Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Cotes (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the current funding levels for each What Works Centre within the What Works Network.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The What Works Network helps deliver more effective and efficient public sector services by creating and sharing high-quality evidence to inform decisions by practitioners and policymakers.
The 13 What Works Centres that comprise the network receive funding from a variety of sources, and departments and public bodies are major funders for many.
The Education Endowment Foundation received a £125 million endowment in 2011 from the DfE, to be spent over 15 years. It received a subsequent £137 million endowment from DfE in 2022. It receives additional funding from the DfE and other parties as outlined in its annual report and financial statements. In the financial year ending March 2022, it reported £30.4 million in grants from DfE.
The Youth Endowment Fund received a £200 million endowment in the Home Office in 2019, to be spent over 10 years. It receives additional funding from the Home Office (via a Centre of Excellence grant) and other parties as outlined in its annual report and financial statements.
The Youth Futures Foundation received £90 million via the Dormant Assets Scheme in 2019, and a further £20 million via the scheme in 2022. It receives a small amount of other grant income as outlined in its annual report and financial statements – in 2021 this other grant income was approximately £21,000.
The Centre for Homelessness Impact is primarily funded by an anonymous private donor. In the financial year ending June 2022, this total was £1.65 million. It receives additional funding from other parties – including DLUHC, MoJ, the Cabinet Office and the National Institute for Health Research – as outlined in its annual report and financial statements. In the financial year ending June 2022, this additional funding amounted to approximately £462,000.
The Centre for Ageing Better received a £49.6 million endowment from the National Lottery Community Fund in 2014, to be spent over 15 years. It receives additional funding from other parties – including UKRI in the fiscal year ending March 2022 – as outlined in its Report of the Trustees and financial statements.
The Wales Centre for Public Policy was awarded £9 million in 2022, to be spent over five years. Its core funders are the Economic and Social Research Council, the Welsh Government and Cardiff University.
The What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and three government departments: BEIS, DLUHC, and DfT. It has received approximately £1.4 million per year under its current grant.
Two centres – the Early Intervention Foundation and What Works for Children’s Social Care – have recently merged into one centre, which is operating as What Works for Early Intervention and Children’s Social Care. DfE has been the primary funder of both organisations historically, and plans to be the primary funder of this merged organisation in the future. The funding figures provided relate to the centres in their previous forms.
What Works Children’s Social Care was primarily funded by the DfE. In the financial year ending March 2022, the grants it received from DfE totalled approximately £17.4 million.
The Early Intervention Foundation received funding from multiple government departments and other funders, as outlined in its annual report and financial statements. In the financial year ending March 2022, it received approximately £2.4 million in restricted and unrestricted funding from its core cross-government grant, and approximately £184,000 from the Home Office.
What Works Centre for Wellbeing receives funding from a wide range of sources. Its largest funder is the National Lottery Community Fund – in the financial year ending March 2022, it received approximately £357,000 from them. It does not receive significant public funding – in the financial year ending March 2022, it received approximately £81,000 from DCMS.
The Centre for Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in Higher Education is primarily funded by the Office for Students, who’ve supported the centre with £4.5 million over 4 years since 2019.
Finally, there are three What Works Centres which sit within professional, arms-length or non-departmental public bodies. These are:
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
The What Works Centre for Crime Reduction (part of the College of Policing)
The Money and Pensions Service
Smaller What Works Centre functions sit within each of these larger organisations. The Cabinet Office does not have information regarding the precise funding levels available for the What Works sub-teams within these larger organisations, but the aggregate funding levels for these organisations should be accessible in the public domain.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many youth centres have opened in England since 2010.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Local Authorities have a statutory duty to allocate funding to youth services in line with local need. This is funded from the Local Government settlement, which is anticipated to be almost £60 billion next year (FY 23/24). DCMS is committed to working with Youth Sector organisations and Local Authorities to complete the review of the Local Authority Statutory Duty Guidance for Youth Services.
The Government recognises the vital role that youth services and activities play in improving the life chances and wellbeing of young people.The Government has committed to a National Youth Guarantee: that by 2025, every young person will have access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer. This is supported by a three-year investment of over £500 million in youth services, reflecting young people's priorities and addressing the inconsistencies in national youth spending with a firm focus on levelling up.
Over £300 million of this investment has been dedicated to Phase 2 of the Youth Investment Fund, which will enable up to 300 youth facilities to be built or refurbished over the next three years in some of the less advantaged areas of England. The fund is currently open for bids.
In addition, we are working with the National Youth Agency, who are conducting a National Youth Sector Census, a survey of all youth sector provision across England. It aims to capture an accurate picture of youth services and out of school activities.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many youth centres have closed in England since 2010
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Local Authorities have a statutory duty to allocate funding to youth services in line with local need. This is funded from the Local Government settlement, which is anticipated to be almost £60 billion next year (FY 23/24). DCMS is committed to working with Youth Sector organisations and Local Authorities to complete the review of the Local Authority Statutory Duty Guidance for Youth Services.
The Government recognises the vital role that youth services and activities play in improving the life chances and wellbeing of young people.The Government has committed to a National Youth Guarantee: that by 2025, every young person will have access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer. This is supported by a three-year investment of over £500 million in youth services, reflecting young people's priorities and addressing the inconsistencies in national youth spending with a firm focus on levelling up.
Over £300 million of this investment has been dedicated to Phase 2 of the Youth Investment Fund, which will enable up to 300 youth facilities to be built or refurbished over the next three years in some of the less advantaged areas of England. The fund is currently open for bids.
In addition, we are working with the National Youth Agency, who are conducting a National Youth Sector Census, a survey of all youth sector provision across England. It aims to capture an accurate picture of youth services and out of school activities.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many youth centres have been funded by her Department since 2010.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Local Authorities have a statutory duty to allocate funding to youth services in line with local need. This is funded from the Local Government settlement, which is anticipated to be almost £60 billion next year (FY 23/24). DCMS is committed to working with Youth Sector organisations and Local Authorities to complete the review of the Local Authority Statutory Duty Guidance for Youth Services.
The Government recognises the vital role that youth services and activities play in improving the life chances and wellbeing of young people.The Government has committed to a National Youth Guarantee: that by 2025, every young person will have access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer. This is supported by a three-year investment of over £500 million in youth services, reflecting young people's priorities and addressing the inconsistencies in national youth spending with a firm focus on levelling up.
Over £300 million of this investment has been dedicated to Phase 2 of the Youth Investment Fund, which will enable up to 300 youth facilities to be built or refurbished over the next three years in some of the less advantaged areas of England. The fund is currently open for bids.
In addition, we are working with the National Youth Agency, who are conducting a National Youth Sector Census, a survey of all youth sector provision across England. It aims to capture an accurate picture of youth services and out of school activities.
Asked by: Julie Elliott (Labour - Sunderland Central)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to tackle skills and labour shortages in digital technology industries.
Answered by Paul Scully
DCMS works with departments across government and with industry to grow the digital workforce, tackle the digital skills gap, and support a diverse range of people into digital roles. Actions taken include the launch of the Digital Skills Council, the introduction of AI and Data Science Conversion Courses, and working with the Home Office on visa routes related to the digital workforce.
DCMS launched the Digital Skills Council (DiSC) in June 2022. The council has brought together industry leaders and training experts from organisations such as Amazon Web Services and Multiverse. The council works directly with employers and is encouraging investment in employer-led initiatives focused on upskilling the UK workforce, including initiatives related to increasing the number of digital apprenticeships.
Continuing to develop, attract, and train people to work with Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the core of our plan for maintaining the UK’s position in this field. In February 2022, DCMS announced the creation of up to 2,000 additional scholarships for students studying AI and Data Science conversion course masters, helping people from underrepresented groups to join the UK’s world-leading AI industry. Along with these conversion courses, DCMS has supported the introduction of Alan Turing Institute AI research fellowships and 16 dedicated Centres at universities across the country to train 1000 extra AI PhDs.
An important part of developing skills is providing inspiration to young people, which is why DCMS launched the Cyber Explorers youth-inspiration programme, which has engaged over 30,000 young people from more than 2,000 schools. To grow the cyber workforce, DCMS has also introduced the 'Upskill in Cyber' training programme and the CyberFirst interventions, which include bursary offers for undergraduate students. DCMS are currently working with the Behavioural Insights Team to understand how we can improve the perception and understanding of digital subjects, including computer science, AI, and cyber.
DCMS recognises the importance of improving the diversity of the digital workforce and has supported the Tech Talent Charter since 2016. The Tech Talent Charter is helping to improve the diversity of the digital workforce by improving reporting on diversity statistics and fostering collaboration to create a more diverse tech workforce.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department holds on the number and proportion of prisoners who have self-harmed in (a) each of the last 12 months and (b) each year since 2010.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
We publish the number of self-harming individuals and self-harming individuals per 1,000 prisoners for each year within the Government’s Safety in Custody Statistics: Self-Harm annual tables. The table at 2.1 provides the number of self-harming individuals and self-harming individuals per 1,000 prisoners for number and proportion for each year since 2010.
The below table sets out the number of self-harming individuals and self-harming individuals per 1,000 prisoners in each month between July 2021 and June 2022.
Number and Rate of Individuals Self-harming by Month
Month | Self-harming individuals3 | Self-harm individuals per 1,000 prisoners4 |
Jul-21 | 2,045 | 26.1 |
Aug-21 | 1,994 | 25.3 |
Sep-21 | 2,020 | 25.6 |
Oct-21 | 2,043 | 25.7 |
Nov-21 | 2,184 | 27.4 |
Dec-21 | 2,098 | 26.5 |
Jan-22 | 1,944 | 24.5 |
Feb-22 | 1,868 | 23.4 |
Mar-22 | 1,960 | 24.6 |
Apr-22 | 1,861 | 23.4 |
May-22 | 1,965 | 24.5 |
Jun-22 | 1,944 | 24.1 |
Data Sources and Quality
These figures have been drawn from the HMPPS Incident Reporting System. Care is taken when processing and analysing returns but the detail is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. Although shown to the last case, the figures may not be accurate to that level.
Figures include incidents occurring at youth establishments, HMPPS operated Immigration Removal Centres and during contracted out escorts, but exclude incidents at Medway STC.
In prisons, as in the community, it is not possible to count self-harm incidents with absolute accuracy. In prison custody, however, such incidents are more likely to be detected and counted. Care needs to be taken when comparing figures shown here with other sources where data may be less complete.
Numbers of individuals should be treated as approximate, as the details of prisoners are not always recorded against each self-harm incident.
The monthly rate is based on the number of self-harming individuals in that month and the prison population as at the last day of that month. It is not directly comparable to the annual rate, which is based on the number of self-harming individuals at any point in that year and the average prison population for each month within the year.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the regulation of independent tuition centres.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Independent tuition centres would generally be considered to be out-of-school settings. Out-of-school settings are currently defined by the Department as “any institution providing tuition, training, instruction or activities to children in England, without their parents’ or carers’ supervision, that is not a school, college, 16-19 academy or providers caring for children that are registered with Ofsted or a childminder agency”. This definition covers a wide range of settings, which includes settings offering part-time or supplementary education to support mainstream or home education, extra-curricular clubs and activities (such as dance classes, sports tuition, instrumental music tuition), and uniformed youth organisations (such as Scouts and Brownies).
In many cases, these settings are already eligible to register with Ofsted on the General Childcare Register and can be subject to inspection. There are many existing powers in place to protect children in out-of-school settings, and the Department knows that they provide enriching education in a safe environment.
While the Department has not ruled out further regulation, it is important that the Department ensures any future system appropriately targets those settings exposing children to harmful practices, without causing undue burdens on the sector as a whole. Any future system introduced should also build on, and complement, the existing legal powers already in place, making the current system more effective.
The Department has provided over £3 million of targeted funding to selected Local Authorities to examine ways to boost local capacity to identify and intervene in settings of concern, and test the utility of existing powers. The Department is working closely with key safeguarding partners and stakeholders to consider the findings in the report and set out the Department’s next steps on the policy, with the aim of launching a consultation next year on how to best ensure these settings are as safe as possible.
The Department has also published a code of practice for out-of-school settings. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/keeping-children-safe-in-out-of-school-settings.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Annual self-harm incidents 1,2,3,4 by method, England and Wales, 2004-2021, how many self-harm incidents by (a) cutting and scratching, (b) hanging, (c) overdose, self-poisoning or swallowing, (d) Self-strangulation and (e) burning occurred in youth estates in (a) 2022 and (b) since 2010.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The Government is committed to doing everything possible to ensure the safety of children and young people in custody.
Between the quarters ending June 2021 and June 2022, the number of self-harm incidents across the whole of the Children and Young People Secure Estate decreased from 473 to 455, and the number of children and young people self-harming also decreased, from 104 to 79. As the average population during this time fell by 11 per cent – from 550 children and young people to 492 – the annualised rate of self-harm incidents per 100 children and young people per year rose by 8 per cent. As the figures have only recently been compiled and published, it has not yet been possible to make an assessment of the reasons for the increase.
The requested statistics can be found in the table below:
Method(1) | January 2010 to March 2019(2)(a) | April 2019 to December 2021(3)(b) | January 2022 to June 2022(b) |
Cutting and scratching | 6,655 | 1,347 | 180 |
Hanging(4) | - | 74 | 5 |
Overdose, self-poisoning or swallowing | 465 | 260 | 69 |
Self-strangulation(5) | - | 1,267 | 282 |
Burning(6) | - | 42 | 5 |
Asphyxiation(7) | 2,547 | - | - |
(1)A Self-Harm incident may have included more than one method, so the overall number of incidents will be less than the sum of the methods used.
(2)Reporting of Self-Harm incidents changed in April 2019 from the Behaviour Management Toolkit bespoke return from establishments, to the Assaults and Self-Harm bespoke return for Secure Children’s Homes and Secure Training Centres, and NOMIS data capture for Youth Offender Institutes.
(3)Reporting of Self-Harm incidents changed in April 2019 from the Behaviour Management Toolkit bespoke return from establishments, to the Assaults and Self-Harm bespoke return for Secure Children’s Homes and Secure Training Centres, and NOMIS data capture for Youth Offender Institutes.
(4)Until March 2019, Hanging and Self-Strangulation were grouped together as Asphyxiation.
(5)Until March 2019, Hanging and Self-Strangulation were grouped together as Asphyxiation.
(6)Until March 2019, Burning was not reported separately.
(7)From April 2019, Hanging and Self-Strangulation were reported separately.
We are rolling out psychological interventions for every child that needs it with counselling psychologists, forensic psychologist and family therapists.
We are also working with the NHS to deliver a framework which will ensure every child gets a full needs assessment and support plan encompassing education, health and behavioural problems. Both of these measures will help protect young people and reduce violence.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the official statistics entitled Safety in the Children and Young People Secure Estate: Update to June 2022, published on 27 October 2022, for what reasons the annualised rate of self-harm incidents per 100 children and young people per year increased compared to the same period in the previous year.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The Government is committed to doing everything possible to ensure the safety of children and young people in custody.
Between the quarters ending June 2021 and June 2022, the number of self-harm incidents across the whole of the Children and Young People Secure Estate decreased from 473 to 455, and the number of children and young people self-harming also decreased, from 104 to 79. As the average population during this time fell by 11 per cent – from 550 children and young people to 492 – the annualised rate of self-harm incidents per 100 children and young people per year rose by 8 per cent. As the figures have only recently been compiled and published, it has not yet been possible to make an assessment of the reasons for the increase.
The requested statistics can be found in the table below:
Method(1) | January 2010 to March 2019(2)(a) | April 2019 to December 2021(3)(b) | January 2022 to June 2022(b) |
Cutting and scratching | 6,655 | 1,347 | 180 |
Hanging(4) | - | 74 | 5 |
Overdose, self-poisoning or swallowing | 465 | 260 | 69 |
Self-strangulation(5) | - | 1,267 | 282 |
Burning(6) | - | 42 | 5 |
Asphyxiation(7) | 2,547 | - | - |
(1)A Self-Harm incident may have included more than one method, so the overall number of incidents will be less than the sum of the methods used.
(2)Reporting of Self-Harm incidents changed in April 2019 from the Behaviour Management Toolkit bespoke return from establishments, to the Assaults and Self-Harm bespoke return for Secure Children’s Homes and Secure Training Centres, and NOMIS data capture for Youth Offender Institutes.
(3)Reporting of Self-Harm incidents changed in April 2019 from the Behaviour Management Toolkit bespoke return from establishments, to the Assaults and Self-Harm bespoke return for Secure Children’s Homes and Secure Training Centres, and NOMIS data capture for Youth Offender Institutes.
(4)Until March 2019, Hanging and Self-Strangulation were grouped together as Asphyxiation.
(5)Until March 2019, Hanging and Self-Strangulation were grouped together as Asphyxiation.
(6)Until March 2019, Burning was not reported separately.
(7)From April 2019, Hanging and Self-Strangulation were reported separately.
We are rolling out psychological interventions for every child that needs it with counselling psychologists, forensic psychologist and family therapists.
We are also working with the NHS to deliver a framework which will ensure every child gets a full needs assessment and support plan encompassing education, health and behavioural problems. Both of these measures will help protect young people and reduce violence.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of making funds available for the purposes of investing in high streets with amenities and space for children and young people.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
We want to see vibrant towns and high streets that are more attractive places to live, work and visit. This is central to our levelling up agenda.
Our £3.6bn Towns Fund is investing in amenities across the country that will benefit children and young people. For example, the £9 million Youth Zone in Crewe will have 13 high spec equipped spaces including large-scale sports hall and multi-use 3G pitch, as well as other facilities for young people.
Our £4.8bn Levelling Up Fund continues to invest in infrastructure that improves everyday life for residents across the UK. One key investment theme of the fund is regeneration and town centre investment. Applicants have been encouraged to submit bids which focus on bringing accessible community spaces into town and city centres.
The £2.6bn UK Shared Prosperity Fund was allocated to all areas of the UK and empowers places to identify and build on their own needs at a local level. Local places are free to choose a range of interventions to support, this includes specific funding to support the improvement of town centres and high streets.