Select committee: Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Conclusion 1

Third Report - Concussion in sport Published 22 Jul 2021 Paragraph 9 Addressed to Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Conclusion (the committee's words)
Despite the need for acquired brain injury to be taken seriously by sport, the detail of which we will come onto later in this Report, both written and oral evidence to this inquiry support the health benefits to people through mass participation in sporting activity. An active lifestyle promotes overall good health, including reducing the risk of dementia in later life.

From: Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Third Report - Concussion in sport (HC 46), paragraph 9, 22 July 2021

Government response

The government responded to the whole report on 10 December 2021 (deadline 3 December 2021).

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government states that the Committee's recommendations "largely align with the Government's own ambitions", agreeing with some in full and in part, and setting out its own action plan.

  • On a UK-wide concussion protocol, the government "agrees with this recommendation", saying the four home nations have "agreed in principle" to develop shared protocols based on the Scotland model, with completion expected by the end of 2022.
  • On a single research fund, it agrees with the intention but does not "believe it is necessary" because medical research funds already exist; it will instead convene a "sports concussion research forum".
  • On a national injury reporting framework run by the Health and Safety Executive, it "agrees in part", saying other organisations are "better placed" to collate the information, and that it "will look into the feasibility of a national register of concussion incidents".
  • It sets timed actions: the research forum to be convened "by the end of January 2022", Oxford study findings "by the end of March 2022", and shared protocols completed with communication started "by summer 2022".

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error