Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he is taking steps to engage with (a) children and (b) young people to help inform departmental policy making.

The Cabinet Office is committed to engaging all relevant stakeholders when developing policy, including children and young people. The department’s policy profession disseminates guidance and training to departmental policy makers.

One such example would be guidance issued by the Department for Work and Pensions on ensuring that the impact of policy on families is taken into account.

Another example would be when the Cabinet Office established a dedicated youth engagement team to amplify the voices and experiences of young climate leaders to generate the sense of urgency needed for the world to act for COP26. The team worked closely with youth NGOs and individuals both in the UK and across the world to deliver an inclusive conference in Glasgow last November.