Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his Department plans to issue to boat owners on access (a) to local marinas for leisure use and (b) for boat owners to attend their craft for maintenance purposes during the November 2020 covid-19 lockdown restrictions; and whether public slipways can be used for launching (i) motor boats, (ii) kayaks, (iii) paddleboards and (iv) other craft during the lockdown period.

To determine what is and is not permitted during this period of tighter restrictions to slow the spread of the virus and bring down the R number, individuals and businesses, including marinas, should consult the relevant coronavirus regulations and associated guidance on the GOV.UK website to determine what is and is not permitted. Navigation authorities have in many instances also published guidance for their waterways on their websites. Non-essential travel is not permitted anywhere in England at this time, including on waterways. The regulations around essential travel do include some exemptions however boat maintenance is not one of these. It is permitted within the regulations for an individual or company to employ someone to visit their boat to undertake maintenance works.

We fully recognise the importance of sports and physical activity for physical and mental health and well-being. These are a vital weapon against coronavirus, which is why we have ensured that people can get out and exercise. People can exercise outdoors in a public place alone, with the people they live with (or their support or childcare bubble) or with one person from another household and observing social distancing requirements. Further information can be found on the GOV.UK website.