North Swindon MP & Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Sport, Justin Tomlinson, has called for more joined up thinking to tackle the issue of childhood obesity.
Justin used Education Questions, and a Statement launching the Childhood Obesity Strategy in the House of Commons, to push for Ministers to focus on active solutions improve young people health rather than focusing on plans to ban advertising for a variety of junk foods.
Top of Justin's list is greater access to school sites for sports & community activities, for free, after-school & during school holiday periods in the forthcoming strategy update.
Justin has previously highlighted research from the Sports & Recreation Alliance which shows:
- a staggering 77% of children do not meet the national recommended level of activity
- 1 in 5 children start primary school overweight or obese, rising to more than one in three by the time they leave
Justin has already successfully lobbied the Government to ringfence the monies raised by the sugar tax in order to increase participation in school sport and build new facilities
Justin's Question to the Schools Minister
Justin Tomlinson: Following the announcement on the obesity strategy, what consideration is being given to opening up school sports facilities for free after school and during the holidays to parents and sports clubs that provide constructive opportunities for young people?
Nick Gibb: My hon. Friend makes an important point. Schools increasingly use their facilities for the community and to raise further income. We take school sport extremely seriously and the obesity strategy encourages more young people to be active every day of the week.
Justin's Question to the Public Health Minister
Justin Tomlinson: As 80% of children are not doing the recommended minimum of exercise, we owe it to them to do better than make political gestures. In stark contrast to when the Labour Government devastated school sport, will the Minister commit to making it an absolute priority to work with the Department for Education to unlock school sports facilities for free after school and in the school holidays for sports groups and parents, in order to provide opportunities?
Steve Brine: I spoke earlier about the Government’s doubling of the primary PE and sport premium to £320 million per year, which is very important. My hon. Friend is absolutely right to raise the issue. I will of course work with all my colleagues across Government to implement the plan and to do even better than we currently are.
