Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact of extending the franchise to 16- and 17-year-olds without corresponding increases in civic education.

The Government believes that by extending the right to vote to 16- and 17-year-olds and building a strong foundation for democratic participation among young people, we can establish democratic participation habits which will continue as they grow older. We believe that young people should be much more involved in decisions that affect them. Decisions the Government makes now will not only affect young people today but will have an enduring impact on their entire lives.

The Government also recognises the importance of equipping young people with the knowledge and skills needed to participate confidently in democratic life. The Government wants everyone to understand the value of their voice and the role they can play and we will promote a deeper understanding of why democracy matters. To support this, the Government will look for the earliest opportunity to make it a legal requirement to teach citizenship at key stages 1 and 2 – focussed on the most essential content. This includes democracy and government, as well as media literacy, law and rights, financial literacy, and climate education. The second curriculum will build on primary content and fit with the content in other subjects to ensure that all pupils get an essential grounding in a range of topics.

A strong and value the democratic institutions and the democratic process. Citizenship education, reinforced across the curriculum, can play a vital role in making sure young people feel the democratic process is relevant to themcitizenship curriculum should include democratic institutions. The Government’s Curriculum and Assessment Review response recognised this and highlighted that that it is vital to ensure that young people understand, and that they understand how constitutional principles such as the rule of law protect them and benefit their lives.