The final item of business today is a members' business debate on motion S2M-3732, in the name of Elaine Smith, on childhood obesity in Scotland. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.

Motion debated,

That the Parliament expresses concern at recent findings published by NHS Scotland which suggest that the proportion of Scottish children who are overweight, obese and severely obese is far higher than anticipated in all age groups and is twice that of the expected UK average; recognises this means that more than a third of our 12-year-olds were considered to be overweight last year, 19.4% were considered to be obese and 11.2% severely obese; accepts that these figures represent a potential time bomb for the NHS in terms of the future costs of the treatment of obesity and related illness; acknowledges the commitment by the Scottish Executive to tackle this problem; considers that more robust measures are needed, such as investing further in the promotion of breastfeeding as the healthiest start in life, removing unhealthy dietary choices from our school environments and increasing the focus and commitment to physical activity in our schools; acknowledges that examples of best practice exist, such as South Coatbridge's Healthy Lifestyle Project, and believes that, in light of these findings, a national debate is needed to re-examine all possible options and means of making progress on this issue.

I thank all the members who signed my original motion and all those who have stayed for the debate.

Almost weekly, a story breaks in our national press that highlights another aspect of our children's unhealthy lifestyles. This week brought the news that two years into the Scottish Executive's drive to make school meals healthier, pizza and chips still reign supreme among the favourite lunch choices of primary school pupils. Last week, we learned that only 7 per cent of secondary school pupils in Scotland receive their allotted two hours of physical education per week. The situation is even worse in primary schools, where only 5 per cent receive the recommended physical education time.

Other recent reports have included the news that children in Scotland drink more fizzy drinks than youngsters anywhere else in Europe, are among Europe's most regular consumers of sweets and confectionery and are among the least likely in Europe to have been breastfed.

In December last year, NHS Scotland published findings that showed that more than one third of 12-year-olds were overweight. Of those, 19 per cent were obese and 11 per cent were severely obese. I have no doubt that the Scottish Executive is taking the issue seriously. Indeed, the World Health Organisation's endorsement last year of the Executive's approach to health improvement as an example to other countries indicates that we are moving in the right direction, but is that enough? The startling figures on childhood obesity and the child health surveillance programme's prediction that as many as 50 per cent of our children could be obese by 2020 suggest that much more needs to be done, and soon.

The recent evaluation of the Executive's free fruit in schools initiative is overwhelmingly positive. It highlights the potential to increase the consumption of fruit and to improve healthy eating practices in children throughout the population. It also confounds some critics who have condemned the universal provision of healthy food to children on the basis of a misconception that children will not eat it. Given the impact that such an initiative has had and considering the scale of the challenge that we now face, I fail to see how the Executive cannot look more favourably on the possibility of setting up pilot schemes to examine the enormous impact that a similar, larger-scale initiative such as free school meals could have for our children's future health.

Last week, I joined the Deputy Minister for Education and Young People at Shawhead nursery school in my constituency, where he launched the new nutritional guidelines for pre-school children. The enthusiasm that those young children showed towards the healthy food that was put in front of them was extremely encouraging. It underlined the scope for success if we introduce children to healthy eating at the earliest possible opportunity. Research and science increasingly tell us that good nutrition from the start of life, and even from conception, can have a significant impact on our childhood health and on our later lives.

Various studies have found that breastfed babies are significantly less likely to become obese. A study that was published in the British Medical Journal found that 4.5 per cent of bottle-fed babies were obese by the time they reached the age five or six, but only 2.8 per cent of breastfed babies developed similar problems. Equally, it found that babies who were breastfed for a year or longer were more than five times less likely to become obese.

If we consider that obesity in childhood is a known risk factor for a variety of conditions in adulthood, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity, the role that breastfeeding can play in public health promotion becomes clear. In September 2004, I took part in an innovative curriculum-based initiative that the healthy lifestyle project piloted in Rosehall high school in Coatbridge in my constituency. That initiative sought to promote breastfeeding awareness in secondary school children in an area that has some of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Scotland. It focused on the science and nutritional impact of breast milk and the social influences on breastfeeding. Pupils were able to discuss those issues with local health promotion professionals.

The project was a resounding success. A significant improvement in positive attitudes to breastfeeding was reported among children in all the age groups that were involved. Most significantly, greater understanding was reported among boys, who had previously expressed more negative views than girls. That project is a valuable example of a way in which breastfeeding awareness can successfully be integrated into the curriculum with positive results. I urge the Executive to examine the project's findings with a view to supporting its roll-out to other areas in Scotland.

As members know, the Scottish Parliament has taken steps to improve the uptake of breastfeeding in Scotland. We are making some progress, but the Executive needs to be more proactive in its support. The Breastfeeding etc (Scotland) Act 2005 provides an opportunity to increase awareness in the general population, but to date the Executive has not fully grasped that opportunity. Most notably, during last year's national breastfeeding awareness week, the national advertising campaign did not mention the new protection that is afforded to mothers. I hope that the minister will consider that and make amends this year.

It is clear that there is no single solution to the problem. A great many factors need to be considered, including the widespread loss of green space, the need to encourage and support opportunities for play in our communities and the action that is needed to tackle the aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods to our children. I am sure that other members will want to address some of those factors. I do not have time to do so.

I believe that we need a more overarching national strategy that is mainstreamed throughout departments and tiers of government. For example, a great many initiatives are promoted and developed by both the Scottish Executive and local authorities to improve health outcomes and reduce inequalities, but in my constituency I am still regularly bemused by planning decisions that allow fast food takeaways to open at alarming rates in local communities and often near schools. They offer cheap lunches to children, but the price will be paid in the longer term in their health.

I congratulate the Scottish Executive on its commitment to tackling the problem, but I implore it to be much bolder in its aims. It has been robust on tackling smoking; surely it must be equally robust and radical in tackling the factors that contribute to obesity in Scotland. Tackling obesity is estimated to cost the national health service £172 million per year, but it will cost us a great deal more if we fail to recognise the gravity of the situation right now. The facts could not be clearer. In Scotland, we have reached a crisis point in our children's health. The situation is dire and it is time for urgent and decisive action.

In the first half of the 20 ^th century, obesity and severe obesity were rare. They were more commonly associated with the affluent classes, whereas today, regrettably, they are more likely to be found in socially deprived areas. In the past 50 years, obesity has increased so rapidly that, in many developed countries, it is normal to be obese and abnormal to be underweight. When the United States of America sneezes, we catch a cold tomorrow. In America, it is estimated that 61 per cent of adults are overweight.

As Elaine Smith pointed out, the concern in Scotland is childhood obesity. When I look for the origins of the problem, I look back even further than breastfeeding—as I understand it, breastfed children cannot become overweight because the nature of breastfeeding will not allow that to happen—to pregnancy. If a mother eats badly, we might start even at that stage to have a child who will eat badly and become obese.

The proportion of children in Scotland who are obese is double the United Kingdom average. The concomitant effects include the risk of type 2 diabetes, which is now common. Indeed, even type 1 diabetes is on the increase. As well as the physical dangers—fat children often turn out to be fat adults—there are social and psychological consequences such as stigmatisation, discrimination and prejudice, although sometimes there is an "it's fun to be fat" approach and people proudly display it. That is an understandable reaction, but we have to address it because of the illnesses that are linked to obesity. It would be fun to be fat if it were not for all the illnesses that follow as a consequence.

I have to say that, in my childhood, we ate well. After the war, we ate simple food. We ate vegetables from the garden and the streets were our playground. There were hardly any cars and there were certainly no parked cars. Those days have gone. We must consider the lifestyle of children nowadays—this is not a health issue, but a lifestyle issue. There is a lack of physical activity. Children cannot play in the streets because of parked cars and people complaining. There are not enough sports facilities. Even sport in school is on the decrease from the horrible days when I was made to vault horses and play hockey and netball in the pouring rain and the frost. Those days have gone, and we must get children back into activity.

I want to address something quite sinister that happens to our children: in this consumerist society, sales are directed at children from an early age. McDonald's and the various other fast food outlets use pretty packaging and little gifts. It is extremely difficult for a tired parent to resist taking their child there. I know that there has been an attempt to address the issue recently, because of the bad image that it creates, but much of that activity is still going on. While we are driven by companies that see children, from an early age, as the consumers—the sweet buyers, the chip buyers and the chicken bite buyers—we will not be able to address childhood obesity as we need to.

To some extent, we have attacked commercial activities in schools. I refer to the selling of fizzy drinks and the alleged sponsorship by chocolate manufacturers, for example, which allows people to get a computer if they collect a certain number of chocolate wrappers. That is the wrong signal to our children.

In the short time that I have left, I want to make a simple point to the minister. This is an area in which Scotland can take the lead. I applaud Elaine Smith for raising the issue. Although some steps have been taken, I agree with her that we need a national campaign across all portfolios and ministerial briefs to address the problem. For once, perhaps, Scotland—which is such a wonderful producer of good food, which has plenty of space to exercise and which has good will—will deliver a healthy generation in the generation to come.

I welcome the debate on Elaine Smith's motion on childhood obesity in Scotland and agree with her that all possible options for dealing with it need to be considered. As the motion suggests, we are sitting on a time bomb. I have not signed the motion, not because I disagree at all with its general content, but because I would prefer to see in it a greater emphasis on parental responsibility.

As our society has changed, we have all become used to eating more fast food. Parents and children have less time together. These days, many do not sit down to eat together, and it is all too easy to pick up takeaways or ready meals to put in the microwave. Children, as well as adults, lead fairly sedentary lives in front of computers and television screens, and parents are afraid to let their children walk to school because of traffic dangers or to play outside for fear of abuse by strangers. As a result, over the past 20 years, the number of overweight and obese children in the UK has risen steadily.

The shocking truth in today's Scotland is that obesity now affects children as young as three and a half. As Elaine Smith said, a third of 12-year-olds are classed as overweight, with 19.4 per cent deemed obese and 11.2 per cent deemed severely obese. Those figures are appalling. Scotland is recording rates that are twice, four times and five times higher than the projected UK average.

As we know, children who are overweight tend to become overweight adults and have a higher risk of developing serious health problems in later life. With type 2 diabetes now appearing in teenagers, we face a very serious problem.

There needs to be an awareness of the damaging effects of poor diet and insufficient exercise. In my opinion, it is the responsibility of parents to provide balanced, nutritious meals for their children and to encourage an active lifestyle. I believe that a more wide-ranging education programme needs to be more readily available to parents before a child is born.

I totally agree that breastfeeding gets children off to the best possible start and should be encouraged wherever possible. Public health nurses, midwives and other nursing staff are well placed to offer advice and information to parents and their children on how to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Good food need not be expensive to provide, if people know how to budget and cook. Parents need to be shown how to do that.

My granny used to buy a cheap cut of meat, to boil it in a pan to make soup, to serve it cold for two days and to make stovies on the final day. That sort of thing did not cost a lot of money and she brought up a family of 10 healthily on it. Young mums do not know how to do that. Perhaps we should show them how.

Supporting families and communities to live in a healthier way requires a community development approach and it can take time to succeed. Schools, too, have a part to play in reinforcing the healthy message. However, I do not think that that should be done through Government direction. Schools, with the agreement of parents, should be free to choose how best to deal with the issue, which might be by banning vending machines that sell junk food or by increasing the amount of physical activity for each child and employing more sports and PE teachers.

The role of school nurses should be supported further, so that they can give effective advice on public health issues. The Royal College of Nursing's school nursing survey found that nine out of 10 school nurses do not have the time to do the amount of health education with children that they wish to do. That problem must be addressed. Primary care health professionals also need more time and motivation to deal with the obesity problem in children.

The alarming increase in childhood obesity that is now apparent—some children who are not even old enough for school are obese—means that there must be a greater drive to educate those who are responsible for children, particularly parents, at the earliest possible opportunity. It takes time for cultural change to develop, but I agree with Elaine Smith that in Scotland today we have no time to lose. We must, as a nation, look at the whole picture and tackle the problem coherently.

I am happy to speak in the debate and to support Elaine Smith's motion. I will not repeat the chilling statistics about the recent increase in childhood obesity to which other members have referred. Instead, I will consider what we should be doing to reverse the situation. I agree with what members have said. After all, obesity stems from two basic things: eating the wrong food or the wrong quantity of food and being insufficiently active.

The food side is well recognised and I feel that the problem is being tackled to some extent, although the effects of that approach have yet to be felt. The Executive's hungry for success programme for school meals is a step in the right direction. I would like that to be taken further.

I would also like all schools to aspire to participate in the food for life programme that the Soil Association promotes. It stipulates that 75 per cent of the food served in a school must be unprocessed, that 50 per cent must be locally sourced and that 30 per cent must be organic. The programme promotes a better food culture through food education that is not just about cookery, but about understanding where food comes from. Young people are much more likely to eat healthy food if it is tasty and of good quality. We need to grow a generation that can cook food and not just watch cookery programmes on television.

The other side of the equation is the level of activity—it is generally recognised that our children are insufficiently active. The problem is that the measures that are proposed to tackle it are underresourced or inherently insufficient. For example, there is agreement that kids do not get enough PE in schools, but the reality is made clear by the situation that we have in the Highland Council area. Some MSPs, including me, visited Hilton primary school in Inverness recently, where we heard from pupils that all their visiting teacher time for drama, art, music and PE is being cut.

On 28 January, Highland Council stated that it is facing its worst budgetary position since the Conservatives were in power in the mid-1990s. They are not my words, but those of senior councillors. In detailing its budget cuts, Highland Council added:

"But the biggest educational cut will be £1m taken from the budget for visiting educational specialists, such as music, art and PE teachers who teach in the primary sector."

Our understanding of the problem has not meant that we have resourced the solution.

I have another problem with our approach. When we talk about encouraging children to be more active, we tend to focus on relatively formal activities such as PE in schools, team sports and access to the facilities of a leisure centre, but that can never be enough to tackle the problem. Injecting a few hours a week of activity into an otherwise sedentary lifestyle will not cure unfitness and obesity.

The core problem is that we have built communities in which it is difficult for a child to be active in their everyday life. By that, I mean that we have made it difficult for them to walk to school, to run an errand to the local shop, to cycle to friends or to play spontaneously in the immediate neighbourhood. That difficulty was highlighted recently in a speech by the Prince of Wales and a 2001 report by the British Medical Association, which stated:

"Opportunities for spontaneous play may be the only requirement that young children need to increase their physical activity."

Unfortunately, that is just what most young people do not have. Streets are now for cars rather than people and there is no expectation that children should be able to play there.

Play areas that meet the needs of children are few and far between. Either open space is over-manicured and organised—and although it may be okay for accompanied toddlers, it presents no challenge to older children and is of little interest to them—or it is waste ground that is likely to contain hazards to which children should not be exposed.

Ken Macintosh has lodged a motion—one that I wish I had written myself—that says that children should have

"a safe, accessible and challenging play environment"; and article 31 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child talks about

"the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child".

For all too many children in modern Scotland, that important right is not being met. Until it is, our children's fitness and health will continue to suffer.

It is interesting to return to a subject for which I had some responsibility until recently. I recall the early days of the hungry for success programme, which I believe has been and can continue to be a success. However, I never thought that it would provide instant solutions. It was a programme that had to be sustained for many years. It has been successfully developed and I hope that that will continue.

Secondary schools are only now actively and thoroughly engaged in the programme; initially, the emphasis was on primary schools. It is also welcome that the programme has been extended to nursery education and informal playgroups. I recall visiting a playgroup as minister and finding that children were extremely enthusiastic about finding out about other types of food. Yes, there have been other initiatives. Fresh fruit in schools has proved a success, and the installation of cool water fountains has been very important in the everyday life of schools. However, we must continue to change and improve the programmes that we offer.

Recently, I was in Drumlanrig primary school in Hawick, where we had a farmer's breakfast—and very good it was too. However, the kitchen staff explained that, unfortunately, the children were no longer all that interested in bananas. Providing bananas is very easy; they are just cut in half and given to the children. But if it is bananas, bananas, bananas and bananas, it gets a little repetitive. Much of the work of hungry for success involves continuous application and ingenuity. We must tell children about the variety of fruit available, and we must explain where food comes from and how it is prepared.

A key element of hungry for success was the integration of food education into the curriculum. It was essential that that should happen—and there are good examples of it happening. Some months ago I visited Leith primary school. Not only was the dining room decorated in a way that was attractive to children—posters explained which types of fruit were which and where they came from—but classroom lessons reinforced the information, explaining more about the production of fruit and all other types of food, and explaining how food was good for us and how particular types of food were important in our diet. Integration into the curriculum is very important.

The other side to hungry for success is physical exercise. That is why the Executive—in my time, certainly—was committed to the recruitment of 400 PE teachers. I believe that that target has still to be reached. It was not a target that could be achieved instantly but it was an important one. There were also sports co-ordinators and plenty of initiatives to do with walking to school. Eleanor Scott is entirely correct to say that how we design our communities these days militates against activities that a number of us probably participated in when we were young. Planning has an important role to play. Problems of childhood obesity should be addressed in all portfolios in whatever way is appropriate.

Childhood obesity is also increasing because nowadays voluntary organisations, sports clubs and so on are perhaps less able to provide the same services for young people. The Parliament should address the contribution that such organisations can make to the overall effort.

Hungry for success placed a lot of emphasis on a sensible and sustained contribution by local authorities, and I think that people welcomed the fact that Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education was given the specific role of reporting on its progress. I am sure that the Scottish Executive Education Department will continue to monitor HMIE's comments in that respect. Nevertheless, the Parliament must reinforce to local authorities the message that it is unacceptable to reduce provision in these areas and to stick with a pattern that lacks innovation or initiative. It is essential that local authorities address the issues and take forward hungry for success.

I welcome the fact that Elaine Smith has secured the debate and commend her for not letting these issues go. She got her Breastfeeding (Scotland) Bill through the Parliament; now she has taken up the campaign on behalf of pre-school and school-age children. We need to keep making a racket about these matters, because we are already seeing the warning signs. The figures for obesity are getting higher year after year. This is a crisis, which is why, as Elaine Smith said, we need an overarching strategy.

We are up against powerful vested interests that want those obesity figures to go up and up. Fast food companies such as McDonald's, Coca-Cola and KFC spend £1 billion a year in advertising alone—and they are advertising to our kids and young people. Those companies want kids to eat more; to eat bigger portions; and to pester their parents to take them to those restaurants more often. We must be clear about what we are up against; £1 billion is about five times the budget for this Parliament. We should not simply concentrate on what families and children eat.

We should not blame only big companies like McDonald's. We need a culture change and a clear policy that sends a signal to the rest of the country. When I come out of Buchanan Street bus station and see a hoarding on The Blue Lagoon advertising the fact that it sells 300,000 sausage suppers every year—as if it were saying, "Come to us; we've got good quality sausage suppers"—it makes me wonder whether we are making any progress. Outside schools in Lanarkshire there are signs advertising back-to-school meal deals with a sausage roll, doughnut and can of juice for only £1.20. If we really need a culture change, why have we not banned the advertising of junk food? Norway did it years ago. There is no junk food advertising on Norwegian television or on its children's programmes. What is the problem with doing the same in this country?

In this country, however, McDonald's was brought into the Parliament the other week and everyone gets to go to Hampden for Coca-Cola's seven-a-side primary schools tournament. Why are we involved in such things? We need to send out the political message that such activities are unacceptable and, in fact, are the height of hypocrisy. The money that the companies spend on those events to hook our children in is buttons compared to their £1 billion advertising budget, and the Scottish Parliament should not get involved with them.

As not one of our policies is making an impact on childhood obesity figures, we need to take some bold steps. There has been some progress with the hungry for success programme, but fewer than half of all schoolchildren eat the healthy school meals. As Jamie Oliver made clear, the challenge is to get the healthy food off the plate and into the stomachs. When more than half the schoolchildren are not eating the healthy meals, we need bold measures. The figures show that when children are free to eat what they like, the incidence of obesity goes up.

I do not mind nostalgia or memories of simple food and granny's cooking. Every night when I was a child, I ate meat and two veg—but my mammy didnae work. Women these days work. I do not remember the last time that I cooked a dinner for five nights in a row and put it on the table. That sort of thing just does not happen any more, which is why giving our schoolchildren free, healthy school meals not only is good for them but gives us peace of mind.

Taking that measure would be an enormous boost for working women everywhere. The BMA made the point in its briefing that obesity starts in childhood. We in the chamber are not exactly all svelte; obesity is a wider issue. However, creating a cultural change must start with the children. Given that, I expect that everybody will support the healthy school meals bill when I lay the final proposal for it in the week beginning 20 February. I will be coming round to see members. Let us make a change.

Like Elaine Smith, I start by thanking and congratulating the Executive on its efforts so far. However, I pose the same question that she did: is the Executive doing enough? And I give the same answer: no.

I appreciate the difficulties involved in tackling childhood obesity and I know that ideas are being considered, but let us start with the PE promises that Euan Robson referred to. One in five children in Scotland receives the requisite amount of PE as defined by the Executive. That figure is abysmally low. The reasons for that low figure are in some cases complex, but easy to understand in others, particularly in the primary schools. The primary school timetable is cluttered, and it needs to be decluttered if we are serious about having fitter children. We also need to ensure that primary school teachers are either motivated or properly trained to fill in for PE classes, and I have discussed that matter with the Minister for Education and Young People. We should consider emergency measures, such as drafting in PE assistants. I can tell the minister where to get them, because I have been to see them and have talked to their curriculum organisers. It is possible to draft assistants in, and if we are serious about our children's health, we will do that.

There is also a great need for home economics teachers. Few people are aware that so little home economics is taught. I am not talking about turning the heel in a sock; we do not need to do that. I know that Frances Curran does not turn the heels on her socks. However, we could do with the cookery and nutrition content of what used to be home economics in schools. Home economics should be aimed not just at pupils but at teachers, who, as Frances Curran says, do not have the time themselves to cook and who may actually have to learn to cook. A generation has missed the tradition of mothers passing on how to make a good pot of soup or mince. Is mince politically correct now?

Emergency measures could also be taken to connect up the voluntary effort that Euan Robson referred to. On Monday, I took the Minister for Health and Community Care to visit Fala Court, which is a community health initiative in the south of Edinburgh. Fala Court invites local grannies to teach young mothers and others how to cook. We have to look at the community roots level to channel people's practical skills.

Does the member agree that we should also be teaching young fathers how to cook?

Not some of the young fathers that I know. I accept the general principle: of course we should. I did not want to give the impression that home economics or learning how to cook is only for women. However, the community flat in Fala Court also operates a breastfeeding initiative and a buddy support system.

I agree with Frances Curran: there must be free school meals. That is not necessarily to redistribute income; it is to redistribute health. That argument has been made and the effects of that redistribution can be witnessed in action at Bathgate academy and, as Euan Robson said, at Leith primary school, where highly motivated women work in the kitchens. Jamie Oliver recognised that, first of all, he had to get to the people who were preparing and serving school meals. If we inspire them, we will inspire the children. I have seen that for myself—Bathgate academy is recommended.

We need to look at private finance initiative schools, because they are being built without proper kitchens. How can such schools do proper cooking? We need to get school kitchens back. That is not just turning the clock back; it is not just nostalgia. We have to ban food and drink that we consider unhealthy. I mean that—ban it. That means that local authorities will need more money so that schools do not depend on vending machines for some of their spending money. If we are serious about tackling childhood obesity, we cannot dodge hard priority choices that have to be made. Television adverts could be banned—we have banned them for booze, so why cannot we ban them for bad food as well? That could certainly be done before what used to be called the watershed.

I have news for all the members who are here. It is not just us who are falling down on the job. In all European countries—even in Spain, Portugal and Italy, where mamma's home cooking is a daily feature of the culture—children are overweight. I read that Spanish children are deemed to be fatter than ours. We are talking about an international problem in the developed world. Maybe we have found a use for the European Union—perhaps it could do something about banning television adverts for the products of the unsavoury side of the food industry.

I take on board what Frances Curran said. Mea culpa—I went to the McDonald's event without realising that it was a McDonald's event; I thought that it was about sport, but it was about McDonald's. I end on that note.

I do not know whether I should declare an interest as a member of WeightWatchers, but I will do so anyway.

Following on from Margo MacDonald's final point, I pulled out of the Scottish Parliament football team in 2003 when I realised that McDonald's was making the tournament in which the team was taking part a big advert for itself. I went into the event in all innocence—I must admit that it was great fun defeating Ireland the previous year.

My first point continues what has been said about the big food companies. The processed food that they make accounts for 70 per cent of the value of the food that is sold in this country. As I think that Margo MacDonald said, the progress of those companies is the reason for children getting fat all over the continent. At the very least, we should ensure that the advice that is given on foods is not in minuscule writing; one should not need a magnifying glass to find out how much fat and salt is in a particular food. Companies should not be able to mislead us by giving us a food's sodium content, which is about a third of its salt content, although they seem to be getting away with that. They should be compelled to put health warnings on any food that has a health-threatening proportion of fat, salt or sugar or any combination of the three. We could surely start by doing that. Margo MacDonald is right—eventually, we should ban the sale of such foods in as many places as we can. We have banned smoking in public places, so we could impose a similar ban on unhealthy foods.

Christine Grahame and Eleanor Scott mentioned the school curriculum and activity. Part of the problem is lack of activity. Rather than concentrating solely on PE, we should provide opportunities for children to be active while they are in school. It is essential that pupils have an afternoon of activity a week; that happens in some schools, but it used to happen in them all.

Norway is an example of a country that has got things right. There, primary school teachers are compelled by law to take their class out—not just for an hour once a week, but for a whole day every week. That attitude to activity is improving the health of young children in Norway.

I do not want to go down the nostalgia route, but sometimes it is not necessary to reinvent the wheel. Does Robin Harper recall that children at primary school used to go on school camps? The teacher would take the pupils away for a week and give them various vigorous activities. That was good for the children physically, emotionally and psychologically.

I was coming to that. The member is quite right. If we take Lothian region as a prime example, 20 years ago every secondary school had an outdoor activities teacher. There are now two full-time teachers of outdoor activities left in the whole of Scotland. That is the extent to which organised outdoor activities in schools have declined. I know that I keep making that point in the Parliament, but I will continue doing so until something happens.

Access to informal play space is important, but I fear that nothing in the new Planning etc (Scotland) Bill will lead to more access to such space. Rather than designing in informal play space, we are letting it slip away. In fact, with some public-private partnership schools, such space is being designed out. It is not enough to say that we are building little hard pitches somewhere else to make up for the spaces that are being destroyed. A recent survey showed that throughout Scotland we have lost to building and development the equivalent of 100 football pitches in amenity and community space. That is not good enough. We must do better to give children access to play space.

I congratulate Elaine Smith on her motion.

I, too, congratulate Elaine Smith on securing an important debate on the challenge of Scotland's growing levels of childhood obesity and how we can improve our children's health prospects. Scotland is experiencing a rise in obesity, but it is important to recognise that, as members have said, Scotland is not alone in that. Population surveys from throughout the globe have shown an increase in obesity in the past 20 years.

Nanette Milne commented on the statistics that the NHS information services division released in December, which illustrated that 20 or so per cent of our 12-year-olds are classified as obese. That report was accompanied by a summary of reference data that were collected between 1978 and 1990 from 11 distinct surveys of children in England, Scotland and Wales, which illustrated how much things have got worse since that time. However, the report did not show a different scale of problem in Scotland compared with that in the rest of the United Kingdom, although some commentators misinterpreted the comparison and concluded that Scotland had the fattest children in the world. That is not the case, although we certainly have a serious problem.

We can draw more accurate comparisons using the results of the health surveys of England in 2001-02 and of Scotland in 2003 and the international comparisons of childhood obesity for countries that participate in the health behaviour in school-aged children study. All those studies suggest that obesity rates for young people in their early teens in Scotland are comparable with those in England and lower than those in several other countries. Of course, we accept that the rates in Scotland are serious, but our problem is neither unique nor significantly worse than the problem in comparable countries. However, we face a large-scale and serious obesity problem that continues to grow.

As has been said, childhood obesity has huge health implications for later life as well as economic implications for our health service and national productivity. That is why obesity is emphasised as a priority in the action plan "Improving Health in Scotland: The Challenge", which was launched in March 2003 and provides the strategic framework for what we need to do. The World Health Organisation has stressed the importance of preventing obesity through combined action to tackle the problems of lack of physical activity and poor diet. As Elaine Smith said, the WHO has strongly commended Scotland for its preventive approach to what the organisation recognises is a growing global chronic disease.

It is clear that most children become obese because of their lifestyles, which is why we take a prevention-focused approach to childhood obesity. Across departments and tiers of government, we support individuals and their families to make gradual lifestyle changes that involve both food and physical activity.

I am glad that work is being done across departments. What interaction does the minister have with the Minister for Communities on the issue, given that poverty and deprivation are strongly linked to childhood obesity?

There is interaction between the Health Department and the Development Department and several other departments because, in delivering for health, we have made it clear that tackling the health issues of deprived and disadvantaged communities is critical, in relation to obesity and other health improvement challenges.

We want our schools to become, among other things, health-promoting environments for our children, and we can be proud of the part that hungry for success has played in achieving a whole-school approach to food and health. Supported by nutrient standards, that programme ensures access to good-quality nutritious school meals for our children. That is the right priority for school meals policy in tackling obesity. Indeed, Jamie Oliver, who has already been mentioned, pointed to hungry for success as the right road for others to follow.

We are finalising guidance to restrict the sale of full-sugar soft drinks in the public sector, with particular emphasis on children's environments such as schools and leisure centres. A comprehensive programme of action is in place to increase levels of physical activity. I acknowledge the points that have been made, but we are trying to ensure that, by 2008, at least two hours of good-quality physical education will be available to each child every week.

I was interested in the minister's reference to restricting the sale of unhealthy fizzy drinks in the public sector. In local authorities—certainly in the City of Edinburgh Council—the health and leisure function is now contracted out to a private company. If members go to the royal commonwealth pool in Edinburgh, they will find a row of about six unhealthy vending machines. Such facilities appear to be public, but they are actually under private control. What do we do about that?

I agree that we need to look beyond the public sector, but we must start with the public sector because we have powers to act directly in that sector. We want to look beyond the public sector, but we must take a first step. We acknowledge that one step might lead to others, but we need to make a start.

I am interested in what Margo MacDonald and others said about other ways in which we can use the school environment to help us to address obesity, but we cannot wait until children start school. Support is needed at every stage of life from before birth, through early years and into childhood. Elaine Smith was right to emphasise the importance of breastfeeding. I will shortly launch a consultation document as part of the development of an infant feeding strategy for Scotland. I hope all members with an interest will respond to the consultation process. Progress has been made in that area with many hospitals achieving baby-friendly status. I am sure that Elaine Smith will acknowledge that her Breastfeeding etc (Scotland) Act 2005 is one part of a continuum of healthy eating for infants. The consultation on the strategy will invite views on weaning practice and maternal nutrition. We want to ensure wide involvement in promoting healthy and nutritious feeding at all stages of childhood. The consultation will run during breastfeeding awareness week.

A national conference will be held to explore several issues, not least those around the breastfeeding legislation that was passed last year. As a result of consultation, a leaflet has been developed, with some input from Elaine Smith, and pre-tested on those sectors that may be affected by the legislation, such as businesses, public buildings, bed and breakfasts and restaurants. The leaflet will be launched to employers at the same time as the infant feeding strategy consultation.

We must learn from and add to the wider UK, EU and global experience of child obesity. Steps have been taken to ensure that the Scottish experience is reflected in the on-going public consultation on the EU green paper on obesity prevention. The findings and recommendations of that process will be of some interest.

Several members spoke about food labelling and signposting. The Food Standards Agency Scotland and its UK counterpart have done significant work on that. A consultation process is under way on guidance for food manufacturers and retailers on appropriate signposting and labelling for foods.

Scotland is well placed to tackle obesity. Action has been taken locally and nationally to change established patterns in both diet and physical activity. At the treatment end, the NHS in Scotland is keen to offer the best treatment options and support, in line with evidence-based practice.

Our health improvement challenge is the key to the objectives that we have set. As has been said, that must be complemented by sustained engagement with the food industry, processors and retailers, both here in Scotland and beyond, to ensure that they, too, modify their actions to enable consumers to make healthier choices.

There are no short-term fixes—nobody who has spoken this evening has suggested that there are. Instead, there is a long-term agenda, which calls for concerted and sustained action. That action has already started, and it must continue. I have no doubt that we will return to this subject for as long as the growth of obesity threatens the otherwise rising standards in our health.

Meeting closed at 17:55.