§ Mr. BarnesTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the amount of commercial activity and sponsorship targeted at children through their schools in each of the last five years and the amount of money such promotional activity has raised. [76388]
§ Mr. MilibandWe do not collect data centrally on the amount of commercial activity and sponsorship, or funds raised, locally in schools. Well thought-out commercial support can add value to school life and provide welcome additional resources. Last Autumn, we issued guidelines—"Commercial activities in schools: Best practice principles"—so that schools can make informed and sensible decisions about the nature of business involvement. The guidelines make clear that schools should satisfy themselves that the educational benefits of the commercial activity outweigh the potential disbenefits; that it is free of incentives to children to engage in unhealthy, unsafe or unlawful 379W activities; that explicit sales messages are avoided wherever possible; and that the level of any branding is appropriate to the activity.