§ Mr. WyattTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost has been to her Department of providing financial assistance to sports governing bodies preparing bids to host international championships since 1997. [86927]
§ Mr. CabornThe provision of financial assistance to governing bodies for the preparation of bids for major international events is the responsibility of UK Sport or, in the case of the Football Association's bid for the 2006 World Cup, of Sport England.
679WNo payments have been made by the Department to governing bodies to assist in the preparation of such bids since 1997. Direct bid-related expenditure by the Department in that period has consisted only of 20,000 to cover the travelling costs of the Prime Minister's Special Envoy in his work in support of the 2006 World Cup bid.