Education, Culture and Sport Committee, 02 Oct 2001

Meeting date: Tuesday, October 2, 2001

Official Report 111KB pdf

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Sport in Schools

The remit of the inquiry into sport in schools was initially to consider how we might move on from the report that we published in September 2000. At our away day, we agreed to add to the remit the initial consideration of Scotland's sporting attainment as a nation.

Over the next three months, I will undertake a series of meetings with national governing bodies, the British Olympic Association, the Commonwealth games committee and sportscotland. I will also meet the disability sports organisations because Scotland's sporting attainment in the Paralympics was significant and we might be able to learn general lessons from how those with disabilities approach sport. Other issues that I will discuss with those organisations include disabled access to sports facilities in schools, which follows on from an earlier report that we produced.

I ask the committee for permission to undertake a couple of visits: one to the Scottish Institute of Sport—I will not ask to be allowed to go to the Australian Institute of Sport, although Cathy Jamieson tells me that it is excellent—and one to Orkney and Shetland, where exciting work is being done to encourage participation in sport. I am conscious that we have said that we would visit the north but have been unable to do so. In order to go there, we would need permission for funding from the conveners liaison group.

Irene McGugan and I have been invited to participate in a study tour to examine how Denmark has dealt with these issues. It would be useful if we were able to go but, again, it would require permission from the conveners liaison group for funds of about £400 to £500 for each member—I do not know whether permission will be given for both of us to go.

I hope to report back to the committee in January with a view to the committee taking further evidence if necessary, specifically on the issues around national sporting attainment. If members are agreed, we will progress on that basis.

Have Irene McGugan and you been invited to Denmark through the committee or through your parties?

I was invited as convener of the committee. The invitation came from an organisation that I worked with when I was writing my report on sport in schools; the organisation was aware that certain issues needed to be followed up. One of the recommendations of the report that we published in 2000 was that we examine best practice in Europe.

I was invited as a member of the committee and as my party's spokesperson on sport and the shadow deputy minister for children and education with culture and sport—my party's equivalent of Allan Wilson, who was also invited.

I wanted that to be clarified, as the capacity in which you were both invited would affect the way in which we applied for funds.

As convener, I would have to seek permission for funding for any travel outside the UK from the conveners liaison group. If Irene McGugan goes on behalf of the committee, that would also be the case. However, if she goes on behalf of her party, that is a different matter.

It would be helpful if both of you went, as the two of you would gain more together than apart.

I am happy with that.

We will put that to the conveners liaison group. There are cheaper ways to get to Denmark, and we will have to consider the financing—

We would not want you to have to take a canoe across the North sea.

No. There are always options, when booking flights. The difficulty with booking flights that cannot be changed—especially if they are booked for Friday morning through to Monday afternoon—is that members cannot get away if something comes up in the Parliament on a Thursday. There could be problems in trying to change flights, which we will need to bear in mind when we approach the conveners liaison group. There is pressure on funds, but it would be worth trying to get support, as the tour would be worth while.

Does this in any way relate to the debate that is taking place on Thursday afternoon?

Your guess, Mr Russell, is as good as mine.

I get the message.

We may well get the response to our report on sport in schools, which is still outstanding.

Has not it been issued to us yet?

No.

Then I look forward to it.

I was not aware of the debate until it appeared on the business list—I do not think that anyone was. However, I am delighted to say that it is worth while for us to debate sport in schools, as the issue crosses all the Parliament's education, culture and sport briefs.