§ Mr. BestTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on coordination between regional development agencies and her Department on sport. [136648]
§ Mr. CabornUnder its modernisation and restructuring programme, Sport England is devolving greater responsibility for funding decisions on community sports projects to its regional offices. New Regional Sports Boards, constituted as sub-committees of Sport England, will prepare Regional Sports Strategies in consultation with all relevant regional interests, including regional development agencies. The strategies will inform funding decisions in the regions.
The Department and Sport England also work directly with individual RDAs on specific issues, such as the long-term future of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in which the East Midlands Development Agency is representing the Government in discussions 768W with key players. The Department's Olympic Games Unit is also working very closely with the London Development Agency (LDA) in support of the 2012 Olympic Bid, and earlier this year met with representatives of all nine RDAs to discuss the implications across the country of staging the Games. The Department and Sport England continue to work closely with the LDA on monitoring the construction of the new National Stadium at Wembley.