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youth services, national citizen service

Youth services Government Response only partially addresses MPs' concerns

17 October 2011

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The Education Committee issues a report publishing and commenting on the Government’s response to the Committee’s inquiry into services for young people.

The Education Committee comments that the response 'only partially addressed' some of its recommendations in its original report and so it is issuing a further report to seek clarification on a number of points.

National Citizen Service

The Committee says it remains concerned about the potential impact of charging for National Citizen Service and asks the Government to evaluate and report back in due course what impact, if any, charging has had on participation as part of its evaluation of the 2011 pilot.

The Government should also clarify whether or not it intends to cease funding National Citizen Service altogether beyond the pilot years, and set out what it has learnt from the 2011 pilot with regard to the rate of take-up amongst 16-year olds and consequent likely costs in future years. 

Public spending on youth services

It is inadequate for the Government to dismiss the Committee's estimate of public spending on youth services, which is based on its own figures, without explaining in more detail why it has done so and without providing its own estimate.

The Government should provide the Committee with its own assessment of annual public spending on youth services for each of the ten years prior to introduction of the Early Intervention Grant in April this year.

Further Information

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