Sports: Young People

Culture Media and Sport written question – answered at on 13 May 2009.

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Photo of Helen Southworth Helen Southworth Labour, Warrington South

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to increase access to sport for young people in (a) Warrington and (b) the north-west; and if he will make a statement.

Photo of Gerry Sutcliffe Gerry Sutcliffe Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Culture, Media and Sport) (Sport)

holding answer 6 May 2009

The PE and School Sport Strategy for Young People (PESSYP) has seen 90 per cent. of children and young people do at least two hours of sport a week. By 2011 it is the aim to offer five hours of PE and sport for five to 16-year-olds and three hours for those 16-19.

One of the strategy's workstrands, Sport Unlimited, aims to increase the variety of sporting opportunities for 900,000 semi sporty young people. It is delivered through the network of county sports partnerships and aims to reach 124,350 young people in the north- west, including Warrington, by 2011.

In addition Sport England has a target of getting one million people doing more sport by 2012-13, which includes those aged 16-25.

National governing bodies of sport (NGBs) are placed at the heart of Sport England's strategy as it is their networks of community clubs, coaches, officials and volunteers that will drive delivery. The NGBs will define what they need for their sport at a national, regional and sub-regional level to ensure more people play and enjoy their sport. NGBs are currently planning and taking decisions on where best to invest their money, and this includes the north-west.

In addition to investing in NGBs and other key partners, Sport England has other open funding programmes, worth a maximum of £45 million, to which a wide range of organisations from across England are able to apply. Some of this investment will address particular areas of need; for example the first of a series of themed funding rounds is targeted at rural communities.

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