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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what criteria will be used to decide which 70 regions will be reached by the cultural citizens programme; and by what criteria the success of that programme will be judged.

The Cultural Citizens Programme will be piloted from September 2016. As outlined in the Culture White Paper Annex 1 (measuring the impact), we will commission a bespoke evaluation of this pilot and the findings from this will determine how the programme will develop in subsequent years. The programme will operate in up to 70 areas across the country by the end of the third year, and will be focused in areas where cultural participation is lowest and where young people's opportunities are likely to be more limited. We want everyone regardless of background to have the opportunity to experience culture.