Office for the Impact Economy

Lord Bishop of Derby Excerpts

Wednesday 17th December 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)]

My Lords, I praise the civil servants that are genuinely communicating well in this space. With regard to the hub-and-spoke model, the Office for the Impact Economy is based in the Cabinet Office, working with civil servants across the departments that will be able to help deliver it. We are trying to create a one-stop shop for philanthropists, social enterprises and social purpose-driven businesses so they know one place to come, and then it is up to government to be able to facilitate what they need. We are talking about potential investment— as was established by the report published last month— of £106 billion of assets; £42 billion is already being spent on government priorities. This is to make sure everyone is swimming in the right direction by providing a one-stop shop. I hope that provides a level of basic English for the noble Lord.

[The Lord Bishop of Derby]

My Lords, I am pleased to endorse the Government’s intentional investment in social impact, but may I ask the Minister how the new Office for the Impact Economy plans specifically to engage with faith-based organisations and faith-motivated individuals, including—but not exclusively—from the Christian community, to optimise the reach for common good of such faith-driven philanthropy?

[Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent (Lab)]

I thank the right reverend Prelate. She raises a very important point, especially at this time of year when many people are considering their charitable donations. The UK has a proud tradition of charitable giving and philanthropy and I take this opportunity to thank our country’s faith communities for their generosity towards charitable causes. The Government are determined to create a more supportive environment for philanthropy and we will work to make giving as easy, compelling and impactful as possible. The new Office for the Impact Economy will work with philanthropic foundations and institutions, many of which are faith based, to explore how we can make this happen. For example, where I believe both the church and other faith communities can clearly assist is with DCMS’s efforts on place-based philanthropy. Noble Lords will appreciate that faith communities tend to have a footprint in every community and, when we are seeking to ensure impactful reach in disadvantaged communities, working with faith-based communities will be the most important way of achieving that.