HC Deb 22 March 2004 vol 419 cc629-31W
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the effects on schools of changes since 1997 in the level of investment in school sports in Crosby. [160566]

Mr. Stephen Twigg

The Government is investing more than £1 billion in England to transform physical education (PE), school sport and club links. The funding will help deliver an ambitious Public Service Agreement target, shared with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, to increase the percentage of five to 16 year olds 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.

Spearheading delivery are School Sport Partnerships, which provide for groups of schools to work together to increase sports opportunities for all young people. Latest research, published by the Departments on 4 March shows that 68 per cent. of pupils in schools that have been in a Partnership for three years, are taking up the two hour entitlement, rising to 90 per cent. at Key Stage 3, Data is currently being collected from remaining Partnerships and will be published in April. Disaggregated results will be available at that time.

Significant funding is also being provided to specifically enhance PE and school sport facilities, with £3,331,000 being allocated from the New Opportunities Fund to schools in the Sefton LEA area.

Jim Knight

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action his Department is taking to ensure that extended use of sports facilities in schools built with private finance is affordable for all sections of the community. [160934]

Mr. Stephen Twigg

Schools PFI contracts are usually between a local authority and a private sector contractor. It is therefore for the authority to ensure that the extended use of sports facilities in schools is affordable for all sections of the community. The DfES does not have a direct role in these negotiations although it does issue standard contract guidance, which includes, among other things, provisions for safeguarding existing community use at current prices.

When a local authority puts forward a bid to the DfES for a schools PFI project, we expect to see that the project supports the provision of dual use facilities that can be offered to the wider community. In almost all cases this will include sports facility provision, which is of course a significant asset to the local community.