§ Mr. SarwarTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on the Government's support for young tennis players in(a) Scotland and (b) the United Kingdom. [129917]
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§ Kate HoeyGovernment support for tennis in Scotland is channelled through SportScotland, who have provided the following information.
Funding is available to tennis through the Lottery, one of whose priorities is young people. Lottery funding for tennis facilities has been made to 312 projects, worth a total of £2,324,802. In addition Lottery funding has been made to young tennis players under the Talented Athletes Programme to the value of £56,015 in 1999–2000. Over the same period the estimated value of the tennis element of local authority junior groups programme is in the region of £20,000. £12,000 was provided under the UK World Class Performance Programme to assist talented young tennis players.
SportScotland has provided £64,000 Exchequer funding to the Scottish Lawn Tennis Association in 2000–01.
Junior tennis is eligible for funding from Sportsmatch, the Government's sports sponsorship incentive scheme.
Sportsmatch in Scotland has made 25 awards worth a total of £86,304 since its inception in 1992, to grass roots and junior tennis projects.
In addition, Government support for young tennis players in the rest of the United Kingdom, is set out.
England
Sportsmatch in England has made 194 awards worth a total of £1.15 million since its inception in 1992, to grass roots and junior tennis projects.
Funding is also available to tennis through the Lottery Sports Fund, one of whose priorities is young people. The Fund has made 473 awards to tennis projects, worth a total of over £54 million. In addition, the Fund made World Class Performance Programme awards totalling £8,574, to disabled tennis players in 1999–2000.
Tennis is also one of the nine sports selected by Sport England for a five year sports development programme aimed at young people. The programme is England-wide, delivered at local level and involves local clubs, local authorities, education services, schools and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) working in partnership. Sport England is allocating a total of £10 million Lottery funding each year for all nine sports involved in the programme.
Wales
In Wales funding for tennis is channelled through the Sports Council for Wales, who have provided the following information.
Funding is available to tennis through the Lottery, one of whose priorities is young people. Lottery funding for tennis facilities has been provided to the value of £2,050,982, and to individual competitors through the Elite Cymru programme to the value of £6,500 in 1999–2000. The Council provided £86,886 exchequer funding to "Tennis Wales", the governing body for tennis in 2000–01.
Sportsmatch in Wales has made 32 awards worth a total of £92,260 since its inception in 1992, to grass roots and junior tennis projects.
Northern Ireland
Funding for tennis in Northern Ireland is channelled through the Sports Council for Northern Ireland, who have provided the following information.
151WFunding is available to tennis through the Lottery, one of whose priorities is young people. Lottery funding for tennis has been provided to the value of £1,479,650 over the period 1995–2000. Over the same period £8,000 has been provided towards the development of talented young individuals. In 1999–2000 Exchequer funding of £11,500 was provided to the governing body responsible for tennis in Northern Ireland.