PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
CABINET MINISTER FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE (20 May 2019)

That this House welcomes the publication of the White Paper on Online Harms; recognises that the early years represent a window of opportunity during which children can be prepared for a healthy life course; notes British Heart Foundation findings that among children aged two to four only 9 per cent of boys and 10 per cent of girls are achieving their physical activity recommendations in England; recognises that play has a fundamental role in early childhood education and that there is no national play strategy from early years upwards; further recognises that nutrition in the early years lays the foundation of healthy eating and that areas with the highest level of income deprivation have a child obesity prevalence almost double that of areas with the lowest level; notes that the national obesity strategy should be accompanied by a sustained, flexible and fully funded programme of support for parents and carers of young children; contends that such problems are not capable of resolution via a single bullet approach; and calls upon the Prime Minister to appoint a Cabinet Minister for Children and Young People to drive policy and promote a system of inter-departmental working.

Sponsored by:
Steve McCabe (Labour)