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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to provide funding for the construction of new swimming pools in (a) Hornsey and Wood Green, (b) London and (c) the UK.

Sport England is the body responsible for making investment decisions on grassroots sports facilities in England.

Across London, Sport England is currently investing £3.8 million from the Strategic Facilities Fund to construct three new leisure facilities which include swimming pools. It does not currently have any plans to fund the construction of a new swimming pool in Hornsey and Wood Green, but is able to offer support and guidance on how additional funding and advice could be accessed.

Local Government is by far the largest investor into community sport with £1bn invested each year and most grassroots sport is played using facilities (including parks and informal spaces) owned or controlled by the 353 local authorities in England. The government, through Sport England, works in partnership with local authorities to maximise the impact of this investment and safeguard it within the tough economic climate in which we all operate.

Sports policy is devolved and therefore the investment in swimming pools in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved governments and Sport Wales, Sport Scotland and Sport Northern Ireland respectively.