This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/scotland/7177774.stm

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Sports agency to learn its fate Vow to axe sports body scrapped
(about 23 hours later)
Ministers are expected to signal a partial reprieve for Scotland's national sports agency. A pledge by the Scottish Government to abolish the national sports development agency sportscotland has been scrapped.
Sportscotland was due to be scrapped under a cull of quangos promised by the SNP when it took power in May. Sports Minister Stewart Maxwell told MSPs that plans to move the agency's headquarters to Glasgow would go ahead.
But it is now thought a scaled-down agency will be retained to co-ordinate sport around the country. He also said there would be a merger with the Institute of Sport, which deals with elite athletes.
Sportscotland has a budget of almost £50m from the Scottish Government and the lottery to improve facilities and boost sport in communities. Mr Maxwell said the move would cut unnecessary red tape. Labour said the government had been dragged "kicking and screaming" into the decision.
But it has faced challenges over its budgeting and missed targets. He told the Scottish Parliament that the new organisation, to be established as soon as possible and without compulsory job cuts, would retain the name "sportscotland" and develop sport from grassroots to elite level.
Efficiency savings It is regrettable we have had many months of uncertainty in sports policy Jamie McGrigorTory sports spokesman
It has been argued that, with the Commonwealth Games due to be held in Glasgow and the London Olympics soaking up available cash, a national body should be kept. "This government is committed to ensuring the organisation which will deliver sport in Scotland will be leaner and more efficient, removing the layers of bureaucracy of the previous structure," said the minister.
Ministers are said to have been impressed by the defence mounted by national sporting bodies that grassroots development could suffer. "Scottish sport needs a single, streamlined national body, which recognises that mass participation and elite performance are part of the same spectrum."
It is thought efficiency savings will be ordered. Julia Bracewell, chair of sportscotland, said: "We are delighted that the minister has listened to the arguments and recognised the importance of our role moving forwards.
One option could be to merge the boards of Sportscotland and the Institute of Sport, which promotes athletes at the highest level. "With regard to relocation we note the decision to move the HQ as soon as possible to Glasgow.
MSPs may also learn whether plans to transfer Sportscotland from Edinburgh to Glasgow are to go ahead. "We will be working with ministers to ensure that the cost of this decentralisation is not borne by Scottish sport."
The new set-up will see four regional operations, in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling and Aberdeen, while the Scottish Institute of Sport will maintain its base in Stirling.
The agency will also play a role in showcasing Scottish talent around the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
'U-turn'
Labour sports spokesman Frank McAveety accused the government of creating eight months of "indecision, avoidance and uncertainty", adding: "We could have spent that time ensuring we worked with our sports agency to deliver the next decade of sport for Scotland."
His Tory opposite number, Jamie McGrigor, said sportscotland's abolition was opposed across the whole sporting community.
"It is regrettable we have had many months of uncertainty in sports policy when we should have been focusing on the real priority of encouraging more participation," he said.
Ross Finnie, the Liberal Democrat health spokesman, claimed there was no evidence to support Mr Maxwell's claim that the move was a "radical overhaul".
He added: "Ministers have been forced to reconsider their commitment to abolish Sportscotland and perform an embarrassing U-turn."
The new agency will also continue to provide government and lottery funding, while the three national sporting centres, at Inverclyde, Cumbrae and Glenmore Lodge, will continue to operate as a trust.
Sportscotland and the Scottish Institute of Sport Foundation welcomed the announcement.