Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the number of swimming pools closing due to high operating costs.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to swimming and leisure facilities, which are great spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy.

Sport England, our Arm’s Length Body for grassroots sport, monitors facilities stock through their Active Places dataset. As of July 2026, 309 local authority swimming pools have closed since 2015 and 273 have opened.

The available data indicates that 24 of these facilities closed for financial reasons during this period.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to address the declining number of children who can swim confidently.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The PE curriculum makes specific reference to swimming and water safety, stating that all primary pupils must learn to swim competently and confidently over a distance of at least 25 metres, use a range of strokes effectively and perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.

PE curriculum reforms will ensure there is a clear emphasis on swimming and water safety, and our new PE and School Sport Partnerships Network will bring the expertise of national governing bodies including Swim England directly into schools.

In addition, changes made to statutory requirements for relationships, sex and health education ensure all pupils are taught about the water safety code, supporting them to be safe in different types of water.

Furthermore, Oak National Academy offers swimming and water safety units as part of its PE curriculum, alongside sector organisations to support all schools to provide swimming and water safety lessons through teacher training and resources.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what engagement she has had with the physical activity sector; and how regularly that engagement takes place.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

Myself and my officials meet regularly with individuals and bodies from across the sport and physical activity sector. I regularly visit grassroots sport and physical activity providers across the country to gain insight and understanding on the fantastic work they do and the challenges they face.

As part of the development of the National Plan for Physical Activity, I have held structured engagement with several bodies including the National Sector Partners Group (whom I recently met in June) and the Local Government Association to obtain their views, and I will continue to do so in the coming months.

Further updates on the Plan will be provided in due course.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what industry bodies have been engaged with to create the National Plan for Physical Activity.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

Myself and my officials meet regularly with individuals and bodies from across the sport and physical activity sector. I regularly visit grassroots sport and physical activity providers across the country to gain insight and understanding on the fantastic work they do and the challenges they face.

As part of the development of the National Plan for Physical Activity, I have held structured engagement with several bodies including the National Sector Partners Group (whom I recently met in June) and the Local Government Association to obtain their views, and I will continue to do so in the coming months.

Further updates on the Plan will be provided in due course.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what targets are being included in the National Plan for Physical Activity.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

Myself and my officials meet regularly with individuals and bodies from across the sport and physical activity sector. I regularly visit grassroots sport and physical activity providers across the country to gain insight and understanding on the fantastic work they do and the challenges they face.

As part of the development of the National Plan for Physical Activity, I have held structured engagement with several bodies including the National Sector Partners Group (whom I recently met in June) and the Local Government Association to obtain their views, and I will continue to do so in the coming months.

Further updates on the Plan will be provided in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS mental health services are required to record a patient's disability-related inability to attend appointments before discharging that patient for (a) non-attendance and (b) non-engagement.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The requested information is not held centrally.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data her Department holds on outcomes for patients discharged from NHS mental health services for non (a) attendance and (b) engagement, including crisis presentations, detentions under the Mental Health Act and deaths in the last five years.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The information is not available as it is held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data her Department holds on the number of patients discharged from NHS mental health services for non (a) attendance and (b) engagement in each of the last 5 years.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The information requested is not available as it has not been centrally validated.

Deaths of PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough

Found: Woodcock to be discharged from the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee and Mr Jonathan Brash