Campaign

Involve your MP! A call to action…

We need your help to make sure eating disorders are brought to the attention of members of parliament from all the political parties.

Petitions have long been sent to the Prime Minister by post or delivered to the Number 10 door in person. You can now both create and sign petitions on this website too, giving you the opportunity to reach a potentially wider audience and to deliver your petition directly to Downing Street.

Petition the Prime Minister to more funding and awareness in eating disorders

An Early Day Motion, is a notice of a motion made by a member of parliament that is not generally expected to be debated. The reason for tabling (or presenting) an EDM is to draw attention to an issue, and to gather support for it by inviting other members of parliament to sign the motion. The more members of Parliament sign an EDM the more likely it is that government will act on the issue. It also helps organisations like beat to discover who is likely to be sympathetic to any eating disorder related issues.

Please help to support these motions by contacting your MP, to ask them to sign the relevant motion. By visiting their ‘surgery’ or writing a letter to your MP you will help to raise awareness of the problems confronting people affected by an eating disorder. You can find out how to contact your MP here

You can also ask your MP to raise issues on eating disorders with other MPs, such as the Secretary of State for Health. Some of the debates, questions and outcomes asked already are listed below.

EDM 964: Eating Disorders Awareness Week

That this House supports the Eating Disorders Awareness Week from 25th February to 1st March, co-ordinated by beat, the eating disorders charity; notes the role that families and carers have in supporting the treatment and recovery of a patient; and urges the Government to ensure that existing National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines on involving and supporting families are adequately adhered to.

View the current status of the EDM here

Parliamentary Debate

7th March 2007: Dr. Ian Gibson (Norwich, North) (Lab)

Started a debate in the House of Commons about eating disorders with particular reference to a case in his own constituency, the NICE guidelines, improving diagnosis by GPs and improving care.

You can read the full transcript, including responses from The Minister of State, Department of Health (Ms Rosie Winterton) here

20th March 2007: Lindsay Hoyle (Chorley) (Labour)

Asked the Secretary of State for Health what steps she plans to take over the next two years to tackle eating disorders.

Read her response here

22nd March 2007: Ian Gibson (Norwich North) (Labour)

Asked the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has for the funding of research into eating disorders.

Read her response here

*** £2m has now been allocated to fund research, read our press release here ***

6th June 2007: Ian Gibson (Norwich North) (Labour)

Before my hon. Friend starts to get into the details, I want to compliment him and our hon. Friend the Member for Worsley on their sterling work. I just had a thought: I have been involved in work on eating disorders, and when we changed the name of an organisation it suddenly became very dynamic and reached a new plateau of support. I often wonder about the words that are used. Perhaps the word “carer” is just a little less aggressive than it could be. We might need something much more positive to define the sterling work that people do in that field. “Carers” sounds like they are depending on someone, when it is the other way around. I do not know whether the organisations have thought of a new way to define it.

Dr. Francis: That would probably require a separate debate. I can imagine my hon. Friend wanting carers to be called “revolutionaries” or something as radical as that.

6th June 2007: Sarah Teather (Brent East) (Liberal Democrat)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children diagnosed with eating disorders before the age of 15 years subsequently achieved five GCSEs at level A-C in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: The information requested is not available.

Read the full transcript here

6th June 2007: Sarah Teather (Brent East) (Liberal Democrat)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children between the ages of 10 and 18 years were treated for (a) bulimia and (b) anorexia in each of the last 10 years.

Read her response here

18th June 2007: Ian Gibson (Norwich North) (Labour)

Does my hon. Friend agree that many of the people who suffer from anorexia and bulimia are often quite young and need support, which has not been forthcoming? We should therefore consider them just as seriously, because this is a somewhat new area of endeavour.

Read the response here

19th July 2007: Norman Lamb (North Norfolk) (Liberal Democrat)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2007, Official Report, column 568W, on eating disorders: children, if he will break down the numbers of finished consultant episodes in each year from 1996-97 to 2005-06 by (a) region and (b) primary care trust.

Read the response here

23rd October 2007: David Drew (Stroud) (Labour)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the Government's policy is on the treatment of anorexia; and what research is being (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned by his Department.

Read the response here

13th December 2007: Stephen Williams (Bristol West) (Liberal Democrat)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts provide specialist eating disorder services for those aged under 13 years.

Read the response here

21st February 2008: Mark Hunter (Cheadle) (Liberal Democrat)

As the Deputy Leader of the House might be aware, next week has been designated national eating disorders awareness week.

Read his full statement here

3rd April 2008: Theresa May (Maidenhead) (Conservative)

The number of people affected by eating disorders in the UK is 1.1 million. On Tuesday, Professor Janet Treasure said that the fashion industry's obsession with thinness has "a dangerous influence on the public."

Yesterday, the Periodical Publishers Association announced that its editors were reconsidering the practice of airbrushing pictures of models in their magazines. The private sector is developing a clear strategy for dealing with eating disorders, but when will the Government do the same? Will the right hon. and learned Lady make a statement outlining Government policy on eating disorders, body image and the media?

Read the response here