in the UK Sports Institute. I am also pleased to announced that Trevor Brooking the Current Vice Chairman of the ESC, has agreed to become Acting Chairman of that Council. The Chair at the ESC and new UKSC members will be appointed in accordance with the guidance of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

I have agreed with the new Chairman that from 13 July the new Chief Executive of the UKSC should be David Chesterton, a senior civil servant on secondment from my Department. He will replace Howard Wells, who resigned recently.