Dan Jarvis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2014-06-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent steps he has taken to reduce child obesity in Barnsley.

Jane Ellison

In April 2013, local responsibility for the prevention and management of obesity transferred from primary care trusts to local authorities.

Barnsley’s Health and Wellbeing board, run by Barnsley Council, is drafting a Health and Wellbeing strategy for the borough to support children and young people in avoiding the potential health problems related to child obesity, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases later in life.

Our national approach to tackling obesity includes engaging with a wide range of partners including businesses, health professionals and individuals. We have set national ambition for a downward trend in excess weight in children and have a well-developed and wide-ranging programme of actions. Obesity rates in children are levelling off.

Some of the key initiatives are Change4Life, Change4Life Sports Clubs, the National Child Measurement Programme and School Sports Funding.

This is in addition to measures being taken by other Government departments such as the School Food Plan, published by the Department for Education last year.