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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help increase the number of black girls participating in sport.

The Government believes that opportunities to play sport and get physically active should be available to everyone.

We recognise that there are barriers which prevent some people from getting active with women and girls and those from ethnically diverse communities less likely to be active than other groups.

We are committed to breaking down the barriers that contribute to these persisting inequalities in participation and want to ensure that everyone can experience the physical, mental and social benefits that come with being active.

As part of this, our Arm's Length Body for grassroots sport, Sport England, prioritises tackling inequalities by targeting investment towards the most inactive groups.

Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign has inspired millions of women and girls to get active. The next phase of This Girl Can, Tackling Inequalities, primarily targets women who are most likely to be inactive in society, including those from black backgrounds.

Sport England anticipates that 1.6 million women who are less active will be active as a result of the campaign by 2028. This is in addition to already active women who may report being motivated by the campaign.