§ Mr. Neil TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the level of investment in school sports in Wigan since 1997. [169275]
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§ Mr. Stephen TwiggThe information is not held in the format requested. Within the context of the statutory National Curriculum, where Physical Education (PE) is compulsory for pupils aged 5-16, it is for individual schools to use their budgets as they judge appropriate.
The Government are investing more than £1 billion in England to transform 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 5-16 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.
The Department is providing just over £830,000.00 to support the delivery of a School Sport Partnership in the Wigan LEA area. The partnership includes 14 secondary and 40 primary schools and provides enhanced sports opportunities for all young people to ensure that their pupils spend a minimum of two hours a week on high quality PE and School Sport. A key objective for all School Sport Partnerships is to ensure that the improvements and enhanced opportunities that they deliver are sustainable and embedded within schools to ensure a lasting legacy. The New Opportunities Fund has provided schools in the Wigan LEA area with over £4.3 million specifically to enhance PE and school sport facilities.
§ Jim DobbinTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money has been invested in Heywood and Middleton since 1997 to build long-term sustainable facilities for school sports. [169439]
§ Mr. MilibandWe do not hold information at constituency level. The majority of capital funding is now allocated to schools and authorities by needs-related formulae. This enables them to decide how to target the rapidly increasing resources to address their highest priority needs in line with local asset management plans. I would direct my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to his question 168497, which lists capital allocations made to Rochdale local education authority since 1997. Rochdale also received £2,873,000 in November 2001 under the New Opportunities PE and Sports Programme, which is administered by the New Opportunities Fund.