EDUCATION Secretary David Blunkett is to be brought into the row over Lancashire County Council's decision to slash swimming lessons for many primary school pupils.
Culture Secretary Chris Smith promised to raise the matter with his Cabinet colleague when Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans called for government intervention in the Commons.
The county council is halving the time in which pupils learn to swim from three to six terms, arguing that experts say three terms is long enough for them to learn the basics.
But Mr Evans told the Culture Secretary: "You will appreciate not only that swimming is important as one of the best forms of exercise, but that swimming skills can save lives. The rhetoric about sport in schools is fine, but youngsters are now having only half the swimming lessons that they were receiving only 12 months ago."
Mr Smith agreed that swimming was very important and said he would draw the matter to Mr Blunkett's attention.
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