§ Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many individuals are actively participating in sports and physical recreational activity in England and Wales; and if this shows an increased trend.
§ Mr. Denis HowellThere can be no precise answer to this question because so much sport and recreation is entirely informal. However, the Central Council456W for Physical Recreation has estimated that over 4 million people are affiliated members of governing bodies of sport, and that there may be over 12 million regularly participating in organised sport. Since no full statistics can be collected, I cannot be categoric in assuring my hon. Friend that participation in sport shows an increasing trend, but I should be very surprised indeed if this were not the case.