Lords debate report on Olympics and Paralympics legacy

• Hansard: Read the report of the debate
• Report: Keeping the flame alive: the Olympic and Paralympic Legacy
• Govenment and Mayor of London Response to the Olympic and Paralympic Legacy Committee Report
• Olympic and Paralympic Legacy Committee

Committee Chairman

Before opening the debate, Chairman of the Committee Lord Harris of Haringey said:

“In our report, the Committee made a number of recommendations to the Government, including assigning responsibility for all strands of legacy across the UK to one minister; giving the Mayor of London the necessary power and lead responsibility to take forward the legacy vision for East London and the Olympic Park; and that Government and Ofsted should give greater emphasis to PE in schools, as well as proving the training and skills necessary to teachers to ensure this can be carried through.

Although we were pleased that in its response, the Government agreed that consideration would be given to extending the boundary of the London Legacy Development Corporation, allowing further integration between the Olympic Park and the surrounding area, we were disappointed in the overall lack of movement from the Government and the Mayor in response to our report.

With a great British performance in this year’s Winter Olympics, and fantastic engagement opportunities in the next couple of years with the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow later this year and the Rugby World Cup in 2015, is not yet lost and I am confident that this debate will highlight yet again need for the UK to take this matter seriously.”

Debate participants

Other members participating in the debate included:

• Baroness Grey-Thompson, former Paralympian, Chair of the Women’s Sport & Fitness Foundation Commission on the Future of Women’s Sport and member of the London Legacy Development Corporation board;
• Lord Moynihan, former Chairman of the British Olympic Association and former Committee member
• Lord Addington, Vice President of the UK Sports Association and former Committee member;
• Lord Mawson, Trustee of The Legacy List, a charity concerned with the regeneration of London’s future Olympic Park and surroundings;
• Baroness Billingham, former shadow spokesperson for Culture, Media and Sport and former Committee member; and
• Baroness Wheatcroft, Lord Best and the Earl of Arran, former Committee members.

Lord Bates responded on behalf of the Government.