Consultations

Consultations are policy documents that are released by an agency, body or more typically a government department, asking for public comment and feedback from stakeholders such as the Alliance. Comments submitted are used to inform and influence policy and decisions made by government.

Depending on the nature of the consultation, some are open to the public and your organisation may be able to respond directly if you so wish.

Click here to view open government consultations.

Inquiries

Select committee inquiries are another opportunity to provide feedback and influence decision makers. Select committees are cross-party groups of MPs and peers who work in both Houses of Parliament. Their purpose is to scrutinise the work of government and track departmental progress on specific policy areas.

The Alliance regularly submits evidence to inquiries and will often consult with members in the process.

All open select committee inquiries can be found here.

You may find further guidance on submitting evidence here.

Open Consultations

When consultations and inquiries arise that may affect you, the Alliance represents your interests to government. We encourage you to also submit a response or evidence to ensure your voice is heard and put on record. Contributing to the consultation process is important for the sport and recreation sector if we wish our views to be considered.

Consultation Title	Summary	Deadline
Environmental Land Management	Defra is consulting on a new Environmental Land Management scheme which will see payments to land managers for the production of public goods and is part of the replacement of the Common Agricultural Policy. The consultation asks for views on local priorities for land management, including public access to land.	5 May 2020

For more information about the Alliance's consultation responses, please contact our policy team.

Closed Consultations

Consultation Title	Summary	Date Submitted
Society Lottery Reform	The Gambling Commission launched a consultation on changes to society lottery licences, to reflect changes to secondary legislation, and proposed new guidance concerning transparency. Our response stated the importance of transparency measures, particularly concerning the return to good causes, for society lotteries should be an equivalent level as that for the National Lottery.	12 March 2020
Tackling Unauthorised Encampments	The Home Office held a consultation on proposals to strengthen police powers to tackle unauthorised encampments, including criminalising trespass. In our response we highlighted the importance of improving access to the countryside for sport and physical activity and that people should not be deterred from using these spaces through fear of committing a criminal offence. The Alliance also signed an open letter coordinated by The Ramblers highlighting these issues directly to the Home Secretary.	4 March 2020
National Anti-Doping Policy	The Department for Culture Media and Sport held a consultation on the current policy which was launched in 2009. The policy sets out the roles and responsibilities for UKAD, the Sports Councils, Governing Bodies of sport and the National Anti-Doping Panel. The consultation sought to understand views on the effectiveness of the current policy.	25 November 2019
DHSC Advancing our Health Green Paper	The Department for Health and Social Care opened a consultation on preventative health which will contribute to the Government's white paper for prevention of ill health and disease in the 2020s. The Alliance responded, advocating for the important contribution of physical activity and the sport sector to nation's health. In our response we made direct policy asks which will enable the sector to thrive and make a greater contribution to proactive prevention of diseases including obesity and ill mental health.	18 October 2019
Sexual Harassment in the Workplace	The Gender Equality Office opened a consultation on the current law protecting people from sexual harassment in the workplace. One of the proposals within the consultation specifically looks at the current protection of volunteers and extending the 2010 Equality act to protect them. The Alliance submitted a response in order to communicate the potential implications of the proposals for NGBs and members.	9 Oct 2019
National Lottery Operation Inquiry	The DCMS Select Committee launched an inquiry to consider whether changes are needed to the operation of the National Lottery in light of falling Lottery receipts and changes to the Lottery market. The Alliance has submitted a response to this which will be available to view shortly.	30 Aug 2019
Ofsted: Education Inspection Framework	Ofsted sought views on their proposals for changes to the education inspection framework taking place from September 2019. The Alliance submitted a response outlining the importance of assessing the quality of PE and sport alongside other subjects. You may view the consultation here.	5 April 2019
Mental Health of Men and Boys	The Women and Equalities Committee launched an inquiry into male mental health to which the Alliance submitted evidence. We have evidenced the incredibly positive impact of various sport and recreation programmes on the mental wellbeing of young boys and men, and have urged the committee to consider incorporating these into the broader mental health service offering currently in place.	18 February 2019
Out of School Settings: Voluntary Safeguarding	Stemming from the Integrated Communties Strategy, Government published guidance to help parents choose safe and high quality out of school settings (OOSS) for children. The Department for Education asked for views to contribute to the development of a safeguarding code of practice. The Alliance's response can be read here.	22 February 2019
25 Year Environmental Plan: Measuring Progress	The Alliance has submitted a response to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' consultation on the progress of their 25 Year Plan. The Department have been seeking views on indicators used to show envoronment change and how we will measure our progress against the plan. You may view the Allliance's response here.	25 January 2019