Tag: Lord Pendry

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pendry on 2016-03-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the process by which the World Anti-Doping Agency informs athletes of the drugs added each year to the list of banned substances.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

WADA issues communications to a range of stakeholders to ensure that everyone knows the timeframes by which the Prohibited List is published and when it takes effect. This information is freely available on WADA’s website.

In the UK, Athletes and Athlete Support Personnel receive information about changes to the Prohibited List through communications from UK Anti-Doping. This is done via the respective National Governing Bodies of sport in advance of the changes coming into place, as well as through information given on the UK Anti-Doping website, social media channels and the Clean Sport App.

However, it is ultimately the responsibility of athletes and their support personnel to be aware of the annual changes to the Prohibited List.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pendry on 2015-11-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the continued case for the 25 per cent proposed budget cuts to UK Anti-Doping in the light of reports that widespread doping exists in the world of athletics, and what steps they plan to take in the light of any assessment.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The UK Anti-Doping Agency (UKAD) works tirelessly to promote clean sport and is highly regarded internationally.

Any decision regarding funding is subject to the forthcoming Spending Review.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pendry on 2016-03-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the International Tennis Federation about the issue of equal prize money for men and women in tennis tournaments.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

HMG has had no such discussions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pendry on 2015-11-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the debate in the House of Lords on 5 November (HL Deb, cols 1811–40) on the regeneration legacy of the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, what assessment they have made of Lord Moynihan’s remarks that the UK should have a sports policy.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

I am grateful for Lord Moynihan’s valuable contributions to that debate in the House.

The Minister for Sport has made it clear that a new approach to sport is needed. The Government published a consultation paper on a new sport strategy in early August and the responses received are being considered. The Government will publish its new strategy for sport in due course, the first such strategy for 13 years.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pendry on 2016-03-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the International Tennis Federation about the issue of equal prize money for men and women in tennis tournaments.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

HMG has had no such discussions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pendry on 2015-11-17.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of a recent report by UKactive that lack of exercise is estimated to cause 37,000 deaths annually and cost the UK economy £20 billion a year, what steps they are taking to reduce levels of inactivity.

Lord Prior of Brampton

The Government welcomes ukactive’s report. It makes an important contribution to the debate on physical activity and builds on the framework for action set out by Public Health England last year in “Everybody Active Every Day”.

The Government recognises the health, economic and social benefits to individuals, communities and the nation of increasing physical activity levels. Since 2011, the Government has invested over £450 million in the PE and Sport Primary Premium in order to improve PE and sport. A further £46.5 million has been invested in School Games in order to provide all children, regardless of their ability, with a chance to participate in competitive sport. In addition £13 million has been invested in Change4life sports clubs which targets the least active children and helps them get more active.

We are also committed to raising awareness among the public and health professionals of the benefits of physical activity. We have worked with experts to translate the Chief Medical Officers’ (CMOs) guidelines on physical activity into easy messages in the form of an infographic which health professionals can now use with their patients when they discuss physical activity. The UK’s CMOs have now asked the experts to carry out a similar piece of work on physical activity for children and young people. In addition, Public Health England’s Change4Life campaign continues to support families to make healthy choices, including being active.

Further action to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour will be taken via the Government’s new strategy for sport to be published shortly.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pendry on 2016-04-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of reports that a doctor prescribed performance-enhancing drugs to 150 athletes, what steps they are taking to ensure that sports in the UK are free from doping.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The Government is deeply concerned by these allegations. Sports fans are entitled to be sure that what they are watching is true and fair with all athletes competing on a level playing field. We are grateful for the investigative journalism by the Sunday Times for bringing these apparent abuses to light, and we have asked for there to be an urgent independent investigation into what action was taken when these allegations were first received and what more needs to be done to ensure that British sport remains clean. The Government is also looking at whether existing legislation in this area goes far enough. If it becomes clear that stronger criminal sanctions are needed then we will not hesitate to act.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pendry on 2015-11-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the work of the World Anti-Doping Agency, in particular in setting regulatory standards against doping and educating athletes and coaches to shift the culture against cheating.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has improved its compliance and reporting processes, resulting in the recent suspension of six countries for non-compliance and a further six countries placed on its watch-list. Last week, WADA’s Foundation Board increased its scope to conduct internal investigations and strengthen its whistleblowing process. WADA President Craig Reedie’s statement that values-based education is the best weapon for clean sport is a view shared by UK Anti-Doping and implemented through its successful 100% Me education programme.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pendry on 2016-04-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will ensure that physical activity is an integral part of tackling obesity in the forthcoming childhood obesity strategy, in the light of the correlation between inactivity and childhood obesity.

Lord Prior of Brampton

Our Childhood Obesity Strategy, which will be launched in the summer, will look at everything that contributes to a child becoming overweight and obese including inactivity.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pendry on 2015-11-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support and promote the Erasmus+ programme, which aims to boost skills and employability through education, training and sport.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

The Erasmus+ programme enables organisations and citizens to achieve their potential through international education, training and sport opportunities.

A body called the National Agency (a consortium of the British Council and Ecorys UK) deliver the Erasmus+ programme in the UK. The Government supports the National Agency’s delivery, aligns the programme with Government objectives, and represents the UK in European meetings on Erasmus+. The National Agency has a communications team that is dedicated to raising awareness of the Erasmus+ programme. The Government does not duplicate this work.