Music and Dance Scheme

Baroness Caine of Kentish Town Excerpts

Tuesday 24th June 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Smith of Malvern (Lab)]

The Government have maintained a commitment to providing generous support to help students to access the specialist music and dance education and training that this scheme funds, committing £36 million for this academic year. That means that all families below average relevant income of £45,000 per annum will continue to benefit from additional financial support in the next academic year. The Government were able to upgrade the contribution made through the music and dance scheme bursary, for example to ensure that all families were unaffected financially by the VAT change in January 2025. I think the noble Lord is trying a different way to get me to commit future funding to this scheme, at a point at which, as I have already identified, it is not possible for me to do so.

[Baroness Caine of Kentish Town (Lab)]

My Lords, now that we hear the good news that the Government have agreed to extend bursary funding for the music and dance scheme, including the National Centres for Advanced Training in Dance programme, will the Minister be able to help facilitate an open dialogue with these providers to ensure that there is a strong voice for dance education in informing decision-making, including going forward, and the new national arts and music centre that my noble friend referred to, enabling providers to shape a programme based on expertise and the rich data they hold?