Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lisa Nandy and Tessa Munt

Thursday 18th June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Tessa Munt (Wells and Mendip Hills) (LD)]

2. What steps she is taking to help ensure that children from less privileged backgrounds can access music and dance training.

[The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Lisa Nandy)]

This Government believe that every child in this country has the right to access high-quality arts provision, including music and dance, which gives young people the chance to live a richer, larger life. I am really pleased to tell the House that the music and dance scheme’s allocation of future funding for this financial year represents an increase on the commitment of the previous year.

[Tessa Munt]

I thank the Secretary of State for her response. Wells Cathedral school is in my constituency, and it has 80 young people who are on the music and dance scheme. It is a fantastic scheme, and I pay tribute to the outgoing headteacher, Alastair Tighe, who has done his very best to ensure that the scheme reaches deep into the community and those from less advantaged backgrounds, including one of our local cleaners—she is able to pay just £200 a year for what is a £50,000 a year education. However, there has been a 10-year drift between inflation and the amount of the money that the scheme receives. Can the Secretary of State have another look at this issue and make it absolutely certain that pupils benefit from better funding—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. We have only 30 minutes.