Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help (a) increase survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests and (b) increase the availability of defibrillators in Bath.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In order to increase survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, NHS England has worked in partnership with St John’s Ambulance and others to increase access to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training. Local ambulance trusts, charities including St John’s Ambulance, the British Heart Foundation, and private providers deliver CPR training and the use of defibrillators both in the community and in schools, under the Restart a Heart programme.
The Government’s position is that local communities are best placed to make decisions about procuring, locating and maintaining automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Over 110,000 defibrillators are registered in the United Kingdom on The Circuit, the independent AED database. Over 30,000 of these have been added in the past two years, many as a result of local community led action.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will review the inclusion of first aid education within Young Futures Hubs after the initial phase of early adopters.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Specific services and activities available in each hub will depend on the needs of the community and its young people, with a focus on upstream intervention. Some Young Futures Hubs may choose to include first aid education.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her proposed timetable is for announcing current and future funding streams for the National Youth Strategy including Richer Young Lives, Youth Facilities and the Youth Workforce.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
‘Youth Matters: Your National Youth Strategy’ is a 10 year plan to ensure every young person across the country has somewhere to go, someone who cares for them and a community they feel part of.
This is backed by over £500 million of new youth funding over the next 3 years. The funding underpinning the first steps of the Strategy will be available from the next financial year 2026/2027.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the contribution of uniformed and non-uniformed youth volunteering organisations to the aims of the National Youth Strategy.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
On the 10th December 2025, the Government published ‘Youth Matters: Your National Youth Strategy’. It is a 10 year plan to ensure every young person across the country has somewhere to go, someone who cares for them and a community they feel part of. It includes 2 clear ambitions - by 2035:
To have halved the participation gap in enriching activities between disadvantaged young people and their peers.
For half a million more young people to have access to a trusted adult outside of their home.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport commissioned an independent provider (Ipsos) to conduct an evaluation covering the Uniformed Youth Fund from 2022 to 2025, which was published on 11th September 2025. The research found uniformed youth organisations (UYOs):
contribute to the social and emotional development of young people by providing them with structured activities and supportive environments, enhancing young people’s cooperation skills, communication, and confidence;
enhance education and career opportunities for young people by providing them with valuable skills for life and work and supporting their academic attainment through diverse activities;
provide supportive and inclusive environments where young people feel safe, a sense of belonging for young people through their uniforms, and fostering trusted relationships with peers and adult leaders.
The Department has a rich evidence base supporting the positive outcomes of youth organisations and young people's attendance of these. There’s a wide range of positive outcomes from youth interventions, such as on employability, skill development, and that it can be preventative in terms of crime.