Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the contribution to national health and wellbeing of the re-opening to the public in May of gardens owned by (1) members of Historic Houses, and (2) other private individuals.

Although no specific assessment has been made, the government recognised that increasing the green amenity space available to the public was important for both physical health and mental wellbeing, especially as one in eight households in Britain has no garden.

The Government was keen that sites and organisations could freely reopen to the public, once it was safe to do so. These included the likes of National Trust gardens and parkland (not houses), the grounds and gardens of privately owned historic houses, Kew Gardens and the outdoor spaces of Royal Horticultural Society properties. Only those outdoor spaces that could be opened safely and in compliance with wider social distancing guidelines reopened. Opening these sites provided a wider range of safe opportunities for the public to engage in outdoor recreation, helping to reduce pressure on pinch points and hotspots such as urban public parks, beaches and areas of natural beauty.