Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment he has made of the effect of nutrition on preventing deaths of children under the age of five years; and what steps he is taking to integrate nutrition into his Department's health programme through measurable indicators and outcomes.

Malnutrition is the underlying cause of 45% of child deaths. Addressing malnutrition is therefore key for ending preventable deaths, and we have recently announced a renewed commitment to end preventable deaths of mothers, new-borns and children by 2030.

The UK championed nutrition as a core aspect of universal health coverage at the high-level meeting at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

We are prioritising the integration of highly cost-effective nutrition services, such as breastfeeding promotion and treatment for child wasting, into our health programmes in a range of countries. We are also promoting the inclusion of indicators to track nutrition outcomes.