Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leicester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of the expansion of eligibility for Free School Meals, what assessment they have made of the implications for the development and living standards of children in that category who remain ineligible for the Holiday Activities and Food Programme.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are funding the holiday activities and food (HAF) programme with more than £600 million over the three financial years from 2026/27. This means that local authorities can continue to provide free holiday sessions, including nutritious food, to more than 500,000 children a year.
From September, free school meal (FSM) eligibility expanded to all households in receipt of Universal Credit, creating two categories of FSM: targeted and expanded. HAF is intended to support children and families facing the greatest disadvantage, meaning eligibility is primarily linked to those households in the targeted FSM category. However, local authorities are also able to use a proportion of their HAF funding to support any other children who may benefit, including those in the wider expanded FSM group.
The expansion of free school meals, which took effect from the start of the school year, means that half a million more children will be able to receive free and nutritious lunchtime meals each day. This will benefit their health and attainment and save their families hundreds of pounds a year.
The department continues to work with local authorities on HAF participation. The government has also committed to a full evaluation of FSM expansion.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leicester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sherlock on 16 September (HL3108), what budget has been allocated to the strategic relationship team in (1) each of the last three financial years, and (2) the current financial year.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Following organisational change for 25-26 and 26-27 we no longer have a discrete budget for Strategic Relationship Team as it is included within a wider budget.
Year | Budget |
2023-24 | £9.09m |
2024-25 | £9.01m |
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leicester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sherlock on 16 September (HL3108), how many (1) employers, (2) national charities, and (3) community organisations, the strategic relationship team currently works with.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The DWP Strategic Relationship Team currently works with 820 large national organisations on the portfolio.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leicester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sherlock on 16 September (HL3108), how many customers have been supported into volunteering opportunities by the strategic relationship team in each of the last three years.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Strategic Relationship Team works with national charity and community partners to secure and promote volunteering opportunities that help Jobcentre Plus customers build skills, confidence and experience.
The Department does not hold the data for the number of customers supported into volunteering opportunities in each of the last three years.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leicester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the value of volunteering to the UK economy.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport commissioned a report in 2025 from London Economics, working with Basis Social and New Philanthropy Capital, to monetise the economic and social value of volunteering in England. The report estimates the monetary value of formal volunteering activity in England in 2021/22 (the most recent data available at the time of the analysis).
The total economic impact of formal volunteering activity in England in 2021/22 was estimated at £24.69 billion. This figure includes the cost of replacing volunteers with paid staff in England, which was estimated at £16.43 billion, as well as the monetised value of the wellbeing benefits experienced by volunteers in England, which was estimated at £8.26 billion.
The full report is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/estimating-the-economic-and-social-value-of-volunteering
Volunteering policy is devolved and therefore the Department does not hold equivalent figures on a UK basis.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leicester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of volunteering for work-readiness.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department recognises that volunteering can play a positive role in improving work-readiness and supporting progression towards employment. Voluntary work can help individuals develop transferable skills, confidence and experience which may help them move closer to employment while also supporting local communities. It can be particularly beneficial for people who have been out of the labour market for some time and are looking to build their skills and strengthen their CV.
Universal Credit is designed to support claimants to enter work, earn more, or prepare for work in the future. The Department therefore encourages voluntary activity where it supports a claimant's progression towards work. Where appropriate, volunteering can be considered as part of a claimant's work search or work preparation activities, provided that claimants continue to take reasonable steps to prepare for, find and move into work.
Moreover, in April, the government introduced landmark legislation to ensure entering employment, or taking up a volunteering opportunity, will not automatically trigger benefit reassessment for claimants on new-style Employment and Support Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, and Universal Credit health element.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leicester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to encourage volunteering.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP’s Strategic Relationship Team (SRT) works with employers, charities and voluntary sector organisations to promote volunteering as an employment enabler by working with national charities, employers and community organisations to create volunteering opportunities, raise awareness of the benefits of volunteering and test innovative approaches such as the Warm Welcome pilot. Through partnerships with organisations including the Royal Voluntary Service, Shaping the Future and Warm Welcome, SRT helps customers gain skills, experience and connections that may support their journey into paid work.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leicester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many care leavers did not have their immigration status resolved before reaching the age of 18 in each of the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Information on the immigration status of care leavers is not held centrally by the department.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leicester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Independent Commission of Inquiry into the 2022 Leicester violence, Better Together: Understanding the 2022 Violence in Leicester, published on 23 February.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The report referred to is an independent one undertaken by the School of Oriental and African Studies. The government will not be commenting on the contents of this report. We are aware that there have been several reviews into the events in Leicester of 2022, including the Independent Leicester Review commissioned by the Conservative government in 2023. We hope that all of these pieces of work can be used and understood alongside one another to support the building of community cohesion in Leicester and across the UK.
Independent Leicester Review panel submitted their findings to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 1 July 2025. The government is reviewing the panel’s findings and recommendations and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leicester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 3 March (HL14602), what assessment they have made of the adequacy of the funding for English for speakers of other language programmes to meet demand.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As set out in the previous written answer, the Adult Skills Fund is the primary funding stream that supports ESOL for those aged 19+. Currently, approximately 68% of the ASF is devolved to 12 Strategic Authorities (SAs) and the Greater London Authority (GLA). Therefore in these areas, it is for the authority to make an assessment of whether ESOL funding is adequate to meet need, though government recognises that this has to be weighed against other priorities.
Government announced in its Social Cohesion Action Plan the intent to Review English language provision to identify best practice, and explore how innovation, including digital delivery, can increase the numbers able to speak English, with conclusions published in Autumn 2026.
As well as public funding for ESOL, individuals can pay for English language provision.