The childhood obesity plan, published in August 2016, included a commitment to undertake a thematic review of obesity, healthy eating and physical activity in 2017. We are working with Ofsted and the Department of Health to ensure we meet this commitment.

On 20 Jan 2016, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) National Centre for Physical Activity and Health published The best start in life – a manifesto for physical activity in the early years, which included a recommendation for greater emphasis on the importance of physical activity across the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and more awareness of the Chief Medical Officer’s physical activity guidelines for the early years (2011).

This report was discussed between officials at Department for Education and Department of Health. Following a meeting between the BHF and my Rt. Hon. Friend, the former Secretary of State for Education, a meeting took place between officials and the BHF.

In April 2016, the Department agreed to include a link to the Chief Medical Officer’s guidance on physical activity in the revised EYFS, which we plan to publish around spring/summer 2017.

Since this recommendation was addressed, before the recent machinery of government changes and the appointment of my Rt. Hon. Friend, the current Secretary of State for Education on 14 July, her and her ministerial colleagues have not had any meetings about this matter.

Public Health England launched One You, the new campaign for adult health, on 7 March 2016. The campaign was developed to energise and engage millions of adults - including 45 to 55 year olds - to make and sustain changes to improve their own health.

The campaign focuses on promoting eating well, quitting smoking, physical activity and reducing alcohol consumption as well as sleeping better and reducing stress.

One You provides information, advice and online tools, including the ‘How Are You’ health quiz, One You website, email programme, and a suite of mobile apps. The overarching aim of One You is to reduce unhealthy behaviours as well as prompt uptake of healthier behaviours.

Work on updating the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework is being led by the Department of Education with input from Department of Health officials. There have been no separate meetings with Ministers in the Department of Health about this matter.

The Department recently announced a record £816 million of funding for ground-breaking health research. The Department welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including joint replacement surgery. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

Successful applications in the past related to joint replacement have included: "Occupational advice initiated prior to planned surgery for lower limb joint replacement" (£567,975.72), and "An investigation of knee joint functioning in people with and without knee osteoarthritis" (£2,270,873).

Generally, researchers have tended to investigate whether there is a correlation between physical activity and academic performance (and not inactivity). A systematic review of the literature did conclude that there is a positive long term association with moderate to vigorous physical activity on academic attainment in some subjects.

The latest survey report, Health Survey for England 2012, showed that 21% of boys and 16% of girls aged 5-15 meet the guidelines of at least 60 minutes a day of moderate intensity physical activity.

We want all pupils to be healthy and active. That is why through the primary PE and sport premium, the Government has invested over £600million of ring-fenced funding to primary schools to improve PE and sport since 2013.

But we know there is more to do, which is why I am pleased that revenue from the soft drinks industry levy will be used to double the primary PE and sport premium to £320million a year from September 2017, enabling schools to further improve the quality and breadth of PE and sport that they offer.

We continue to work with the sector to determine how the funding should be allocated and further details will be announced in due course.

The previous chancellor announced his intention that funding from the sugar levy would help up to 25% of secondary schools provide a longer school day, to include a range of activities including sport. The Department is currently determining the details of how the funding will be allocated. We will provide further details in due course so that schools have sufficient time to apply for the funding and implement their plans.

The previous chancellor announced his intention that funding from the sugar levy would help up to 25% of secondary schools provide a longer school day, to include a range of activities including sport. The Department is currently determining the details of how the funding will be allocated. We will provide further details in due course so that schools have sufficient time to apply for the funding and implement their plans.

Tackling physical inactivity is a major priority for this Government. The Childhood Obesity: A Plan for Action published on 18 August, sets out the actions we are taking to support children and young people to meet the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers’ daily recommended levels of at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity. Actions include doubling the Primary PE and Sport Premium from September 2017, provision of an interactive online tool to help schools identify gaps in existing provision and recommend ways of increasing opportunities for children to be active, and access to high quality sports and physical activity programmes for all primary schools in England. This year, the Department has been also investing a further £1 million in the Change4Life Sports Clubs programme which targets the least active children.

These measures are additional to the measures announced in the last year by Government and Sport England in our respective strategies to encourage more participation in sport and wider physical activity.

Both strategies highlight the importance of focusing on groups that are less likely to take part in sport and physical activity including those from lower socio-economic groups. Sport England will invest over £250 million in the next four years to tackle inactivity. This funding will include measures to specifically engage under-represented groups.

The Department is aware of the Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre proposals that were referred to in the 2015 Budget, and that Sheffield Hallam University has developed the proposals further since then and produced the business case required for approval.

At £14 million, the proposals would represent a substantial allocation from the Department’s funding and they are being carefully considered. We do however recognise the concern locally to see this initiative progressed and anticipate a decision being made on the proposals as soon as practicable.

We want all pupils to be healthy and more physically active, with the Government’s recent Childhood Obesity Plan setting out an ambition that young people should be active for at least 60 minutes every day, as recommended by the Chief Medical Officer.

Since 2013, the Government has provided over £450million of ring-fenced funding to primary schools to make additional and sustainable improvements to PE and Sport. We know this funding is making a difference, with 87% of primary schools reporting that the quality of PE teaching has increased since the introduction of the premium. The majority of schools have also introduced new sports in both curricular PE (74%) and extra-curricular sport (77%) since the premium was introduced. But we know there is more to do, which is why revenue from the soft drinks industry levy will be used to double the primary PE and sport premium to £320million a year from September 2017.

Through the Sport Strategy, we have also extended the remit of Sport England, to cover children aged 5 and above, outside of school. Sport England's new strategy 'Towards an Active Nation' sets out a new £40million investment into projects that offer opportunities for families with children to get active and play sport together outside of school.

In relation to fitness testing, it is up to schools to determine how best they deliver a diverse and challenging PE curriculum. We are considering how we can track levels of physical activity in schools to help support children to have healthy and active lives and will be providing schools with further guidance and best practice examples to help deliver this.

We want all pupils to be healthy and active, and have given schools the freedom to deliver a diverse and challenging PE curriculum that best suits the needs of their pupils.

PE is a compulsory subject at all four key stages in the national curriculum. The programme of study sets the expectation that schools should provide opportunities for pupils to become physically confident in a way that supports their health and fitness. Through the primary PE and sport premium, primary schools have already received over £450 million of ring-fenced funding to provide additional and sustainable improvements to their PE and sport provision. In an independent evaluation, 84% of schools reported an increase in pupil engagement in PE during curricular time and in the levels of participation in extra-curricular activities.

Schools can decide how best to use this funding, and may elect to bring in additional resources and technologies if they feel this would provide additional and sustainable improvements to their PE and sport provision. The Government has committed to doubling the funding to £320 million a year from September 2017 using revenue from the soft drinks industry levy.

In the new Sport Strategy, the Government has committed to support children and young people to develop the confidence and skills to take part and to be positive about sport and activity. As part of this work, we will be exploring how to further increase physical literacy standards in primary schools and considering how we can track levels of physical activity to help support children to have healthy and active lives.

The Government published the 'Sporting Future' strategy last December to support and fund sport and physical activity and the Sport England’s strategy 'Towards an Active Nation', published in May, committed to spend at least 25% of their funding on those that are classed as inactive. The Government’s “Cycle to Work” scheme includes an annual tax exemption allowing employers to loan cycles and cyclists' safety equipment to employees as a tax-free benefit.

The Government keeps all tax policy under review.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends that exercise referral schemes should be provided for people at increased risk of ill health, and it is right that such schemes are developed on a local basis to meet the needs of the population. Our NHS five year forward view strategy prioritises prevention, and the GP physical activity clinical champion programme has taught more than 4,500 healthcare professionals to provide advice on physical activity in routine clinical consultations.

I congratulate the hon. Lady on her appointment. I am particularly pleased to see her in her place. She has played an important role in the all-party parliamentary group on breast cancer. We are very proud of the childhood obesity plan. It is based on the best available evidence, and it will make a real difference to obesity rates in this country. The Government are also consulting on the soft drinks industry levy, and we have launched a broad sugar reduction strategy. She is absolutely right to say that we must now work hard to ensure that we deliver on that with the NHS, local authorities and other partners as we move into the delivery phase of the plan. We are proud that it is a world-leading plan.

Lack of physical activity contributes to obesity. With today’s Health questions falling on World Obesity Day, as I am sure the Minister is aware, it is vital that we recommit our efforts to reversing rising obesity levels in the UK. An opportune moment would have been the childhood obesity strategy—sorry, the plan—that was published over the summer, but sadly it did not go far enough. Therefore, will the Minister commit today to ensuring that the plan is fully realised as a preventive strategy to change behaviours and help to make the next generation healthier than the last?

The hon. Lady is absolutely right to raise this question. Inactivity costs England an estimated £7.4 billion a year, and regular physical activity reduces the risk of developing many health conditions by between 20% and 40%. People who exercise regularly can reduce their risk of developing certain kinds of cancer. We are particularly pleased that, in addition to the GP physical activity clinical champion programme, Public Health England has secured funding from Sport England to pilot an education cascade model involving midwives, physiotherapists and mental health nurses and, with the support of the Burdett Trust for Nursing, will soon be launching a pilot involving 21 clinical nurse champion programmes to embed this knowledge in practising nurses. It will, however, be up to local areas to ensure that they make the best of these programmes by targeting them at their local area.