§ Angela EagleTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proportion of the New Community Development Fund sports budget will be available to women and girls who do not participate in traditional mainstream sports. [139567]
§ Tessa JowellThe £60 million Community Club Development Programme will run from 2003–04 to 2005–06, and is designed to effect improvements in facility provision at amateur sports clubs. In selecting the sports which will benefit, the Government considered participation rates and the abilities of governing bodies to deliver improvement quickly. As a result, the programme will be delivered by established sports with significant numbers of participants.
939WFunding is being made available to governing bodies as follows:
The Rugby Football Union, the Football Association, the England and Wales Cricket Board, and the Lawn Tennis Association have been allocated £9.4 million each. The following governing bodies have been allocated £20 million between them over these three years:
the Badminton Association of England,
England Basketball,
the British Canoe Union,
British Cycling,
British Gymnastics,
the English Hockey Federation,
the British Judo Association,
the All England Netball Association,
the Amateur Rowing Association,
the Rugby Football League,
the Amateur Swimming Association, and
the English Table Tennis Association.
This funding is not targeted at the development of facilities for women and girls, or at any particular geographical or socio-economic group. It is for the governing bodies which have joined the programme to decide what proportions of funding should be made available for facilities specifically targeted at women's and girls' participation, against their national development plans.
§ Angela EagleTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps are being taken by her Department to encourage girls to participate in sport. [139569]
§ Tessa JowellThe Government is committed to ensuring that everyone is given the opportunity to participate in sport. Sport England Lottery funding to governing bodies is now provided only where those bodies have acceptable equity policies in place as parts of their development plans. In addition, Sport England provides £200,000 a year to the Women's Sports Foundation to support the involvement of women and girls in sport.