Chamber and committees

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Information is not held on the delivery of street rugby. Street rugby forms part of the overall programme delivered as part of the development officers'' remit, to ensure that those young people who engage with Street rugby can be supported by the SRU''s Development Officer into mainstream school and club programmes. The following table is a breakdown of all delivery since the start of our CashBack funding.

Distribution of CashBack Funding By Local Authority

	2008-09 £	2009-10 £	2010-11 (planned) £
Costs for management, monitoring/evaluation, specialist staff training; regional project equipment, resources, travel support1	170,600	180,800	192,170
Investments into expanded development officer Infrastructure:2
Aberdeen City	5,800	2,000	3,000
Aberdeenshire	20,000	13,000	15,000
Angus	5,000	5,000	7,500
Argyll and Bute	2,500	2,500	3,500
Clackmannanshire	4,000	4,000	4,000
Dumfries and Galloway	2,000	9,000	9,500
Dundee City	20,000	15,000	12,500
East Ayrshire	-	5,000	4,000
East Dunbartonshire	5,500	3,500	3,500
East Lothian	10,250	14,000	16,500
East Renfrewshire	1,500	2,500	2,000
Edinburgh City	32,920	39,000	41,000
Falkirk	-	6,000	3,500
Fife	14,500	7,500	12,500
Glasgow City	22,500	33,500	35,500
Highland	5,525	6,500	5,100
Inverclyde	15,000	15,000	15,000
Midlothian	7,500	4,000	4,000
Moray	7,500	7,500	7,500
North Ayrshire	7,000	7,000	7,000
North Lanarkshire	5,000	20,000	20,000
Orkney Islands	10,000	7,500	7,500
Perth and Kinross	-	2,000	6,000
Renfrewshire	16,000	7,500	7,500
Scottish Borders	16,000	16,000	16,000
Shetland Islands 3	-	-	-
South Ayrshire	5,000	5,000	5,000
South Lanarkshire	16,000	4,000	8,000
Stirling	-	10,000	8,000
West Dunbartonshire	-	10,000	10,000
West Lothian	4,000	10,000	10,000
Western Isles	1,835	3,000	2,000

Notes:

1. National procurement of resources which are distributed regionally to support delivery.

2. Figures do not include Scottish Rugby core funding; local authority contribution; or club contributions.

3. SRU invest directly from own funds.

Scottish Rugby does not award grants to external groups so such an audit process is not required. However, Scottish Rugby monitors and audits all of its partnerships involving the investment of CashBack for Communities monies to ensure agreed programmes are being delivered.

On a quarterly and annual basis the performance of these posts and partnerships are measured against key performance indicators/targets, and assessment made of their success and whether further investment is warranted. On a quarterly and yearly basis the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) provide the Scottish Government with a progress report on all CashBack activity strands focussing on delivery, short and long-term beneficiaries, with supporting evidence. SRU also provide the Scottish Government with quarterly financial statements showing how expenditure compares with the profile agreed within the grant and any deviation from the plan must be agreed with the Scottish Government and any unexpended monies returned.

Payments are only released to the SRU once Scottish Government Justice officials who manage the CashBack for Communities programme are satisfied at the use and proper management which the SRU are making of these funds.

Funding by the Scottish Government through the CashBack for Communities programme for rugby is provided solely to the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU).

I understand that the Coatbridge and Chryston constituency benefits from this funding through the SRU working in partnership with North Lanarkshire Leisure and North Lanarkshire Council, to employ professional staff to deliver jointly agreed and managed programmes that enable more young people to play rugby in schools, clubs and communities, leading to longer term rugby participation with longer term community benefit.

The Scottish Government is aware of the wide range of CashBack for Communities rugby programmes delivered by the Scottish Rugby Union, including Street Rugby, in the Coatbridge and Chryston constituency.

Scottish Rugby is required by the terms of its agreement with the Scottish Government''s CashBack for Communities programme to deliver free rugby playing and coaching opportunities in each local authority area in Scotland, and to meet, ideally exceed, national delivery targets, ensuring that rugby is delivered in areas of both urban and rural deprivation. In order to achieve this, the SRU has agreed to expand its successful community development model (established in 2006) which sees jointly funded development officers working to build strong school and community programmes, leading to more young people into strong community focussed rugby clubs.

The Scottish Government is satisfied that communities across Scotland benefit equally from its CashBack funding to the SRU, based upon the quarterly and annual reports submitted by the SRU, and frequent meetings it has with the SRU to monitor progress of it delivering its agreed programme. However, the Scottish Government recognises that the provision in each community is also dependent on factors such as the level of existing provision in school and local authority sport/rugby programmes.

Through the CashBack for Communities programme, the Scottish Government has invested £45,000 over three years for the three full-time rugby development officer posts, which is invested through partnerships with North Lanarkshire Council and North Lanarkshire Leisure Trust.

The Scottish Government believes that Coatbridge and Chryston constituency has benefited significantly from the Scottish Rugby CashBack for Communities programme. This is demonstrated by:

Primary School Programme

The following schools in Coatbridge and Chryston have received a six week block in tag rugby, this was then followed up by a tag rugby festival. All work in the primary schools is focused towards expanding the mini rugby section at Waysiders Drumpellier RFC, the local rugby club:

St Barbara''s, Auchinloch, Glenmanor, Langloan, Stepps and Chryston, Glenboig, Corpus Christi, Our Ladys and St Josephs, St Bartholomew''s, Townhead, Langloan, Greenhill, Old Monkland and Kirkshaws.

The third tag rugby block of the school year has just started. The schools involved in this block are:

St Augustine''s, Shawhead, Bargeddie, St Marys P6, St Marys P7, Sikeside, St Stephens, St Patricks, St Timothys and St Kevins.

After School

The Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) have recently started a pilot primary after school club for all pupils in Coatbridge, to be used as a stepping stone between school and club rugby.

Secondary School Programme

The SRU currently have rugby champions in all seven of the secondary schools in the area, reflecting after school rugby programmes in all seven high schools. Running in conjunction with the Monklands rugby initiative the secondary schools provide one night after school training per week for the pupils of their school. All schools will have a minimum of 10 weeks after school rugby over the year, while for those schools with indoor facilities, this will extend have over 20 weeks.

Street Rugby

In Coatbridge there have been four Street Rugby sessions this year.

Youth Coaching Course

In October and November 2010 in Airdrie, the SRU put two classes of CSLA students through the rugby ready course, 20 pupils of which be put through the Youth Coaching Course in February 2011.

Details are as follows:

Distribution of Cashback Funding by Local Authority

	2008-08 £	2009-10 £	2010-11 (planned) £
Costs for management, monitoring/evaluation, specialist staff training; regional project equipment, resources, travel support1	170,600	180,800	192,170
Investments into expanded development officer infrastructure:2
Aberdeen City	5,800	2,000	3,000
Aberdeenshire	20,000	13,000	15,000
Angus	5,000	5,000	7,500
Argyll and Bute	2,500	2,500	3,500
Clackmannanshire	4,000	4,000	4,000
Dumfries and Galloway	2,000	9,000	9,500
Dundee City	20,000	15,000	12,500
East Ayrshire	-	5,000	4,000
East Dunbartonshire	5,500	3,500	3,500
East Lothian	10,250	14,000	16,500
East Renfrewshire	1,500	2,500	2,000
Edinburgh City	32,920	39,000	41,000
Falkirk	-	6,000	3,500
Fife	14,500	7,500	12,500
Glasgow City	22,500	33,500	35,500
Highland	5,525	6,500	5,100
Inverclyde	15,000	15,000	15,000
Midlothian	7,500	4,000	4,000
Moray	7,500	7,500	7,500
North Ayrshire	7,000	7,000	7,000
North Lanarkshire	5,000	20,000	20,000
Orkney Islands	10,000	7,500	7,500
Perth and Kinross	-	2,000	6,000
Renfrewshire	16,000	7,500	7,500
Scottish Borders	16,000	16,000	16,000
Shetland Islands3	-	-	-
South Ayrshire	5,000	5,000	5,000
South Lanarkshire	16,000	4,000	8,000
Stirling	-	10,000	8,000
West Dunbartonshire	-	10,000	10,000
West Lothian	4,000	10,000	10,000
Western Isles	1,835	3,000	2,000

Notes:

1. National procurement of resources which are distributed regionally to support delivery.

2. Figures do not include Scottish Rugby core funding; local authority contribution; or club contributions.

3. SRU invest directly from own funds.

ScotRail has provided information which shows that 11,434 ScotRail train services were cancelled between 29 November and 8 December 2010.