§ Baroness Anelay of St Johnsasked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress they have made in setting up the independent Sports Dispute Resolution Panel; what costs have been incurred by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in setting up and administering the work of the panel; who are the members of the panel; what is their remit; and when they began their work. [HL3481]
§ Lord McIntosh of HaringeyThe Sports Dispute Resolution Panel (SDRP) is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, independent of government, set up by the principal sports organisations representing competitors, governing bodies and sponsors of sport. The current members of the company are the British Olympic Association (including the Athletes Commission), the Central Council of Physical Recreation, the Institute of Professional Sport, the Institute of Sports Sponsorship, the Northern Ireland Sports Forum, the Scottish Sports Association, and the Welsh Sports Association. SDRP is currently funded by an annual grant of £40,000 from the UK Sports Council.
SDRP's remit is to provide an independent and effective service for the speedy resolution of sports disputes in the United Kingdom and to promote best practice within the field of sports dispute resolution. SDRP offers arbitration, mediation and advisory services on any sports-related dispute, including those involving doping, selection and commercial contracts. The service extends to providing suitably qualified persons to chair or sit on governing body disciplinary tribunals and review panels.
The service is delivered through SDRP's standing panels of arbitrators and mediators, supported by a part-time secretariat. There are currently 99 members of the Panel of Arbitrators and 36 members of the Panel of Mediators. They are drawn principally from the legal profession and include retired judges, part-time judges, Queen's Counsel and Centre for Dispute Resolution (CEDR) accredited mediators.
SDRP commenced its work in October 1999 following the appointment of its first part-time director, Jon Siddall. Four referrals have been received to date, with others expected shortly.