Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will set out the eligibility criteria to access the Better Futures Fund for (a) disabled children, (b) other children and (c) families.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS are currently in the policy development stages of the Fund; therefore, decisions on funding criteria and eligibility are yet to be confirmed, with an aim to publish policy guidance in 2026 which will indicate the overall fund timelines.
As announced in July 2025, the fund will support up to 200,000 struggling children, young people and their families over ten years and will focus on innovative impact funding projects that seek to break down barriers to opportunity and deliver on the government’s Plan for Change. DCMS has already begun engagement with a range of stakeholders including local and central government, the impact economy, and representatives from the Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector.
The funding will primarily be for the commissioning of Social Outcomes Partnerships, in which government payments are tied to the achievement of measurable improvements in people’s lives, such as school attainment, improved youth employment or reduced youth reoffending. Outcomes-based commissioning means that individual outcomes are monitored in order for payments from government to be released depending on these specific outcomes being achieved.
The Better Futures Fund will be supported by a robust and comprehensive evaluation that will also assess cost effectiveness while monitoring that the objectives of the fund have been met.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to ensure that the Better Futures Fund includes provision for disabled children and young people.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS are currently in the policy development stages of the Fund; therefore, decisions on funding criteria and eligibility are yet to be confirmed, with an aim to publish policy guidance in 2026 which will indicate the overall fund timelines.
As announced in July 2025, the fund will support up to 200,000 struggling children, young people and their families over ten years and will focus on innovative impact funding projects that seek to break down barriers to opportunity and deliver on the government’s Plan for Change. DCMS has already begun engagement with a range of stakeholders including local and central government, the impact economy, and representatives from the Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector.
The funding will primarily be for the commissioning of Social Outcomes Partnerships, in which government payments are tied to the achievement of measurable improvements in people’s lives, such as school attainment, improved youth employment or reduced youth reoffending. Outcomes-based commissioning means that individual outcomes are monitored in order for payments from government to be released depending on these specific outcomes being achieved.
The Better Futures Fund will be supported by a robust and comprehensive evaluation that will also assess cost effectiveness while monitoring that the objectives of the fund have been met.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her planned timetable is for distributing funding under the Better Futures Fund.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS are currently in the policy development stages of the Fund; therefore, decisions on funding criteria and eligibility are yet to be confirmed, with an aim to publish policy guidance in 2026 which will indicate the overall fund timelines.
As announced in July 2025, the fund will support up to 200,000 struggling children, young people and their families over ten years and will focus on innovative impact funding projects that seek to break down barriers to opportunity and deliver on the government’s Plan for Change. DCMS has already begun engagement with a range of stakeholders including local and central government, the impact economy, and representatives from the Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector.
The funding will primarily be for the commissioning of Social Outcomes Partnerships, in which government payments are tied to the achievement of measurable improvements in people’s lives, such as school attainment, improved youth employment or reduced youth reoffending. Outcomes-based commissioning means that individual outcomes are monitored in order for payments from government to be released depending on these specific outcomes being achieved.
The Better Futures Fund will be supported by a robust and comprehensive evaluation that will also assess cost effectiveness while monitoring that the objectives of the fund have been met.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what criteria will be used to determine which (a) local authorities, (b) charities and (c) social enterprises receive funding through the Better Futures Fund.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS are currently in the policy development stages of the Fund; therefore, decisions on funding criteria and eligibility are yet to be confirmed, with an aim to publish policy guidance in 2026 which will indicate the overall fund timelines.
As announced in July 2025, the fund will support up to 200,000 struggling children, young people and their families over ten years and will focus on innovative impact funding projects that seek to break down barriers to opportunity and deliver on the government’s Plan for Change. DCMS has already begun engagement with a range of stakeholders including local and central government, the impact economy, and representatives from the Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector.
The funding will primarily be for the commissioning of Social Outcomes Partnerships, in which government payments are tied to the achievement of measurable improvements in people’s lives, such as school attainment, improved youth employment or reduced youth reoffending. Outcomes-based commissioning means that individual outcomes are monitored in order for payments from government to be released depending on these specific outcomes being achieved.
The Better Futures Fund will be supported by a robust and comprehensive evaluation that will also assess cost effectiveness while monitoring that the objectives of the fund have been met.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what criteria she will use to make an assessment of the success of the Civil Society Covenant.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Civil Society Covenant is a new principles-based foundation for resetting the relationship between the UK Government and civil society. Its ambition is to build lasting partnerships between civil society and all forms of government across the UK. This is a significant, long term challenge that will require sustained commitment and buy-in from a wide and diverse range of different organisations.
To help drive momentum and demonstrate leadership, the UK Government has committed to ensuring that every government department publicly supports and works towards implementing the Covenant in order to become a better partner for civil society. We will report annually on actions to honour the Covenant and the impact of this partnership with civil society. A Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, including criteria for measuring success, is currently being developed to inform the annual report.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) small grassroots organisations and (b) under-represented groups are consulted on the Civil Society Covenant.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Civil Society Covenant was launched by the Prime Minister in July 2025 at a major civil society summit. Its ambition is to strengthen relationships and encourage partnership between civil society and all levels of UK government.
To inform the development of the Civil Society Covenant, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, working with key civil society partners, engaged over 1,200 organisations from across the diversity and breadth of civil society. This included nine roundtables that heard from a diverse set of civil society organisations that may have been under-represented or faced barriers in participating in the engagement process. These roundtables brought together 220 leaders including those from faith communities and those representing ethnic minority groups, as well as people leading small organisations locally in the heart of their communities and Local Infrastructure Organisations.
The views and insights heard through this engagement fed directly into development of the Covenant which includes a commitment to ‘Promote participation and inclusion by involving people in decisions that affect their lives, ensuring their voices are heard and removing barriers to democratic participation’.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has considered introducing targeted funding or grants to help increase the facilities of charities that are experiencing significant demand for their services.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
This Government recognises the vital role that charities play up and down the country, by providing crucial targeted support to different groups and communities.
DCMS is promoting the availability of funding for smaller charities in several ways. This includes delivery of a number of grant schemes, such as the Know Your Neighbourhood Fund and the £25.5 million Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Energy Efficiency Scheme, which is supporting frontline organisations across England to improve their energy efficiency and sustainability.
The Youth Investment Fund is also funding over £300 million to over 250 projects in targeted areas to build, renovate and expand youth facilities in less advantaged areas of England. Alongside this, the £30.5 million Better Youth Spaces fund recently launched for smaller capital projects in youth facilities.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to publish guidance for sporting bodies on the eligibility criteria for women's sport.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We have always been clear that, when it comes to women's sport, biology matters. We will continue to support sports to develop policies that protect fairness and safety, particularly when it is not possible to balance those factors with inclusion.
In terms of gender eligibility, National Governing Bodies set their own policies for who can participate in their sports in domestic competitions. It is for International Federations to determine the rules for their sports at the international level of competition.
Our Sports Councils produce guidance to provide domestic sports bodies with the framework and support to determine the right position for their sport. Our Sports Councils are consulting with legal experts to clarify how the Supreme Court ruling affects the guidance. The outcome of this will feed into their timescale for a planned wider review of the guidance.
Alongside this, sports need to come up with approaches to ensure everyone has the opportunity to take part somehow - and I know that sporting bodies will be considering this in light of the Supreme Court decision.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support the tourism sector in Essex.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government is implementing the most significant overhaul of regional destination management in a generation, creating a portfolio of nationally supported, strategic and high-performing Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) in partnership with VisitEngland. These LVEPs will provide strong local leadership and governance in tourism destinations all over the country, and Essex is included in this programme as part of the Visit Essex LVEP. Visit Essex works in partnership with private sector businesses to support economic growth, through promoting the county as a place to visit, live and do business, and to continue to grow tourism and ensure that Essex remains a leading visitor destination.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to support national sports governing bodies to ensure that women’s sports categories remain reserved for biological females.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Sporting bodies have a responsibility to protect the integrity and fairness of women's sport and the safety of all participants, particularly when it is not possible to balance those factors with inclusion.
National Governing Bodies set their own policies for who can participate in their sports in domestic competitions. Our UK sports councils have produced guidance to help domestic sports bodies determine the right position for their sport. The guidance covers transgender participation in sport, and makes clear that fairness and safety cannot be balanced with inclusion in gender-affected sport.