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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the numbers of canal boats and other craft moored in canals and waterways in England and Wales; and of the numbers of boaters who sleep on them.

The responsibility to monitor or record the numbers of boats and boaters on canals and waterways in England and Wales rests with navigation authorities as they manage and administer boat registration and licensing regimes for the use of their waterways. The two largest navigation authorities are the Canal and River Trust and Environment Agency (EA). The Government has regular engagement with both authorities.

The Trust recorded 33,080 registered and unregistered boats on its waterways in its 2025 national boat survey. The Trust’s boat licensing requirements do not include the number of people per boat or whether they sleep on board. The EA records that there are just over 20,000 registered and unregistered boats on its waterways. It also does not collect information on the number of people who use the boats, including as their primary residence for sleeping purposes.