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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reinstating the Young Audiences Content Fund.

The pilot Young Audiences Content Fund was allocated Licence Fee underspend to test a new way of financing public service TV content for a three-year period. This three-year period concluded on 31 March 2022. As planned a full evaluation will now take place to determine the impact of the Young Audiences Content Fund on the children’s television industry and the provision and plurality of public service content for young audiences across the UK.

The potential for any further investment of public funding will be assessed against the Fund evaluation and alongside future public service broadcasting needs.