John Prescott tells BBC News Online: "Children will have their full say"

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and Education Secretary David Blunkett got a taste of the future on Wednesday when they met 18 primary school children.

The two politicians heard the children's opinions on smoking, pollution and litter. A crowd of hands went up when Mr Prescott asked who would like to stand for his seat in Hull.

Shaun Ransom, aged 11, from Hull, suggested Mr Prescott could turn all pubs into Center Parcs.

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The deputy prime minister replied that the government had to get elected every five years.

Stephen Lawrence, aged 10, from Hull, said the visit to Westminster had encouraged him to become a politician, particularly education secretary.

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He said: "I reckon the environment needs cleaning up, from where I come from there's lots of vandalism."

Alexander Edwards, aged 10 from Primrose Hill, had his eyes on Mr Prescott's job.

He said: "I think we should tax cars, make public transport better with the money and if there are any cars left we should make them solar powered."

The children taking party came from Francis Askew Primary School in Hull and Primrose Hill Primary School in London.

More than 1,000 schools will take part in the competition to set up a 54-member Children's Parliament, which will debate the environment.

The young politicians, who will be aged 10 to 11, will produce their own "white paper" on the environment, which will be presented to Mr Prescott.

More than 1,000 schools will take part

The initiative is being run jointly by the Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions and the Department for Education and Employment.

Mr Prescott said he had the idea for the parliament during a visit to the Scarborough Sea Life centre when children asked him why the seals were suffering from pollution.

He told BBC News Online: "They questioned me hard about what we were doing in parliament.

"Seeing as I'm in charge of doing something about the environment and I was producing a document on changes we will have to make to improve the environment I thought why couldn't the children be involved in a children's parliament."

The parliamentary-style debate, which will take place in Granada Studios model of the House of Commons chamber, will be presided over by Deputy Speaker Michael Martin in May.

Children will take part in essay and debating competitions to select six "MPs" from nine regions across the country.

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Mr Prescott and Mr Blunkett will face a select committee-style grilling from the young politicians who will draw up a five point action plan to present to the prime minister at Downing Street.

The real politicians have promised they will respond fully to their younger counterparts and consider the children's "white paper" in the context of the government's sustainable development strategy.

Mr Blunkett said: "The Department of Education, Transport and the Regions is stressing the importance of the environment and we would like to link that with citizenship and democracy."

He said he hoped the experience would involve children in the political process to help them achieve their "aspirations and hopes".

He said: "If this works, we'll be in for a rough time.