Parliament asks government to clarify rules on children's play

Written questions have been asked in Parliament about the Government’s policy on outdoor play for primary school-aged children in lockdown.

The two questions, asked by Nadia Whittome, the Labour MP for Nottingham East, were tabled on 1 March.

They ask the Department of Health and Social Care ‘what assessment has been made of the potential merits of allowing children under 12 to play outside’ during lockdown; and if the Government will ‘issue guidance on whether outdoor play in public space is permitted under covid-19 social distancing regulations’.

According to Parliamentary procedure, the questions should have received an answer from ministers by 3 March. To date, no answer has been given.

The street play advocacy body, Playing Out and its allies, including Playful Planet, have encouraged people to ask their MPs to challenge the government’s policy on outdoor play by proposing parliamentary questions in letters to their MPs. Model letters can be found on the Playing Out website.