4. 3. Statement: Sport Wales

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:14 pm on 14 February 2017.

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Photo of Gareth Bennett Gareth Bennett UKIP 3:14, 14 February 2017

Thanks, Minister, for your statement. There do seem to have been some problems at the top end of this organisation in recent months. The Minister may well recall that the last chair, Laura McAllister, stayed in post beyond her intended term of office because the Welsh Government felt that a suitable replacement couldn’t be found at that time. You then came up with Paul Thomas, but he’s seemingly quickly fallen into dispute with the rest of the board. Now, I don’t pretend to know the reasons for this, but I hope that we do get a full report on this, and, more important, that the board quickly becomes a functioning operation once again.

Sport Wales plays a key role in delivering a lot of Welsh Government targets in important areas, which could potentially increase physical activity and tackle the huge problem of obesity. So, this is the crucial thing: that Sport Wales does get on with its remit, regardless of any boardroom shenanigans or internal politics. So, echoing what Russell George was asking you earlier, I wonder if you could amplify a little bit on how the organisation has been performing without the guidance of the board in recent weeks. How has it been delivering its day-to-day functions? I know you said the budget setting hasn’t been affected, which is good to hear, but can you shed some light on, or give us some assurances, rather, that the performance hasn’t been adversely affected by recent events? Thanks.