Written question asked by Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 1 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 3 June 2026. It was answered by Sarah Jones (Labour) on Tuesday, 9 June 2026 on behalf of the Home Office.

Water: Safety

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of introducing public awareness campaigns to issue seasonal water safety warnings aimed at preventing drowning incidents in rivers and waterways.

Answer: Responsibilities for water safety sit with various government departments and agencies including the Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs and the Health and Safety Executive, which has produced the Prevention of drowning document (link(opens in a new tab)). In addition, The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is responsible for enforcing the safety of boats used in navigation, including people on them, and the safety of the crew. Together with the Department for Transport they produced the Maritime Safety Action Plan (link(opens in a new tab)).

Secondary information