Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to discuss with children and young people the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on their lives.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Government recognises that it is important to listen to young people and ensure they have a voice on issues that matter to them. Since the start of the pandemic Ministers have committed to attending monthly youth-led roundtable discussions with members of the DCMS Youth Steering Group, who oversee the development of policies and programmes across government that affect young people.
Additionally, Ministers have taken up a range of opportunities to speak to young people through events hosted by youth sector organisations, including the Jewish Lads and Girls Brigade Live event, UK Youth’s panel on youth loneliness and a roundtable with representatives involved in the national #YoungAndBlack campaign.
Ministers will continue to meet regularly with youth representatives to consider the impact of Covid-19 and engage them in recovery planning.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on a support package for (a) employers and (b) crew in the inland waterways sector who are affected by the decline in tourism revenue as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
We recognise that waterways businesses have been severely impacted by the current situation. My Department will continue to work closely with the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to assess the impact on tourism businesses on inland waterways following Covid-19.
The Government has provided wide-ranging financial support across the whole economy, particularly focussing on small and medium-sized businesses. These include several loan schemes, such as the 100% Government-guaranteed Bounce Back Loan; support for self-employed people; the Local Authority Discretionary Grant Fund to accommodate small businesses previously outside the scope of the business grant funds scheme; a £10 million tourism ‘kick-start’ package to help small businesses in our tourist destinations, along with a reduced 5% VAT rate for many tourism and hospitality activities for six months.
Through the Cultural Renewal Taskforce and its working groups, we have developed Covid-19 Secure guidance which will help heritage and tourism businesses reopen safely for both visitors and workers. Further significant easing of Covid-19 restrictions from 4 July should now allow many waterways businesses to reopen to take advantage of coming summer demand.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking in each region of (a) England and (b) Wales to help protect employment in the inland waterways sector of the tourism industry from the effect of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
We recognise that waterways businesses have been severely impacted by the current situation. My Department will continue to work closely with the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to assess the impact on tourism businesses on inland waterways following Covid-19.
The Government has provided wide-ranging financial support across the whole economy, particularly focussing on small and medium-sized businesses. These include several loan schemes, such as the 100% Government-guaranteed Bounce Back Loan; support for self-employed people; the Local Authority Discretionary Grant Fund to accommodate small businesses previously outside the scope of the business grant funds scheme; a £10 million tourism ‘kick-start’ package to help small businesses in our tourist destinations, along with a reduced 5% VAT rate for many tourism and hospitality activities for six months.
Through the Cultural Renewal Taskforce and its working groups, we have developed Covid-19 Secure guidance which will help heritage and tourism businesses reopen safely for both visitors and workers. Further significant easing of Covid-19 restrictions from 4 July should now allow many waterways businesses to reopen to take advantage of coming summer demand.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the effect of recent Government policy statements on China on the ability of businesses in the UK that rely on tourism from China to recover from the economic effect of covid-19.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Government welcomes the positive impact of international tourism, including from China, on the UK economy. We look forward to welcoming Chinese visitors back to all parts of the UK as soon as practicably possible. We will continue to support the recovery of the tourism and hospitality sectors, as well as the countryside, culture and heritage assets which we know are so greatly appreciated by visitors both from China and from around the world.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the total annual capital expenditure for local authority youth services was in each year since 2010 by local authority.
Answered by Baroness Morgan of Cotes
The data concerning the total capital expenditure for local authority youth services in each year since 2010 is not held by my department.Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when the NCS Trust's annual report and accounts 2019 will be published.
Answered by Baroness Morgan of Cotes
DCMS intends to publish the NCS Trust annual report and accounts by the end of March of 2020.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding the Government has allocated for the National Citizens Service for 2020-21.
Answered by Baroness Morgan of Cotes
The 2020-21 budget allocation for NCS will be agreed by the end of the year.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's announcement of a new £500 million youth investment fund, what the (a) capital and (b) revenue expenditure of that investment fund will be in each of the next five years; how that funding will be allocated; and when that funding will be made available.
Answered by Baroness Morgan of Cotes
Funding from the Youth Investment Fund will be released from 2020-21, and DCMS officials are working alongside HM Treasury to confirm the details.We will be designing the fund in close consultation with young people, the organisations that work with them and other departments. We will communicate our plans for this as soon as possible.Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2019 to Question 260670 on Youth Services and with reference to her Department's announcement on 10 July 2019 that a public consultation would be held for 8 weeks from late July 2019, when the consultation will begin; and how the process will be taken forward.
Answered by Baroness Morgan of Cotes
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the announcement of 27 February 2019 that new youth voice projects will be launched to encourage young people to participate in making national policy, what policies will be prioritised for youth participation; and what steps she will take to ensure the work and influence of the projects is transparent.
Answered by Baroness Morgan of Cotes
Three new youth voice projects were announced in February to encourage young people to participate in making national policy:
- Youth Steering Group
- Young Inspectors Group
- Digital Youth engagement research
The Youth Steering Group has already been involved in discussing the Government’s future offer for young people and the review of the guidance which sets out the statutory duty placed on local authorities to provide appropriate local youth services. The Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy invited the Youth Steering Group to conduct a review of environment and climate policy. Young people are also contributing to policy development on serious violence through the Government’s Youth Advisory Forum on Serious Violence .
The Young Inspectors Group are participating in the monitoring and evaluation of national programmes affecting young people.
The Digital Youth Engagement research explored how new digital solutions can enable large numbers of young people to play a role in consultations and policy design across government.
We will make further announcements on these pioneering Youth Voice projects in due course