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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of (a) support and (b) opportunities for disabled children in gymnastics.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring support and opportunities for sport, including gymnastics, are available disabled people. Our strategy ‘Sporting Future’ sets out a clear ambition to increase levels of physical activity amongst under-represented groups, working closely with the sector to achieve this.

DCMS welcomes the recent formation of the British Gymnastics Disability Gymnastics Panel which aims to provide more opportunities for disabled participants, with the group seeking to influence, shape and drive inclusive opportunities in gymnastics.

Sport England, DCMS's arm’s length body for grassroots sport in England, recently launched their new ten year strategy, ‘Uniting the Movement’. The strategy reinforces their commitment to tackle inequalities in sport and physical activity, and provide opportunities to people that have traditionally been left behind, including disabled people. Sport England’s Active Lives Children surveys provide information on activity levels across a variety of sports, including gymnastics, and include data on participation by children with disabilities. The latest reports can be found here.