§ Mr. SwinneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will list the(a) location of, (b) running costs of, (c) salary costs of and (d) number of staff based at the head office of the Great Britain Sports Council, the percentage of total staff based (i) at head office, (ii) in London and (iii) in Scotland and the percentage of salary and running costs incurred in (1) London and (2) Scotland. [36116]
§ Mr. Banks[holding answer 25 March 1998]The United Kingdom Sports Council (UKSC) assumed the UK-wide responsibilities of the Great Britain Sports Council on 1 January 1997. The information requested is as follows:(a) London; (b) £0.991 million in 1997–98 305W (forecast outturn); (c) £1,037 million in 1997–98 (forecast outturn); and, (d) 33. All UKSC staff are based at the organisation's office in London.
§ Mr. SwinneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on the responsibilities of the Great Britain Sports Council in Scotland. [36115]
§ Mr. Banks[holding answer 25 March 1998]The responsibilities and functions of the GB Sports Council were transferred to the United Kingdom and the English Sports Councils from 1 January 1997. The United Kingdom Sports Council's (UKSC) responsibilities are under review as part of the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review.
The UKSC is responsible for fostering, supporting and encouraging the development of sport and physical recreation, the achievement of excellence, and the provision of sporting facilities at a UK level. In addition, the UKSC takes a lead among the Sports Councils on issues which require strategic planning, co-ordination and representation where they are for the benefit of the UK as a whole.
The functions of the UKSC in respect of the whole United Kingdom are:
to identify sporting policies that should have a UK-wide application;to identify areas of unnecessary duplication, overlap and waste in the way sport is administered in the UK;to consider with the Sports Councils of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland how grant programmes for sports bodies with a UK or Great Britain remit could best be administered, and to administer those programmes;to oversee policy on sports science, sports medicine, drug control, and coaching and other areas where there may be a need for the Home Country Sports Councils to deliver a consistent UK-wide policy;to co-ordinate policy for bringing major international sporting events to the UK; and,to represent the UK internationally and to increase the influence of the UK at international level.The Home Country Sports Council are responsible for sports and facilities development, and for supporting our elite athletes in those sports in which we compete internationally on a Home Country basis.