Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many and what proportion of the staff employed by his Department are apprentices.
Answered by John Whittingdale
As of 31 March 2020, the Civil Service has achieved a total of 2.1% of its total workforce as apprentices against the legislative target for the public sector of 2.3% by March 2021.
As at the end of January 2021, DCMS employed 1,726 FTE civil servants, 14 of whom are currently apprentices (0.81% of staff). This target is a percentage of the total workforce so the percentage attained will change in line with workforce fluctuations over time, making it challenging to predict when a department will meet it. The data for 2018/19 can be found here. The data for 2019/20 can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-apprenticeship-data-2018-to-2019.
DCMS is committed to increasing the number of apprentices across the Civil Service and continue to work towards the 2.3% target. The impact of the current pandemic has slowed progress against the target due to priority work and logistics. DCMS had four apprentice starts in the first three quarters of 2020-21 and has a further 11 starts planned for Q4. This would take us to 1.68% by the end of the financial year.
With the current strategy and targets coming to an end in April 2021, the Civil Service is focusing on how to continue to support the apprenticeship agenda and drive forward apprenticeship recruitment, building on the Plan for Jobs initiative and considering the current economic situation.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much money his Department has spent on the UK’s participation in the European Solidarity Corps.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
To date DCMS has not funded the European Solidarity Corps. The Corps will be funded through the central EU budget once the first round of successful applications are announced at the end of the year.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
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 oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, and pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2018 to Question 134113, on Travellers: Equality, what meetings (a) he and (b) his predecessor have had since 2016 with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on using the 2011 census classifications that differentiate Gypsies and Travellers.
Answered by Margot James
The Race Disparity Audit website displays data where possible using the Census 2011 ethnic categories, which includes Gypsy or Irish Traveller.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Race Disparity Unit work closely together to further progress the harmonisation of ethnicity data across the Government Statistical Service (GSS) and to improve the coverage of ethnic groups including Gypsy, Roma and Travellers.
The Race Disparity Audit Inter Ministerial Group chaired by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster discusses matters pertaining to the progress of the Race Disparity Audit, including on the collection of ethnicity data.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
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 oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, what progress his Department has made in using the 2011 census classifications that differentiate Gypsies and Travellers.
Answered by Margot James
The Race Disparity Audit website displays data where possible using the Census 2011 ethnic categories, which includes Gypsy or Irish Traveller.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Race Disparity Unit work closely together to further progress the harmonisation of ethnicity data across the Government Statistical Service (GSS) and to improve the coverage of ethnic groups including Gypsy, Roma and Travellers.
The Race Disparity Audit Inter Ministerial Group chaired by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster discusses matters pertaining to the progress of the Race Disparity Audit, including on the collection of ethnicity data.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which youth full-time social action programmes have received statutory funding in each of the last five years.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
Government is committed to increasing the quality and quantity of social action opportunities available to young people. The below table outlines the main funding pots and programmes that have been established to provide these opportunities:
2013 | 2014 | 2015 | Live programmes/funds |
Centre for Social Action Innovation Fund | Uniformed Youth Social Action Fund | National Youth Social Action Fund | National Citizen Service |
|
| Local Youth Social Action Fund | #iwill fund |
|
|
| European Voluntary Service (EU funded) |
These funds and programmes are not specifically designed to increase the number of full time social action opportunities available, and as such, we do not collect data on the duration of the social action activities provided.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to change the status of full-time volunteers from not being in education, employment or training.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The recently published Review of Full Time Social Action by Young People considered the legal status of young people who could be recorded as NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) while taking part in full time social action.
The Government will publish its response to the Review’s report in due course.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
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 11 December 2017 to Question 117774 on charities: young people, when she expects the response to be published; and if she will place a copy in the Library.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The Chair of the review was recently granted a deadline extension by one month, and will report to government by the end of January 2018. Government will respond in due course, and as per standard protocol, a copy will be placed in the Library.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what account she plans to take of the importance of youth full-time social action in her Civil Society Strategy.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The Civil Society Strategy will reaffirm the value that government places on civil society and explore what more government can do to support its work. It will provide an opportunity to explore ways to build new partnerships within and between sectors and communities in order to better mobilise resources and expertise and find practical new solutions to the problems we face.
A listening exercise will be launched in the new year and findings reported later in the 2018. We will engage young people and youth organisations in the development of the Strategy.
The Full Time Social Action Review is independent of government and will publish its findings in December 2017, in time to take account of their recommendations in the Civil Society Strategy.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with (a) industry representatives and (b) other stakeholders on the regulation of the (i) advertising and (ii) marketing of Equity Release and Lifetime Mortgages.
Answered by Matt Hancock
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is the UK's regulator of advertising and seeks to ensure that all adverts, wherever they appear, are legal, decent, honest and truthful. Although the regulatory system is independent of government we have regular meetings with the ASA to discuss their work on a broad range of topics.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to publish the Government's youth policy statement.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
DCMS conducted a series of regional workshops in March and April to discuss current issues for youth policy with representatives from the youth sector, local authorities and young people. The evidence gathered is being used by the Office for Civil Society across its youth policy work. Any announcement about youth policy will be made in due course.