Sports Strategy

David Simpson
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made on the new sports strategy for Northern Ireland.

Maria Eagle
The Department of Culture Arts and Leisure (DCAL) has prepared a new draft Sports Strategy in partnership with the Sports Council for Northern Ireland (SCNI). This draft is currently being amended to reflect the outcome of a stakeholder testing exercise undertaken in April 2006. I hope to publish the amended draft for consultation later this year.