Physical Activity: Children and Young People
Thursday, 12 November 2026
Contributions
Rachel Taylor (North Warwickshire and Bedworth) (Lab)Labour
1. What steps her Department is taking to increase participation in sport and physical activity among children and young people.
The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Lisa Nandy)Labour
The Government are highly committed to increasing physical activity for young people, which is why we are reforming the PE and school sports partnerships, strengthening links between schools, clubs and local communities, and investing in grassroots facilities. If I may say so, my hon. Friend is an outstanding advocate on this issue and an example of the amazing contribution that people can make throughout their lifetimes through sport. As an umpire for Wimbledon and someone who still plays tennis for her county, she is a shining example of what can be achieved through sport.
I thank my right hon. Friend for her kind words. At the recent Warwickshire youth conference, young people spoke to me about the challenges they face in finding work, from poor mental health to lack of confidence. Grassroots sport can help to break that cycle by building resilience and giving young people the skills to succeed. What steps is the Secretary of State taking to ensure that sport plays a greater role in tackling the number of young people not in education, employment or training?
My hon. Friend will know that this Government co-produced with young people the national youth strategy, which we published last year. In that strategy we set out a commitment that all young people in this country should have somewhere to go, something to do and someone who cares. We are setting about rebuilding youth work and youth services, and putting my Department in the service of young people and that strategy through sports, art and other opportunities for them to live richer, larger lives. Next week we will publish the Milburn review to tackle the 1 million young people who are not in education, employment or training. The Prime Minister believes firmly—and I support him—that that has to include enriching activities for young people from an early age and all the way through their teenage years, so that when they go out looking for work, they have the resilience, confidence and skills to be able to benefit.
Nigel Huddleston (Droitwich and Evesham) (Con)Conservative
Reflecting on my time as Sports Minister, one thing that struck me is how much time we spent on the latest drama created by sports or governing bodies, and how little time we spent on promoting physical activity, to the extent that when we had meetings with Sport Ministers from around the world, it was striking that they were often members of a Department of Health, rather than some other body. Does the right hon. Lady agree that there is real merit in much closer co-operation, and perhaps even joint ministerial roles, in promoting physical activity and sports roles, with the added benefit of potential access to greater budgets?
I strongly support what the hon. Gentleman says. Less than half of children are getting the recommended 60 active minutes a day, and we as a Government are really concerned about that. I agree that this has to be a whole-of-Government endeavour. In particular, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Education and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport need to work together much more closely. I have discussed this issue with the new Health Secretary and the new Education Secretary, but I am very keen to discuss it further with the hon. Gentleman and to get his advice as a former Sport Minister on how we might best achieve that.
Source: UK Parliament Hansard API. Debate ID: 5436627.