Speeches by Hinds.

“Hopefully, your open weekend will introduce more children to it, including mine.”

“This question comes up quite a lot—the definition of a core subject. What difference do you think that terminology would make, or do you really mean, “We want a minimum of 2 hours a week, and that has to be programmed in. It is not an ambition or something we ask of schools; it is something we require”? What do we real…”

“Thank you. Jon, I am going to let you off this question, just because of the time. Kate?”

“There is a curriculum review—a curriculum and assessment review, technically—going on at the moment. What are your hopes for that process, and have you been given any indication of what may be in the outcome?”

“Do we know much, or enough yet, about how many kids continue with cricket into their adult life, having first experienced it through the programme?”

“Kate, to come to the other end of the age range, a lot of us admire Chance to Shine—the barriers you have overcome and the changes you have made in the attractiveness of cricket, and so on. What has been the secret to that success?”

“You mentioned social prescribing. It feels like social prescribing is a huge potential reform. We tend to think of it most for working-age adults who are further away from the workforce—how you get re-engaged, and so on—but for older people, your sport in particular has huge potential for socialising, routine and all t…”

“Has anyone had a letter? I want to go!”

“I am supposed to be asking you about schools, which I will do in a moment. First, Jon, I want to pick up the bowling thing, which I find fascinating in a couple of ways. You said that you had a less visible sport, but I would note that you have about the most visible sport in the country, because every village centre t…”

“Is there not still a shortage of indoor tennis courts in this country? I do not know what the numbers are, but it feels that way, compared with other European countries and elsewhere. I know that in 2019, the LTA had a big, ambitious programme to build a lot more, but I am not sure how many have been built. It is not s…”

“The point about being able to play it later in life, compared with tennis, is quite important. I am not sure it is that well understood widely. People who are in tennis already probably understand it, but what marketing is going on to reach people who have not been playing active sport for some time?”

“Fantastic—thank you. Scott, can I ask you specifically about padel? The LTA has taken the decision to have the same governing body for your primary sport, tennis, and its No. 1 competitor, padel. What pros and cons of that decision did you consider at the time?”

“Thank you, Paige. Scott, I think the Chair would want me to ask that we keep things moving at a clip.”

“Hello, everybody, and thank you for joining this Committee today. You have had a lot of growth in your sports. Could each of you say what is holding you back? What are the barriers to further growth? Bear in mind that this is a Committee of Parliament, so we are in the business of making recommendations to the Governme…”

“Hopefully, your open weekend will introduce more children to it, including mine.”

“This question comes up quite a lot—the definition of a core subject. What difference do you think that terminology would make, or do you really mean, “We want a minimum of 2 hours a week, and that has to be programmed in. It is not an ambition or something we ask of schools; it is something we require”? What do we real…”

“Thank you. Jon, I am going to let you off this question, just because of the time. Kate?”

“There is a curriculum review—a curriculum and assessment review, technically—going on at the moment. What are your hopes for that process, and have you been given any indication of what may be in the outcome?”

“Do we know much, or enough yet, about how many kids continue with cricket into their adult life, having first experienced it through the programme?”

“Kate, to come to the other end of the age range, a lot of us admire Chance to Shine—the barriers you have overcome and the changes you have made in the attractiveness of cricket, and so on. What has been the secret to that success?”