Oral Answers to Questions

Jim Dickson Excerpts

Thursday 15th January 2026 Commons Chamber

[Lisa Nandy]

I thank the hon. Lady for that question and assure her that there will be no musical instruments collecting dust in storage cupboards. As well as announcing a broader, richer curriculum alongside the Education Secretary at the end of last year, which will put music education once again at the heart of the offer for young people, we are rebuilding access to it in communities. I will have something more to say about the programme she describes very shortly, but as a Government we are determined to ensure that every child has the chance to find their spark and develop their interest, not just children whose parents can pay.

[Jim Dickson (Dartford) (Lab)]

9. What steps her Department is taking to improve access to youth activities for young people.

[Will Stone (Swindon North) (Lab)]

14. What steps her Department is taking to improve access to youth activities for young people.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Stephanie Peacock)]

Our national youth strategy was co-produced with young people and has committed to investing over £500 million to ensure young people have somewhere to go, something to do and someone who cares. Access to youth activities is a key part of that.

[Jim Dickson]

In Swanscombe and in much of my constituency, less than 50% of young people are physically active. That is only slightly lower than the national average, which is highly alarming. Under the previous Government, community sports facilities such as Swanscombe Pavilion in my constituency crumbled, with no resources to bring them back to life, reducing the available space for young people to be active. That is why I am particularly pleased to hear about the £400 million, which has been mentioned today, that the Government committed to grassroots sport facilities last June. Will the Minister provide an update on how that vital funding will be allocated, and will she agree to meet me to discuss this further?

[Stephanie Peacock]

The Government recognise that grassroots facilities are at the heart of communities up and down the country, which is why we have committed £400 million to transform grassroots facilities across the UK. I would be happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss how we will be rolling that out. We recognise that too many children and young people are less active than they should be, which is why we have campaigns such as “Let’s Move!”, which aims to support children to enjoy being active in sport, play and everyday movement. I was pleased to see one of those sessions in action myself before Christmas.