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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans her Department has to update the loneliness strategy in the context of the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness.

The Government is committed to supporting people to have the social connections they need. Our ambition to strengthen social connection is a key part of achieving wider government work to create a healthier society, more connected communities and support young people. My department has been working hard to ensure social connection and loneliness are embedded in all government policy making, including the recently published Pride in Place strategy, the upcoming Men’s Health Strategy and National Youth Strategy.

In addition we are funding a project to develop the Tackling Loneliness Hub, which was set up to provide a forum for people working on loneliness to come together and share insights, research and best practice. My officials are exploring how the Hub can be made more accessible to the full range of people who work on loneliness, from healthcare professionals to volunteers, sports coaches to youth workers, researchers to policy makers.