Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the level of participation among businesses in enabling their staff to engage in full-time social action projects and the National Citizen Service.

DCMS is carefully considering the recommendations made by the independent Review of Full Time Social Action by Young People, including the recommendation referencing Business in the Community. The Government will publish it’s response to the Review in due course.

As the National Citizen Service is aimed at 16-17 year olds, the majority of participants are recruited via their schools or colleges. The NCS Trust aims to develop partnerships with employers so that employees can support NCS. For example, Santander UK provides opportunities for its staff to volunteer on the programme to share their knowledge and skills.