Written question asked by Luke Akehurst (Labour) on Monday, 7 September 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 9 September 2026. It was answered by Stephanie Peacock (Labour) on Tuesday, 15 September 2026 on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Swimming

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability and affordability of swimming lessons.

Answer

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.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 27843
Session: 2026-27
Subjects: Prices Training Swimming
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk

Swimming

Secondary information

Librarians' tools