Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what funding her Department is allocating to tackle (a) loneliness and (b) support volunteering.

Volunteering is vital for society and Government recognises this. It benefits volunteers and the organisations involving them and has transformational impacts on beneficiaries and their communities. Government aims to remove barriers to getting people involved.

We are supporting efforts to tackle loneliness and in the current financial year (2022/23), DCMS has invested almost £800,000, including for our national loneliness campaign, building the loneliness evidence base, and supporting the Tackling Loneliness Hub.

We have invested £7.4 million to support people to overcome barriers to volunteering since 2021. DCMS’ Volunteering Futures Fund opened up volunteering opportunities for thousands of young people, people with disabilities, those experiencing loneliness and other barriers. DCMS is also supporting the Vision for Volunteering, a ten-year initiative that aims to make volunteering more equitable, diverse and inclusive. In March 2023, DCMS launched the Know Your Neighbourhood Fund of up to £30 million, with £19 million of funding from Government, to widen participation in volunteering and tackle loneliness in 27 disadvantaged areas across England. The fund will run until 2025.