Written question asked by Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 25 February 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 8 March 2004. It was answered by Melanie Johnson (Labour) on Monday, 8 March 2004 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what advice his Department has given to schools relating to the effects of sun exposure; and what assessment has been made of the take-up of such guidance. - Inc figures and ref to 'Wired for Health' www.wiredforhealth.gov.uk and www.doh.gov.uk/sunsafe.

Answer: Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice his Department has given to schools relating to the effects of sun exposure; and what assessment has been made of the take-up of such guidance. [157801] Miss Melanie Johnson: The `SunSmart' campaign, run by Cancer Research UK and funded by the United Kingdom Health Departments, was launched in spring 2003. This launch phase of the campaign enabled new campaign messages to be disseminated to as wide an audience as possible and assisted in establishing the `SunSmart' brand. Over 950,000-campaign information cards and 36,000 posters were distributed to general practitioners' surgeries, health promotion units, dermatologists and cinemas. Additionally, 350,000 specially designed postcards were distributed among secondary schools in the UK, reaching 40 per cent., of all 11 to 16-year-olds. `SunSmart' is working with the Department for Education and Skills and teachers to develop guidelines to encourage schools to adopt their own `SunSmart' policies and curricular activities. Sun awareness information for young people is also contained on the "Wired For Health" website at www.wiredforhealth.gov.uk as part of the Healthy Schools Programme. The Department also developed the `SunSafe' web pages in March 2002, which were designed with children in mind on the Department of Health website at www.doh.gov.uk/sunsafe.

Secondary information