§ 19. Mr. DismoreTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to promote the designation of chess as a sport. [72111]
§ Mr. BanksI am very supportive of chess and have impressed on the Sports Councils the need for them to review their recognition criteria. My Department provides some £49,000 each year to the British Chess Federation (BCF) and I am looking very carefully at the ways in which chess can benefit from additional sources of funding.