HL Deb 17 November 2004 vol 666 cc177-8WA
Lord Moynihan

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Which of the recommendations of the Cunningham report on elite sport funding they do not intend to implement. [HL4556]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Lord McIntosh of Haringey)

The large majority of the recommendations of the elite sports funding review were for the Sports Councils and National Governing Bodies of Sport to take forward. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has been working with UK Sport, the devolved administrations and Sport England to ensure that implementation of the recommendations remains effective and continues to remain relevant to the changing environment of high performance sport.

There are two recommendations that the department does not intend to implement. First, the additional £10 million of Exchequer funding to elite athletes. Although the additional Exchequer funding has not been provided, the same level of funding was provided to our elite athletes in the four-year cycle to the Athens Olympics as in the four-year cycle leading to Sydney and the overall level of funding to be provided to our elite athletes in the four-year cycle to Beijing is set to increase.

Secondly, there are no current plans to make living costs the same for all athletes on the World Class Performance Programme, although a further review of athlete personal awards is to be undertaken so that appropriate and affordable changes can be introduced in 2005.