Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department takes to ensure that recall decisions are (a) fair and (b) proportionate to public safety concerns.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The Government’s absolute focus is on public protection. Offenders on licence can be swiftly recalled to prison if they breach their licence conditions. The recall of an offender to custody is an important public protection measure, and successive thematic reviews conducted by HM Chief Inspector of Probation have found that the Probation Service is using recall appropriately.

Additionally, HMPPS has issued guidance to probation practitioners, to ensure all safe alternatives to recall are considered before a decision is taken to recall an offender.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to re-introduce the Young Audience Content Fund.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government has no plans to re-introduce the Young Audiences Content Fund which concluded on 31 March 2022. However, the Government is committed to the success of our world-leading TV production sector. UK-wide television and film tax reliefs, including for children’s television programming, continue to play a vital role in driving production, with more than £4 billion of expenditure supported in 2023.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to ensure that (a) the Independent Football Regulator plays an integral role in the process to settle the distribution deal and (b) the distribution deal must pass parameters set by the regulator.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Independent Football Regulator will only have the power to intervene on distributions as a last resort. The backstop mechanism has been designed to give the industry the opportunity and incentives to reach a timely, industry-led solution to distributions and it is right that the Regulator only steps in as a last resort.

If the relevant leagues cannot reach an agreement independently, they can apply to trigger the backstop. Then, if certain thresholds are met, the backstop can be triggered.

First, the relevant leagues will enter into a period of mediation and, if there is still no agreement, they will move to a final proposal stage.

At this point, the Regulator would convene an independent expert panel that will set out the relevant questions that need to be addressed through the arbitration and invite final proposals from both relevant leagues with accompanying analysis. The independent expert panel will then choose the proposal most consistent with the regulator’s objectives with consideration to potential burden on the commercial interests of the leagues. If neither proposal is consistent, the regulator will terminate the process without making a distribution order.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to reinstate the Music and Dance Scheme.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The Music and Dance Scheme (MDS) is a programme currently in operation, supporting exceptionally talented children and young people to access specialist education and training in music and dance.

Funding of approximately £32 million is committed for the 2024/25 academic year for the MDS, giving opportunities for young people and allowing them access to specialist training and a pathway into the creative industries.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Child Poverty Strategy will include the Holiday Activities and Food Programme.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Tackling child poverty is at the heart the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances for every child. For too many children, living in poverty robs them of the opportunity to learn and to prosper.

The Child Poverty Taskforce will consider the range of policies which can boost household incomes and tackle essential costs: government-funded childcare support including during the school holidays can both tackle families’ essential costs and support parents to work boosting incomes. More detail on the approach and priorities for the Strategy is set out in the 23 October publication ‘Tackling Child Poverty: Developing our Strategy’, which is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tackling-child-poverty-developing-our-strategy.

The holiday activities and food programme provides free childcare places, enriching activities and healthy meals to children from low-income families, benefiting their health, wellbeing and learning throughout the school holidays.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of setting out a roadmap for ending the two-child limit in the Child Poverty Strategy.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We published the framework ‘Tackling Child Poverty: Developing Our Strategy’ on 23 October and will explore all available levers to deliver an enduring reduction in child poverty in this parliament, as part of a 10-year strategy for lasting change.

The Child Poverty Strategy will look at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, which includes considering social security reforms, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience, and better local support especially in the early years. This will build on the reform plans underway across government and work underway in Devolved Governments.

The Child Poverty Taskforce continues its urgent work to publish the Strategy in Spring 2025.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to develop a long-term strategy and funding settlement for local welfare after the Household Support Fund ends in March 2026; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of including provision for local welfare in the three-year funding settlements for local authorities.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We want to fix the fundamentals of the social security system so that people are not reliant on crisis support for the cost of essentials. To support the upcoming Child Poverty Strategy, we will continue to provide substantial funding to Local Authorities to support those most in need.

That is why the Government is extending the Household Support Fund (HSF) by a further year, from 1 April 2025 until 31 March 2026. This will ensure low-income households can continue to access support towards the cost of essentials, such as food, energy and water.

We recognise that certainty helps Local Authorities to design and deliver sustainable plans for local welfare assistance. Committing to funding the Household Support Fund until 31 March 2026 will allow them to plan their approach with greater confidence.

As with all other government programmes, further funding will be considered in the round at Phase 2 of the Spending Review.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Dame Caroline Dinenage (Chair); Mr Bayo Alaba; Mr James Frith; Dr

Found: the meeting Members present: Dame Caroline Dinenage (Chair); Mr Bayo Alaba; Zöe Franklin; Mr James Frith

Found: the meeting Members present: Dame Caroline Dinenage (Chair); Mr Bayo Alaba; Zöe Franklin; Mr James Frith

Submit Evidence (by 12 Jan 2025)

The Culture, Media and Sport Committee is to examine the health of sport in local communities and schools and whether more can be done to sustain and grow sporting opportunities for all.

The Culture, Media and Sport Committee is to examine the importance of built heritage in the UK and the barriers to its preservation.