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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect on participation rates by young people of media coverage of sporting events listed under Group A under the terms outlined in Part IV of the Broadcasting Act 1996; and if he will make statement.

Britain is a sporting superpower; our shared victories in London and Rio demonstrated not only our sporting prowess but also the pride and passion for sport that is central to our national identity. That is why the Broadcasting Act 1996 ensures that events of special national significance such as the Olympics and Paralympics can be seen as widely as possible. While DCMS has not conducted a study into the impact of viewing the specific events listed in 'Group A' on children's activity levels, we know that they have the power to unite the nation, and to inspire us all to get active.

The Active Lives Children and Young People Survey shows that 3.3m (46.8%) of children and young people (aged 5-16) in England met the Chief Medical Officers’ guidance on physical activity in 2018-19. This is an increase of 279,000 since the previous year. However this means that over half do not do enough exercise to benefit their health. The School Sport and Activity Action Plan, published last July, set out government’s commitment to tackling this important issue, and ensuring that all children and young people have access to at least 60 minutes of high quality sport and PE every day.