5. Urgent Question: Sport Wales

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:12 pm on 29 March 2017.

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Photo of Russell George Russell George Conservative 4:12, 29 March 2017

Thank you, Minister, and thank you for your written statement earlier this afternoon. Today’s statement, in many ways, just extends the state of paralysis at Sport Wales, and we’re not really any clearer or the wiser on what actually happened at Sport Wales. But this is an organisation that receives over £22 million of public funding annually, and I think it does deserve transparency from the Welsh Government this afternoon. You have previously stated that you had an expectation that the normal governance processes would enable the Sport Wales board to manage any personality clashes, and this doesn’t seem to be the case from your statement today.

So, can I ask how long do you think it will take to get the organisation into a fit state to oversee sports across Wales and what oversight will you have, going forward, of Sport Wales’s activities? How will you look to change the current governance processes, which will give you confidence that there will not be another breakdown in Sport Wales’s leadership? Can I also ask: do you believe that it was solely a personality clash or do you intend to investigate the dysfunctionality and serious structural issues that were identified by the previous chair? If so, will you set out a timetable for when this review will report and when its recommendations will be implemented?

Finally, Sport Wales has a huge role to play in the promotion of physical activity and developing elite sport, but this saga, again, raises questions over its future, so, as such, have you given any consideration to abolishing Sport Wales altogether and splitting it up into different organisations—perhaps one focusing on sport and public health and a separate elite sport organisation? Do you think that Sport Wales is fit for purpose in light of these recent events?