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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of swimming pool and gym closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sports and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health, and are a vital weapon against coronavirus. That’s why we made sure that people could exercise at least once a day even during the height of lockdown - and why we opened up grassroots sport and leisure facilities as soon as it was safe to do so.

As announced by the Prime Minister on Saturday from Thursday until Wednesday 2 November there will be significant restrictions on some sectors of the economy including the closure of indoor and outdoor leisure. Outdoor gyms and playgrounds will remain open. Exercise and recreation outdoors will be allowed with your household or on your own with one person from another household.

It is not possible to isolate the specific impact of swimming pool and gym closures on physical activity levels because people can substitute this with other activities such as running and cycling.