Oral Answers to Questions

Chi Onwurah Excerpts

Thursday 15th June 2023 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

We want Radio Lancashire for Lancashire —that is the answer, Minister.

[Chi Onwurah (Newcastle upon Tyne Central) (Lab)]

6. Whether her Department is taking steps to support the sustainability of local (a) swimming pools, (b) leisure centres and (c) sports grounds.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Stuart Andrew)]

Local authorities are responsible for providing access to public leisure centres and sports grounds, but the Government continue to encourage them to invest in those really important community spaces. That is why we are delivering £60 million through the swimming pool support fund to address the cost pressures facing many public swimming pools and to invest in energy efficiency measures to reduce their future operating costs.

[Chi Onwurah]

Elswick swimming pool is a wonderful enabler of physical and mental health, serving communities who have some of the highest levels of deprivation and health inequalities in the country. It could do more if social prescribing were enabled, but instead, it faces an absolute crisis because of rising energy costs and the cost of living crisis hitting income. The Minister says that money is available, but it has received none. Can he tell me what he is doing to ensure that Elswick swimming pool survives and thrives?

[Stuart Andrew]

The hon. Lady is absolutely right to highlight the importance of the work of many swimming pools and leisure centres up and down the country. It is precisely because of the messages I heard from them that we were successful in getting that £60 million in the Budget. £20 million of that will help with initial costs, and the other £40 million will help to make those swimming pools and leisure centres more resilient in the future. The criteria will be released very shortly so that the hon. Lady’s particular pool can apply for that money at that time.

--- Later in debate ---

The hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, was asked—

[Chi Onwurah (Newcastle upon Tyne Central) (Lab)]

8. What steps the Commission is taking to help facilitate the work of Members through technology.

[Sir Charles Walker (Broxbourne)]

The Commission, through the Parliamentary Digital Service, constantly assesses and reviews new and emerging technologies that could be of use to Members. There are issues related to licensing, deployment and security that must always be considered.

[Chi Onwurah]

The single greatest increase in my productivity as a Member of Parliament is probably due to the introduction of the Android tablet that I am holding. It enables me to share messages and casework instantly with my office, and I thank the Parliamentary Digital Service for providing it.

Far from replacing us, technology can help us. Artificial intelligence could, for example, identify requests from constituents in an inbox flooded with PR emails, or automatically monitor the length of time the Home Office takes to respond to us so that I can raise it with you, Mr Speaker. Will the hon. Gentleman work with service providers such as Microsoft and Mimecast, and open-source providers, to ensure that we are always benefiting from the progress in technology?

[Sir Charles Walker]

The House is very much open to the idea of artificial intelligence. I have prepared a long written answer for the hon. Lady, which I shall send her and a copy of which I shall place in the Library. I ask her please to be assured that we are looking at artificial intelligence, but there are real security issues in this place: there are a lot of really bad people out there who want to access the information that we hold about each other but also about our constituents, so these things can take a little time.