Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1682893

	registered interest
	date	17/01/2024
	answering body	Department for Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	217
	answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Loneliness
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress her Department has made on tackling loneliness.
	tabling member constituency	Chatham and Aylesford
	tabling member printed	Tracey Crouch
	uin	10083
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2024 answer text <p>Many people experience loneliness and social isolation, and the Government is committed to reducing the stigma associated with loneliness, and building a more connected society. Government, local councils, health systems and voluntary and community sector organisations all have an important role to play in achieving this.</p><p>Since publishing the first ever government Strategy for Tackling Loneliness and appointing the world’s first Minister for Loneliness in 2018, we have invested almost £80 million in tackling loneliness. These interventions include a national communications campaign that aims to reduce the stigma of loneliness, which has reached at least 25 million people across the country. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is also delivering the ‘Know Your Neighbourhood Fund’ to boost volunteering and reduce loneliness in 27 disadvantaged areas across England. We have also brought together over 750 people from across the public, private and charity sectors through our Tackling Loneliness Hub, where members can learn from events and workshops, share the latest research and collaborate on new initiatives.</p><p>Last March, we published the fourth annual report of our Tackling Loneliness Strategy. It contains over 60 new and ongoing commitments from 11 government departments. So far, we have made progress against at least 46 of these commitments and at least 7 have been completed. Due to the nature of the commitments many have now been incorporated into business as usual. The fifth annual report will provide a full update on commitments, and is due to be published in March.</p> answering member constituency Pudsey answering member printed Stuart Andrew question first answered 25/01/2024 15:50:46 answering member 4032 label Biography information for Stuart Andrew
	tabling member	3950 label Biography information for Dame Tracey Crouch

1682895

	registered interest
	date	17/01/2024
	answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
	answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
	hansard heading	Loneliness
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Mental Health Bill will have provisions to help tackle loneliness.
	tabling member constituency	Chatham and Aylesford
	tabling member printed	Tracey Crouch
	uin	10084
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/01/2024 answer text <p>The Government published a draft Mental Health Bill on 23 June 2023 and it remains our intention to bring forward a Mental Health Bill when Parliamentary time allows. The Bill is designed to reform the Mental Health Act 1983, which exists to be able to compel people to stay in hospital and be treated for a severe mental illness. The legislative reforms contained in the Bill aim to provide greater autonomy to individuals to inform their care and treatment, including children and young people. They also aim to ensure that inpatients, including those detained under the Mental Health Act, have improved support to access their rights under the Act. The Bill therefore does not include provisions to tackle loneliness.</p><p>The Department of Culture, Media and Sport launched the world’s first government strategy on loneliness in October 2018. It set out a clear vision for this country to be a place where we can all have strong social relationships.  The Government’s work to tackle loneliness focuses on reducing the stigma associated with loneliness; supporting organisations across society to take action; and improving the evidence base on loneliness.</p> answering member constituency Lewes answering member printed Maria Caulfield question first answered 25/01/2024 10:13:41 answering member 4492 label Biography information for Maria Caulfield
	tabling member	3950 label Biography information for Dame Tracey Crouch

1676038

	registered interest
	date	06/12/2023
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Loneliness
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to require his frontline officials to (a) assess the potential (i) loneliness and (ii) social isolation when interacting with people who may be vulnerable to those challenges and (b) signpost those people to (A) social prescribing services and (B) other civil society engagement opportunities.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	5678
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/12/2023 answer text <p>All new and existing staff who work with customers are trained to consider a person's circumstances and to tailor support according to their individual needs. Staff complete training that covers a wide range of claimant circumstances, including how to recognise the signs of loneliness and social isolation.</p><p> </p><p>Staff also have access to information on services and support available in their local area for claimants who are vulnerable or who have complex needs, and can signpost to relevant organisations, suggest social prescribing options, or other relevant opportunities such as volunteering.</p><p> </p><p>We’re committed to improving and expanding this Jobcentre Plus signposting, as outlined in Department for Culture, Media and Sport's fourth Tackling Loneliness Report.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 12/12/2023 13:39:09 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1665422

	registered interest
	date	17/10/2023
	answering body	Department for Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	217
	answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Loneliness
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the levels of loneliness and social isolation in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England; and what (i) financial and (ii) other steps her Department is taking to tackle loneliness and social isolation in those areas.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry North East
	tabling member printed	Colleen Fletcher
	uin	202998
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2023 answer text <p>DCMS collects data on levels of loneliness in England through its annual <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/community-life-survey--2" target="_blank">Community Life Survey</a> (CLS), which suggests that prevalence of loneliness in 2021-22 remained similar to pre-COVID levels, with 6% of adults reporting that they are always or often lonely. Levels of loneliness in the West Midlands in 2021-22 were similar to levels in England (7% always or often lonely). Data is not available to estimate loneliness levels at a constituency level.</p><p>The government launched the Know Your Neighbourhood (KYN) Fund in March 2023, an up to £30 million package of funding designed to widen participation in volunteering and tackle loneliness in 27 disadvantaged areas across England. The KYN Fund will run until March 2025, with funding allocations taking place up until March 2024. A key focus of the programme is to generate and share learning on how people in disadvantaged areas can be supported to volunteer and improve their social connections, which will help to support sustained action beyond the lifetime of the Fund. Four areas in the West Midlands fall in scope of the KYN Fund: Wolverhampton, Sandwell, Stoke-on-Trent and Cannock Chase.</p><p>Furthermore, the government continues to take action to tackle loneliness across England through public communications to reduce the stigma about loneliness, building the evidence base on loneliness and supporting other government departments and external organisations to consider loneliness in their work.</p><p>Copies of the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/loneliness-annual-report-the-fourth-year" target="_blank">fourth annual report</a> on the government's world-first tackling loneliness strategy are available in the Libraries of the House of Commons and Lords and online.</p> answering member constituency Pudsey answering member printed Stuart Andrew question first answered 20/10/2023 08:16:44 answering member 4032 label Biography information for Stuart Andrew
	tabling member	4378 label Biography information for Colleen Fletcher

1654905

	registered interest
	date	20/07/2023
	answering body	Department for Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	217
	answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Loneliness
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help support local councils to tackle loneliness.
	tabling member constituency	Barnsley East
	tabling member printed	Stephanie Peacock
	uin	195551
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/09/2023 answer text <p>Many people experience loneliness and social isolation, and across government, we’re committed to building a more connected society, where everyone is able to build meaningful relationships. Having strong social relationships play an important role in our physical and mental wellbeing, and local councils, health systems and voluntary and community sector organisations all have an important role to play in tackling loneliness. Local services can achieve better outcomes in tackling loneliness by working together and building a shared understanding of the local community’s needs and assets.</p><p>The government is working with partners to support local areas to share and learn from best practice examples. This includes working with the Local Government Association to provide <a href="https://www.local.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/combating-loneliness-guid-24e_march_2018.pdf" target="_blank">guidance on how local councils can tackle loneliness</a>, and providing a space for organisations to share resources on the <a href="https://tacklinglonelinesshub.org/" target="_blank">Tackling Loneliness Hub</a>. Furthermore, through the delivery and evaluation of the £30 million<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/know-your-neighbourhood-fund-invitation-for-intermediary-grant-makers/know-your-neighbourhood-kyn-fund-intermediary-grant-maker-competition-application-guidance" target="_blank"> Know Your Neighbourhood Fund</a>, local authorities and community organisations in high deprivation areas will have access to evidence on what works to increase regular volunteering and reduce chronic loneliness.</p> answering member constituency Pudsey answering member printed Stuart Andrew question first answered 07/09/2023 13:57:47 answering member 4032 label Biography information for Stuart Andrew
	tabling member	4607 label Biography information for Stephanie Peacock

1581155

	registered interest
	date	26/01/2023
	answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Loneliness
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent progress she has made on the Government's loneliness strategy.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	133671
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2023 answer text <p>Tackling loneliness remains a priority for the government. Over the past year we have reached millions of people through our ‘Lift Someone Out of Loneliness’ campaign. We have grown our Tackling Loneliness Network of organisations from across sectors, and published new research into loneliness and its impacts. We have also brought together Ministers across government to continue to drive forward action to tackle loneliness. In the coming months we will publish the fourth annual report on the loneliness strategy reflecting on progress made since 2018 and committing to government action to tackle loneliness over the next two years.</p> answering member constituency Pudsey answering member printed Stuart Andrew question first answered 03/02/2023 13:47:10 answering member 4032 label Biography information for Stuart Andrew
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1470231

	registered interest
	date	14/06/2022
	answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Loneliness
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the levels of loneliness and social isolation in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England in each of the last three years; and what (i) financial and (ii) other steps her Department is taking to tackle loneliness and social isolation in those areas.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry North East
	tabling member printed	Colleen Fletcher
	uin	17954
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2022 answer text <p>DCMS collects data on levels of loneliness in England through its annual <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/community-life-survey--2" target="_blank">Community Life Survey</a>, which suggests that prevalence of loneliness has remained similar to pre-COVID levels, with 6% of adults reporting that they are always or often lonely. <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1081944/Loneliness_Quantitative__Web_.pdf" target="_blank">Secondary analysis</a> of this data suggests that young adults (aged 16-34) are five times as likely to be lonely compared to people aged 65+ whilst people that experienced mental distress were four times as likely to be lonely than those who did not.</p><p>The Department does not routinely collect data on loneliness in local areas. However, DCMS works closely with experts such as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to monitor other data sources and build our understanding. In 2021, ONS published the <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/mappinglonelinessduringthecoronaviruspandemic/2021-04-07" target="_blank">first estimates of loneliness at a local authority level</a>, which suggests 11% of adults over 16 in Coventry feel lonely often or always. However, as the <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/mappinglonelinessduringthecoronaviruspandemic/2021-04-07" target="_blank">ONS report</a> states, because of small sample sizes and large confidence intervals, local authorities should not be ranked against each other. Unfortunately we don’t have the data available to estimate loneliness levels at a regional or constituency level.</p><p>The Government continues to take action to tackle loneliness through public communications to reduce the stigma about loneliness, building the evidence base on loneliness and supporting other government departments and external organisations to consider loneliness in their work.</p><p>Copies of the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/loneliness-annual-report-the-first-year" target="_blank">first</a>, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/loneliness-annual-report-the-second-year" target="_blank">second</a> and <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/loneliness-annual-report-the-third-year/tackling-loneliness-annual-report-february-2022-the-third-year" target="_blank">third </a>annual reports on the government's work on tackling loneliness are available in the Libraries of the House and online.</p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston question first answered 22/06/2022 09:56:58 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
	tabling member	4378 label Biography information for Colleen Fletcher

1379370

	registered interest
	date	17/11/2021
	answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Loneliness
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the levels of loneliness and social isolation in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England; and what (i) financial and (ii) other steps her Department is taking to tackle loneliness and social isolation in those areas.
	tabling member constituency	Coventry North East
	tabling member printed	Colleen Fletcher
	uin	76714
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2021 answer text <p>DCMS collects data on levels of loneliness in England through its annual <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/community-life-survey--2" target="_blank">Community Life Survey</a>. In addition, the Department commissioned a Community Life Survey Re-Contact Survey last year, to provide data on the period April 2020 to March 2021. These sources suggest that prevalence of loneliness has remained similar to pre-COVID levels, with 6% of adults reporting that they are always or often lonely.</p><p>The Department does not collect robust data on loneliness in local areas. However, DCMS works closely with experts such as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to monitor other data sources and build our understanding. ONS recently published the first estimates of loneliness at a local authority level. As the <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/mappinglonelinessduringthecoronaviruspandemic/2021-04-07" target="_blank">ONS report</a> states, because of small sample sizes and large confidence intervals, local authorities should not be ranked against each other.</p><p>The Department continues to take action to tackle loneliness through public communications to get people talking about loneliness, and supporting organisations across different sectors. This includes:</p><ul><li><p>Awarding £260,000 to 9 organisations through the Loneliness Engagement Fund, to deliver communications and engagement activity that reaches groups at a higher risk of loneliness, including young people and people with disabilities.</p></li></ul><ul><li><p>Continuing to deliver and expand our Tackling Loneliness Hub, which provides a space for over 70 organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors to share expertise and develop innovative ways to tackle loneliness on an online platform.</p></li></ul><ul><li><p>Sharing practical tips and signposting to support through our public communications activity. During Loneliness Awareness Week in June, we partnered with organisations including TikTok, BT and the Royal Mail to reach more people than ever.</p></li></ul><p>Copies of the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/loneliness-annual-report-the-first-year" target="_blank">first</a> and <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/loneliness-annual-report-the-second-year" target="_blank">second</a> reports on the government's work on tackling loneliness are available in the Libraries of the House and online. A third annual progress report will be published in February 2022.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston question first answered 22/11/2021 15:40:28 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
	tabling member	4378 label Biography information for Colleen Fletcher

1361734

	registered interest
	date	20/10/2021
	answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Loneliness
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent progress his Department has made on tackling loneliness following the Let’s Talk Loneliness campaign and the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	East Londonderry
	tabling member printed	Mr Gregory Campbell
	uin	59720
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/10/2021 answer text <p>The Department’s response to the COVID-19 recognised the importance of social connection, and we are continuing to build on this as part of our strategy to tackle loneliness.</p><p>In addition to providing over £34 million to charities tackling loneliness through the £750 million Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) funding package, over recent months we have continued to deliver the £4 million Local Connections Fund. This funding is being delivered in partnership with the National Lottery Community Fund, and so far we have awarded over 1,300 microgrants to charities and community groups that help people to connect via the things they enjoy. For example, we’ve supported songwriting workshops in Devon, dance classes in Bedfordshire, and online chat services in Durham.</p><p>In September, we launched the Loneliness Engagement Fund to provide small grants to organisations that can reach the groups in England most affected by loneliness during COVID-19. Funding will be provided to support communications and engagement activity that will help reduce feelings of stigma, and encourage people to take steps to help themselves and others. We will inform organisations who have been successful in applying for funding in early November.</p><p>We are also preparing to deliver winter loneliness campaign activity as part of the Better Health: Every Mind Matters campaign. Building on the success of the Let’s Talk Loneliness campaign, we will be reminding people that it is OK to feel lonely, and providing advice on how people can help themselves and others to tackle loneliness.</p><p>We continue to support organisations across sectors to take action on loneliness through our Tackling Loneliness Network. This year, we set up a digital platform to support members of the Network to connect and share resources and best practice. We are also working closely with stakeholders and experts through our new Social Connection Funders Group, and our Loneliness Evidence Group.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston question first answered 25/10/2021 14:38:23 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
	tabling member	1409 label Biography information for Mr Gregory Campbell

1354610

	registered interest
	date	10/09/2021
	answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	Loneliness
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent progress he has made on delivering the Loneliness Strategy.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	47015
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2021 answer text <p>Over the last eighteen months, the government has continued to take action in line with the loneliness strategy, including through delivering a response to COVID-19 that recognises the value of social connection.</p><p>We have invested over £34 million in charities focused on reducing loneliness and a further £50 million to organisations supporting people with their mental health. This is part of the government's unprecedented £750 million package of support for the sector during the pandemic, which has benefited over 14,000 charities.</p><p>We also set up the £4 million Local Connections Fund in partnership with the National Lottery Community Fund. Through the Local Connections Fund, we have awarded over 1,300 microgrants to charities and community groups that help people to connect via the things they enjoy. For example, we’ve supported songwriting workshops in Devon, dance classes in Bedfordshire, and online chat services in Durham.</p><p>We established the Tackling Loneliness Network, bringing together over 80 organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors to share expertise and develop innovative ways to tackle loneliness. The Tackling Loneliness Network Action Plan was published in May 2021 and sets out actions that government and Network members are taking to support social connection in response to COVID-19. A copy of this report will be placed in the Libraries of the House and is available online at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/emerging-together-the-tackling-loneliness-network-action-plan" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/emerging-together-the-tackling-loneliness-network-action-plan</a></p><p>We have continued to share practical tips and signpost support through the ‘Let’s Talk Loneliness’ campaign. During Loneliness Awareness Week in June this year, our campaign activity reached over 21 million people, including through partnerships with TikTok, BT, Royal Mail and Electronic Arts.</p><p>The government publishes a report on its work on loneliness every year. The latest was published in January 2021 and is available online at: [<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/loneliness-annual-report-the-second-year/loneliness-annual-report-january-2021" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/loneliness-annual-report-the-second-year/loneliness-annual-report-january-2021</a> ] The next report will be published in early 2022.</p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston question first answered 07/10/2021 16:13:11 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell