HC Deb 16 January 1980 vol 976 cc748-9W
Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his Department's participation in the International Year of the Child; what work was carried out by his Department in connection with the International Year of the Child; and what further follow-up studies are being planned for 1980.

Mr. Monro

The Department's participation is detailed as follows:

  1. (i) Representation on the inter-departmental group concerned with the Inter- 749 national Year of the Child, and contribution to the general work undertaken by the Government in response to questionnaires and other inquiries from the United Nations;
  2. (ii) The provision of rent-free accommodation by the Property Services Agency for the United Kingdom Committee for the International Year of the Child;
  3. (iii) Representation on the technical committee of the British Standards Institution concerned with the production of a new British Standard on play equipment. (Parts 2 and 3 of the Standard, BS 5696, were published in February 1979;
  4. (iv) The publication of a paper (HDD 4/78) surveying the homes and life-styles of handicapped children;
  5. (v) An invitation to local authorities in connection with the urban programme 1979–80 to consider in particular the needs of children (the outcome was that the Department allocated £2.4 million in 1979 to 125 child-related projects drawn up by local authorities and voluntary bodies);
  6. (vi) Involvement in the organisation and administration of the great children's party which took place in Hyde Park in May 1979, and which was enjoyed by tens of thousands of children from all over the country;
  7. (vii) The sponsorship of research on the development of safer playground surfaces, carried out in conjunction with the London borough of Lewisham—this work is approaching completion and the results should be published in due course;
  8. (viii) The mounting of a pilot extension of the home accident surveillance survey to cover accidents in playgrounds—jointly with the Department of Trade;
  9. (ix) The preparation of a report of an investigation carried out by the Department of the problems of children and their parents living in multi-storey accommodation.

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