HL Deb 21 July 2004 vol 664 c50WA
Lord Moynihan

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What steps they are taking to promote the collaboration of school sport associations and national governing bodies of sport for the best interest of sport. [HL3791]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Education and Skills are funding a post within the National Council for School Sport (NCSS). Both departments want the NCSS and the School Sport Associations to play a full part in the new context for schools-based competitive sport being created by both the rollout of a national structure for PE, School Sport and Club Links and national governing body modernisation. The post-holder is working with national governing bodies and school sport associations to ensure that school sport associations are effectively linked into national governing bodies' one-stop/whole-sport plans.

Lord Moynihan

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When they intend to fulfil the Labour Party 2001 manifesto commitment to provide "a sports entitlement for all children, giving them access to at least two hours a week of sport in or after school" given that the latest public service agreement target is for only 85 per cent of children by 2008. [HL3828]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

The public service agreement target is about the number of pupils aged five to 16 taking up two hours each week of high-quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum. The manifesto commitment was about providing new and extending existing opportunities to enable increased levels of take-up. This is being fufilled chiefly through the roll-out of school sport partnerships (all schools will be in a school sport partnership from September 2006) under the national strategy for PE, school sport and club links. Provision is also being enhanced through the Big Lottery Fund's investment of £581 million in school sport facilities over 2000 to 2006. By spring 2005, funding will have been committed to 1,700 projects across England. Space for Sport and the Arts is investing an additional £130 million in primary school sport facilities in deprived areas.