Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the quality and consistency of youth services outsourced by local authorities.

Local Authorities have a statutory duty to provide services to improve young people's well-being. As was the case under previous administrations it is at the discretion of local authorities to decide how to deliver these services and whether the particular services they fund are delivered directly or through third parties. Government does not require local authorities to report this information.

We know that many local authorities are embracing new, innovative ways of delivering high-quality services that respond to local need and remain focussed on the well-being of young people.