General Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 6 November 2025.
Neil Bibby
Labour
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of school swimming provision, including the number of children who leave primary school unable to swim. (S6O-05112)
Natalie Don
Scottish National Party
The Scottish Government believes that every child should be given the opportunity to learn to swim. Swimming is a life skill that can save lives. There is currently no requirement to report a child’s swimming ability, either locally or nationally, but Scottish Swimming estimates that 25 to 30 per cent of children leave primary school unable to swim.
School swimming reduces poverty-related barriers for children and has a significant role to play in addressing inequalities. We are continuing to work with key stakeholders to ensure that all children have the opportunity to become confident, safer and competent swimmers.
Neil Bibby
Labour
Research from Scottish Swimming has found that only 16 per cent of community swimming lesson participants come from the most deprived 20 per cent of areas in Scotland, and the cost of lessons has more than doubled since 2018. Cost should not be a barrier to accessing a life-saving skill, yet thousands of children are missing out on crucial water safety skills.
Last year, there were 33 accidental drownings in Scotland. As well as each drowning being a tragic loss of life, each one is estimated by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents to cost £1.7 million. It is estimated that investing in school swimming would cost only £6 million.
When will the Scottish Government take the matter seriously and make the national primary school swimming framework a priority, to ensure that every child in Scotland gets access to that life-saving skill?
Natalie Don
Scottish National Party
Mr Bibby picked out a couple of points. The Scottish Government continues to fund RoSPA’s provision of operational support to Water Safety Scotland so that it can lead a co-ordinated and preventative approach to water safety.
The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and the Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy and Sport have met Scottish Swimming to discuss the school swimming framework. It remains an ambition to double the sports budget before the end of this session of Parliament. Should that be delivered, the Scottish Government will support the implementation of the school swimming framework nationwide. We understand how important it is for children to have those opportunities, given what they mean for both safety and future life opportunities.
Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask Government Ministers questions. These questions are asked in the Chamber itself and are known as Oral Questions. Members may also put down Written Questions. In the House of Commons, Question Time takes place for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after Prayers. The different Government Departments answer questions according to a rota and the questions asked must relate to the responsibilities of the Government Department concerned. In the House of Lords up to four questions may be asked of the Government at the beginning of each day's business. They are known as 'starred questions' because they are marked with a star on the Order Paper. Questions may also be asked at the end of each day's business and these may include a short debate. They are known as 'unstarred questions' and are less frequent. Questions in both Houses must be written down in advance and put on the agenda and both Houses have methods for selecting the questions that will be asked. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P1 at the UK Parliament site.
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