Bill Butler MSP (pictured) is the Shadow Minister for Sport and works as part of the shadow health team.

This next decade is going to be a golden decade for sport as we see the Olympics in 2012 coming to London and the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the 2014 Ryder Cup in Scotland.

The Scottish Government set the block grant which the sports national body, SportsScotland, receive and also issue funding to Local Authorities to provide facilities.  

Scottish Labour are determined to use the golden decade to create a lasting legacy in improving the health and levels of physical activity in Scotland and has challenged the SNP Government to ensure that there is fair access to facilities so that everyone can get the chance to get physically active.

Facilities

Scottish Labour have campaigned to improve access to:

• Council tennis facilities after we revealed that almost a third of councils have no tennis facilities at all and only 4 allow free access to children.

• Swimming pools: Scottish Labour has called on all council run swimming pools to allow children free access. Despite the SNP promising this in their manifesto, only 2 Councils currently children free swimming. Labour at Westminster have ensured pensioners and children are given free access to swimming pools in the run up to 2012.

Schools

Scottish Labour have called for:

• Children to receive quality Physical Education after the SNP Government have failed to deliver 2 hours of PE a week as they promised in their manifesto

• Children to receive outdoor education after the SNP Government have broken their manifesto promise to provide a guaranteed 5 days outdoor education for all pupils.