Children's playgrounds

That this House expresses concern about the decline in the number of children's playgrounds; notes that the latest figures suggest that around 450 playgrounds have been closed in England alone since 2015; believes that outdoor playtime for children is essential to their development and is important in promoting social cohesion and in combatting childhood obesity, mental health problems and excessive use of screens and social media; welcomes Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as well as initiatives in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which recognise the right of every child to engage in play; further welcomes the Association of Play Industries Play Must Stay and Movement for Movement campaigns; and calls on the next Government to acknowledge the importance of outdoor play, to provide greater funding to create and maintain playgrounds and to appoint a Minister for Children and Young People, one of whose tasks should be to co-ordinate Policy in this area.