Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much and what proportion of the budget of the National Citizen Service was spent on advertising and marketing in 2019-20.
Answered by Matt Warman
As detailed in the National Citizen Service Trust’s Annual Report 2019/20, ‘Communication, Marketing and Media Costs’ totalled £7,099,000. This accounts for circa 4.5% of the total expenditure of the National Citizen Service Trust for 2019/20, which was £156,384,000.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many people completed the National Citizens Service programme in (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20.
Answered by Matt Warman
The total number of core NCS participants in 2018/19 was 99,674 (NCST Annual Report, 2018/19). The total number of core NCS participants in 2019/20 was 92,041 (NCST Annual Report, 2019/20).
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
When he plans to allocate the £500 million Youth Investment Fund.
Answered by Matt Warman
The £500 million Youth Investment Fund remains a manifesto commitment for transformative levelling up across the country over the course of the parliament.
£30 million of the fund was committed at the Spending Review as capital investment in youth services for 2021-22, which is on top of the £750 million charity funding package. This will provide an investment in new and refurbished spaces for young people, so they can access positive activities and support from youth workers.
Further details of the timetable for allocation will be announced in due course, following a review of youth funding.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to discuss with children and young people the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on their lives.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Government recognises that it is important to listen to young people and ensure they have a voice on issues that matter to them. Since the start of the pandemic Ministers have committed to attending monthly youth-led roundtable discussions with members of the DCMS Youth Steering Group, who oversee the development of policies and programmes across government that affect young people.
Additionally, Ministers have taken up a range of opportunities to speak to young people through events hosted by youth sector organisations, including the Jewish Lads and Girls Brigade Live event, UK Youth’s panel on youth loneliness and a roundtable with representatives involved in the national #YoungAndBlack campaign.
Ministers will continue to meet regularly with youth representatives to consider the impact of Covid-19 and engage them in recovery planning.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on a support package for (a) employers and (b) crew in the inland waterways sector who are affected by the decline in tourism revenue as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
We recognise that waterways businesses have been severely impacted by the current situation. My Department will continue to work closely with the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to assess the impact on tourism businesses on inland waterways following Covid-19.
The Government has provided wide-ranging financial support across the whole economy, particularly focussing on small and medium-sized businesses. These include several loan schemes, such as the 100% Government-guaranteed Bounce Back Loan; support for self-employed people; the Local Authority Discretionary Grant Fund to accommodate small businesses previously outside the scope of the business grant funds scheme; a £10 million tourism ‘kick-start’ package to help small businesses in our tourist destinations, along with a reduced 5% VAT rate for many tourism and hospitality activities for six months.
Through the Cultural Renewal Taskforce and its working groups, we have developed Covid-19 Secure guidance which will help heritage and tourism businesses reopen safely for both visitors and workers. Further significant easing of Covid-19 restrictions from 4 July should now allow many waterways businesses to reopen to take advantage of coming summer demand.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking in each region of (a) England and (b) Wales to help protect employment in the inland waterways sector of the tourism industry from the effect of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
We recognise that waterways businesses have been severely impacted by the current situation. My Department will continue to work closely with the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to assess the impact on tourism businesses on inland waterways following Covid-19.
The Government has provided wide-ranging financial support across the whole economy, particularly focussing on small and medium-sized businesses. These include several loan schemes, such as the 100% Government-guaranteed Bounce Back Loan; support for self-employed people; the Local Authority Discretionary Grant Fund to accommodate small businesses previously outside the scope of the business grant funds scheme; a £10 million tourism ‘kick-start’ package to help small businesses in our tourist destinations, along with a reduced 5% VAT rate for many tourism and hospitality activities for six months.
Through the Cultural Renewal Taskforce and its working groups, we have developed Covid-19 Secure guidance which will help heritage and tourism businesses reopen safely for both visitors and workers. Further significant easing of Covid-19 restrictions from 4 July should now allow many waterways businesses to reopen to take advantage of coming summer demand.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the effect of recent Government policy statements on China on the ability of businesses in the UK that rely on tourism from China to recover from the economic effect of covid-19.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government welcomes the positive impact of international tourism, including from China, on the UK economy. We look forward to welcoming Chinese visitors back to all parts of the UK as soon as practicably possible. We will continue to support the recovery of the tourism and hospitality sectors, as well as the countryside, culture and heritage assets which we know are so greatly appreciated by visitors both from China and from around the world.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the total annual capital expenditure for local authority youth services was in each year since 2010 by local authority.
Answered by Baroness Morgan of Cotes
The data concerning the total capital expenditure for local authority youth services in each year since 2010 is not held by my department.Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when the NCS Trust's annual report and accounts 2019 will be published.
Answered by Baroness Morgan of Cotes
DCMS intends to publish the NCS Trust annual report and accounts by the end of March of 2020.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding the Government has allocated for the National Citizens Service for 2020-21.
Answered by Baroness Morgan of Cotes
The 2020-21 budget allocation for NCS will be agreed by the end of the year.