To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the number of children and young people leaving school unable to swim. (S6O-04203)

The Scottish Government believes that every child should be given the opportunity to learn to swim. It is a life skill that can save lives. Swimming lessons are not delivered nationally as part of the school curriculum and there is currently no requirement to report a child’s swimming ability, either locally or nationally. As a result, we are unable to provide an estimate of the number of pupils who leave school unable to swim. However, we will continue to work with sportscotland, Scottish Swimming and various local and national partners to develop interventions and approaches to provide opportunities for children to become confident, safer and competent swimmers.

Community access to swimming has been massively reduced through pool closures and cuts to opening hours. Costs are rising for families, too. Not every school has a pool and it is getting harder to go swimming outwith school.

We know from Scottish Swimming that, some time ago, up to 40 per cent of primary school-aged children left school unable to swim. That should be a serious concern for us all, including the Scottish Government. Next week, the Parliament will consider Scottish Swimming’s petition concerning the proposed closure of school pools, including five in Dundee.

Does the minister accept that that all makes it more difficult to ensure that primary school-aged children have the opportunity to learn how to swim and the basics of water safety? What is the Government’s plan to make sure that they can do so?

I absolutely recognise the challenges that Neil Bibby has described. I remind members that I live in the Highlands, where children often attend school at a very long distance from their local pool. However, Highland Council is dedicated to ensuring that children can learn to swim at school.

Neil Bibby asked about leisure facilities. We understand the challenging financial circumstances that local authorities are facing in relation to maintaining and operating sports and leisure facilities. That is due, in part, to rising energy costs. We have repeatedly called on the United Kingdom Government to use all the powers at its disposal to tackle the cost of living crisis and to provide appropriate energy bill relief to leisure facilities. Swimming is a very energy-dense activity. It is vital that all avenues are explored to ensure that, where possible, local clubs and communities have access to sport and leisure facilities.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills and I will continue to work on a cross-portfolio basis to ensure that we maximise the opportunity for children to learn to swim at school.

Swimming is a life skill. This is a safety issue. Swimming is a positive health activity at a time when children’s physical and mental health is worse than it has ever been. If someone cannot swim, they are excluded from participation, which exacerbates inequalities.

As I have continually said, we need to increase opportunities to be active. All primary schools should have access to free swimming lessons. Why does the Scottish Government keep digging its heels in? Surely, it must be running out of excuses by now?

Brian Whittle and I are very aligned on the issues around the value of sport and exercise for both physical and mental health. He alluded to the opportunities that arise from swimming for children with disabilities to be included. It is a superb sport for people to get involved in. That is why the Government is so committed to ensuring that opportunities are available for children in schools. As I said, we will continue to work with sportscotland, Scottish Swimming and local authorities, and on a cross-portfolio basis across the Government in order to ensure that we maximise those opportunities.