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CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Devolved Administrations
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her policy is with regard to (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department giving evidence to (i) Scottish Parliament, (ii) Welsh Assembly and (iii) Northern Ireland Assembly Committees; and to what categories of document she gives (A) full access, (B) restricted access and (C) no access to (1) Scottish Parliament, (2) Welsh Assembly, (3) Northern Ireland Assembly and (4) House of Commons Select Committees. [7039]
Mr. Caborn: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office to the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Mr. Salmond) on 15 October 2001, Official Report, columns 1003–04W.
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Sports Tests
Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many unannounced tests taken on premises not owned by a professional football club have been undertaken in each of the last five years. [8258]
Mr. Caborn: All tests for sports in the UK are unannounced tests, that are collected at short or no-notice to the individual athlete, whether collected in competition or out of competition. For team sports such as football, testing is arranged by collecting samples at squad training sessions or after a match which ensures that players are subject to the same procedures as they would be for an out of competition test.
Testing will always take place on football premises, whether a club ground, training venue, or academy. Because of the ease of access to football players it has not been necessary to instigate testing at players' homes.
| In competition | Out of competition | |
|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 63 | 415 |
| 1997–98 | 57 | 460 |
| 1998–99 | 69 | 470 |
| 1999–2000 | 133 | 928 |
| 2000–01 | 97 | 919 |
Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many erythropoietin and human growth hormone tests have been undertaken in the last three years by Sport England; if the method of conducting such tests in England is the same as that used by Fina in Sydney; and if she will make a statement. [8260]
Mr. Caborn: As testing for erythropoietin and growth hormone is very much at its infancy the level of testing for these substances has been confined to research and limited screening, making the data regarding test numbers of limited value. Methods have been refined since the protocols introduced at the Sydney Olympics, different methods and protocols are adopted by different sports and the purpose of testing can vary. UK Sport is closely monitoring the different testing systems in order that any national testing programme that would include erythropoietin and growth hormone, particularly if it will be based on blood testing, has integrity and is legally robust.
Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many tests for banned substances have been undertaken on footballers playing in the (a) Premier League and (b) Football League in each of the last five years. [8257]
Mr. Caborn: The anti-doping programmes for the football governing bodies in the UK are delivered through the national anti-doping organisation UK Sport. UK Sport monitors the type and level of testing.
For the Football Association, the nature of promotion and relegation within the Football League and Premiership means that it is difficult to present meaningful and accurate figures that separate the Premier League and the Football League testing over the last five years. Teams may have been in numerous different divisions during that period, individual players may have
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moved clubs or been included in testing of international competitions or squads. Furthermore, it is not in the interests of an effective testing programme to reveal the testing plan for any sport and therefore the figures are represented below as a total.
| Year | Total number of tests for the FA |
|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 478 |
| 1997–98 | 517 |
| 1998–99 | 539 |
| 1999–2000 | 1,061 |
| 2000–01 | 1,016 |
The above totals include testing across all divisions of the Football League and Premiership and include testing at women's football and FA Conference football as well as FA Vase testing. Also included in the programme is the testing of national squads (male and female) and target testing through punitive action and that performed at the request of clubs. The programme covers all possible periods of training and competition for an athlete, as testing can take place on any day of the week.
To explain the significant level of testing for the Football Association programmes, it may be helpful to point out that for 1999–2000 and 2000–01 they comprise over one sixth of the total tests conducted within the UK Sport testing programme.
Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she commissioned a review of blood tests for the drugs erythropoietin and human growth hormone; and if she will make a statement. [8259]
Mr. Caborn: UK Sport conducts the testing programme for sports in the UK, presently the body fluid used for testing is urine. No formal review of blood testing has been commissioned for the detection of erythropoietin or human growth hormone. The introduction of blood testing to sport is quite recent. The testing protocols are still being revised to ensure that they are effective.
Blood testing took place at the World Cycling Championships in Manchester in 2000, this testing was part of the medical check on the cyclist and measured haematocrit. Blood screening was also carried out at the London Marathon this year as part of a research project to consider the operational issues and effectiveness of EPO testing, more recently blood tests were also carried out at the World Half Marathon in Bristol. As research into detection continues it is possible that blood tests may be replaced by urine tests for the detection to erythropoietin. Presently research into growth hormone has been limited, although Professor Peter Sonkson at St. Thomas' Hospital had made significant advances, this work is on-going in other countries with financial support from the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Rowing
Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to meet representatives of the Amateur Rowing Association to discuss their plans for the new training centre at Caversham. [8757]
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Mr. Caborn: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no plans to meet representatives of the Amateur Rowing Association to discuss plans for the new training centre at Caversham.
Sport England
Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the funds available to Sport England to support voluntary sector sports clubs over the next five years. [8756]
Mr. Caborn: Sport England estimates that it will distribute approximately £1 billion over the next five years from the Lottery Sports Fund, of which over two thirds will go to community projects, many of which involve voluntary sector sports clubs. The amount distributed will be dependent on the amount generated by the National Lottery.
Exchequer funding for Sport England has been set at £43.025 million in 2001–2002, £53.275 million in 2002–2003, and £78.275 million in 2003–2004. Sport England will allocate grants from its exchequer income to governing bodies of sport, who can invest in the development of clubs, community sports programmes and volunteers.
In addition, as my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in his Budget Statement, the Government will shortly be consulting on proposals to introduce relief from some taxes for those amateur sports clubs which play a role in their community. This will give further assistance to the volunteers who are the backbone of these clubs and encourage more young people to volunteer their services in support of such clubs.
Athletics Funding
Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if the Sports Aid Foundation grant responsible for the funding of elite athletics is to be curtailed by Sport England. [8690]
Mr. Caborn [holding answer 19 October 2001]: Sport England is continuing to provide funding to the Sports Aid Foundation for this financial year with an award of up to £250,000. Future funding is under discussion.
Media Ownership
Jane Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to reform the existing rules on media ownership. [9874]
Tessa Jowell: I will announce later today that my Department will be engaging in a consultation exercise to determine the best way to regulate media ownership. A paper will be published shortly for two months formal consultation. Copies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament and will be available on the Department's website at www.culture.gov.uk. Having considered the responses, we will publish our proposals in the draft Communications Bill next year. There will then be a further, three month period of consultation.
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