Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to ensure the continued funding of the Grandparents' Association.

This government is committed to building on the excellent work already in place to strengthen family relationships and as the Prime Minister announced at the Relationships Alliance summit in August 2014, we will be investing the same amount of funding in 2015/2016 as we have done in 2014/2015.

Grandparents Association are subcontracted by Relate who are one of the lead suppliers delivering relationship support services. DWP will be funding this Relate contract in 2015/16 at the same level as they have received in 2014/15. It is Relate’s responsibility to decide how they manage this contract and which partners / sub-contractors they involve in supporting delivery of these services.

However, we would encourage existing providers to make use of the valuable skills and expertise that are offered by the third sector, such as Grandparents Association.