To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent estimate he has made of the number and proportion of young people who cease participating in sport upon leaving school. (270344)

The available information is set out in the reply I gave to the hon. Member on this subject on 27 January 2009, Official Report, column 363W.

During the ages of 16 to 19, the period when young people leave school, sport participation¹ drops by seven percentage points, (or the equivalent of 42,000 participants) from a participation rate of 37.4 per cent. at age 16, to a participation rate of 30.4 per cent. at age 19.

¹ Participation is defined as the percentage of the adult population participating in at least 30 minutes of sport, to at least moderate intensity, at least three times a week.