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Sports: Vetting

Asked by Dan AldridgeLabourDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled Answered 19 May 2025UIN 51203

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that national sports governing bodies enforce compliance with statutory safeguarding guidance; and what assessment she has made of the adequacy of enforcement mechanisms for failing to act in the absence of direct harm.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock

The safety, wellbeing and welfare of everyone taking part in sport is absolutely paramount. National Governing Bodies are responsible for the regulation of their sports and for ensuring that appropriate measures are in place to protect participants from harm, including through adherence to statutory safeguarding guidance.

In order to be in receipt of public funding all sport’s organisations need to be in adherence with the Code for Sport Governance, authored by Government’s Arm’s Length Bodies, UK Sport and Sport England. The code includes provisions in relation to welfare and safety which all organisations are required to adhere to.

Sport England also provides support to the sport and physical activity sector around safeguarding, including funding the Ann Craft Trust and the NSPCC’s Child Protection in Sport Unit.

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