HC Deb 19 December 2003 vol 416 cc137-8W
Miss Kirkbride

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if she will make a statement on the Government's policy on sport in school; [145571]

(2) what targets the Government has set for the amount of time children participate in sport at school; [145581]

(3) what the average amount of time a child spent taking part in sport at school was in 2002–03 at key stage (a) 1, (b) 2 and (c) 3, broken down by (i) region, (ii) local education authority and (iii) constituency. [145582]

Mr. Caborn

The Government are investing more than £1 billion in England to transform PE and school sport. This funding will help deliver an ambitious Public Service Agreement target, shared by DCMS and DfES, to increase the percentage of school children who spend a minimum of two hours each week on high-quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum to 75 per cent. by 2006.

The information requested on participation rates is unavailable and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Data collected during the autumn term 2002 suggested that about a third of schools at Key Stages 1, 3 and 4 and two fifths of schools at Key Stage 2 offered their pupils two hours of high-quality PE and school sport each week within and beyond the curriculum. Data are now being collected for the first time—for publication in April 2004—on the number of pupils who choose to take up this entitlement.

Miss Kirkbride

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many school playing fields were sold between 1992 and 1997. [145572]

Mr. Caborn

Statistics on applications for school playing field sales were not collected until our playing fields legislation came into force. Public concern about the loss of school playing fields led directly to the introduction in October 1998 of Section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. Before Section 77 was introduced, only grant-maintained schools were required to seek consent from the Secretary of State before selling land, including areas of their playing fields. Local authorities and other schools that owned their own playing fields were free to sell without restriction.

Miss Kirkbride

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many school playing fields have been sold in each year since 1997. [145583]

Mr. Caborn

Data on the number of school playing fields sold is not collected. However, the Amendment to Section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act in October 1998 has introduced powers that require all state schools to seek consent for the sale of playing fields from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment. In addition, Sport England monitor the number of planning applications concerning playing fields in their role as statutory consultee.

The Government publish combined figures for (a) applications from schools submitted to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills for the disposal or change of use of school playing fields (which are already published monthly), and (b) figures from Sport England giving details of planning applications affecting playing fields which have been referred to them as statutory consultee (which are already published quarterly), along with (c) relevant data from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.