To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress she is making in her discussions with the Home Office on granting an exemption from firearms legislation for target pistol shooting training for the Olympics; and if she will make a statement. (81006)

I have written to my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary to draw his attention to the impact that the current firearms legislation places upon our elite shooters' ability to train for major international shooting competitions in Great Britain. I have asked ask him to consider how this situation could be improved within the parameters of the existing firearms legislation. To date I have not received a response.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 23 May 2006, Official Report, columns 1640-1W, on the London Olympics, when discussions with the English Institute of Sport (EIS) and the Summer Olympic Sports are expected to be finalised; and when a decision is expected to be made on the amount of funding allocated to each sport for use on EIS Services within the World Class Pathway Summer Olympic programme 2006-09. (81198)

In line with its investment model UK Sport has confirmed the indicative value of existing EIS services for each funded summer Olympic sport through to 2009. In addition, these sports now have a guideline figure to be spent on Sports Science and Sports Medicine within their total World Class Performance Pathway funding.

Those sports that already have a relationship with the EIS are in the process of determining how best to allocate the additional financial resource they have received for Sport Science/Sports Medicine services for the period 2006-09. These decisions are likely to be finalised after the summer competition season, in September or October this year.

The new sports with no existing relationship are at the very early stages of planning their performance activity and are unlikely to finalise their Institute service requirements until later in the year.

UK Sport, the EIS and the Summer Olympic Sports will continue to discuss the role of the Institute network in supporting athletes throughout the build up to the Beijing Olympic games and beyond.