To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of people subject to registration if open age sport is included in the Safegarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. (185746)

[holding answer 18 February 2008]: I have been asked to reply.

We have received useful feedback on the issue of under 18 year olds playing in open age sport from stakeholders in the sports sector while developing policy in this area. It is not our intention to make any activity a regulated activity unnecessarily, particularly if that means children could be denied access to a wide range of sporting activity.

As a consequence of feedback from stakeholders we consulted on the proposal that activities relating to the teaching, training and instruction of children aged 16-17 years should not be considered to be regulated activity, where the 16 or 17 year old is part of an activity aimed at mixed age groups which include adults. The consultation closed on 20 February 2008 and we will be analysing the responses including those from the sports sector to feed into the formal Government report. It would be wrong to pre-empt the results of this process.

The Department for Children Schools and Families, the Department of Health and the Home Office will continue to consult widely with stakeholders including sports bodies and will continue working with the Department for Culture Media and Sport to help inform Regulations and prepare for implementation of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.