Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps her Department has taken to improve the provision of youth services in (a) York and (b) the UK.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As set out in section 507B of the Education Act 1996, Local Authorities have a statutory duty to ‘secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient provision of educational and recreational leisure-time activities for young people’. This is funded from the Local Government settlement, the majority of which is un-ringfenced, allowing local authorities to spend on services according to local priorities, including on youth services. The settlement is anticipated to be almost £60 billion this year (FY 23/24) for councils in England - a 9% increase on the previous year.
In England 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.
Young people in York will benefit from elements of the National Youth Guarantee, for example, a year-round National Citizen Service programme; increased access to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award; expanded uniformed youth groups and volunteering opportunities through the #iwill Fund.
The devolved administrations of Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland are responsible for their own youth services.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding from the Tampon Tax Fund has been allocated to (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland in each of the last two years.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
In 2020/21 and 2021/22, the Tampon Tax Fund was allocated between each administration using the Barnett formula.
| 2020/21 | 2021/22 |
England | £11,995,000 (inc £150k administration costs ) | £9,000,000 (inc £150k administration costs ) |
Wales | £905,000 | £675,000 |
Scotland | £1,570,000 | £1,181,250 |
Northern Ireland | £530,000 | £393,750 |
Total | £15,000,000 | £11,250,000 |
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many applications from groups and organisations in Northern Ireland for funding from the Tampon Tax Fund have been received in each of the last two years; and how many and what proportion of those applications were successful.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The 2021/22 round of the Tampon Tax Fund (TTF) received six applications from organisations delivering solely in Northern Ireland. Of these, two did not meet eligibility criteria. Of the remaining four, one bid was successful in being awarded funding.
There were no applications to the 2020/21 round of Tampon Tax funding from organisations delivering solely in Northern Ireland.
The minimum application threshold was also reduced for the 2021/22 round of TTF to £350,000 specifically to enable more bids from organisations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much the British Film Institute has received in applications for funding from each region in each of the last three years.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The British Film Institute’s (BFI) ten year strategy, Screen Culture 2033, sets out the core principle for the work of the BFI to reach across all of our nation.
The below table sets out the number of applications to the BFI for both their National Lottery funding and their government-provided Grant-in-Aid funding, broken down by region, in the past three years (2019-2022). The table also sets out the number of awards given over each of those years, also broken down by region based on beneficiary location (drawn from postcode data, in accordance with the methodology agreed with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport).
Region | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 3-Year TOTAL | ||||
| Applications | Awards | Applications | Awards | Applications | Awards | Applications | Awards |
ENGLAND East Midlands | 4,708 | 5,397 | 15,043 | 8,175 | 5,013 | 5,339 | 24,763 | 18,911 |
ENGLAND Eastern | 7,644 | 9,247 | 10,463 | 12,046 | 22,533 | 10,559 | 40,640 | 31,852 |
ENGLAND London | 143,213 | 17,814 | 138,301 | 24,541 | 152,278 | 18,405 | 433,793 | 60,760 |
ENGLAND North East | 1,935 | 2,301 | 1,099 | 2,159 | 2,705 | 2,720 | 5,740 | 7,180 |
ENGLAND North West | 7,953 | 6,133 | 11,773 | 6,297 | 18,170 | 7,155 | 37,896 | 19,585 |
ENGLAND South East | 19,484 | 8,445 | 20,407 | 10,630 | 18,800 | 11,473 | 58,692 | 30,548 |
ENGLAND South West | 9,707 | 5,520 | 13,548 | 8,261 | 10,341 | 7,191 | 33,595 | 20,972 |
ENGLAND West Midlands | 11,406 | 6,022 | 12,375 | 5,823 | 5,717 | 6,714 | 29,499 | 18,559 |
ENGLAND Yorkshire & Humberside | 9,088 | 6,190 | 9,993 | 7,247 | 11,384 | 7,610 | 30,465 | 21,047 |
NORTHERN IRELAND | 10,495 | 6,253 | 10,925 | 5,737 | 11,281 | 8,095 | 32,702 | 20,085 |
SCOTLAND | 7,618 | 5,059 | 5,619 | 3,841 | 7,285 | 5,912 | 20,522 | 14,812 |
WALES | 3,399 | 3,172 | 4,307 | 2,345 | 6,562 | 3,422 | 14,268 | 8,939 |
Total | 236,652 | 81,553 | 253,854 | 97,102 | 272,067 | 94,595 | 762,572 | 273,250 |
To note, given the assessment process, applications may be made in one year, and processed or awarded in the following year. Therefore, a direct correlation cannot be established between the applications and awards made in any single year.
Extrapolated from the figures in the above table, the below table further provides the proportion of applications and awards over the three years 2019 - 2022, broken down per region.
Region | Proportion of Applications (over 3 years) | Proportion of Awards (over 3 years) |
ENGLAND East Midlands | 3% | 7% |
ENGLAND Eastern | 5% | 12% |
ENGLAND London | 57% | 22% |
ENGLAND North East | 1% | 3% |
ENGLAND North West | 5% | 7% |
ENGLAND South East | 8% | 11% |
ENGLAND South West | 4% | 8% |
ENGLAND West Midlands | 4% | 7% |
ENGLAND Yorkshire & Humberside | 4% | 8% |
NORTHERN IRELAND | 4% | 7% |
SCOTLAND | 3% | 5% |
WALES | 2% | 3% |
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2023 to Question 153888 on Disability, which Ministerial Disability Champions attended the meeting on 14 March 2023; if he will publish the minutes of that meeting; and when the next meeting of Ministerial Disability Champions is due to take place.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Ministerial Disability Champions (MDC) roundtable took place on 14 March 2023. It was an opportunity for me to welcome the new cohort of MDCs who have been appointed across Government, to thank them for their commitment to improve disabled people’s lives and to emphasise how they and their departments are key to the development and delivery of the upcoming Disability Action Plan.
MDCs who attended:
Tom Pursglove MP - Dept for Work and Pensions (DWP) (Chair)
Trudy Harrison MP - Dept for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
Mike Freer MP - Ministry of Justice (MoJ)
Claire Coutinho MP - Dept for Education (DfE)
Kevin Hollinrake MP - Dept for Business and Trade (DBT)
Sarah Dines MP - The Home Office (HO)
The Rt Hon Stuart Andrew MP - Dept for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
The Rt Hon Johnny Mercer MP - Cabinet Office (CO)
The Rt Hon Dr Andrew Murrison MP - Ministry of Defence (MOD)
Richard Holden MP - Dept for Transport (DfT)
David Rutley MP - Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)
Dr James Davies MP - Office of the Secretary of State for Wales
John Lamont MP - Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland
Steve Baker MP - Office of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Rt Hon Victoria Prentis KC MP - Attorney General (Attorney General’s Office)
We intend to hold a further roundtable meeting for those MDCs who could not attend the meeting on 14 March, ahead of the next full roundtable meeting.
The Government does not plan to publish the minutes from MDC roundtables.
The next full MDC roundtable is currently scheduled to take place on Monday 15 May 2023.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
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 adequacy of the threshold criteria for capital funding for arts and culture projects in Northern Ireland under the Community Ownership Fund in the context of the size of that sector relative to its counterpart in Great Britain.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
Applications to the Community Ownership Fund (COF) are assessed against a fair and transparent framework that is publicly available on gov.uk. The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities can exercise discretion when making funding decisions on shortlisted bids to ensure, where possible, a balanced spread of projects across all parts of the United Kingdom.
All applicants are required to demonstrate how the benefits of the community asset will address community need in their local place. Applicants must evidence the work undertaken with the community to understand the potential uses of the asset and how the community would benefit, including references to other local activities and plans in the area and how the proposal fits within these. Projects which make the strongest case for community benefit will be shortlisted for funding.
Unsuccessful applicants are provided with feedback on where their application has failed against the assessment criteria as set out on gov.uk. This process is consistent for all applications.
We consider applications from voluntary and community organisations from all parts of the United Kingdom which have a viable plan for taking ownership of a community asset at risk and running it sustainably for community benefit. The fund supports a broad range of asset types and the nature and purpose of the asset are varied.
So far, at least 43% of projects in Northern Ireland are helping to promote arts and culture in their local community, among many other wider benefits. For example, through their Aurora project, the St Columbs Hall Trust aim to advance arts, culture and heritage in their community, and advance education by providing training arts facilities. A significant number of COF projects also have a creative element to their project and support the arts.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has issued guidance on the allocation of Community Ownership Fund resources to more than one project in a similar geographical area.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
Applications to the Community Ownership Fund (COF) are assessed against a fair and transparent framework that is publicly available on gov.uk. The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities can exercise discretion when making funding decisions on shortlisted bids to ensure, where possible, a balanced spread of projects across all parts of the United Kingdom.
All applicants are required to demonstrate how the benefits of the community asset will address community need in their local place. Applicants must evidence the work undertaken with the community to understand the potential uses of the asset and how the community would benefit, including references to other local activities and plans in the area and how the proposal fits within these. Projects which make the strongest case for community benefit will be shortlisted for funding.
Unsuccessful applicants are provided with feedback on where their application has failed against the assessment criteria as set out on gov.uk. This process is consistent for all applications.
We consider applications from voluntary and community organisations from all parts of the United Kingdom which have a viable plan for taking ownership of a community asset at risk and running it sustainably for community benefit. The fund supports a broad range of asset types and the nature and purpose of the asset are varied.
So far, at least 43% of projects in Northern Ireland are helping to promote arts and culture in their local community, among many other wider benefits. For example, through their Aurora project, the St Columbs Hall Trust aim to advance arts, culture and heritage in their community, and advance education by providing training arts facilities. A significant number of COF projects also have a creative element to their project and support the arts.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
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 it his policy to provide unsuccessful applicants to the Community Ownership Fund in Northern Ireland feedback on their application.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
Applications to the Community Ownership Fund (COF) are assessed against a fair and transparent framework that is publicly available on gov.uk. The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities can exercise discretion when making funding decisions on shortlisted bids to ensure, where possible, a balanced spread of projects across all parts of the United Kingdom.
All applicants are required to demonstrate how the benefits of the community asset will address community need in their local place. Applicants must evidence the work undertaken with the community to understand the potential uses of the asset and how the community would benefit, including references to other local activities and plans in the area and how the proposal fits within these. Projects which make the strongest case for community benefit will be shortlisted for funding.
Unsuccessful applicants are provided with feedback on where their application has failed against the assessment criteria as set out on gov.uk. This process is consistent for all applications.
We consider applications from voluntary and community organisations from all parts of the United Kingdom which have a viable plan for taking ownership of a community asset at risk and running it sustainably for community benefit. The fund supports a broad range of asset types and the nature and purpose of the asset are varied.
So far, at least 43% of projects in Northern Ireland are helping to promote arts and culture in their local community, among many other wider benefits. For example, through their Aurora project, the St Columbs Hall Trust aim to advance arts, culture and heritage in their community, and advance education by providing training arts facilities. A significant number of COF projects also have a creative element to their project and support the arts.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what level of feedback is normally given to unsuccessful applicants to the Community Ownership Fund in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
Applications to the Community Ownership Fund (COF) are assessed against a fair and transparent framework that is publicly available on gov.uk. The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities can exercise discretion when making funding decisions on shortlisted bids to ensure, where possible, a balanced spread of projects across all parts of the United Kingdom.
All applicants are required to demonstrate how the benefits of the community asset will address community need in their local place. Applicants must evidence the work undertaken with the community to understand the potential uses of the asset and how the community would benefit, including references to other local activities and plans in the area and how the proposal fits within these. Projects which make the strongest case for community benefit will be shortlisted for funding.
Unsuccessful applicants are provided with feedback on where their application has failed against the assessment criteria as set out on gov.uk. This process is consistent for all applications.
We consider applications from voluntary and community organisations from all parts of the United Kingdom which have a viable plan for taking ownership of a community asset at risk and running it sustainably for community benefit. The fund supports a broad range of asset types and the nature and purpose of the asset are varied.
So far, at least 43% of projects in Northern Ireland are helping to promote arts and culture in their local community, among many other wider benefits. For example, through their Aurora project, the St Columbs Hall Trust aim to advance arts, culture and heritage in their community, and advance education by providing training arts facilities. A significant number of COF projects also have a creative element to their project and support the arts.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the Government will provide funding to churches and community groups in Northern Ireland to help them celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III; and whether any royal visits are planned to Northern Ireland during the Coronation celebrations.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland Office officials are working closely with officials from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in order to provide funding to Local Authorities for local screenings of the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III at locations across Northern Ireland.
There is no additional central Government funding available specifically for other organisations since every effort is being made to ensure that any activities and programmes for the Coronation do not impose an unnecessary burden on the taxpayer. It should be noted Lottery distributors and Local Authorities have made funds available for community events and many communities will fund their own activities, as they have done to mark other significant milestones in our shared history.
Visits to Northern Ireland by members of the Royal Family are a matter for the Royal Household.