HL Deb 11 March 2004 vol 658 cc193-4WA
Lord Pendry

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How much they have spent per capita on sport in each year since 2000. [HL1603]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

The following table sets out the total government funding directly attributable for sport per capita in England.

Year Exchequer Funding (£) million Population Totals million Exchequer Funding per Capita
2000–01 39.8 49.1 0.81
2001–02 47.7 49.3 0.97
2002–03 103.5 49.5 2.09

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport's funding for sport and physical activity in 2000–01 was £39.8 million, in 2001–02 was £47.7 million and in 2002–03 was £103.5 million. These figures do not reflect the grant in aid funding which the department provides to UK Sport.

The Department for Education and Skills investment in specialist sports colleges for 2000–01 was £9.5 million, in 2001–02 was £14.6 million and in 2002–03 was £23.4 million. However, this funding is for the provision of sport and contributes to raising standards across the curriculum.

Sport also receives significant funding from central government mainly through local government block grant, as noted on page 33 of Game Plan: a strategy fir delivering the Government's sport and physical activity objectives, a joint Department for Culture. Media and Sport and Strategy Unit report published in December 2002. This spending is not centrally recorded on a consistent basis, but Game Plan suggested that in 1999–2000 £1,015 million was spent on sport and physical activity by local government as part of the block grant.