Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the basis is for his categorisation of rough shooting as a form of exercise in the context of covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under the National Lockdown: Stay at Home, individuals must only leave their homes where they have a reasonable excuse. A reasonable excuse includes where reasonably necessary for exercise. This should be limited to once a day. This includes but is not limited to running, cycling, walking, and swimming. When deciding how to exercise, individuals should consider if their chosen activity and location will enable them to stay local and minimise their time away from home and risk of interacting with others. Individuals should only leave their homes to go shooting or partake in other outdoor licensed physical activity where they are confident that the activity they are engaging in can count as exercise and meets social contact rules (set out here in the gov.uk guidance). Individuals must also ensure that relevant regulatory and licensing requirements are met, and permission has been given by the landowner or manager. Organised shoots and other forms of organised sport or outdoor licensed physical activity are not permitted, save for disabled sport.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what exemptions to the January 2021 covid-19 lockdown restrictions are in place for rough shooting.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There are no exemptions to the current lockdown restrictions in place for shooting.
You must only leave the home where you have a reasonable excuse. A reasonable excuse includes where reasonably necessary for exercise or for work.
As a private individual, you may leave your home to shoot where you are confident this counts towards your daily exercise and is compliant with social contact rules (see further detail on exercise here on gov.uk). Where it is reasonably necessary for work (whether acting in a professional capacity or as an employee), you may also leave home to engage in shooting, subject to Covid-secure guidelines. You must also ensure that relevant regulatory and licensing requirements are met, and permission has been given by the landowner or manager.
Organised shooting is not permitted during the National Lockdown.
Asked by: Peter Gibson (Conservative - Darlington)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he has taken to support amateur boxing during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Government recognises the many benefits that boxing can bring, such as relieving stress, stimulating endorphins, and building physical strength and self-confidence. Boxing clubs are also based in the heart of many communities and are therefore in a unique position to be able to engage people who may feel disconnected. We welcome the work done by organisations such as England Boxing to bring communities together through projects that tackle issues such as knife and gun crime, extremism and holiday hunger; whilst also engaging people with mental health issues, long term health conditions and those from lower socio-economic groups and BAME backgrounds.
Following the end of national restrictions, on Wednesday 2 December, gyms and indoor sport facilities reopened across all tiers. As part of this, the government has published guidance to support the phased return of Contact Combat Sports including boxing in as safe a way as possible.
Contact combat sports can now take place provided they follow the COVID-secure guidance set out in the contact combat sport framework and adhere to wider restrictions including legal gathering limits. Contact combat sports need to have their National Governing Bodies action plans approved in order to resume activity above Phase 0 of the Framework. The Framework sets out the Phases which are allowed in each tier of restrictions.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - The Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to enable the early resumption of (a) clay shooting and (b) target rifle shooting after the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
It is vital that people continue to be active during the Covid-19 outbreak to support their physical and mental health.
On 11 May, Government published updated guidance on lockdown measures, including updates on how people can remain active. Since Wednesday 13 May, people have been allowed to go outside more than once a day for exercise as long as they are following social distancing guidelines, alone, with members of their household, or with one person from outside of their household. People must still only exercise in groups of no more than two people, unless they are exercising with their household.
All outdoor sports and physical activities are now permitted, without time limit, including outdoor shooting, with the exception of swimming in an open-air swimming pool. This does not apply to individuals’ private swimming pools within their own homes.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - The Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to enable the early resumption of shooting after the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Government has said people can now leave their homes for the purposes of open-air recreation in public open spaces to promote their physical or mental health or emotional wellbeing. What counts as “open-air recreation” is not defined in the regulations but would include shooting. The regulations define public open spaces as:
(a) Land laid out as a public garden or used for the purpose of recreation by members of the public;
(b) land which is "open country" as defined in section 59(2) of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, as that definition has been extended by section 16(1) of the Countryside Act 1968;
(c) land which is "access land" for the purposes of Part 1 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (see section 1(1) of that Act)
The Government has published guidance on the phased return of outdoor sport and recreation. Outdoor sports courts and other outdoor sporting activities are permitted to reopen if those responsible for them are ready to do so and they can do so safely, following public health guidance. This can be found on the GOV.UK website at: