The Government recognises the importance of swimming lessons. Swimming is a great way for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy as well as being a crucial life skill in terms of water safety, which is why it is a mandatory part of the primary PE National Curriculum.

Sport England, our arm’s-length body for grassroots sport, is investing £16.45 million into Swim England, the National Governing Body for swimming in England with responsibility for developing the sport across the country, for the funding period 2022-2029 to increase swimming participation and invest in grassroots swimming initiatives.

The ongoing responsibility for providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, and swimming lesson pricing is determined by individual clubs and operators.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to swimming facilities, which are great spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and learn the key life skill of water safety. Swimming facilities play an important role within our communities.

The ongoing responsibility for providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities. Through schemes such as the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, the Government is providing financial support to public sector buildings, including leisure centres, to make tangible investments to improve sustainability, such as through the installation of air-source heat pumps, upgraded insulation, and smart energy management schemes.

In June last year, we committed £400 million to transform sports facilities, including public leisure, over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated.

Swimming and water safety is a vital life skill, which is why it is a mandatory part of the primary PE National Curriculum.

All schools must provide swimming instruction in either key stage 1 or 2. In particular, pupils should be taught to: swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres; use a range of strokes effectively; and perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.

Primary schools can use their PE and sport Premium funding to provide top-up swimming and water safety lessons for those pupils that do not meet national curriculum requirements after they have completed core swimming and water safety lessons.

The Department for Education is also funding the ‘Inclusion 2028’ grant at up to £300,000 per year to improve opportunities for young people with special educational needs and disabilities to participate in school sport, including swimming and water safety.

Local Authorities are responsible for swimming provision, taking decisions locally in line with local strategies and contractual positions.

Pupils have the opportunity at primary school to learn to swim and be safe in and around water. The National Curriculum for Physical Education states that all schools must provide swimming instruction in either key stage 1 or 2 and that pupils should be taught to:

• swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres

• use a range of strokes effectively (for example, front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke)

• perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations

Primary schools can use their PE and sport Premium funding to provide top-up swimming and water safety lessons for those pupils that do not meet national curriculum requirements after they have completed core swimming and water safety lessons.

The Government believes that opportunities to play sport and get physically active should be available to everyone and we recognise that there are barriers which prevent some people from getting active. We are committed to breaking down the barriers that contribute to these persisting inequalities in participation and want to ensure that everyone can experience the physical, mental and social benefits that come with being active.

As part of this, Sport England’s long-term strategy, Uniting the Movement, prioritises tackling these longstanding inequalities, focusing on providing more support and more investment targeted towards least active groups.

Sport England also track usage of swimming pools through Moving Communities to understand usage levels by children and by a user’s home postcode, to build an evidence base on usage in areas of higher deprivation.

The Government recognises that sports clubs and facilities are important to communities up and down the country. High-quality, inclusive facilities help people of all ages get active and provide vital facilities for children to learn to swim and about water safety. Everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, should have access to them and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity.

The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure swimming facilities lies at local authority level. We are committed to supporting Local Government, recognising the significant financial challenges faced by the sector and by ensuring that funding goes to the places that need it most through the Local Government Finance Settlement.

The Government encourages local authorities and local leaders to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities (including swimming pools) for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities. This is complemented by the support and guidance available through the Government’s Arm’s Length Body, Sport England.

Sport England tracks usage of swimming pools through Moving Communities to understand usage, including by children and by a user’s home postcode, to build an evidence base on usage in areas of higher deprivation.

Sport England are closely monitoring swimming pool stock through their Active Places tool. This evidence shows that since 2015 there has been a total of 291 swimming pool closures (on sites owned by Local Authorities), whilst there have been a total of 254 new swimming pools opened during this period.

We will continue to engage with a full range of stakeholders to explore how we can work towards securing a vibrant future for swimming pools, enabling them to continue delivering their full potential for public health, economic growth, and the wellbeing of our communities.

All future funding of sports facilities beyond 2025/26 will be considered following the Spending Review and the Government will set out further plans in due course.

The Government recognises that sports clubs and facilities are important to communities up and down the country. High-quality, inclusive facilities help people of all ages get active and provide vital facilities for children to learn to swim and about water safety. Everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, should have access to them and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity.

The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure swimming facilities lies at local authority level. We are committed to supporting Local Government, recognising the significant financial challenges faced by the sector and by ensuring that funding goes to the places that need it most through the Local Government Finance Settlement.

The Government encourages local authorities and local leaders to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities (including swimming pools) for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities. This is complemented by the support and guidance available through the Government’s Arm’s Length Body, Sport England.

Sport England tracks usage of swimming pools through Moving Communities to understand usage, including by children and by a user’s home postcode, to build an evidence base on usage in areas of higher deprivation.

Sport England are closely monitoring swimming pool stock through their Active Places tool. This evidence shows that since 2015 there has been a total of 291 swimming pool closures (on sites owned by Local Authorities), whilst there have been a total of 254 new swimming pools opened during this period.

We will continue to engage with a full range of stakeholders to explore how we can work towards securing a vibrant future for swimming pools, enabling them to continue delivering their full potential for public health, economic growth, and the wellbeing of our communities.

All future funding of sports facilities beyond 2025/26 will be considered following the Spending Review and the Government will set out further plans in due course.

The Government recognises that sports facilities, in communities up and down the country, help to support more people to get active wherever they live.

The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure swimming facilities lies at local authority level. We are committed to supporting Local Government, recognising the significant financial challenges faced by the sector and by ensuring that funding goes to the places that need it most through the Local Government Finance Settlement.

The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities (including swimming pools) for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities. This is complemented by the support and guidance available through the Government’s Arm’s Length Body, Sport England.

The Government recognises that sports facilities, in communities up and down the country, help to support more people to get active wherever they live.

The responsibility of providing access to public swimming pools lies at Local Authority level. The Government continues to encourage Local Authorities to support swimming facilities.

The Government is dedicated to making sport in this country accessible and inclusive for everyone, including d/Deaf people.

Our arm's length body, Sport England, has committed £1.2 million between 2022 and 2027 to support deaf sport at the grassroots level, build wider participation, and develop strong governance within UK Deaf Sport. Sport England are also exploring a series of small-scale talent pilots for d/Deaf athletes. These pilots will see Sport England, National Governing Bodies, and UK Deaf Sport working together to explore these issues and suggest potential solutions.

We also recognise the importance of ensuring access to leisure and swimming facilities. Sport England provides support for community facilities, including £250 million National Lottery and Exchequer funding each year. Sport England provides long term investment to Swim England, the National Governing Body for swimming in England, which receives up to £10.5 million for five years to invest in community swimming initiatives that will benefit everyone.

As the first person recorded to swim unaided across the Channel, Captain Matthew Webb’s achievement has no doubt inspired many people to undertake record breaking challenges of endurance. My department is not planning to commemorate the anniversary. Parliamentarians may choose to mark the occasion in other ways, for example by tabling a debate or an Early Day Motion to mark the achievement.

The Government is committed to championing disability sport at the highest levels, with continued support for Paralympic sports through UK Sport funding.

The UK Government currently provides support to elite athletes through funding our Arm’s Length Body, UK Sport. UK Sport in turn uses this funding to support athletes with potential to achieve success in Olympic and Paralympic sports.

Sport England have also agreed to work with UK Deaf Sport to help to identify a small number of governing bodies that, on a trial basis, will have their talent pathways supported to be as inclusive to D/deaf athletes as possible. This work with Sport England will help open up opportunities at all levels for D/deaf people.