Lords debates benefits of community sport for young people
17 May 2024
On Thursday 16 May, members of the House of Lords debated the contribution of sports to society and the economy, plus the impact of community sport on young people’s health and wellbeing.
Debate
Lord Wood of Anfield (Labour), former sports policy advisor to PM Gordon Brown, put forward the debate.
This was a general debate. During debates, members put their experience to good use to discuss current issues and draw the government's attention to concerns.
Members speaking
Contributing members included:
- Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat), vice president of UK Sports Association
- Baroness Grey-Thompson (Crossbench), former Paralympic athlete
- Baroness Sater (Conservative), president of Tennis Wales
- Baroness Thornton (Labour), CEO of The Young Foundation.
Speaking in the debate, Baroness Grey-Thompson said:
'Physical activity is essential in preventing over 20 chronic conditions, including type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, musculoskeletal issues, depression, anxiety and dementia, and generates more than £5.2 billion in healthcare savings per year.'
Responding on behalf of the government, Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Conservative), Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said:
'[The government's sport strategy] commits us to helping 2.5 million more adults and one million more children meet the Chief Medical Officers’ physical activity guidelines by 2030.'
Catch up
Watch the Parliament TV recording or read the Lords Hansard transcript.
Explore background information
Find out more about the issues the debate covers in the House of Lords Library briefing.
Learn more about how the House of Lords checks and challenges government.
Image: Adobe stock
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