Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of extending the Start for Life programme to (a) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency and (b) other local authorities that do not receive funding through the programme.

The Prime Minister’s Plan for Change outlined that there will be investment to continue to build up the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme. In 2025/26, this investment will fund the 75 local authorities in England with high levels of deprivation that are part of the existing programme.

Due to the challenging fiscal context, we have had to make difficult decisions for 2025/26, and only those areas currently in the scheme will receive Start for Life funding. We will continue to evaluate the programme and assess evidence to support wider rollout in future financial years.