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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps to help ensure that charities have sufficient resources to respond to isolation in the context of increased covid-19 infections.

Government recognises the huge contribution of charities in the national effort against coronavirus. It has provided a multi-billion-pound package of support for Britain's charities to continue their vital services, including for those self-isolating.

My Department has awarded nearly £7 million in grant funding to the Voluntary and Community Sector Emergencies Partnership (VCSEP), a partnership of sector organisations established in 2017 to respond to domestic emergencies. The grant includes over £1.5 million for onward grants to over 200 local grassroots organisations. The current grant runs to March 2022 and is in part in recognition of the VCSEP’s and voluntary sector’s work to help people who need to self-isolate.

My Department works closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on the NHS Volunteer Responders scheme, which continues to provide support to those who are isolated at home. We have also been working with DHSC and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government to develop the Self Isolation Practical Support Framework, which supports local authorities to collaborate with the voluntary and community sector to support people who are self-isolating.