Rebecca Long Bailey

The Department of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) has policy responsibility for Civil Society, including voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations (VCSEs). DCMS is supporting VCSEs fulfilling local service needs in a number of ways, including:

• Support for local commissioners through the Life Chances Fund to create partnerships between public, private and VCSE sectors as a means to tackle entrenched social issues. This innovative £70m fund has co-funded 29 projects that are testing the use of social outcomes partnerships (SOPs) to provide flexible and effective local services. Since its launch in 2016 over 100,000 outcomes have been recorded by local projects. The Life Chances Fund will run to March 2025, with some projects continuing beyond this period. This government is continuing to look at how SOPs can be used to continue to support VCSEs.

• Delivery of a number of grant programmes which help VCSEs to in turn support their local communities, including the VCSE Energy Efficiency Scheme, the Know Your Neighbourhood Fund and the Social Enterprise Boost Fund.

• Support through social investment which provides access to grants, repayable finance and a blend of the two. This government is continuing to look at how dormant assets can be used to support the availability of finance to facilitate VCSEs becoming more entrepreneurial and financially resilient. An estimated £350 million will flow into the Dormant Assets Scheme between 2024-28, with details on how this money will be allocated to be provided in due course.

• Through the Contract Readiness Programme, a £900,000 package of support enabling VCSEs in England to better compete for government contracts. The programme provides fully funded training for VCSEs interested in bidding for public contracts and support to public sector commissioners to increase awareness and understanding, with the aim of enabling more effective partnerships. Since launch, over 800 VCSEs have benefitted from the programme. This programme will run to March 2025. This government is continuing to look at ways VCSEs and Commissioners can be supported to develop effective partnerships.

The department recognises the financial pressures on local authorities due to rising costs in the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system. The Core Schools Budget Grant will provide over £140 million in additional funding for special and alternative provision schools in 2024/25 to cover increased costs from teachers' pay and support staff negotiations. This is in addition to the £10.75 billion allocated this year for high needs funding and teacher-related costs.

The department’s budget for 2025/26 is still under review, with funding allocations dependent on the upcoming Spending Review in October. The department recognises the delay and will announce allocations as soon as possible. We are acutely aware not only of the financial pressures that local authorities are facing due to the increasing cost of supporting young people with complex needs but also of the pressures on the government as a whole due to the financial situation it has inherited.

The department is committed to improving mainstream schools’ support of all their pupils with special educational needs.

The Government is committed to meeting current legal targets for air quality, including the targets recently set under the Environment Act 2021, and will review the policy measures needed to achieve them. We will deliver a comprehensive Clean Air Strategy, including a series of interventions to reduce emissions so that everyone’s exposure to air pollution is reduced.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) air quality guidelines are intended to inform the setting of air quality standards and are not ready-made targets for direct adoption as they do not consider achievability or individual countries’ circumstances. However, we will consider WHO guidelines as part of an evidence led process when considering future targets.

Littering is a crime that blights communities and the environment. Local authorities already have a range of powers to tackle littering including the ability to issue fixed penalty notices of up to £500. They must spend the income from these penalties on enforcement or clean up.

At this stage, the Government has not yet made an assessment of how it can further support local anti-littering initiatives.

There are no plans to promote activities relating to stray animals. A number of animal welfare organisations such as Cats Protection and RSPCA already support neutering through community neutering programmes.

There are also a large number of organisations that rescue and rehome stray animals. Members of the public can already check if the rescue centre they use is a member of the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes, which has standards for animal assessments, neutering and rehoming procedures that all members adhere to.  

Local authorities already consider the needs of those with mobility problems when managing the public rights of way network for the area they are responsible for. They are required to produce rights of way improvement plans which must set out how the public rights of way network will provide a better experience for users including those with mobility problems.

The King Charles III England Coast Path and the new Coast to Coast National Trail will be made as accessible as possible where it is feasible to do so.

Bereavement Support Payment is currently only available to those who are married, in a cohabiting relationship with dependent children, or in a civil partnership. A marriage or civil partnership is a legal contract associated with certain rights. including entitlement to benefits derived from another person's National Insurance contributions such as Bereavement Support Payment. In February 2023, the Government extended bereavement benefits to cohabitees with children in response to two court judgments. However, for families without children, the basic principle for only paying BSP where there was a legal union remains. The Government keeps the eligibility of all benefits including Bereavement Support Payments, under review.

In order to maximise the take-up of Pension Credit, we have been running an extensive national campaign since September on a range of channels, including print and broadcast media to encourage pensioners to check their eligibility and make a claim. The campaign targets potential pension-age customers, as well as friends and family who can encourage and support them to apply.

We continue to engage with a range of external partners who can help promote Pension Credit through their own channels and networks.

Building on last year’s ‘Invitation to Claim’ trial, the Department will be directly contacting approximately 120,000 pensioner households who are in receipt of Housing Benefit and who may also be eligible for, but not currently claiming, Pension Credit. We can identify and target these households using DWP’s Housing Benefit data.

We are also asking local authorities to support our Pension Credit campaign - the Secretary of State and the Deputy Prime Minister wrote to all local authorities in August. Many already undertake their own initiatives to identify eligible households and promote take-up; and over 160 local authorities have responded positively to our ‘call for action’.

Building on last year’s ‘Invitation to Claim’ trial, the Department will be directly contacting approximately 120,000 pensioner households who are in receipt of Housing Benefit and who may also be eligible for, but not currently claiming, Pension Credit. We can identify and target these households using DWP’s Housing Benefit data.

In order to maximise the take-up of Pension Credit, we have been running an extensive national campaign since September on a range of channels, including print and broadcast media to encourage pensioners to check their eligibility and make a claim. The campaign targets potential pension-age customers, as well as friends and family who can encourage and support them to apply.

We continue to engage with a range of external partners who can help promote Pension Credit through their own channels and networks.

We are also asking local authorities to support our Pension Credit campaign - the Secretary of State and the Deputy Prime Minister wrote to all local authorities in August. Many already undertake their own initiatives to identify eligible households and promote take-up; and over 160 local authorities have responded positively to our ‘call for action’

Like all means-tested benefits, a person’s eligibility for Pension Credit and the amount they may get depends on their specific financial and personal household circumstances, information which DWP does not have. That’s why it is not currently possible to accurately identify people who may be entitled to Pension Credit just from DWP data.

The 10-Year Health Plan will consider the changes needed to meet the three health mission goals, which are: a fairer system where everyone lives well for longer; a National Health Service that is there when people need it; and fewer lives lost to the biggest killers.

We will carefully be considering policies with input from the public, patients, health staff, and our stakeholders, as we develop the plan.

NHS England’s e-Learning for Healthcare has produced modular online learning resources in relation to Tourette’s and other tic disorders within its neurodevelopmental disorder and healthy schools programme domains, which are freely accessible to all, including service providers.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance on suspected neurological conditions, which includes recommendations on treatment for tics and involuntary movements in adults and children. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng127/

The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and social care, including Tourette’s syndrome. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. In all areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity. The NIHR has funded a number of research projects on Tourette’s syndrome. For example, the NIHR has funded the Online Remote Behavioural Treatment for Tics study to evaluate online behavioural interventions for children with tics and Tourette’s syndrome. Researchers at the NIHR’s Great Ormond Street Biomedical Research Centre are also supporting the TIC Genetics programme, which aims to identify the genetic factors that cause Tourette Syndrome using a family-based approach.

NHS England’s e-Learning for Healthcare has produced modular online learning resources in relation to Tourette’s and other tic disorders within its neurodevelopmental disorder and healthy schools programme domains, which are freely accessible to all, including service providers.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance on suspected neurological conditions, which includes recommendations on treatment for tics and involuntary movements in adults and children. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng127/

The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and social care, including Tourette’s syndrome. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. In all areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity. The NIHR has funded a number of research projects on Tourette’s syndrome. For example, the NIHR has funded the Online Remote Behavioural Treatment for Tics study to evaluate online behavioural interventions for children with tics and Tourette’s syndrome. Researchers at the NIHR’s Great Ormond Street Biomedical Research Centre are also supporting the TIC Genetics programme, which aims to identify the genetic factors that cause Tourette Syndrome using a family-based approach.

NHS England’s e-Learning for Healthcare has produced modular online learning resources in relation to Tourette’s and other tic disorders within its neurodevelopmental disorder and healthy schools programme domains, which are freely accessible to all, including service providers.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance on suspected neurological conditions, which includes recommendations on treatment for tics and involuntary movements in adults and children. This guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng127/

The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and social care, including Tourette’s syndrome. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. In all areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity. The NIHR has funded a number of research projects on Tourette’s syndrome. For example, the NIHR has funded the Online Remote Behavioural Treatment for Tics study to evaluate online behavioural interventions for children with tics and Tourette’s syndrome. Researchers at the NIHR’s Great Ormond Street Biomedical Research Centre are also supporting the TIC Genetics programme, which aims to identify the genetic factors that cause Tourette Syndrome using a family-based approach.

Increasing capacity to meet demand for diagnostic services and returning to waiting time standards for cancer, including the Faster Diagnosis Standard, are both priorities for the Government.

It is our ambition to introduce a new Fit For the Future fund to provide the National Health Service with the latest technology and to replace outdated equipment to make diagnoses, including cancer diagnoses, more accurate and timely, and to improve the experience for patients.

More detailed plans for future funding will be informed by NHS England's assessment of priorities, and will be set out at the earliest opportunity.