Tuesday 29 Apr 2008 @ 15:58
Scottish Government
Scottish Government
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People to have 'more choices and more chances'
Sports Minister Stewart Maxwell today responded to Audit Scotland's report into sport, pointing at steps already being taken by the Government to boost participation, deliver state of the art facilities and improve elite performance.
Audit Scotland: A Performance Overview of Sport in Scotland, examined the organisation of sport in Scotland; sport funding; preparations for the Commonwealth Games; and performance against national targets.
Mr Maxwell reiterated the importance of the 2014 Commonwealth Games to the wider sports development agenda across Scotland, and said that the Scottish Government would continue to fight for a fair deal for Scotland from the lottery.
The Minister said:
"It is incumbent upon us all, national and local Government, to offer more choices and more chances for people to take part in sport across Scotland, underpinned by facilities that are fit for purpose.
"I am not underestimating the scale of the challenge but, the Scottish Government has overseen a radical restructuring of the national sports agency, sportscotland, and is delivering record levels of investment in sport.
"We are providing significant funding to help councils provide quality training facilities for high performance sportsmen and women within their own communities.
"The recent announcements of the first Commonwealth Games legacy funding - £5 million to help Aberdeen provide a 50 metre swimming pool and further financial assistance of £1 million to help Edinburgh with increased costs of redeveloping the Royal Commonwealth Pool - demonstrate our commitment to supporting councils in their sporting ambitions.
"We have a clearly defined national strategy for sport, Reaching Higher, and the historic concordat with COSLA provides an unparalleled opportunity for local authorities to embed sport development within their wider statutory responsibilities. It is encouraging that 16 councils now have sports strategies in place.
"As lottery funds decline I am concerned that £150 million of lottery funding has been siphoned away from Scotland to pay for the London 2012 Games.
"These funds would be better targeted at securing a lasting legacy for the people of Scotland - including more top quality sports facilities - from the Glasgow 2014 Games."
Audit Scotland undertook the study as part of its routine programme of performance audits. It examines the organisation of sport in Scotland; sport funding; preparations for the Commonwealth Games; and performance against national targets.
Average spend on sport in Scotland over the last three financial years was in excess of £558 million per annum with councils spending on average £511 million per annum (90 per cent) on local sport facilities, parks and open spaces. £74 million - capital projects and £437 million - revenue programmes.
sportscotland is spending approximately £41.22 million per annum in addition to lottery funding averaging £21 million per annum. The expenditure is focused on young people - largely through Active Schools - and athlete performance.
Related Information
Audit Scotland: A Performance Overview of Sport in Scotland, examined the organisation of sport in Scotland; sport funding; preparations for the Commonwealth Games; and performance against national targets.
Mr Maxwell reiterated the importance of the 2014 Commonwealth Games to the wider sports development agenda across Scotland, and said that the Scottish Government would continue to fight for a fair deal for Scotland from the lottery.
The Minister said:
"It is incumbent upon us all, national and local Government, to offer more choices and more chances for people to take part in sport across Scotland, underpinned by facilities that are fit for purpose.
"I am not underestimating the scale of the challenge but, the Scottish Government has overseen a radical restructuring of the national sports agency, sportscotland, and is delivering record levels of investment in sport.
"We are providing significant funding to help councils provide quality training facilities for high performance sportsmen and women within their own communities.
"The recent announcements of the first Commonwealth Games legacy funding - £5 million to help Aberdeen provide a 50 metre swimming pool and further financial assistance of £1 million to help Edinburgh with increased costs of redeveloping the Royal Commonwealth Pool - demonstrate our commitment to supporting councils in their sporting ambitions.
"We have a clearly defined national strategy for sport, Reaching Higher, and the historic concordat with COSLA provides an unparalleled opportunity for local authorities to embed sport development within their wider statutory responsibilities. It is encouraging that 16 councils now have sports strategies in place.
"As lottery funds decline I am concerned that £150 million of lottery funding has been siphoned away from Scotland to pay for the London 2012 Games.
"These funds would be better targeted at securing a lasting legacy for the people of Scotland - including more top quality sports facilities - from the Glasgow 2014 Games."
Audit Scotland undertook the study as part of its routine programme of performance audits. It examines the organisation of sport in Scotland; sport funding; preparations for the Commonwealth Games; and performance against national targets.
Average spend on sport in Scotland over the last three financial years was in excess of £558 million per annum with councils spending on average £511 million per annum (90 per cent) on local sport facilities, parks and open spaces. £74 million - capital projects and £437 million - revenue programmes.
sportscotland is spending approximately £41.22 million per annum in addition to lottery funding averaging £21 million per annum. The expenditure is focused on young people - largely through Active Schools - and athlete performance.
Related Information
