Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many administrative letters to individuals under the on-the-runs scheme were issued broken down by year.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

This information is publicly available at Appendix 4: Chronology of The Report of the Hallet Review: An Independent Review into the On the Runs Administrative Scheme, which can be found here.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans the department has to promote the National Year of Reading in a) early years settings, b) primary schools, c) secondary schools, d) further education and e) higher education.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address long-term declines in reading enjoyment.

It includes a major physical and online marketing campaign, as well as exciting events, webinars, resources, and activities in communities, libraries, schools and early years settings throughout the year. Reading together is one of the most powerful ways to build a child’s language and communication skills, strengthen early bonds, and spark a lifelong love of reading, which is why early years is one of the priority groups for the National Year of Reading.

We are raising awareness of the National Year of Reading through a range of methods, such as via departmental communication channels, the National Year of Reading mailing list and social media, communications from the National Literacy Trust, and promotion via the English Hubs network.

All interested parties are encouraged to sign up to the National Year of Reading website for more information: https://goallin.org.uk/.

To further support reading for pleasure, this government has committed over £10 million of dormant assets funding to guarantee a library for every primary school by the end of this parliament, and a further £5 million for secondary schools to purchase books to encourage reading enjoyment amongst their pupils.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Civil Society Covenant will have a role in the implementation of the National Year of Reading.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults. It is a department initiative, in collaboration with our delivery partner, the National Literacy Trust, who are leading the delivery of the campaign.

The National Year of Reading is operating as a collective impact campaign, allowing multiple partners from a range of sectors to participate, including schools, libraries, publishers, booksellers, media companies, retailers, and charities. It supports the Civil Society Covenant’s aims to build effective partnerships across the breadth of civil society and government, working together to tackle the deep-seated challenges of our time.

Tackling the long-term decline in reading for pleasure requires cross-sector support across the UK, as encompassed by the Go All In campaign which encourages everyone to get involved. The year includes a major physical and online marketing campaign, as well as exciting events, webinars, resources, and activities in communities, libraries, schools and early years settings across the UK throughout the year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to promote reading.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Reading for pleasure is hugely important and brings a range of benefits. That is why we have launched the National Year of Reading 2026, in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust. It aims to address long-term declines in reading enjoyment through engaging new audiences, reshaping public attitudes and building the systems needed to embed lasting, meaningful change. As part of this, we are providing £5 million of funding for secondary schools to purchase books to encourage reading for pleasure.

The government has also committed £28.3 million this financial year to support and drive high and rising standards in reading. This includes supporting the teaching of reading across all primary stages and key stage 3 in secondary via the English Hubs programme. Furthermore, the government’s reading framework provides guidance on improving the teaching of reading, to ensure that every child is not only able to read proficiently but also develops a genuine love of reading.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to promote equality and inclusion as part of the National Year of Reading.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign designed to tackle the steep decline in reading enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults, and to engage new audiences in reading. It aims to make lasting change to the nation’s reading habits and is for everyone, including adults, children, families and communities, reflecting that the decline in reading enjoyment affects all sectors of society. However, there will be a targeted focus on certain priority groups: boys aged 10 to16, parents from disadvantaged communities, and early years children.

‘Go All In’ is a fully inclusive campaign, encouraging people to read about whatever interests them, through any genre and all mediums of reading, from physical books, to comics, to e-readers. The campaign includes support from a diverse range of authors, celebrities and content creators representing a range of different ages, backgrounds and cultures from communities across the UK. The campaign will reach communities across the UK through schools, libraries, businesses and local partners. Libraries, as free to access community hubs, will play a central role in supporting participation and helping people of all ages and from all sectors of society to develop a lasting love of reading.

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