Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 6 October 2017 to Question 105652 (a) how the £30 million made available for relationship support services between April 2017 and March 2020 has been allocated in 2017/18, (b) what the planned total investment in relationship support programmes was for 2018/19 and 2019/20 prior to the November 2017 Budget, (c) what additional funding the November 2017 Budget allocated to relationship support programmes, (d) what the planned total investment in relationship support programmes is for 2018/19 and 2019/20 following the November 2017 Budget and (e) whether government investing in relationship support programmes includes other projects to strengthen families an relationships in addition to the Reducing Parental Conflict Programme.

We published Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families in April 2017 where we announced a spend of up to £30m to launch the new Reducing Parental Conflict Programme. Planned spend in 17/18 is £5.91m. Funding allocations to projects/business areas in future years are decided on an annual basis and are subject to internal prioritisation.

The funding that was announced as part of the 2017 Autumn Budget, safeguards £15m pa investment on relationship support/parental conflict in 18/19 and 19/20. DWP has no plans to fund other projects than those mentioned in the budget statement, however, strengthening families is a cross-government objective and other government departments will be able to confirm their own plans in this area.