Smith calls on Government to commit to future of SportScotland

13/12/07

Margaret Smith MSP and colleagues have been urging the Scottish Government to make a firm commitment to the future of SportScotland. In a debate in Parliament today, the Edinburgh West MSP highlighted the benefits of the national sports agency and called on the Government to abandon plans to scrap it. A motion calling for SportScotland to be retained was supported by a majority of MSPs.

Commenting, the Edinburgh West MSP said:

“SportScotland is of vital importance to Scottish sport - it provides advice, coordinates the delivery of sports policy and strategy and channels Government and lottery money into sports. The Scottish Government has yet to come up with a convincing reason for abolishing the agency. 

“The Sports Minister failed to seize the opportunity at the debate this morning to confirm the future of SportScotland, resorting instead to spin and speculation. The Minister’s promises that perhaps, maybe, possibly, a scaled down form of SportScotland would survive, are simply not good enough and there is confusion and chaos surrounding the future of our national sports agency.

“I hope that the Scottish Government will heed the will of Parliament and abandon its plans to scrap SportScotland.”