To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport by what means he expects the £20 million administrative savings expected of Sport England over the next three years to be achieved. (211459)

[holding answer 16 June 2008]: The reduction in Sport England's operating costs of £20 million over the next three years will be achieved by a range of measures, which include the centralisation of grant making; the creation of a single, streamlined grant application process; a tighter focus in regional activities; savings to information and communication technology services; and improvements in procurement and financial management.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his Department's definition is of (a) direct delivery costs and (b) other operating costs, as used in paragraph 108 of the Sport England strategy for 2008 to 2011. (211460)

[holding answer 16 June 2008]: Operating costs are defined as all the costs of the organisation, including its wider activities, other than the costs of grant awards.

(a) Sport England advises that direct delivery costs are a subset of operating costs which help deliver their outcomes and objectives. For example, to support grant applicants, the direct delivery costs include meetings, publicity and guidance materials which improve the quality and range of applications. The direct delivery costs also include funding for research used by the sector as a whole (for example the Active People Survey and Sport England's contribution to the Taking Part Survey).

(b) Other operating costs support the delivery of Sport England's wider activities, for example

statutory and non-statutory planning function;

technical advice service; and

national and regional advocacy.

Sport England emphasises that the percentages shown in the table in paragraph 108 of the Sport England strategy document are illustrative.