Speeches by Peacock.

“I acknowledge that up front. You heard from him in particular but also a number of witnesses about better co‑ordination, better access and being a clear front door into Government. That is something I am committed to improving. At the start of this year, the Department began more work on that. In a second, I will hand …”

“That is why DCMS is best placed to lead on it, because it is what we do day in, day out, and what we have, effectively, the skillset and the collective experience on. I would not say that it is a “nice to do” when I speak to ministerial colleagues. I gave the example of the women’s rugby world cup where we had the then…”

“There was a targeted consultation. It is a matter for the Home Office. When I met with the Policing Minister, she shared her experience of having three roundtables with the sector. They were co-ordinated along with DCMS. Her words to me were recognising that it needs to be proportionate and reasonable. Having had many …”

“No, I am not reluctant to agree. I have met with the sector a number of times over the last 18 months, and I am very aware of its concerns on this issue. As I say, I acknowledge and understand the pressures on policing. Particularly over the last 15 years I have seen that, as I say, in my own constituency. We acknowled…”

“My understanding is that, as part of the Policing Minister’s engagement with the sector, she has spoken to a range of different organisations, including those. I will clarify that point to make sure that is accurate. Michael, I do not know whether you want to add anything in terms of the wide discussion that we have wi…”

“I met with them just over a month ago and had a discussion. They requested, from memory, about £3 million. I asked officials to meet them again: to set a date within a week of that meeting and meet within a month. I met informally one of the representatives last week at an event. I can follow up with the Committee abou…”

“That is an important question and resonates with me as MP for Barnsley South. It is something I think about often. I can give some clear examples of where legacy planning starts from the outset and we think about how we can get as many people involved as possible. I went to the figure skating in Sheffield and met some …”

“No, I think we have covered a huge amount of ground. It is a very exciting space. We are world leaders in hosting major events. It is so important for every part of the country and all communities. There are so many different examples of that. There has been absolutely wild enthusiasm for the Town of Culture up and dow…”

“That is a really good question. Communication is quite a challenge, and the Committee will presumably go on to talk about some of the specific challenges. How Government communicates could be improved. I am very happy to do more engagement. When I talk about cross-Government engagement, I am very happy to convene that …”

“I think the short answer is yes. It has been acknowledged by a number of the witnesses you have heard that DCMS has huge expertise. The two officials with me today have years of experience of lots of different major events. I noted the different ratings that your witnesses gave for different Departments. I will feed th…”

“As the Minister leading on major events, I co‑ordinated a roundtable meeting in January. I intend to do another one before the summer recess. That brought together industry bodies, Government Departments, ALBs and regional reps. It was industry-wide because, while we recognise there are different needs across sport, cu…”

“I think the simple answer is yes. I want to respond to the point about one-off events. I completely acknowledge the huge contribution they make, whether it be F1, Wimbledon or much smaller grassroots ones. I want to say very clearly that we do value them. If there is more that we can do in giving ongoing support, parti…”

“Yes, that is obviously disappointing. There is no point dressing it up, is there? That is the sort of thing we want to improve. There is a wider communication point. If we are going to be the front door to Government and people say, “Come to DCMS,” if you are doing a particular event of whatever description or colour, …”

“I was really struck by the evidence that he gave. I listened to that session that the Committee held. He talked through the history of them, how they emerged from Hillsborough, particularly around football, and the acknowledgment that there is benefit for all major events. Clearly, it is a concern that, over the last j…”

“I would be very interested to see the outcome of these two reviews. I am not ruling that out. It is a policy area that falls across Government. We have an interest, as do the Home Office and Cabinet Office. There clearly is a concern shared by industry and by the witnesses from whom you have heard about those inconsist…”

“We would all agree with that. Of course, there were mistakes made and lessons need to be learned, and that is really important, but as I said just now, they are inherently a good thing. I discuss the issue across Government. I have spoken to the Home Office about it, and we have agreed very clearly that following those…”

“I hope I am not mischaracterising the theme of the evidence that the witnesses gave, but I think it was broadly welcomed, and that has been my experience when talking to the sector. The basic aim behind it was to remove barriers at all different levels. Through that taskforce, the Government accepted the recommendation…”

“That is a very fair point. From my engagement with the sector, it has been welcomed. The Government accepted the recommendations, but I appreciate the points being made. If there are specific things they think that the Government should do more, and indeed across Government, I am happy to take away those recommendation…”

“We probably need to keep that under review. I pointed to the pilot taking place in London. There is that balance between giving power to local areas and letting them do it in the best way that suits them, which can sometimes lead to some doing it better than others. It is an area where I am very keen to see how it roll…”

“I acknowledge the huge contribution that they make. I was pleased to volunteer at the London Marathon this Sunday, thanks to the Parliamentary Knowledge Foundation. Along with colleagues, I spent a couple of hours giving out medals, which was a hugely humbling experience. Having run the marathon a few years ago, I reme…”