§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to ensure an equal geographical distribution of Olympic-size swimming pools in the United Kingdom. [105085]
§ Kate Hoey[holding answer 17 January 2000]: Sport England have proposed a facilities plan for the provision of Olympic sized swimming pools, in association with the Amateur Swimming Association. In which the assessment of the most appropriate location and geographical coverage are central to decisions being made on final location. Sport England ensure that the key factors needed to sustain a pool of Olympic size are taken into account, including: a critical mass of population to sustain its use; whether the configuration of the pool to Olympic scale best meets the needs for the local population; and the location and needs of high performance swimmers.
There are currently 11 50m pools in England (including two under construction). Sport England have given in principal Lottery support to proposals for a new 50m pool in Loughborough. Sport England's facilities plan identifies the need for new 50m pools in the North East, Merseyside, Birmingham, Portsmouth, London and Leeds. The demand for a high performance swimming centre at Sheffield is also under consideration.