WORDS from WESTMINSTER Friday 4Th April 2014

WORDS FROM WESTMINSTER

Friday 4th April 2014

Contents

Written Parliamentary Questions - Westminster

 Question from Luciana Berger to the Health Secretary concerning government expenditure on specific healthy eating schemes - 31.03.14  Question from Andrew Percy to the Health Secretary concerning overweight children - 31.03.14  Questions from Stephen Timms, Adrian Sanders and Richard Burden to the Education Secretary concerning free school meals - 31.03.14  Question from Jake Berry to the Education Secretary concerning free schools - 31.03.14

Oral Parliamentary Questions - Westminster

 Question from Nick Smith to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health concerning sugar - 01.04.14

Press Releases:

 Scottish Green Party: Alison Johnstone MSP wants detail on additional £12m - 01.04.14

HoC: Written questions to the Secretary of State for Health - 31.03.14

Luciana Berger (Lab, Liverpool Wavertree): To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to Lord Beecham of 20 March 2014, Official Report, House of Lords, column 269, how much the Government has spent on (a) Healthy Start, (b) Change4Life and (c) the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme in each year since 2010.

Jane Ellison (Con, Battersea): Total Government expenditure on these schemes in each of the last three complete financial years is set out in the following table:

£ million

2010-11 2011-12 2012-13

Healthy Start (United Kingdom) 105.3 105.2 104:9

Chanqe4Life (England) 10 10.3 14

School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme (England) 40.5 41.3 38.3

HoC: Written questions to the Secretary of State for Health - 31.03.14

Andrew Percy (Con, Brigg and Goole): To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of children in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency, (b) Yorkshire and Humber and (c) England were classed as overweight in each year since 1997. [193621]

Jane Ellison (Con, Battersea): The proportion of children overweight in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency, (b) Yorkshire and Humber and (c) England as measured by the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) 2006-07 to 2012-13 is shown in the following table. There are no local level child obesity data prior to 2006-07 in the NCMP. There are data for England as a whole from the Health Survey for England from 1995.

(Table overleaf)

Prevalence of overweight (including obese) among children aged four to five (reception) and 10 to 11 (year 6) years

Percentage

Yorkshire and the East Riding of England North Lincolnshire Humber Yorkshire

Reception Year 6 Reception Year 6 Reception Year 6 Reception Year 6

2006-07 22.9 31.7 22.7 31.3 22.4 29.5 22.2 31.7

2007-08 22.6 32,6 22.8 33.1 24.7 31.6 24.4 32.2

2008-09 22.8 32.6 22.7 32.6 25.5 31.3 19.2 31.7

2009-10 23.1 33.4 22.1 33.1 24.8 33.6 18.5 32.4

2010-11 22.6 33.4 22.1 33.2 24.2 31.8 24.2 32.0

2011-12 22.6 33.9 22.1 33.7 23.9 33.2 23.7 35.9

2012-13 22.2 33.3 21.9 33.2 20.8 32.7 24.9 33.4

HoC: Written questions to the Secretary of State for Education - 31.03.14

Stephen Timms (Lab, East Ham): To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of extending entitlement to free school meals to all claimants of universal credit once universal credit has been fully rolled out.

David Laws (LD, Yeovil): Our broad estimate of extending entitlement to free school meals to all families in receipt of universal credit is that it would cost up to an extra £750 million per year. This is lower than previous estimates because of the implementation of the universal infant free school meals policy from September 2014.

Adrian Sanders (LD, Torbay): To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make an estimate of the capital costs incurred by schools as a result of the implementation of universal infant free school meals; and whether the capital funding provided by his Department to schools to date covers such costs.

David Laws (LD, Yeovil): The Department for Education consulted with a number of local authorities and schools in the autumn, in order to assess the potential capital needs to meet the new universal infant free school meal (UIFSM) entitlement. Circumstances differ between schools, and between authorities, but those discussions gave us an assessment of the range of likely costs.

Based on those discussions, we believe the £150 million of capital funding announced last December is an appropriate figure to support schools and authorities in meeting the new UIFSM entitlement. We know that many schools and authorities are still in the process of considering the best way of delivering this. That is why we are supplementing this capital support with the package of implementation support measures announced on 6 March, in order to offer advice and guidance to schools and local authorities that need assistance in implementing the policy. Adrian Sanders (LD, Torbay): To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions he held with schools and local authorities for the purposes of drafting departmental advice on universal infant free school meals.

David Laws (LD, Yeovil): Since the announcement of universal infant free school meals (UIFSM), departmental officials have engaged in a number of discussions with primary school head teachers and their representatives, local authorities and other interested parties, to explore how this policy can be implemented so that the benefits of universal free school meal provision for children and families are maximised.

The content of the departmental advice document on universal infant free school meals, which was published on 6 March, was based on feedback gathered through these discussions. Before it was published, the document was commented on by the Department's UIFSM external reference group, which includes representatives from schools and local authorities.

Richard Burden (Lab, Birmingham Northfield): To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he will announce (a) additional funding for and (b) a help and advice service to schools on universal free school meals.

David Laws (LD, Yeovil): The Chancellor announced in his autumn statement on 5 December that we would be providing over £1 billion of additional revenue funding over the next two financial years, and £150 million of capital funding in 2014-15, to support the introduction of universal infant free school meals.

On 6 March we published a departmental advice document which sets out further information about the funding available and about the support available to schools. This document is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-infant-free-school-meals

On 6 March we also launched a support service, which consists of a telephone and online advice service for schools, local authorities and caterers and a direct-support service for schools facing significant challenges. The service is being provided by school food experts, the Children's Food Trust and the Lead Association for Catering in Education, in conjunction with a number of delivery partners. More information is available at: http://www.childrensfoodtrust.org.uk/Root/schools/schoolfoodplan

HoC: Written questions to the Secretary of State for Education - 31.03.14

Jake Berry (Con, Rossendale and Darwen): To ask the Secretary of State for Education what applications he received from groups in Lancashire to establish a new free school in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 to date.

Edward Timpson (Con, Crewe and Nantwich): The Department for Education publishes a list of every application received in all the completed application rounds on the gov.uk website.

Applications received in wave 4 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/free-schools-wave-4-application-information

Applications received in wave 5 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/free-schools-wave-5-application-information Applications received in 2013 to establish free schools were part of waves 4 and 5. As the published list states, two applications were received from groups in Lancashire in wave 4: Burnley High School and Steiner Academy Lancaster. No applications from groups in Lancashire were received in wave 5.

Applications received so far in 2014 are part of wave 6. The Department for Education will publish a list of all applications received shortly after the assessment process is complete, in the same way it has for previous rounds.

HoC: Oral questions to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health - 01.04.14

Nick Smith (Lab, Blaenau Gwent): What steps the Government is taking to reduce the amount of sugar in children's diet.

Jane Ellison (Con, Battersea): The Government's focus is on reducing calories overall rather than focusing solely on sugar, and informing consumers so that they eat fewer calories, including sugar, is key to the responsibility deal. We have 36 companies cutting calories under the calorie reduction pledge, which is often through the reformulation of popular products, and our Change4life campaign informs families how they can improve their diet and health. Some of the early evidence from Public Health England's January smart swaps campaign is really encouraging.

Nick Smith (Lab, Blaenau Gwent): Blimey, what a cop-out! With a third of children under 18 either obese or overweight, what action has been agreed with the Secretary of State for Education to stop the consumption of sugary drinks in schools?

Jane Ellison (Con, Battersea): My understanding is that the consumption of sugary drinks is banned in schools. I have discussed that with the Department for Education, but I am happy to take up the point.

I must correct the hon. Gentleman on his point about childhood obesity. Let us give credit where it is due. Childhood obesity levels are for the first time levelling off and we are beginning to see some progress, although there is much further to go. We have a straightforward disagreement. The Government believe we need to give people information. The Opposition believe in a top-down, state-driven approach.

Press Release: Scottish Green Party: Alison Johnstone MSP wants detail on additional £12m - 01.04.14

Alison Johnstone, Green MSP for Lothian and education spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, is welcoming the Scottish Government's pledge of additional funding to support the roll-out of free school meals for P1-3.

Earlier this year FoI requests by Ms Johnstone revealed many school dining facilities are already at capacity, and many schools have no kitchens in which to prepare fresh food.

Alison Johnstone MSP said:

"Local authorities have quite rightly pressed the Scottish Government to fully fund the roll out of free school meals, and I look forward to the details of how this additional money will be spent. Providing a universal benefit for our primary pupils makes plenty of sense but my research supports concerns I've long had about the capacity and quality of school facilities. "As well as better facilities I hope the additional funding announced today ensures training and support for the 10,000 people directly employed in schools catering. These staff are often undervalued and will be central to the successful roll-out. We must ensure they have the resources they need."