16/01/2017

:00:00. > :00:09.settlement. We will continue to do that. It is important that we

:00:10. > :00:16.understand the challenges the house. I like to receive the honourable

:00:17. > :00:22.gentleman up. You will have seen reports at the weekend that the

:00:23. > :00:30.Prime Minister is no blaming family doctors for the problems within the

:00:31. > :00:34.national Health Service. It is not that social care has been cut or

:00:35. > :00:39.general practice funding has been cut. Are they going to come to the

:00:40. > :00:45.house and make a statement or should we assume they are trying to avoid

:00:46. > :00:57.scrutiny for the plans to stop the places within the National Health

:00:58. > :01:00.Service? I have received notification of statements within

:01:01. > :01:09.the coming days, but that is not amongst them. The point of order.

:01:10. > :01:19.Last Tuesday, the Foreign Secretary was asked with the peer

:01:20. > :01:24.participating in the summit in Paris between the Israeli- Palestinian

:01:25. > :01:33.peace situation. He said that we would reinforce our message. Note

:01:34. > :01:43.United Kingdom Minister was present. Could they ask are really good to

:01:44. > :01:48.hear from the Foreign Secretary on this issue. Of what are the full

:01:49. > :01:57.intentions offers department with regard to answering these questions?

:01:58. > :02:00.In the short time, in the 20 months I have known the honourable

:02:01. > :02:10.gentleman, I have come to rely on him. In response to last part of the

:02:11. > :02:14.observations, what can be done? What facility recourse the errors? The

:02:15. > :02:21.gentleman is we're all familiar with the concept of the question and the

:02:22. > :02:26.location of the office in which he could submit such a question.

:02:27. > :02:37.Knowing the honourable gentleman, I am sure he will be reasonable in

:02:38. > :02:43.this matter. I should say, he has registered with force and it will be

:02:44. > :02:50.near it. If the Foreign Secretary fuels that inadvertently the house

:02:51. > :02:56.has been misled, it was not knowingly clear to me that they once

:02:57. > :03:02.were inaccurate. It may have been due to a change of mind. The

:03:03. > :03:06.honourable gentleman can go about his business with a glint in his eye

:03:07. > :03:15.because he has put the point forcibly on the record. I am sure

:03:16. > :03:20.the whole house would want to join me in paying tribute to the great

:03:21. > :03:27.professor Anthony King. He was one of the great academics. He made a

:03:28. > :03:34.huge contribution to public life. He helped educate thousands of young

:03:35. > :03:43.people. Including yourself, Mr Speaker and many other members in

:03:44. > :03:53.the house. You were the only one he was able to teach to get a first, if

:03:54. > :04:04.I recall. I am extremely grateful. More particularly, I rather imagine

:04:05. > :04:09.that Professor King, his widow, she will be especially appreciative when

:04:10. > :04:24.she hears of the noble step that you have made. You will have noted his

:04:25. > :04:29.death last week at the age of 82 after a stellar career and evocation

:04:30. > :04:38.is one of the most distinguished scientists of his generation. He was

:04:39. > :04:47.a brilliant teacher. He was an outstanding communicator, not least

:04:48. > :04:54.on television. And he was a prodigious and eliminating greater.

:04:55. > :04:59.Personally, I feel every day, a sense of gratitude for what he did

:05:00. > :05:04.for me. I was probably a very awkward student 30 years ago. I

:05:05. > :05:10.still am. He stuck with me and I am hugely grateful. The honourable

:05:11. > :05:19.gentleman and I got to know each other at University 30 years ago and

:05:20. > :05:23.in affectionate tribute to them, he was as noticeable today as he was

:05:24. > :05:27.when he used to heckle me at University meetings in the 1980s.

:05:28. > :05:32.But Professor King was a great man who did wonderful things in the

:05:33. > :05:41.teaching of science within the United Kingdom. If if there are no

:05:42. > :05:54.further points of order, wheat come to the presentation of Bill. Organ

:05:55. > :06:10.donation deemed consent the. Friday, 24th of March. We will proceed to

:06:11. > :06:19.the orders of the day. I call the Secretary of State for culture,

:06:20. > :06:26.media and sport. I beg to move that the National assistance bill be read

:06:27. > :06:32.for a second time. The National Citizen service is a huge success.

:06:33. > :06:38.300 young people of taking part. Many of them say it has changed

:06:39. > :06:43.their lives forever. For those who do not know, it is a summer

:06:44. > :06:51.programme. There is no cost to parents who cannot afford it. It

:06:52. > :06:54.involves 14-17 -year-olds. The additional strength is that that

:06:55. > :06:59.brings together people from all backgrounds. There is a focus on

:07:00. > :07:07.personal and social development, along with designing and delivering

:07:08. > :07:12.a social action project. The Chief Executive says, we build bridges

:07:13. > :07:16.across social divide and landowners to opportunity. We bring young

:07:17. > :07:23.people together in common purpose to change their perspectives. Above

:07:24. > :07:30.all, we try to assure them that life is not a spectator sport. I got some

:07:31. > :07:33.sense of how transformational it is when I visited last summer and meet

:07:34. > :07:39.representatives from Everton football club.

:07:40. > :07:46.There was tremendous and easy as and I was told by several people that

:07:47. > :07:49.they had to come friends with people from the same street who they had

:07:50. > :07:53.not known previously. This is not a typical. An independent

:07:54. > :07:56.investigation found the vast majority of NCS graduates leave

:07:57. > :07:59.feeling more positive about people from dissimilar backgrounds and

:08:00. > :08:05.about themselves. Expanding the horizons of young people, while also

:08:06. > :08:11.including -- increasing social cohesion is a massive win-win. I

:08:12. > :08:15.thank my right honourable friend, and may I take this opportunity of

:08:16. > :08:19.Warmley thanking national citizens service East with the people they do

:08:20. > :08:26.with young people in the -- the work they do with young people in the

:08:27. > :08:31.Peter -- Peter Brook and stitch. May I thank them for the superb work

:08:32. > :08:37.they do in helping young people develop -- Peterborough

:08:38. > :08:41.constituency. Mr Speaker, I suspect this will be a theme of the debate

:08:42. > :08:48.today that the experience we have all had in our constituencies with

:08:49. > :08:52.NCS graduates, and the enthusiasm and sense of self belief that doing

:08:53. > :08:56.the NCS project gives them and I commend my honourable friend for

:08:57. > :09:01.taking his NCS graduate into his office, and I look forward to

:09:02. > :09:07.hearing how it goes in the work experience. I have also been

:09:08. > :09:10.impressed when I have visited the NCS in Bradford each year but I just

:09:11. > :09:16.wonder what the Minister 's response was to the NEL report about the

:09:17. > :09:22.national citizenship service, saying it had not actually met its

:09:23. > :09:30.participation targets in six years, and was working out at an estimated

:09:31. > :09:37.?863 for every youngster taking part. What is the government's

:09:38. > :09:40.response to the NAL's report on the NCS? I welcome the report because I

:09:41. > :09:47.think it is important with any project of this type that we

:09:48. > :09:50.understand the value for money and what is being achieved, and I think

:09:51. > :09:55.my honourable friend will recognise I am sure that this was a very

:09:56. > :10:00.ambitious target of which we have made great success in getting

:10:01. > :10:04.towards but there are still more to do, and that is why this bill is so

:10:05. > :10:07.important today so that more of the young people, such as the ones he

:10:08. > :10:13.has met in his constituency, can have the chance to do NCS. I thank

:10:14. > :10:18.my right honourable friend forgiving way. Will she join with me in

:10:19. > :10:22.welcoming the over 3000 people from Lancashire have had the benefit of

:10:23. > :10:27.the NCS. I saw the figures today, some 71 from my constituency have

:10:28. > :10:30.benefited from it. Has she like me been struck when she has visited the

:10:31. > :10:35.programme is how well they have reached out to two groups

:10:36. > :10:39.specifically? First those from lower-income families and secondly

:10:40. > :10:44.and I think most importantly of all disabled constituents of ours, who

:10:45. > :10:47.have been hugely included in these programmes and played a vital role

:10:48. > :10:53.in making sure they are so successful. I agree with my

:10:54. > :10:58.honourable friend and he will know that the NCS has an above average

:10:59. > :11:03.success rate in reaching those hardest hit young people. We have

:11:04. > :11:09.all seen where at an NCS project very young people from disadvantaged

:11:10. > :11:11.backgrounds, the young people with disabilities, with young people with

:11:12. > :11:16.more affluent backgrounds all working together with the common

:11:17. > :11:19.purpose of achieving their social action project and making lifelong

:11:20. > :11:23.friends. I think that work should be commended and I am very pleased to

:11:24. > :11:28.know there were 71 people from his constituency over the summer and I'm

:11:29. > :11:34.sure there will be more next summer. I will of course give way. Can I

:11:35. > :11:46.concur with all the positive things been said about NSC so far. Will she

:11:47. > :11:48.thank me for doing -- join me in thanking David Cameron, Lord blanket

:11:49. > :11:53.and my friend Michael Lynagh scholar who has taken this from a small seed

:11:54. > :11:57.into the great success we see today. I will of course join the honourable

:11:58. > :12:04.friend, the former prime and Mr David Cameron is now chair of the

:12:05. > :12:09.patrons board of NCS because this is a lasting legacy to the work he

:12:10. > :12:11.achieved in government. The noble Lord blanket has been very

:12:12. > :12:14.instrumental in this, and Michael Lynagh scholar who I already

:12:15. > :12:19.referred to, the Chief Executive, have done great work, let us

:12:20. > :12:24.remember this is from a standing start that we have 300,000 people go

:12:25. > :12:28.through this programme and congratulations are definitely in

:12:29. > :12:35.order. I thank the Minister to kindly giving way and I went along

:12:36. > :12:39.to Taunton Deane at Somerset college and was so impressed by the

:12:40. > :12:43.confidence of the children who had undertaken this course and the

:12:44. > :12:47.skills it had given them. The Minister agree that in the state we

:12:48. > :12:51.are trying to upscale our young people, even in terms of being

:12:52. > :12:57.polite, that we ought to give a lot more promotion to this scheme

:12:58. > :13:01.because it has such a great future? I honourable friend is right and

:13:02. > :13:04.that is why we want to grow NCS as quickly as possible clearly in a way

:13:05. > :13:10.that is sustainable and continues to be successful, because it is the

:13:11. > :13:14.case, and we have all seen that sense of self-worth, that confidence

:13:15. > :13:18.it gives young people, working in a team, the things I have seen, really

:13:19. > :13:23.stretching targets, they have been achieved. That is a fantastic

:13:24. > :13:28.testament to the scheme and something that we want to see more

:13:29. > :13:31.people taking part in. Because NCS can break down barriers just the at

:13:32. > :13:35.time and otherwise they might becoming drenched. 95% of

:13:36. > :13:39.participants said that an NCS allow them to get to know people whom they

:13:40. > :13:44.would not normally expect to meet, as referred to by my honourable

:13:45. > :13:52.friend. While the programme itself is for young people, it is not only

:13:53. > :13:54.the young who benefit. NCS participants have preferred and

:13:55. > :13:58.distributed care packages for the parents of premature babies in East

:13:59. > :14:01.Durham. They have raised funds for the Merseyside Huntington's disease

:14:02. > :14:06.Association and built a sensory garden for the residents of a

:14:07. > :14:11.Weymouth care home. Moreover, volunteering can become a lasting

:14:12. > :14:17.habit. The NCS trust estimates that in the 16 months following the

:14:18. > :14:20.summer programmes, the 2013 and 2014 graduates did an additional 8

:14:21. > :14:24.million hours of volunteering in their communities. The government is

:14:25. > :14:29.determined NCS should become even more popular and successful.

:14:30. > :14:34.Adventure and inspiration to need to be underpinned by nuts and bolts and

:14:35. > :14:41.this is what this bill does. There is quite a lot to give way to! Let

:14:42. > :14:45.me do Corby and then I will go there, and two more. I am very

:14:46. > :14:50.grateful to my right honourable friend forgiving way and I also

:14:51. > :14:53.would like to congratulate everyone involved in delivering NCS in Corby

:14:54. > :14:57.and East Northamptonshire. She has talked about a lot of the benefits

:14:58. > :15:01.of the scheme, which he also agree with me that employee of a litter

:15:02. > :15:03.you is one of the key things that comes out of the NCS scheme,

:15:04. > :15:09.learning lots of skills that really transfer well into the workplace.

:15:10. > :15:13.Absolutely, the soft skills that NCS can bring the young people makes

:15:14. > :15:16.them much more employable and much more valuable in the workplace and

:15:17. > :15:24.it is exactly what we want to see coming from NCS, amongst the many

:15:25. > :15:29.other benefits. When I visited Somerset's National citizens service

:15:30. > :15:33.scheme in Exmouth last summer I was struck by the number of students

:15:34. > :15:36.from previous years had returned to be leaders and mentors in subsequent

:15:37. > :15:39.years and I wonder if there is a way the Secretary of State might like

:15:40. > :15:42.the sort of reward those who go back as leaders and perhaps give them

:15:43. > :15:48.some sort of recognition for that further service? Mr Speaker, we have

:15:49. > :15:51.announced a long-term review of young people in volunteering and my

:15:52. > :15:59.honourable friend makes a very good point about the way that the NCS

:16:00. > :16:03.scheme can encourage volunteering within future NCSs and a very

:16:04. > :16:06.interesting suggestion. I now have to give way to my right honourable

:16:07. > :16:11.friend from Dorset and then my honourable friend from Canterbury.

:16:12. > :16:13.Would she agree with me that the example she has set out demonstrate

:16:14. > :16:18.very clearly the continuing commitment of this government to the

:16:19. > :16:22.big society, and that in contrast to some of the mischievous reporting of

:16:23. > :16:26.some media that is wholly compatible with the promotion, the welcome

:16:27. > :16:30.promotion, of the shared society by my right honourable friend the

:16:31. > :16:33.primary to? I do agree with my right noble friend, this is part of a

:16:34. > :16:36.country that works for everyone, a government that works for everyone,

:16:37. > :16:41.and that shared society we all want to be part of. Can I give way to the

:16:42. > :16:50.newly knighted honourable friend from Canterbury. Sir Julian Brazier.

:16:51. > :16:59.We did that last week, you are very kind. I thought the honourable

:17:00. > :17:03.gentleman would welcome an encore? Most grateful, Mr Speaker. I thank

:17:04. > :17:07.my right honourable friend forgiving way. As a huge supporter of NCS,

:17:08. > :17:13.locally as well as nationally, would she agree that the adventure content

:17:14. > :17:18.is critical, and that we must be very careful that the continuing

:17:19. > :17:21.erosion in the base for adventure in the form of residential centres up

:17:22. > :17:28.and down the country does need to be looked at, both in terms of numbers

:17:29. > :17:34.and equality, if the NCS is going to continue to deliver successfully? I

:17:35. > :17:38.do agree with my honourable friend that the adventure side of the

:17:39. > :17:44.programme is incredibly important, and it may mean that some of the

:17:45. > :17:46.young people themselves get to be the dizzying heights of a night of

:17:47. > :17:50.the realm like my honourable friend. That is also the fact that young

:17:51. > :17:57.people are getting the opportunity to be away from home, to manage in

:17:58. > :18:00.an outward bound situation, young people I met from Liverpool who had

:18:01. > :18:03.camped just outside my own constituency in the Peak District

:18:04. > :18:07.were astonished to discover just how the least some bits of the country

:18:08. > :18:13.are, and also how cold they can be at times, although very beautiful of

:18:14. > :18:18.course. So, Mr Speaker, the NCS bill is short and focused on establishing

:18:19. > :18:22.transparent government arrangements. It works in conjunction with the

:18:23. > :18:27.Royal Charter, which makes clear that the NCS is above partisan

:18:28. > :18:29.politics. A draft of the charter was published as a command paper and

:18:30. > :18:34.laden house when the Bill was published. I have published an

:18:35. > :18:39.updated version today, which we are laying before both houses that Flex

:18:40. > :18:43.commitment that the house made to the other place, that accompanied

:18:44. > :18:51.the bill as a ghost through this house. The bill begins by outlining,

:18:52. > :18:54.a new form and body that is designed to last. However we do not want to

:18:55. > :18:59.lose the talent and experience of those who work in the current body,

:19:00. > :19:01.also called the NCS trust, who have ever seen an organisation that is

:19:02. > :19:06.the fastest-growing youth movement in this country for 100 years. So

:19:07. > :19:09.the bill makes provision for the scheme for the transfer of staff,

:19:10. > :19:15.property rights and liabilities from the current body to the NCS trust.

:19:16. > :19:19.The bill allows the government to fill -- fund the NCS trust out of

:19:20. > :19:25.money from Parliament. It also allows child trust participation

:19:26. > :19:28.fees at variable rates in order to maintain the principle that anyone

:19:29. > :19:34.can afford to take part. Presently the maximum fee is ?50, but many

:19:35. > :19:37.participants pay no fee at all. If I could just finish this one point,

:19:38. > :19:44.the Royal Charter requires the trust to insure equality of access to NCS

:19:45. > :19:47.and of course I give way. I have visited the NCS in Fareham this

:19:48. > :19:51.summer and 70 youngsters were engaged in a very stimulating

:19:52. > :19:56.project, which was helping the community, and I applaud those who

:19:57. > :20:00.have led the success of this scheme, including Michael Lynagh sister

:20:01. > :20:10.passed support has been critical. In light of the findings of segregation

:20:11. > :20:14.amongst my -- our young people, does my honourable friend agree that it

:20:15. > :20:18.has been critical in enabling the breakdown of barriers so that those

:20:19. > :20:23.from different classes, ethnicities and barriers can come together to

:20:24. > :20:27.restore significant pride in our country? I agree with my honourable

:20:28. > :20:31.friend and it is very important that we make the point here that money

:20:32. > :20:35.should never be the barrier to that kind of social cohesion and

:20:36. > :20:40.integration. We want to see young people from all backgrounds to have

:20:41. > :20:44.the chance to participate in NCS and it must never be the case that money

:20:45. > :20:54.is the barrier that stops them doing so. This has been a very impressive

:20:55. > :20:59.cross-party advert for the NCS, and the precursor was in the form of

:21:00. > :21:02.government under the Be Inspired programme that Lord blanket and

:21:03. > :21:07.others were involved in, as was Gordon Brown. One of the things I

:21:08. > :21:11.wanted to ask the right honourable lady is how much work will be done

:21:12. > :21:13.in terms of successive programmes for the hundreds of thousands of

:21:14. > :21:19.young people who will be going through the programme? I have the

:21:20. > :21:27.declaration of interest, which is the riding -- one of the issues that

:21:28. > :21:31.has come up is the need for mentoring to enable people to

:21:32. > :21:33.continue their progress. I would be delighted if the honourable

:21:34. > :21:39.Secretary of State could look into the programme, the new initiative

:21:40. > :21:44.they are developing to recruit and maintain a million mentors to get

:21:45. > :21:49.them in to organisations like NCS, and others? I know that my

:21:50. > :21:51.honourable friend the Minister for civil Society has had discussions

:21:52. > :21:55.with the honourable lady about precisely this point, and we are

:21:56. > :21:59.looking at programmes, in terms of men touring, and of course there is

:22:00. > :22:03.the eye will programme, a very important part of making sure that

:22:04. > :22:10.there are places for young people to continue the work that NCS starts.

:22:11. > :22:15.Mr Speaker, if I can go back to the issue of money, it is vital that any

:22:16. > :22:19.expenditure of public money is transparent, accountable and proper.

:22:20. > :22:23.The bulk of this bill is a series of measures on this front. The NCS

:22:24. > :22:27.trust must prepare annual accounts, which the National Audit Office will

:22:28. > :22:31.then audit, before they are laid before Parliament. At the start of

:22:32. > :22:35.every year, the trust must publish an annual business plan, setting out

:22:36. > :22:39.its strategic priorities and annual objectives. Then, the end of the

:22:40. > :22:43.year, the trust will produce an annual report that will be laid

:22:44. > :22:48.before Parliament. The report will outline how the trust has fulfilled

:22:49. > :22:51.its priorities and main functions. Furthermore, the bill lists specific

:22:52. > :22:56.metrics that the report must assess, these include value for money and

:22:57. > :22:58.the extent to which NCS has mixed people from different backgrounds,

:22:59. > :23:04.the point that my honourable friend from Fareham aid earlier. Mr

:23:05. > :23:08.Speaker, the bill requires the trust to lead by the government in the

:23:09. > :23:12.event that a breach of contract has serious financial consequences, and

:23:13. > :23:16.a provider is in serious financial difficulty or a staff member commits

:23:17. > :23:17.fraud. This will allow government to take rapid steps to minimise the

:23:18. > :23:28.loss of public money. I support the bill, can she define

:23:29. > :23:36.how valuable money will actually be gauged? My honourable friend will

:23:37. > :23:39.know that the National Audit Office has the responsibility for looking

:23:40. > :23:48.at value for money and we will look at the report to assess the value

:23:49. > :23:54.for money issue. Borrowing an amendment in the House of Lords, the

:23:55. > :24:05.trust must notify the government of any investigation into criminal

:24:06. > :24:08.activity that could have serious consequences for NCS. Altogether

:24:09. > :24:11.these measures will ensure that the NCS trust works efficiently,

:24:12. > :24:17.effectively and transparently. The bill has one other purpose, which is

:24:18. > :24:22.to advertise NCS. The bill allows HRC to pass on information about NCS

:24:23. > :24:27.to the young people, parents or carers whose addresses it holds.

:24:28. > :24:31.Receipt of a national insurance number is a rite of passage at the

:24:32. > :24:37.age of 16 and we want this letter to arrive with an invitation to go on

:24:38. > :24:42.NCS as well. As this government continues to work to build a shared

:24:43. > :24:46.society that works for everyone, the NCS has already transformed hundreds

:24:47. > :24:52.of thousands of lives. This bill can ensure that it can transform

:24:53. > :24:59.millions. I beg to move. The question is that the bill be now

:25:00. > :25:07.read a second time. So Steven Reid. I suspect we are not going to put

:25:08. > :25:14.the House too much of a bun fight this afternoon. Labour is delighted

:25:15. > :25:17.to pass the passage of this bill, so it is extremely welcome that the NCS

:25:18. > :25:25.has strong support on all sides of the House. One small regret from the

:25:26. > :25:31.Secretary of State's comments as she referred to a new draft of the Royal

:25:32. > :25:36.Charter, which was only late two minutes before this debate began. We

:25:37. > :25:39.have checked in the office and it is not yet available in hard copy. My

:25:40. > :25:45.colleague has just received a hard copy. Mr Speaker, if I can

:25:46. > :25:50.apologise, there has been a problem in the post room, but the document

:25:51. > :25:54.is now available. I do apologise if he did not receive it for the

:25:55. > :25:59.debate. I look forward to reading it and I am sure she will point out to

:26:00. > :26:03.me if any of the points I raised have already been addressed in the

:26:04. > :26:09.draft. I will talk before I get into the detail of the build just briefly

:26:10. > :26:14.about the context of the bill if I may. The Secretary of State referred

:26:15. > :26:18.to the Prime Minister's mention of the NCS in her speech about a shared

:26:19. > :26:24.society. We need to make sure that Britain does not end up hollowed out

:26:25. > :26:28.in the way the previous Prime Minister's big society did. That

:26:29. > :26:31.broke down into little more than an attempt to replace paid

:26:32. > :26:41.professionals with unpaid volunteers and that is a shame

:26:42. > :26:41.an urgent need to reshape politics an urgent need to reshape

:26:42. > :26:43.in this country around people, family, community and shared

:26:44. > :26:48.institutions in the way that strengthens society and gives people

:26:49. > :26:52.more direct power. But for all their talk, so far the government has

:26:53. > :26:57.tended to do the opposite and not match the power of the words they

:26:58. > :27:01.speak in this chamber. If we want people to feel they have a share in

:27:02. > :27:05.society they need a voice to articulate what they are looking for

:27:06. > :27:11.and the power to make it heard, whether that is through work in the

:27:12. > :27:17.community or the services they use. In all that there is a really big

:27:18. > :27:20.vision about national renewal based on sharing power, reshaping politics

:27:21. > :27:24.and opening up opportunity to everybody. We already see the

:27:25. > :27:26.potential of that in communities that have taken control in projects,

:27:27. > :27:34.such as tenant led housing organisations, community land

:27:35. > :27:41.trusts, energy regeneration to name just a few. The NCS can play a

:27:42. > :27:46.People's' capacity to participate, People's' capacity to participate,

:27:47. > :27:50.but the government 's approach, including what we have heard of the

:27:51. > :27:55.shared society and that is not much yet, but so far from what we have

:27:56. > :27:59.heard it is too narrow and too centralised to tear down the

:28:00. > :28:04.barriers that frustrate a wider and deeper engagement by citizens. I

:28:05. > :28:09.hope that will change. The NCS will achieve great things, but it could

:28:10. > :28:12.achieve even more if the government understood the power and the

:28:13. > :28:17.potential of communities freely cooperating for the common good and

:28:18. > :28:20.allow that principle to influence and shape the direction of

:28:21. > :28:27.government policy right across the board. I will move onto some of the

:28:28. > :28:31.detail in the bill. Of it is not contentious, unless changes I have

:28:32. > :28:36.not seen have suddenly inserted a whole raft of things, but I doubt

:28:37. > :28:41.it. One of the most powerful aspects of the NCS is how it brings together

:28:42. > :28:50.young people from a range of different backgrounds, the divisions

:28:51. > :28:53.exposed by the EU referendum showed just how important it is that we

:28:54. > :28:59.promote better integration right across society. I had the privilege

:29:00. > :29:05.of meeting some young people in Croydon who were taking part in the

:29:06. > :29:10.NCS. Their passion to make change real was tangible and moving. They

:29:11. > :29:13.had learned a lot from living, working, eating and facing

:29:14. > :29:18.challenges that other young people from very different backgrounds to

:29:19. > :29:22.their own were doing. Here is an example of why it is important we

:29:23. > :29:27.break those barriers. In some parts of urban Britain we see a problem

:29:28. > :29:32.with violent gun crime. Mercifully the problem at national level is

:29:33. > :29:35.small, but if you live in an affected neighbourhood, it is

:29:36. > :29:40.disfiguring and destructive in a way that is hard to imagine if you have

:29:41. > :29:45.not experienced it. In London I have worked with people living on housing

:29:46. > :29:49.estates were violent gun crime is endemic, but next door and there

:29:50. > :29:51.will be streets full of better of people leading completely different

:29:52. > :29:58.lives with completely different expectations. The two communities

:29:59. > :30:02.live parallel lives that never touch. Young people on one estate I

:30:03. > :30:07.their world ended at the borders of their world ended at the borders of

:30:08. > :30:11.the estate they lived in and the world beyond was close to them. We

:30:12. > :30:17.have to break those barriers down. I hope the NCS has a role to play

:30:18. > :30:21.here. I would like to hear the minister's views on strengthening

:30:22. > :30:26.the focus on integration in the bill. It talks about cohesion, but

:30:27. > :30:32.not about the process of integration that is necessary to achieve it. A

:30:33. > :30:37.change on these lines has the support of a number of delivery

:30:38. > :30:43.organisations and we will deliver that and revisit it at committee

:30:44. > :30:47.stage. It is fundamentally important the NCS continues to offer

:30:48. > :30:51.opportunities to young people from different backgrounds, so it is a

:30:52. > :30:59.concern the proportion of participants from poorer backgrounds

:31:00. > :31:04.has fallen since the NCS was created in 2011. The National Audit Office

:31:05. > :31:07.states, quote, in many areas a disproportionate number of young

:31:08. > :31:11.people from certain backgrounds participate. It is important this is

:31:12. > :31:19.an organisation for every young person in the country whatever their

:31:20. > :31:23.background. I am happy to give way. It is slightly disappointing to hear

:31:24. > :31:27.him coming out with quite a lot of negative comments about the scheme

:31:28. > :31:32.which I thought his party, after so many years of trying, had come to

:31:33. > :31:36.support. Does he not acknowledge the number of young people who qualify

:31:37. > :31:41.for free school meals going on this programme has been put at 17%, which

:31:42. > :31:46.is more than double the proportion in society as a whole, so in that

:31:47. > :31:51.respect it is doing rather well? The point I am making are intended to

:31:52. > :31:57.strengthen the NCS and if we do not make them, they may never change. I

:31:58. > :31:59.hope he will join with me in that spirit of seeking constructive

:32:00. > :32:04.criticism in order to improve what the government is doing. When

:32:05. > :32:10.applications in general are below the targets set by the government,

:32:11. > :32:13.13% in 2016. This needs to be addressed and delivery organisations

:32:14. > :32:21.are aware of it, but we look to the government to set the support needed

:32:22. > :32:25.to deliver it. We look to introduce a specific duty on the NCS to

:32:26. > :32:28.promote the programme to young people from socially excluded

:32:29. > :32:33.backgrounds and to explore new ways to reach that. I thank him for

:32:34. > :32:37.giving way. In the turn that I thought that had been set for this

:32:38. > :32:44.debate, does he recognise the work the government is doing through this

:32:45. > :32:49.bill authorising HMRC to work with NCS to reach more people? That he

:32:50. > :32:56.recognise that is a key part in making sure the NCS reaches a far

:32:57. > :33:01.wider range of eligible young people and hopefully will increase

:33:02. > :33:28.truly shared society requires participation rates

:33:29. > :33:29.everyone to have a voice and the power to assert it. There

:33:30. > :33:33.would you give people more control depends on the circumstances and the

:33:34. > :33:37.context you are operating in. When the state sets up organisations or

:33:38. > :33:41.services, it often fails to give people on the receiving end a real

:33:42. > :33:46.say, despite the fact organisations benefit from higher levels of input

:33:47. > :33:51.from their users. If the NCS is to remain relevant to young people, it

:33:52. > :33:55.is important they have a real voice over what it does and how it

:33:56. > :33:59.operates both now and in the future. That means giving young people a

:34:00. > :34:06.direct role in governance and decision-making in the NCS. I had

:34:07. > :34:10.previous involvement in setting up one of the biggest community youth

:34:11. > :34:14.trusts in the country which took control of a number of Lambeth

:34:15. > :34:18.Council youth services. The intention was to give young people a

:34:19. > :34:22.real voice by reserving half the positions on the governing board for

:34:23. > :34:26.them and by ensuring those young people appointed properly

:34:27. > :34:28.represented young people from the more deprived backgrounds who had

:34:29. > :34:35.the greatest needs for the services on offer. In the absence of our

:34:36. > :34:39.structure it would still be good to see the NCS take a similar approach

:34:40. > :34:45.and ensure young people have a key role at every level. This will be

:34:46. > :34:50.critical to making the NCS credible and attractive to as wide a range of

:34:51. > :34:53.young people as possible, particularly those who are

:34:54. > :34:59.categorised as harder to reach. The government's changes to the draft

:35:00. > :35:04.charter are important. There is a new board of patrons, but I believe

:35:05. > :35:08.the NCS would benefit from more young people and fewer politicians

:35:09. > :35:14.at the top. The NCS has full support on this side of the House. The

:35:15. > :35:19.concerned I am racing are raised in the spirit of constructive criticism

:35:20. > :35:23.and are intended to approve the operation of the organisation. We

:35:24. > :35:27.want to see some changes in the Bill that will strengthen the focus on

:35:28. > :35:31.integrating, and ensure the NCS reaches as wide a range of young

:35:32. > :35:36.people as possible, and to give young people are bigger boys at

:35:37. > :35:40.every level in the decision-making in the organisation. These changes

:35:41. > :35:45.will help the NCS better meet its laudable objectives and we hope they

:35:46. > :35:50.can be achieved through consensus. We live in a country with a generous

:35:51. > :35:54.and open spirit, full of talented and ambitious young people who want

:35:55. > :35:58.to make a difference to their own lives, their family's and the

:35:59. > :36:04.communities about them. But they need a bigger boys and power to it

:36:05. > :36:10.hurt. Organisations like the NCS have an important role to play in

:36:11. > :36:13.making this happen. Ours is already sharing society where people

:36:14. > :36:18.instinctively cooperate. It is government that to catch up. The

:36:19. > :36:22.measure will be whether the government makes real progress in

:36:23. > :36:25.opening up and sharing its power with people so they can at least

:36:26. > :36:31.influence the changes that affect their own lives. This may be a small

:36:32. > :36:37.bill, but it has big ideas behind it. Opportunity, community,

:36:38. > :36:42.contribution. Given the chance, young people and the NCS have much

:36:43. > :36:46.to teach us and the government about these great national themes. We wish

:36:47. > :36:55.them every success in doing that in the future. Order. It might be

:36:56. > :37:03.helpful to the House if I say there is no time limit at this stage on

:37:04. > :37:10.backbench speeches, but an informal limit involving a certain

:37:11. > :37:14.self-denying ordinance might help. An informal limit of ten minutes per

:37:15. > :37:22.backbench members seems reasonable and well within the capacities of a

:37:23. > :37:31.Kentish night. So Julian Brazier! Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I

:37:32. > :37:36.am extremely grateful for the much undeserved honour. I welcome this

:37:37. > :37:45.bill, I am a strong supporter of the NCS. I had the opportunity to visit

:37:46. > :37:50.some of the 130 constituents who did their NCS service last year and I am

:37:51. > :37:59.very impressed with the youngsters I met.

:38:00. > :38:05.They were producing simile interesting ideas for working for

:38:06. > :38:09.local charities. This combination of challenging activity and a sense of

:38:10. > :38:14.service are something that I believe will be a very important part of our

:38:15. > :38:17.last Prime Minister's legacy, and I was really delighted to see that

:38:18. > :38:25.David Cameron has agreed to be chairman of the patrons. I am going

:38:26. > :38:29.to focus what I say now on the first bit of the adventure programme

:38:30. > :38:35.because while I strongly support what is being delivered and the very

:38:36. > :38:42.strong team headed by Michael Lynagh and and his chairman that I have the

:38:43. > :38:46.opportunity to me just before this, I am concerned there are some wider

:38:47. > :38:51.trends out there that lie outside the stricken finds of this bill but

:38:52. > :38:55.knowing how tolerant you are, Mr Speaker, as it is highly relevant to

:38:56. > :39:01.the supplied ten the National Citizen Service are about to just

:39:02. > :39:06.touch on it. Adventure training, which every NCS student does for at

:39:07. > :39:12.least a week and in some cases two weeks, usually at the beginning of

:39:13. > :39:15.the programme, develops teamwork, it develops confidence, it involves

:39:16. > :39:23.pushing the bounds and learning how to manage risk in a positive and

:39:24. > :39:31.constructive manner. It is very, very important, it is also

:39:32. > :39:38.increasingly rare. As far back as 12 years ago, the then education select

:39:39. > :39:43.committee pointed out that we, the country, which produced the team

:39:44. > :39:49.that cracked Everest had actually slipped down the lead and were

:39:50. > :39:57.arguably below average around the world in our capacity for adventure

:39:58. > :40:02.training. Five years ago, the English outdoor counsel produced a

:40:03. > :40:08.list of residential centres that deliver in their view good quality

:40:09. > :40:15.adventure training. Of those 180 centres, 30 have since closed.

:40:16. > :40:20.Equally disturbing, a number of others have been taken over by

:40:21. > :40:25.providers who are providing a good commercial offer, in the sense that

:40:26. > :40:29.their insurance premium is low because there are stream Lee-Lo,

:40:30. > :40:36.that in the words of one expert in the field, typically deliver every

:40:37. > :40:38.meal indoors to the children. In other words, these so-called

:40:39. > :40:46.adventure opportunities involve nothing lasting for more than two or

:40:47. > :40:51.three hours at a time. Now the NCS is firmly aimed at the right end of

:40:52. > :40:56.the market. All of the experiences of all the NCS students I have met

:40:57. > :41:01.have been extremely good ones, drawn from good parts of the sector, but

:41:02. > :41:10.we have to be clear this element is still shrinking now. I believe that

:41:11. > :41:17.the reasons for it are twofold. One is the litigious culture we are in,

:41:18. > :41:22.and the second is the worry about prosecution. Two surveys done, one

:41:23. > :41:29.in 2003 by the CCPR, and one by the scouts in 2006 revealed this, the

:41:30. > :41:33.blame culture, as the number-1 concern among adult volunteers. It

:41:34. > :41:42.is also in the era when you can a corporate manslaughter charge a very

:41:43. > :41:54.serious concern for those local authorities and others who run these

:41:55. > :41:58.providers. I would like to suggest that we have made some progress, in

:41:59. > :42:05.terms of rolling back the litigious culture. After an all-party effort

:42:06. > :42:10.behind a private members bill which I am privileged to do, the Labour

:42:11. > :42:15.government introduced a small measure called the compensation act

:42:16. > :42:18.with really only one substantial cause in it, that reminded the

:42:19. > :42:22.courts but if they make an award against an organisation, they need

:42:23. > :42:28.to take account of the damage potentially to the wider interest in

:42:29. > :42:32.that activity. It was supported on all sides of the house, although

:42:33. > :42:36.opposed by a number of highly articulate lawyers on both sides of

:42:37. > :42:47.the house in both chambers, interestingly. The threat of

:42:48. > :42:53.prosecution remains a very serious threat. There has been a certain

:42:54. > :42:57.amount of salt of banter out there in the media about alleged stories

:42:58. > :43:04.alleging various phoney regulations, and the HSE, whose new chairman I

:43:05. > :43:10.strongly welcome, has debunked lots of myths. But the problem whenever I

:43:11. > :43:17.discuss people providing adventure training is never with regulation.

:43:18. > :43:20.Nobody has ever in a serious adventure training context once

:43:21. > :43:26.raised a regulation with me as a problem. That is not the issue. The

:43:27. > :43:32.problem is the risk of prosecution if something goes wrong. Perhaps the

:43:33. > :43:39.worst case of this was called Julie Park. 2005, a boy of 14 was drowned

:43:40. > :43:45.in a caving incident in Yorkshire's top adventure training provider. The

:43:46. > :43:49.Health and Safety Executive decided to prosecute the local authority,

:43:50. > :43:56.and the case took more than five years to come to court. Finally, in

:43:57. > :44:04.2010, the local authority were acquitted. They were acquitted

:44:05. > :44:10.because a critical body called the adventure activities licensing

:44:11. > :44:14.authority, who look at standards in these organisations, have given this

:44:15. > :44:19.body a clean bill of health and came and testified in court that the

:44:20. > :44:21.standard of instruction, the standard of leadership, was

:44:22. > :44:25.extremely high here, and the freak and complete unpredicted weather

:44:26. > :44:31.conditions that had led to the rapidly rising water could not have

:44:32. > :44:34.been anticipated, and in fact it was a remarkable achievement of the

:44:35. > :44:39.instructors that they got all but one of the children out alive. Had

:44:40. > :44:45.that prosecution gone the other way, we would not have only lost that

:44:46. > :44:48.centre but many, many others button down the country would have decided

:44:49. > :44:56.they were no longer willing to take the risks of continuing. Would he

:44:57. > :44:59.agree with me that that indicates the importance of ensuring the

:45:00. > :45:05.adventure activities licensing authority remains in a condition

:45:06. > :45:09.where it is able to take that kind of stance? My right honourable

:45:10. > :45:15.friend, who is an absolute expert on this matter, anticipates and did so

:45:16. > :45:21.much in this area in his time not just with the NCS but also more

:45:22. > :45:28.widely in the adventure training field. That is why it is absolutely

:45:29. > :45:31.crucial, I would suggest to the house, that in a time when we are

:45:32. > :45:40.about to start a public consultation on the future, which will be

:45:41. > :45:46.conducted by a panel by the HSE, not only that it survives, but that its

:45:47. > :45:51.brief is expanded so that it is able to ask why have these centres been

:45:52. > :45:56.closing over the last few years and crucially not just ask is the

:45:57. > :46:01.practice safe in the centres, but also what is the quality of the

:46:02. > :46:04.adventure that is being delivered there? Because it is very easy to

:46:05. > :46:10.make so-called adventure training safe if it isn't adventurous. You

:46:11. > :46:15.need to be able to ask what is the character building quality of these

:46:16. > :46:20.activities. I am delighted to say the HSE have taken the decision to

:46:21. > :46:25.include on the panel one outside member, Iain Lewers, the director of

:46:26. > :46:28.the campaign for adventure. One of whom's patrons I should mention is

:46:29. > :46:37.another previous Prime Minister, Tony Blair. So I very much hope that

:46:38. > :46:42.when we have a National Citizen Service, whose patrons I headed by

:46:43. > :46:48.one former Prime Minister, and the campaign for adventure is sitting

:46:49. > :46:51.on, represented on the panel that is looking at the future of the

:46:52. > :46:58.adventure activities licensing authority that that the panel will

:46:59. > :47:02.come up with a conclusion that will guarantee a future for la, that

:47:03. > :47:08.ensures it continues to be able to speak independently, and expands its

:47:09. > :47:11.brief so that we discover why these centres are closing and that we get

:47:12. > :47:18.the focus back on to the kind of high-quality adventure which is so

:47:19. > :47:27.crucial to the future of the National Citizen Service. I very

:47:28. > :47:29.much welcome this bill. Sure it is a small bill and in many ways on

:47:30. > :47:35.controversial, the key strategic effect of being the effective

:47:36. > :47:38.government of the National Citizen Service, but my sense is that seeing

:47:39. > :47:41.it in this way hides its true significance, in that it really

:47:42. > :47:45.focuses in on how do we live together, and there is no more

:47:46. > :47:49.important issue addressing the country, how do we create a nation

:47:50. > :47:54.that is with itself and foster a notion of service to others amongst

:47:55. > :47:59.our young people? Obviously this is vital, given the divisions in our

:48:00. > :48:02.society so clearly exposed last year around class, race, geography and

:48:03. > :48:08.religion, and a general fear that these tensions might continue to

:48:09. > :48:11.escalate. These divisions suggest a brittle country, so resolving this

:48:12. > :48:17.and healing division will indeed take time but this bill will help.

:48:18. > :48:20.So it is a small bill it is significant, and more generally how

:48:21. > :48:25.do we ensure that our young people on Orange will about the country

:48:26. > :48:31.they inhabit and how do we build an ethic of service amongst the younger

:48:32. > :48:35.generations? A programme of National Service on behalf of our fellow

:48:36. > :48:43.citizens, the National Citizen Service. So it is a simple notion

:48:44. > :48:48.but important in terms of shaping the future character of the country.

:48:49. > :48:53.Across my east London constituency, one of the fastest changing

:48:54. > :48:56.communities in the UK, and the one that has experienced quite recently

:48:57. > :49:02.issues of extremism and violence, I have seen at first hand the benefits

:49:03. > :49:08.of this programme, widening the depth that micro-birth of young

:49:09. > :49:14.people's experiences, from different backgrounds, it is hoped the

:49:15. > :49:17.community is integrate, like ours. Overall across the country some

:49:18. > :49:22.275,000 young people have already taken part of the programme and a

:49:23. > :49:27.couple of results are worth noting. 82% of people leave the programme or

:49:28. > :49:31.positive about the people from different backgrounds and also feel

:49:32. > :49:35.better prepared about the future. It is also building a legacy of service

:49:36. > :49:41.and volunteering. I was struck by one statistic that in the 16 months

:49:42. > :49:45.following the submission of cohorts that went through in 2013 and 2014

:49:46. > :49:48.contributed a further 8 million hours of service in the community

:49:49. > :49:54.after they had gone through the course. So the ethos of the NCS, in

:49:55. > :49:59.order to build resilient young people, appears to be working. I

:50:00. > :50:06.think we can agree with this this afternoon that to develop further it

:50:07. > :50:19.needs to be beyond party politics and the bill helps to ensure that no

:50:20. > :50:22.one party can lay claim to it. To be successful, it cannot be seen as

:50:23. > :50:27.another government scheme that will put people off. So far, the evidence

:50:28. > :50:31.suggest that participants do not see it simply as a government scheme,

:50:32. > :50:34.and again that is evident about why we need to retain the cross-party

:50:35. > :50:39.political support for the programme. In terms of the details of the bill,

:50:40. > :50:41.the bill ensures that transition from the community interest Company

:50:42. > :50:51.to an organisation of the Royal Charter. The NCS trust will be a new

:50:52. > :50:55.body and the rule Charter requires the trust to ensure equality of

:50:56. > :50:56.access irrespective of background, ensuring a flexible fee structure

:50:57. > :51:01.that would not inhibit participation. Much of the bill is

:51:02. > :51:06.about the accountability of the trust.

:51:07. > :51:11.The trust must publish an annual business plan and at the end of the

:51:12. > :51:14.year and annual report to be laid before Parliament. All of this seems

:51:15. > :51:19.pretty sensible and not that controversial. I simply want to make

:51:20. > :51:25.four points I hope will not be seen as controversial, and they are to

:51:26. > :51:29.try and trick then... Just before, thank you to my honourable friend

:51:30. > :51:35.for giving way, does he agree with me that actually the importance of

:51:36. > :51:39.the annual report cannot be overstated? And would it not be, as

:51:40. > :51:41.well as laying the report before Parliament, would it not be

:51:42. > :51:46.something for the administrative consider whether the government the

:51:47. > :51:51.Minister will ensure that that report is debated and discussed

:51:52. > :51:55.within Parliament as well? I totally agree, if stated objectively this is

:51:56. > :51:58.how we can learn to live together it seems to me it should not be beyond

:51:59. > :52:01.our collective wit to organise a few debates in Parliament every year so

:52:02. > :52:06.we can test how successful we are being at that, so I agree with my

:52:07. > :52:10.colleague. It begins with question of the links with public bodies. The

:52:11. > :52:14.original draft of the bill had an obligation on public bodies but that

:52:15. > :52:18.has gone. I can understand public bodies might see this as a bit of an

:52:19. > :52:22.imposition, local authorities have quite a bit being thrown at them at

:52:23. > :52:26.the moment. So there is no need to enshrine it, but if we go to

:52:27. > :52:31.proceed, surely we need to ensure that this is a core activity for our

:52:32. > :52:34.public activities? I raise this with my local council and a number of our

:52:35. > :52:37.schools and found it was not actually a concern I thought it

:52:38. > :52:41.might be, not least when I found that 95% of London schools are

:52:42. > :52:45.already involved in the programme, although I do wonder about the

:52:46. > :52:48.effect of the independent sector. Therefore in terms of the Minister,

:52:49. > :52:50.when will the guidance of schools and local authorities on how to

:52:51. > :52:59.better engage with the NTSB published?

:53:00. > :53:06.I understand ?20 million will be earmarked, and it raises the

:53:07. > :53:12.question of what role schools and colleges will have in the promotion

:53:13. > :53:15.of the programme. Secondly, on questions of integration, I would

:53:16. > :53:20.echo the point made by one of my colleagues earlier. One of the point

:53:21. > :53:28.is whether the language used is sufficiently focused on on the

:53:29. > :53:33.integration aspects of the NCS. Social integration, mixing and

:53:34. > :53:37.forging bonds, is a process and a should not be confused with social

:53:38. > :53:45.cohesion, the outcome we seek to achieve. At its best NCS helps

:53:46. > :53:48.integration. Participants spend almost three weeks together and

:53:49. > :53:55.through a social atmosphere they cook, live and eat together, so they

:53:56. > :53:59.are pushed out of their comfort zones as they engage in challenging

:54:00. > :54:05.activities and rotate leadership roles. They set shared goals and

:54:06. > :54:12.they have shared challenges overcome through teamwork rather than through

:54:13. > :54:17.individual effort. Could we ensure that the integration function is

:54:18. > :54:22.enshrined in legislation? They are the most important part of the NCS

:54:23. > :54:28.work. Is there enough of that integration and not just cohesion?

:54:29. > :54:32.Thirdly, on the question of inclusion, for a programme to have

:54:33. > :54:37.integration at its heart, it must include the hardest to reach young

:54:38. > :54:42.people. Should not some of the funding that delivery organisations

:54:43. > :54:47.yet to be ring fenced for this purpose to ensure that all members

:54:48. > :54:54.have access and NCS is a programme for all. On the ambition of the

:54:55. > :54:59.bill, in terms of money, over 1 billion over five years is a lot of

:55:00. > :55:04.money, especially given the austere times we live in. Is the Bill

:55:05. > :55:08.ambitious enough? How is it linked to wider questions of citizenship?

:55:09. > :55:16.Citizenship might well fall of the school curriculum. That would also

:55:17. > :55:27.alter the driving philosophy of the programme. In contrast, the NCS

:55:28. > :55:31.provides short programmes for 16 and 17-year-olds and it is a clearly

:55:32. > :55:37.defined programme. But there are issues we might want to discuss, for

:55:38. > :55:41.example city year recruit young people to serve for a year in

:55:42. > :55:46.challenging communities, but their status is not clear. In other

:55:47. > :55:52.countries like the USA and France full-time volunteering has a clearer

:55:53. > :55:56.legal status. Should we not consider a more systematic government

:55:57. > :56:00.approach to the idea of a year of service and help with university

:56:01. > :56:07.fees and the like? At present full-time volunteers are literally

:56:08. > :56:11.technically not in full-time education, training or employment.

:56:12. > :56:15.In other countries full-time volunteering as a proper legal

:56:16. > :56:20.status. Why should we not move in this direction? I am one of the very

:56:21. > :56:26.few people left who does subscribe to the idea of a big society and the

:56:27. > :56:31.NCS is what the last Prime Minister called the big society in action

:56:32. > :56:36.which I am supportive of. I also think it is a good thing that the

:56:37. > :56:41.recently departed Prime Minister has decided to chair the NCS patrons.

:56:42. > :56:47.This bill has an ambition behind it, to build virtual citizens and help

:56:48. > :56:50.us live together peacefully. It is a little bill, but one that is

:56:51. > :56:54.significant in terms of the future character of the country we wish to

:56:55. > :57:00.build. Nothing could be more important if this bill helps the NCS

:57:01. > :57:08.to achieve and endure, it will have achieved plenty. It is a pleasure to

:57:09. > :57:17.follow the honourable member for Dagenham and I formally received his

:57:18. > :57:19.marks and thought to myself, having believed this was a bill which was

:57:20. > :57:24.not possible to take any objections to, that the honourable member for

:57:25. > :57:33.Croydon North had cast around fairly widely in order to disguise his

:57:34. > :57:39.enthusiasm for it. Four years ago I had my first encounter with NCS and

:57:40. > :57:44.I decided then that it was a good thing. It seemed to me that this

:57:45. > :57:49.bill is designed to make it more of a good thing and that is why I

:57:50. > :57:55.welcome it so warmly. I can think back over the years when one of the

:57:56. > :57:58.siren calls that one heard from young people themselves was, there

:57:59. > :58:04.is nothing to do here, whether he was a town or a village. In reality

:58:05. > :58:11.there were things to do, but there was no obvious way of making a

:58:12. > :58:15.positive contribution to the community beyond perhaps the Scouts

:58:16. > :58:22.and the girl guides. Then from an older generation you would hear the

:58:23. > :58:29.call that the youngsters these days need discipline, we should have

:58:30. > :58:32.National Service, bring back National Service, something our

:58:33. > :58:41.professional Armed Forces rather disdained as an idea. You would hear

:58:42. > :58:46.people say, well, it did me good and it is what everybody needs today.

:58:47. > :58:51.That view began to fade, quite rightly, but talk there was of a

:58:52. > :58:56.civilian equivalent. Somehow it never got going and it is to the

:58:57. > :59:01.credit of the former Prime Minister when he was the member for Whitney

:59:02. > :59:07.that he did take this up and make a real achievement of it. Many of us

:59:08. > :59:12.always felt there was scope for this, whether it was because we were

:59:13. > :59:20.enthused by what the late President Kennedy did with the Peace Corps and

:59:21. > :59:24.so on, involving and harnessing the views and enthusiasm of young

:59:25. > :59:27.people. At last it seems to me with the National citizens service we

:59:28. > :59:32.have got a scheme which has taken root and is flourishing. My

:59:33. > :59:38.connection with it has simply been that I have tried juju to visit a

:59:39. > :59:42.group in my constituency in each of the last four years and I have seen

:59:43. > :59:48.a whole host of things that young people have engaged in at various

:59:49. > :59:53.stages of the four week a process that they follow. I can certainly

:59:54. > :59:57.attest to the growing confidence I have seen amongst those young

:59:58. > :00:01.people, the interaction between them, coming as they do from

:00:02. > :00:06.different backgrounds and not having met each other before, and the

:00:07. > :00:11.enthusiasm that they had. I welcome that. I never heard a voice raised

:00:12. > :00:15.by them that this was a waste of time. It was all a matter of wanting

:00:16. > :00:20.to go back and tell other people that this was something they should

:00:21. > :00:27.think about when their chance came. I accept the trust's own findings of

:00:28. > :00:33.greater positivity amongst people who they have managed to persuade to

:00:34. > :00:37.come into the scheme. The honourable member referred to the Ipsos Mori

:00:38. > :00:41.poll evaluation and that is good evidence that young people

:00:42. > :00:51.themselves feel positive about it. What are the concerns? There is I

:00:52. > :00:55.suppose the possibility that NCS has an effect on recruitment to other

:00:56. > :01:01.organisations, whether it is voluntary service overseas, whether

:01:02. > :01:05.it is Medecins Sans Frontieres, Save the Children, Oxfam, the Duke of

:01:06. > :01:12.Edinburgh scheme, or the Prince of Wales trust. But I do not think that

:01:13. > :01:17.will happen, it is more likely that NCS will be a stepping stone to

:01:18. > :01:23.looking around for other things that people may do in life, having had

:01:24. > :01:29.the knowledge and experience of what being part of NCS was all about. In

:01:30. > :01:37.short, Madame Deputy Speaker, I do not see anything that NCS can spoil.

:01:38. > :01:41.It is inculcating a habit and an approach amongst young people and

:01:42. > :01:47.that can only be for the good of our society. Of course it is right we

:01:48. > :01:52.should be concerned about governance and one or two colleagues this

:01:53. > :01:57.afternoon have referred to how we control it and make sure it is

:01:58. > :02:01.offering value for money and so on. With an annual report presented to

:02:02. > :02:06.Parliament this is a way which we can all check on this and I support

:02:07. > :02:10.the idea of there being a debate about it. We should talk about these

:02:11. > :02:17.things more often, so the achievements of young people who NCS

:02:18. > :02:21.should be highlighted in Parliament because too many people are ready to

:02:22. > :02:26.believe the worst of young people, simply on the basis they will read a

:02:27. > :02:31.story in the newspaper which puts them in a bad light, completely

:02:32. > :02:35.ignoring the fact the vast majority of young people mean well and in

:02:36. > :02:41.fact do well in terms of their contribution to society. Having had

:02:42. > :02:44.the pleasure and privilege of some involvement with voluntary

:02:45. > :02:49.organisations over the years, one of the things that we have to be

:02:50. > :02:57.careful about is supposing that you can find a precise value to attach

:02:58. > :03:02.to the benefits that you get from being with NCS. How do you measure a

:03:03. > :03:07.contribution that somebody might make? The enthusiasm that will go

:03:08. > :03:14.with them when they go out to collect money for a cause? How can

:03:15. > :03:19.you measure it? You cannot measure how a person's outlook on society

:03:20. > :03:22.may have been proved to make that person someone a more positive

:03:23. > :03:28.citizen than they might have otherwise been. Yes, we must be

:03:29. > :03:33.responsible in the amount of money that is spent, we do not want to

:03:34. > :03:37.pretend that you can implement the view of the cost of everything, but

:03:38. > :03:44.the value of nothing. I will give way. I thank my honourable friend

:03:45. > :03:51.for giving way and I think he makes a powerful and important point. I

:03:52. > :03:55.have visited schemes in the Bury St Edmunds constituency, but I stand

:03:56. > :04:00.here as someone who has had three children attend NCS or be a mentor

:04:01. > :04:07.on NCS. Actually the benefit is some way down the line, growing their

:04:08. > :04:12.confidence and so on, and growing their ability to understand where

:04:13. > :04:14.other people come from. One of my daughters at university is there

:04:15. > :04:20.with a young man who had had a somewhat challenging background

:04:21. > :04:25.before she was on NCS with him, but everybody equals out in that place

:04:26. > :04:29.and that is one of the fundamental benefits of NCS, levelling the

:04:30. > :04:35.playing field, both educationally and in abilities. Would he not

:04:36. > :04:39.agree? My honourable friend's rather lengthy contribution has extended my

:04:40. > :04:44.speech, but I absolutely applaud what she says and I am grateful for

:04:45. > :04:51.the support that she is giving to the remarks that I have just made!

:04:52. > :04:55.The Local Government Association has expressed concern that the money

:04:56. > :04:58.that will go into NCS is therefore money that they will not get, or

:04:59. > :05:04.they might lose money in the process. None of us want to decry

:05:05. > :05:09.what many local authorities to their credit are able to do. I have always

:05:10. > :05:15.been an advocate for that, but this is a special organisation which is

:05:16. > :05:20.in no way makes negative what it is local authorities do. It might find

:05:21. > :05:23.even more people who will want to take part in these various other

:05:24. > :05:30.youth services and extend the reach of those bodies. My honourable

:05:31. > :05:36.friend, the member for Canterbury, raised the safety issue and of

:05:37. > :05:40.course that is important. I hoped he did not quite over do it because I

:05:41. > :05:45.was thinking of some of the schemes I've seen what even with the use of

:05:46. > :05:51.a fork to put into the earth when you are tidying up a community

:05:52. > :05:55.garden could cause an injury, or someone who is bravely advertising

:05:56. > :06:01.on a street corner, the fact that is a car wash they are operating for a

:06:02. > :06:04.period some little distance away, who could be knocked down in an

:06:05. > :06:11.accident. All sorts of horrors could befall people, in ordinary things as

:06:12. > :06:15.in high adventure things. But we must not assume that anything goes

:06:16. > :06:23.and that people could be put at risk. I was not really disagreeing

:06:24. > :06:29.with my honourable friend. Madame Deputy Speaker, my right honourable

:06:30. > :06:34.friend is absolutely right and my point is that we have to be very

:06:35. > :06:40.careful that an unhealthy obsession with trying to eliminate all risks

:06:41. > :06:45.N-Dubz squeezing the opportunities for real adventure out of

:06:46. > :06:52.children's' lives. Of course I agree with that and the adventure part of

:06:53. > :06:58.it is opposed to the activities in which there could be a safety risk

:06:59. > :07:01.and is a distinct thing. The real test to which we should apply our

:07:02. > :07:06.minds is whether the core programme is delivered, whether the numbers

:07:07. > :07:12.going through are continuing to rise. What I found some encouraging

:07:13. > :07:17.is that those who have graduated, if that is the right word, are

:07:18. > :07:23.increasingly ready to take on a further role. That has also been

:07:24. > :07:26.mentioned by the honourable member for Dagenham and rain. They come

:07:27. > :07:31.back as mentors and tutors and I have had the pleasure of meeting

:07:32. > :07:37.some of them earlier this afternoon. It is great that they admit as to

:07:38. > :07:41.how their eyes have been opened and their experiences deepened and how

:07:42. > :07:45.they are willing to pass that on. The best recruiters are those people

:07:46. > :07:49.who go back to their schools and talk about it amongst their

:07:50. > :07:55.acquaintances to encourage further participation. If we can keep on

:07:56. > :07:59.raising the numbers who want to go into the NCS, I think we will do the

:08:00. > :08:04.quality of our social life in this country a great deal of good.

:08:05. > :08:10.Schools should be in courage. I heard what the secretary of State

:08:11. > :08:15.said about the role of HMRC. Yes, that is good, but we need to get to

:08:16. > :08:21.the schools. If I may say so, the fact that only about 150 members of

:08:22. > :08:28.this house have as yet found the opportunity to meet with a group

:08:29. > :08:32.with an NCS project is way below what it needs to be. I would

:08:33. > :08:38.encourage all colleagues to find an opportunity to do it so they are

:08:39. > :08:42.well informed from their own impression and constituency of what

:08:43. > :08:49.a good project and concept that the NCS is. I think it is absolutely

:08:50. > :08:56.right that we are conferring royal charter status to give NCS a higher

:08:57. > :09:00.profile, making it more obviously a proper organisation in the eyes of

:09:01. > :09:08.anybody who might doubt it and I would say finally we should move

:09:09. > :09:09.with enthusiasm on our part something that has already

:09:10. > :09:18.established good foundations. Thank you called a pleasure to

:09:19. > :09:22.follow the honourable member and other honourable members and I join

:09:23. > :09:26.with them in welcoming this bill and the provisions it puts in place,

:09:27. > :09:31.because I believe that National Citizen Service should be a right of

:09:32. > :09:37.passage for young people across our country and this bill will in bed

:09:38. > :09:41.NCS as a national institution, and make it an important part of our

:09:42. > :09:45.national fabric. In Yorkshire, I've seen at first hand the great work

:09:46. > :09:51.that the challenge trust, English football league trust do on behalf

:09:52. > :09:57.of the NCS. Last year, Barnsley FC's community sport and education trust

:09:58. > :10:03.oversaw 326 people taking part in the scheme. The fact that this is

:10:04. > :10:08.well over double the number that had part in 2013 gives me confidence

:10:09. > :10:13.that with the right support the scheme will become more and more

:10:14. > :10:18.successful. For many, NCS is the first up on their youth social

:10:19. > :10:23.action journey. Their involvement in the programme in bed in them the

:10:24. > :10:29.value of service, and I'm very supportive of the role that it plays

:10:30. > :10:33.in doing this. Because NCS is a part of the youth social action centre

:10:34. > :10:37.that is going from strength to strength, a fact that it is very

:10:38. > :10:42.clearly demonstrated to the great work of organisations like city

:10:43. > :10:49.year, Be Inspired, the Princes trust and the Scout Association. I could

:10:50. > :10:52.speak about the achievement of each of these organisations and many

:10:53. > :11:00.others at length, but today I want to confine my remarks to the NCS and

:11:01. > :11:05.what makes it so special. President Obama said in his farewell speech

:11:06. > :11:10.just the other day for too many of us it has become safer to retreat

:11:11. > :11:15.into our own bubbles, surrounded by people who look like gas and share

:11:16. > :11:20.the same political outlook and never challenge our assumptions. NCS

:11:21. > :11:25.consistently pushes our young people out of these bubbles and brings

:11:26. > :11:31.young people together from different backgrounds across socioeconomic and

:11:32. > :11:40.ethnic lines. This must be applauded and it must be built upon, and this

:11:41. > :11:43.is a very timely moment to have this debate because 2016 was the year

:11:44. > :11:48.that are divisions in our country became more apparent than ever

:11:49. > :11:52.before. Accordingly I think it is hugely important that national

:11:53. > :11:58.institution such as the NCS exist, where people can come together and

:11:59. > :12:03.meaningfully engage with those from different backgrounds in order to

:12:04. > :12:08.bridge the divide is. I would however just like to draw the

:12:09. > :12:11.house's attention to research that shows a number of NCS graduates from

:12:12. > :12:13.hard to reach backgrounds has fallen since the introduction of the

:12:14. > :12:34.scheme. I would I would therefore be grateful if the

:12:35. > :12:37.Minister considers whether the language used in the Royal Charter,

:12:38. > :12:42.laying out the primary functions and purpose of the NCS trust, is

:12:43. > :12:53.sufficiently focused on the integration aspect of the NCS.

:12:54. > :13:01.Cohesive communities are the outcome. For many young people

:13:02. > :13:03.taking part in NCS, it is the beginning of creating the diverse

:13:04. > :13:08.social networks they need to flourish. Therefore, we should focus

:13:09. > :13:12.on ensuring the hardest to reach young people are able to take up the

:13:13. > :13:19.opportunity afforded to them by the NCS. Programme providers such as the

:13:20. > :13:23.challenge are doing fantastic work to this end. The employee dedicated

:13:24. > :13:30.personal coaches to support young people with complex needs prior to

:13:31. > :13:34.and after completing the NCS. So as to ensure there are as few barriers

:13:35. > :13:42.to entry as possible for these young people. I will give way. Would he

:13:43. > :13:45.agree with me one of the mentors said to me that one of the young

:13:46. > :13:49.people who got the most out of it on her course was in fact a young

:13:50. > :13:52.carer, and maybe this is a group that should be targeted

:13:53. > :13:59.specifically, as they often have a hard job in accessing some

:14:00. > :14:01.recreation and the ability to lift themselves out of their current

:14:02. > :14:10.environment in a way that is helpful and meaningful. I do absolutely

:14:11. > :14:14.agree with her. There is a consensus I think across the house and I think

:14:15. > :14:18.my honourable friend the member for Croydon North was slightly unfairly

:14:19. > :14:22.chided if I might say so for seeking to make the most constructive of

:14:23. > :14:27.contributions to this debate because I think there is a consensus that

:14:28. > :14:30.this is a great scheme, and that young people benefit enormously from

:14:31. > :14:37.it. The challenge that government, all of us find, is that those people

:14:38. > :14:41.who perhaps would benefit the most those Bautista reach, and as I said

:14:42. > :14:44.in my earlier remarks, those are the hardest to reach the hardest to

:14:45. > :14:48.reach, and on the side just offering some constructive critique of the

:14:49. > :14:53.scheme, a scheme which we support and in ensure it maximises the

:14:54. > :15:02.benefits all those people who would benefit from it. Prior to my

:15:03. > :15:08.honourable friend was like most, I was alluding to the work done by the

:15:09. > :15:12.challenge in dedicating personal coaches to support young people with

:15:13. > :15:16.complex needs and ensuring that they get the same opportunities as

:15:17. > :15:20.perhaps participants from more affluent grounds. And for the

:15:21. > :15:24.programme to have integration at its heart, it must be a programme for

:15:25. > :15:28.all, and providers must have adequate resource to focus their

:15:29. > :15:35.attention on this work, and although the NCS plays an important role in

:15:36. > :15:39.enabling social mobility, it should not be seen as a ready-made remedy

:15:40. > :15:43.to the problems caused by costs to other youth services. It must be

:15:44. > :15:48.part of a sectoral wide investment strategy. Madam Deputy Speaker, my

:15:49. > :15:54.life, both outside and inside politics, has showed me the value of

:15:55. > :15:57.service and of citizenship, and the National Citizen Service is a

:15:58. > :16:02.21st-century manifestation of these values. I am grateful for the

:16:03. > :16:06.opportunity to contribute to this debate, and I look forward to

:16:07. > :16:09.hearing from the Minister regarding the specific points that has been

:16:10. > :16:13.made most constructively think it is fair to say on the side about the

:16:14. > :16:17.NCS's role in facilitating integration and including the

:16:18. > :16:23.hardest to reach groups in our society, but most of all I look

:16:24. > :16:26.forward to the programme growing from strength to strength as a

:16:27. > :16:36.result of this bill, and of its Royal Charter. Thank you very much

:16:37. > :16:39.indeed, it is a great pleasure to follow the honourable gentleman and

:16:40. > :16:44.the speaker is both a local member of Parliament but also chairman of

:16:45. > :16:50.the all-party Parliamentary Heritage rail, and the

:16:51. > :16:57.It is also been followed outside by those who have an active involvement

:16:58. > :17:01.in the NCS. They might think why is it that there is not a packed house

:17:02. > :17:05.to celebrate such an important scheme. But I think they should draw

:17:06. > :17:09.some comfort from the fact that actually that means this is not a

:17:10. > :17:13.contentious scheme, it is something that has cross-party support, that

:17:14. > :17:18.all white honourable members want to succeed and actually it is a good

:17:19. > :17:22.sign, in a way, that there is although much interest, not too much

:17:23. > :17:27.controversy about this particular bill. Madam Deputy Speaker I the

:17:28. > :17:31.fact that this bill will place the NCS on a statutory footing and make

:17:32. > :17:34.it a national and situation and a rite of passage for 15 to

:17:35. > :17:38.17-year-olds, and I want to make sure in joining others to pay

:17:39. > :17:43.tribute to the former Prime Minister who was a great champion of NCS.

:17:44. > :17:45.Also the member for the Ruislip, northward and Pinner who is now a

:17:46. > :17:49.minister in another department who did so much to get NCS up and

:17:50. > :17:53.running in the last parliament. I would like to make tribute all of

:17:54. > :17:57.those working on NCS both nationally, and those who have

:17:58. > :18:01.already participated and participate as mentors in all the schemes, and

:18:02. > :18:04.without their great education, the schemes would not have success, and

:18:05. > :18:07.to pay tribute to the current minister and the current Secretary

:18:08. > :18:12.of State for championing this. I think it is fair to say that the

:18:13. > :18:14.families, both my family and the Secretary of State's families

:18:15. > :18:17.already know the benefits of much outdoor activities, because we take

:18:18. > :18:23.them on route marches often in the summer recesses. I want to talk just

:18:24. > :18:28.about three areas today. The building of skills needed by our

:18:29. > :18:32.young people for it life in 20th-century Britain, the cohesion

:18:33. > :18:35.and integration aspect of NCS and a specific amendment which was raised

:18:36. > :18:41.in the other place, which I do intend to put down on volunteering

:18:42. > :18:43.in waters continued to be -- considered to be an industrial

:18:44. > :18:47.undertaking first of the NCS is often a first step the young people

:18:48. > :18:50.on their youth social action journey and it does create an emphasis on

:18:51. > :18:55.creating more gauged citizens will stop we have our day had mention of

:18:56. > :19:01.the primers to's recent speech, unveiling the shared society, in

:19:02. > :19:04.which said brightly it is time to tackle the culture of individualism,

:19:05. > :19:06.and the NCS is about making sure young people are equipped with the

:19:07. > :19:11.necessary skills to get ahead in life. I was to let you hear the

:19:12. > :19:14.honourable member for Dagenham and rain talking about character,

:19:15. > :19:17.because character education is something that I championed when I

:19:18. > :19:20.was in the Department for Education, setting up the character of awards

:19:21. > :19:27.and the character grants, and I do think that NCS, and I have had,

:19:28. > :19:31.sessions with global and national providers, is a huge important part

:19:32. > :19:36.of building individual and national character of young people. NCS is a

:19:37. > :19:42.vital extracurricular activity, but it is also about civic engagement,

:19:43. > :19:45.and the recent research does show that participants have a higher

:19:46. > :19:51.likelihood of voting if they have taken part in NCS, and it has also

:19:52. > :20:02.been shown that bite the ballot who partnered with them via The

:20:03. > :20:05.Challenge, and 95% of all participants have gone on the

:20:06. > :20:09.register to vote. That a time when we often lament the fact that young

:20:10. > :20:15.people are not so engaged in voting in the political process, that just

:20:16. > :20:16.shows one of the benefits of NCS. Through the programmes come young

:20:17. > :20:23.people are able to work with they develop resilience, my

:20:24. > :20:27.favourite word, quit, teamwork and leadership skills, and to discover

:20:28. > :20:29.more about their area through delivering local volunteering

:20:30. > :20:34.project that matter to them. I recently met with the original

:20:35. > :20:39.delivery part of NCS in my own constituency, who have worked with

:20:40. > :20:42.over 5016 and 17-year-olds in the East Midlands since 2011, and

:20:43. > :20:47.supported them to carry out over 100,000 hours of social action. In

:20:48. > :20:50.Loughborough, I work with a number of organisations who benefit from

:20:51. > :20:53.NCS social action, including rainbows children's Hospice and the

:20:54. > :21:02.Falkland centre which supports homeless people with accommodation.

:21:03. > :21:07.I have met at least three of my local NCS cohorts during the

:21:08. > :21:17.residential week in Leicester at the end of the social action project

:21:18. > :21:19.they were doing. The last one involved great sacrifice of eating

:21:20. > :21:23.cupcakes on a Saturday morning, it was very difficult and I was

:21:24. > :21:28.delighted they had chosen to raise funds in that way. But there is an

:21:29. > :21:31.intensive nature and a seriousness behind the NCS programme. Honourable

:21:32. > :21:35.members have body talk about the levelling effects of the activities

:21:36. > :21:39.involved in the setting of shared goals, which also contributes to the

:21:40. > :21:42.development of a common identity between participants, who often come

:21:43. > :21:46.from diverse backgrounds. I think those who have talked about the

:21:47. > :21:51.national importance of NCS, I think it is right, last year's referendum

:21:52. > :21:54.result has meant that discussions about national identity are ever

:21:55. > :21:57.more to the fore, so I think that mixing of people from different

:21:58. > :22:02.backgrounds is such a vital part of NCS. I also welcome that the bill

:22:03. > :22:06.will encourage more young people to take advantage of the programmes.

:22:07. > :22:09.Schools are clearly an airport in way of reaching young people and

:22:10. > :22:13.informing them of the benefits of participating in the programme, and

:22:14. > :22:17.when I was Secretary of State for Education I had some, sessions with

:22:18. > :22:21.the minister, and I was very much of the view that schools should

:22:22. > :22:24.absolutely facilitate the giving of information to young people about

:22:25. > :22:29.the benefits of the scheme. There is a temptation sometimes to ask our

:22:30. > :22:31.schools to do an awful lot and I did used to say that if we ask schools

:22:32. > :22:34.to do everything that everyone asks of them they would never get round

:22:35. > :22:37.to teaching until about midnight every night, so we have to have a

:22:38. > :22:41.balance, but they're absolutely must be a way for schools to facilitate

:22:42. > :22:43.the giving of information about the programme to both future

:22:44. > :22:48.participants but also the parents and families, and in allowing those

:22:49. > :22:51.who have participated in the scheme to come back and talk to future

:22:52. > :22:58.cohorts about why they should sign up.

:22:59. > :23:04.Let me turn to a amendment tabled in the other place which we might

:23:05. > :23:08.debate during the course of this bill going through the house. The

:23:09. > :23:12.purpose is to ensure that the builders not unintentionally prevent

:23:13. > :23:16.people from working as volunteers on heritage railway or Heritage tramway

:23:17. > :23:19.as part of the programme provided or arranged by the NCS. A similar

:23:20. > :23:23.amendment was tabled by Lord Falconer and has been debated

:23:24. > :23:28.already in the other place. I am a chair of the all-party partner group

:23:29. > :23:32.on heritage rail and want to recognise the contribution that the

:23:33. > :23:36.sector makes to local economies through tourism and employment. The

:23:37. > :23:42.great Central rail through my own constituency attracts 130,000 per

:23:43. > :23:46.year visitors and for the six consecutive year has reached a

:23:47. > :23:50.record high of ?1.57 billion and provided deployment of over 20,000

:23:51. > :23:53.people. Young people will be vital to the success of the industry as

:23:54. > :23:59.they provide voluntary maintenance and operational support and in turn

:24:00. > :24:03.heritage rail raise hope to engage people and provide a platform for

:24:04. > :24:06.them to learn important skills that the NCS and still is. It would

:24:07. > :24:12.appear however that the employment of young persons and children act

:24:13. > :24:16.1920 excludes children which section five of eight of the education act

:24:17. > :24:22.1996 defines as individuals not yet 16. It seems illegal for young

:24:23. > :24:27.people to volunteer on heritage railways which did not exist are

:24:28. > :24:31.busy when the act, and the current push towards volunteering did not

:24:32. > :24:35.exist when the 1920 act came into force. That is why the new clause

:24:36. > :24:39.has been proposed, to make clear that the act for 1920s should not

:24:40. > :24:43.prevent people from volunteering on heritage railways and tramways. I

:24:44. > :24:48.would like to make it clear that the standard health and safety that we

:24:49. > :24:51.have heard in discussion this afternoon, supervisor requirements

:24:52. > :24:55.and all, would of course still apply. We need more young people on

:24:56. > :24:58.our heritage railways and the all-party Parliamentary group is

:24:59. > :25:00.looking at this and there is a role for apprenticeships and the

:25:01. > :25:06.development of vital employability skills will the 21st-century. I

:25:07. > :25:10.would like to conclude by offering wholehearted support for NCS and the

:25:11. > :25:13.bill. I would like to see maximum participation in NCS in the future.

:25:14. > :25:16.It is a good thing, in fact a great thing for the individual young

:25:17. > :25:20.people participating, but is also a great thing for the country. I hope

:25:21. > :25:23.to have the opportunity just you asked ministers to think about

:25:24. > :25:29.updating the law in respect to heritage railways and industrial

:25:30. > :25:33.undertakings. Thank you. Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. I will join

:25:34. > :25:37.colleagues in having a similarly consensual and commonly approach to

:25:38. > :25:43.this bill because I'm super -- supportive of this myself. They have

:25:44. > :25:49.done great work in my constituency. Redcar as a constituency has a youth

:25:50. > :25:53.employment rate of two and a half times the national average. People

:25:54. > :25:56.knew they were guaranteed steelwork jobs or at the docks previously, but

:25:57. > :26:01.those industries and jobs have gone and the challenges faced now offer

:26:02. > :26:04.less security and more challenging environments for getting jobs and

:26:05. > :26:07.opportunities. My greatest fear is that young people growing up in the

:26:08. > :26:11.Redcar don't necessarily see that they have a future there any region

:26:12. > :26:17.and that you get on, you have to move away. Some of the most

:26:18. > :26:22.important things that NCS brings is giving young people a stake in the

:26:23. > :26:26.local community and made the -- restoring civic pride. That is

:26:27. > :26:31.fundamental to communities like mine for building for the beach. I have

:26:32. > :26:35.seen NCS regenerate but the clubs, paint meeting rooms, ten concrete

:26:36. > :26:42.roadsides into gardens, and raise a huge amount for fantastic global

:26:43. > :26:45.charities -- local charities for domestic violence and other

:26:46. > :26:49.worthwhile courses. The programme emphasises developing life and work

:26:50. > :26:52.skills and particularly self-esteem, confidence building, and as I have

:26:53. > :26:55.said encouraging the next generation is Jake is stake in their community,

:26:56. > :27:00.I think this is a truly valuable. I was privileged to attend some of the

:27:01. > :27:05.award ceremonies and see young men and women addressing 200 and 300

:27:06. > :27:08.people in their way they would have admitted themselves they would never

:27:09. > :27:11.have done a few weeks ago. That is a fantastic skill to give them, skills

:27:12. > :27:18.like budgeting, project management, fundraising, things like have

:27:19. > :27:21.already been said in an increasingly squeezed curriculum in schools we

:27:22. > :27:24.don't have the time to teach young people but which are absolutely

:27:25. > :27:31.fundamental to success. I value the NCS very highly, and this bill will

:27:32. > :27:36.play a role in establishing it as a national institution for more young

:27:37. > :27:39.people to access. Police have also expressed that one of the greatest

:27:40. > :27:42.strength of the NCS is the way it brings together people from all

:27:43. > :27:47.walks of life, bridging divides and overcoming prejudice. It is

:27:48. > :27:50.important because young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are able

:27:51. > :27:54.to access the same opportunities as those from wealthier and better

:27:55. > :27:57.connected families. Social inclusion, social mobility are

:27:58. > :28:01.intrinsic to the principles of NCS, and I strongly believe that these

:28:02. > :28:04.principles must be maintained when placed on a statutory footing. It

:28:05. > :28:07.must not be the preserve of those young people who are already

:28:08. > :28:11.confident enough to put up their hands, those whose parents already

:28:12. > :28:18.have the sharpest elbows. At present the NCS are committed to make the

:28:19. > :28:22.most socially excluded young people included. The report published last

:28:23. > :28:27.week it is that a high percentage of the assessments from minority groups

:28:28. > :28:33.were participating in a positive achievement. We must make sure the

:28:34. > :28:37.motive remains a key purpose after the translation to becoming a world

:28:38. > :28:40.tour the body and cannot ever be relegated to low importance. I

:28:41. > :28:47.support because my honourable friend made on the front bench, and also by

:28:48. > :28:49.the challenge to make the Royal Charter Sue specifically reference

:28:50. > :28:54.social integration is one of the primary functions of NCS. I support

:28:55. > :28:59.the case for funding specifically ring faced for targeting hard to

:29:00. > :29:01.reach groups. This is fundamental to NCS and should be fundamentally

:29:02. > :29:05.written into the government fabrication of the new body. I am

:29:06. > :29:09.initially concerned when the government initially announced the

:29:10. > :29:12.bill that some of the burdens might be placed on schools and local

:29:13. > :29:16.bodies which are overstretched, and it is a welcome change then that

:29:17. > :29:20.there are no formal duties on either to be included in the bill we are

:29:21. > :29:25.debating. Moving forward, injuring a programme grocer sustainably is an

:29:26. > :29:27.important challenge, given the National Audit Office have

:29:28. > :29:30.highlighted rising costs and lower than expected participation rates.

:29:31. > :29:34.One of the most important aspect of this bill in my view is to learn the

:29:35. > :29:38.lessons of the kids Company there but, and to ensure the proper

:29:39. > :29:41.reporting and accounting structures are in place for an organisation

:29:42. > :29:46.that is receiving a large amount of government funding. It is important

:29:47. > :29:49.to remember that while the NCS is an important surface it is not the only

:29:50. > :29:52.youth service in town. There are others playing a vital role in

:29:53. > :29:56.diverting young people from crime, supporting young carers, and

:29:57. > :30:01.overcoming exclusion. They must not be deprived of the funding they need

:30:02. > :30:04.to operate, and a survey conducted by the local government Association

:30:05. > :30:07.which I think the honourable member from Saffron Walden referred to

:30:08. > :30:12.earlier found 90% of industry has had cut services for teenagers. That

:30:13. > :30:20.is of course as we know a reduction in government funding. Between April

:30:21. > :30:24.2010 and 2016, they'll wear ?387 million cut from youth service

:30:25. > :30:27.spending across the UK. Youth services of varying kinds play a

:30:28. > :30:30.vital role in communities, providing real and ongoing benefits for young

:30:31. > :30:39.people who need them, but crucially in many of these cases, the result

:30:40. > :30:44.savings for the tax that payer, as they reduce costs later on down the

:30:45. > :30:48.line. I am proud to say however that I support the principle is of the

:30:49. > :30:51.legislation and am pleased to have seen such wide cross-party support

:30:52. > :30:55.of the value of the NCS programme here today. With clear language in

:30:56. > :30:59.the world Charter I believe the growly -- value of it could be

:31:00. > :31:04.greatly enhanced. The young people of the site have a great energy and

:31:05. > :31:06.ideas come and have an enormous amounts to contribute to their

:31:07. > :31:11.community and country and country other hope the bill will allow them

:31:12. > :31:14.to the role that potential. Thank you for calling me to speak in this

:31:15. > :31:17.debate, and it is a pleasure to follow the honourable lady the

:31:18. > :31:22.member for Redcar and would like to highlight the comment that she made

:31:23. > :31:26.that the National Citizen Service should not be the preserve of those

:31:27. > :31:32.who are confident, a lot of young people who perhaps lack confidence

:31:33. > :31:35.and the encouragement to come forward are the targets of the

:31:36. > :31:37.scheme, I would like to re-emphasise that point. Over the last couple of

:31:38. > :31:41.years I have been delighted to attend an apple of -- number of

:31:42. > :31:47.National Citizen Service meetings in Crawley. Local graduates of the

:31:48. > :31:53.programme have spoken on a number of occasions, now. It is often said by

:31:54. > :31:57.some that are young people don't care about the local area or have no

:31:58. > :32:01.interest in getting involved in the community. An assertion can Deputy

:32:02. > :32:07.Speaker, from our own experiences which I'm sure that all in this

:32:08. > :32:10.house would contest. The National Citizen Service leads to increased

:32:11. > :32:14.community engagement, awareness and social action, and I have seen this

:32:15. > :32:16.for myself from the NCS participant in my constituency where the

:32:17. > :32:24.initiative is delivered by the Crawley Town community foundation.

:32:25. > :32:27.Cohort of the cohort have shown that they are truly committed to helping

:32:28. > :32:30.those less fortunate than themselves and through the programme they

:32:31. > :32:35.continue to come up with ways to raise funds and awareness for

:32:36. > :32:40.important local causes. The national council for voluntary organisations

:32:41. > :32:45.has previously called for greater collaboration between the voluntary

:32:46. > :32:49.sector and the NCS, and as such closer working together could lead

:32:50. > :32:54.to an even greater difference. I am sure that other operators would be

:32:55. > :32:58.able to learn from what I have seen in Crawley, last year through their

:32:59. > :33:04.social action projects the NCS participants works alongside a host

:33:05. > :33:07.of local good causes, including Crawley open house, the Springboard

:33:08. > :33:10.projects, Saint Catherine 's Hospice, the Olive tree Cancer

:33:11. > :33:16.support centre, and save the children. I would like to take the

:33:17. > :33:18.opportunity not only to commend Callie's NCS graduates but also to

:33:19. > :33:26.thank them sincerely for raising more than ?7,400 across the three

:33:27. > :33:30.NCS programmes last year. And for volunteering a total of over 7500

:33:31. > :33:35.hours of their time to help these local organisations. This consists

:33:36. > :33:39.of more than just fundraising alone. They have put together packs for the

:33:40. > :33:44.homeless, and organised renovation works to help charities as well.

:33:45. > :33:49.Madame liberty speaker at little over six months ago of course our

:33:50. > :33:51.new Prime Minister right right honourable friend the member for

:33:52. > :33:56.Maidenhead took office, before entering number ten for the first

:33:57. > :33:59.time she stood on the steps of Downing Street and talked about the

:34:00. > :34:05.importance of ensuring greater opportunity for all. The NCS helps

:34:06. > :34:08.with that opportunity, a key hallmark of the National Citizen

:34:09. > :34:13.Service is ensuring that young people are taught skills that they

:34:14. > :34:16.can't learn in class. More than nine out of ten participants believe that

:34:17. > :34:21.the NCS provides the opportunity to develop skills which would be useful

:34:22. > :34:28.in future and analysis has shown that in the year after participants

:34:29. > :34:32.that participation, the majority of NCS graduates they they have used

:34:33. > :34:35.the skills already. The programme increases well-being and lowers

:34:36. > :34:41.levels of anxiety with the greatest impact being found amongst those

:34:42. > :34:48.from the poorest backyards. Madame liberty speaker, financial support

:34:49. > :34:53.is available for the ?150 fee, and in fact the National Audit Office

:34:54. > :34:58.take that in the average contribution was ?30, as result of

:34:59. > :35:05.concessions and bursaries. In contrast, estimates show that in

:35:06. > :35:11.2016, the cost per participant will exceed ?1800, an investment which

:35:12. > :35:18.I'm sure members of the house would agree is were making. In 2015, 17%,

:35:19. > :35:20.as previously heard, of NCS participants were eligible for free

:35:21. > :35:29.school meals, compared with around 10% of young people from the general

:35:30. > :35:34.population. Analysis of the summer 2014 programme, for example, has

:35:35. > :35:37.shown that the NCS is estimated to have delivered social benefits

:35:38. > :35:45.valued between ?17 million and ?250 million, benefits cuts ratios

:35:46. > :35:51.between ?1 12 and ?3 98 for every ?1 spent. Research also shows that

:35:52. > :35:56.fewer than half people between 18 to 24 voted at the last general

:35:57. > :36:00.election, whilst more needs to be done in this regard and continues,

:36:01. > :36:03.the NCS figure shows that participants are more likely to vote

:36:04. > :36:07.and engage in our democracy after finishing the scheme. Indeed,

:36:08. > :36:14.thousands of young people have been registered to vote what taking part

:36:15. > :36:16.in the NCS. I am grateful to the government for its continued

:36:17. > :36:20.enthusiasm supporting the initiative, and is like other right

:36:21. > :36:24.honourable and honourable members I would like to pay tribute to former

:36:25. > :36:28.Prime Minister David Cameron for establishing the National Citizen

:36:29. > :36:33.Service and indeed his ongoing involvement after leaving public

:36:34. > :36:39.office. The running of the NCS is not simply a case of a host of local

:36:40. > :36:42.arbitrators doing their own thing independent both of each other and

:36:43. > :36:49.established charity groups. I have seen in my own constituency through

:36:50. > :36:51.the local provider, the Crawley Town community foundation, worked not

:36:52. > :36:57.only with charities from West Sussex but also alongside trusts supporting

:36:58. > :37:02.a host of league clubs in the delivery of the programme. Crawley

:37:03. > :37:07.Town football club have backed the NCS over the years, including having

:37:08. > :37:10.the programme participants having bucket collections for local causes

:37:11. > :37:14.on match days, and holding graduation ceremonies in the stadium

:37:15. > :37:17.suite overlooking the pets. This commitment is soon to go further

:37:18. > :37:24.with additional events and announcement in the near future.

:37:25. > :37:28.There is a regular exposure also on the club website and match they

:37:29. > :37:32.programmes, and the impact of association with the local football

:37:33. > :37:38.club cannot be underestimated. This bill will provide a duty on schools,

:37:39. > :37:42.colleges and local and national government to inform young people

:37:43. > :37:44.and their parents, particularly those from disadvantaged

:37:45. > :37:49.backgrounds, of the skills and benefits that can be gained from the

:37:50. > :37:52.National Citizen Service. One of the most powerful ways in which the NCS

:37:53. > :37:57.can be routed is directly from the very people who have taken part.

:37:58. > :38:00.Just another half of last year's Callie graduates are still involved

:38:01. > :38:02.in the scheme, and indeed this is the highest figure across the whole

:38:03. > :38:11.of the Kent and Sussex. With the Secretary of State tell the

:38:12. > :38:14.house what assistance her department might be able to give the NCS

:38:15. > :38:19.providers to ensure this rate can increase across the country in the

:38:20. > :38:22.years ahead, and if her department may go further to assist the NCS

:38:23. > :38:31.trust in ensuring best practice? This month, Crawley celebrates the

:38:32. > :38:36.70th anniversary of its designation as a new town. It has been a time of

:38:37. > :38:41.both reflection not only on the challenges facing us today but also

:38:42. > :38:47.what makes such a strong community as well. The National Citizen

:38:48. > :38:52.Service helps and encourages social cohesion, social mobility and social

:38:53. > :38:56.engagement. The young adults taking part in programmes such as this, and

:38:57. > :39:00.of course let's not forget the staff who helped deliver these schemes and

:39:01. > :39:09.therefore these opportunities, are people we can all be proud of and

:39:10. > :39:14.long may their fine might continue. It is a great speaker to follow the

:39:15. > :39:20.honourable gentleman from Crawley, and to speak in this debate. I think

:39:21. > :39:26.it has been very heartening to hear the widespread praise there is for

:39:27. > :39:33.the National Citizen Service, and I would like to join in that because I

:39:34. > :39:37.think it is an excellent scheme. The Secretary of State mentioned earlier

:39:38. > :39:44.that the scheme is in England and in Northern Ireland, however I would

:39:45. > :39:50.also like to put on record my praise for the excellent volunteering

:39:51. > :39:55.element that forms part of the Welsh baccalaureate, and I think one of

:39:56. > :39:59.the good things about these sorts of programmes is that we will be able

:40:00. > :40:03.to share expertise and good ideas from wherever they come, both in

:40:04. > :40:07.these islands and internationally, and I think that is a great strength

:40:08. > :40:12.because I think that has always been the case with the best volunteering

:40:13. > :40:18.programmes. I am sure the minister himself will be familiar, but I

:40:19. > :40:24.would like to address the house on some of the points made by some of

:40:25. > :40:28.the voluntary sector organisations about this bill. The national

:40:29. > :40:33.council for voluntary organisations have spoken with some eloquence of

:40:34. > :40:37.the programme as being part of a longer journey of social action and

:40:38. > :40:44.volunteering. They have spoken of the importance of diversity, indeed

:40:45. > :40:50.diversity of participants as being more important than numbers. And the

:40:51. > :40:56.in crucial element of young people in the design of the programme. As

:40:57. > :41:00.the charity aid foundation have really made a plea in deed in the

:41:01. > :41:06.form of them wanting a new clause to be inserted into the Royal Charter

:41:07. > :41:13.about the scheme is being part of the way of engaging young people

:41:14. > :41:16.further and other social programmes like charity trusteeship, and they

:41:17. > :41:21.make the point that of young trustees between the ages of 18 and

:41:22. > :41:28.24, and when one realises that actually in this country I think it

:41:29. > :41:33.is 12% of the population are 18 to 24, the number of trustees, that

:41:34. > :41:41.falls to below 1% of all charity trustees, I think it is a very

:41:42. > :41:47.important point, how we develop the scheme at the moment, by use of the

:41:48. > :41:53.participants from that scheme to get involved as trustees, and in other

:41:54. > :41:59.leadership roles. But I think as well we recognise many of us in our

:42:00. > :42:06.middle ages here recognise that one doesn't stay at 15 to 17 forever,

:42:07. > :42:13.and yet, and yet, and not everyone is in their middle age, as one of my

:42:14. > :42:17.colleagues points out, but how do we developed volunteering, and how do

:42:18. > :42:23.we developed a type of volunteering that brings people together, in a

:42:24. > :42:28.sense what is the next step for volunteering from this bill? My

:42:29. > :42:32.honourable member the Dagenham spoke about how volunteering in this

:42:33. > :42:38.country doesn't really have any legal status, and indeed volunteers

:42:39. > :42:41.of 18 and over, in fact not just 18 and over actually, could be

:42:42. > :42:46.designated as not in employment, education and training, and for

:42:47. > :42:50.those of 18 plus, of course, going on volunteering programmes, there is

:42:51. > :42:53.no agreement that should mean national insurance contributions and

:42:54. > :42:57.the like, and I think that is something as we take full of the

:42:58. > :43:00.ideas of this bill, as we develop the ideas behind the National

:43:01. > :43:08.Citizen Service, those are the sort of ideas that we need to develop.

:43:09. > :43:12.Many of my colleagues, members on both sides of the house, have spoken

:43:13. > :43:17.very passionately today about the whole issue of integration,

:43:18. > :43:23.diversity, bringing people together, I think my honourable friend the

:43:24. > :43:27.member for Barnsley gave a very, very moving quote that President

:43:28. > :43:31.Obama made. It is not all about being in one's own little bubble,

:43:32. > :43:33.talking to people who agree with ourselves, agreeing with those

:43:34. > :43:38.people who then agree with ourselves. It is about coming

:43:39. > :43:41.together with different people. I remember a television programme a

:43:42. > :43:44.few years ago, and sitting on the stage, I think it was a sort of BBC

:43:45. > :43:54.Parliament when we're not here type of programme, and sitting on the

:43:55. > :43:57.stage was President Clinton. Former President Bill Clinton and former

:43:58. > :44:00.President George W Bush, and they were discussing some sort of

:44:01. > :44:06.leadership programme with young people that they had established in

:44:07. > :44:08.the United States, and I can always remember what former President

:44:09. > :44:14.Clinton actually said in that, he said the idea of bringing together

:44:15. > :44:17.young African Americans who are active in their community, and

:44:18. > :44:21.getting them then on the same programmes as young people who are

:44:22. > :44:25.involved in the tea party, who believe that the world would be a

:44:26. > :44:29.better place if everything operated in their small town, bringing

:44:30. > :44:32.together those energies and with a synergy between them actually

:44:33. > :44:37.creating something better for society, I'm not sure how much of

:44:38. > :44:41.those ideas are in play in the US at the moment, but what a fantastic

:44:42. > :44:45.idea of bringing together different groups, young people with different

:44:46. > :44:50.ideas, and then being able to share those, and who knows what may be

:44:51. > :44:54.able to come out after that? Because I think when we are looking at these

:44:55. > :44:59.different sort of schemes, we don't know where this will lead. I hope

:45:00. > :45:05.for instance that one area that we will look at is volunteering for

:45:06. > :45:11.former young offenders, volunteering for people who have been in prison.

:45:12. > :45:18.That step, sometimes, which is very great, that can take people out of a

:45:19. > :45:24.life where people offend, go into jail, reoffend, go back into jail

:45:25. > :45:29.and on and on. Is there a role specifically for volunteerism that

:45:30. > :45:32.could actually bridge that gap from prison to employment, because that

:45:33. > :45:38.is something as a next step we need to be thinking of, as well. As I

:45:39. > :45:44.say, I would like to warmly commend this bill, and the ideas behind it.

:45:45. > :45:47.I hope the resource and will be there and I hope the collaboration

:45:48. > :45:51.and involvement with voluntary groups will be there. But I think

:45:52. > :45:55.there are so, so many ideas that we need to think about volunteering,

:45:56. > :46:01.and how that actually creates the sort of society that even if not

:46:02. > :46:04.everyone wants to see it at the moment, and it is certainly the

:46:05. > :46:10.society we are going to need to have. Thank you, Madam Deputy

:46:11. > :46:15.Speaker. I am tried to be here today to support the NCS bill. It is one

:46:16. > :46:19.of the best things that the last government led by Prime Minister

:46:20. > :46:24.David Cameron did and I am delighted that the NCS is today being put on a

:46:25. > :46:28.statutory fishing safeguarding its future as a national institution. It

:46:29. > :46:34.is going to give hundreds of thousands of young people the

:46:35. > :46:38.momentum for a young -- lifetime limit of volunteering. When I was at

:46:39. > :46:42.school and university I chaired our debating societies, and one of the

:46:43. > :46:45.notions that used to get put up was whether the National Service should

:46:46. > :46:49.be read instituted, and it was very difficult to argue for that, both

:46:50. > :46:56.because of the cost and because we did not lead a large force prepared

:46:57. > :47:00.for military action. But there is lots of evidence of the other

:47:01. > :47:04.benefits of National Service, which I can see the national citizenship

:47:05. > :47:09.service. When I need to research these notions I go no further than

:47:10. > :47:13.my late further -- father who did service in the 1950s with the Royal

:47:14. > :47:17.Marines and the Durham Light Infantry, and he always would tell

:47:18. > :47:20.you what a great social leveller the National Service was, because in

:47:21. > :47:24.basic training you could be there in a dorm with people from Eton, with

:47:25. > :47:28.stockbrokers, electricians, people from all different walks of life,

:47:29. > :47:33.every conceivable background, but any pre-existing airs and graces you

:47:34. > :47:38.had would quickly be squashed by a diet of exercise, hard work,

:47:39. > :47:42.learning new skills and having to live, eat, sleep, work, do

:47:43. > :47:47.everything together as a team. And that people who had been through

:47:48. > :47:51.National Service were able to adapt better to the challenges life threw

:47:52. > :47:57.at them, and to work better and interact better with people from all

:47:58. > :48:00.different walks of life. So wind forward 50 years to the National

:48:01. > :48:04.citizenship service, although we have none of the military training

:48:05. > :48:08.of National Service, we do have those positive features that we saw

:48:09. > :48:11.with National Service, the levelling effects with individuals from all

:48:12. > :48:16.different walks of life coming together, where people are pushed

:48:17. > :48:19.out of their comfort zones, when they are engaged in challenging

:48:20. > :48:24.activities on equal footing. We also have the social atmosphere of people

:48:25. > :48:29.living, eating, cooking together with people from every different

:48:30. > :48:32.walk of life. And in addition to that the national citizenship

:48:33. > :48:39.service has provided 8 million hours of voluntary work in the communities

:48:40. > :48:43.in the UK. Graduates of the national citizenship service are likely to

:48:44. > :48:48.contribute six hours more per month of voluntary work than people who

:48:49. > :48:52.have not been through the scheme. Eight out of ten graduates of the

:48:53. > :48:56.National said the ship service also said that they are more likely --

:48:57. > :48:59.National Citizen Service that they are more likely to get on with

:49:00. > :49:03.people from other backgrounds that they would not otherwise have had

:49:04. > :49:06.the opportunity to meet. In Kingston upon Thames, which makes up Kingston

:49:07. > :49:11.and Surbiton constituency, I have been to seeing the National Citizen

:49:12. > :49:16.Service in action in both the years I have been an MP so far in 2015I

:49:17. > :49:21.went to see volunteers doing their voluntary week when they were having

:49:22. > :49:26.with the Wear Archer Academy's this ability sports taster day and last

:49:27. > :49:28.year I was one of the Dragons on the Dragons Den for National Citizen

:49:29. > :49:33.Service, where groups bid for extra funding for their social action

:49:34. > :49:44.campaigning projects, and on both of those projects I took time to speak

:49:45. > :49:47.to the young people involved. They had put them out of their shell and

:49:48. > :49:53.given them a confidence they lacked before. Secondly, that they have the

:49:54. > :49:56.opportunity to mix with people from the same borough, but who they had

:49:57. > :49:58.never met before, people who had been to different schools, different

:49:59. > :50:05.types of schools, people from different backgrounds. In the same

:50:06. > :50:10.way as President John F. Kennedy's Peace Corps and President Lyndon B.

:50:11. > :50:14.Johnson America corps, the National Citizen Service brings together

:50:15. > :50:19.young people to go out and do good things in their communities and in

:50:20. > :50:25.the world and the comeback with a mindset to help their local

:50:26. > :50:30.communities. The NCS also does a huge amount for social integration.

:50:31. > :50:35.That is why organisations like The Challenge, who support many of the

:50:36. > :50:38.NCS project in urban areas like London, are calling for social

:50:39. > :50:41.integration to be added to community cohesion as one of the stated aims

:50:42. > :50:48.of the NCS in the draft royal charter. The Prime Minister has

:50:49. > :50:52.spoken of the importance of social integration, and in my view, the

:50:53. > :50:57.best way to get social integration right is to start when people are

:50:58. > :50:59.right -- are young and to give them opportunities to integrate that

:51:00. > :51:05.don't exist readily in every community. In her report on social

:51:06. > :51:10.integration, Dame Louise Casey noted the role of the NCS in improving,

:51:11. > :51:18.understanding and relationships between young people from different

:51:19. > :51:23.backgrounds. 30% of NCS participants are from ethnic minorities, and in

:51:24. > :51:29.Kingston that's 65%. 17% are on free school meals. The low admission fee

:51:30. > :51:31.that can be waived if parents's circumstances require it is

:51:32. > :51:36.undoubtedly very important in achieving this, and that is why the

:51:37. > :51:41.huge financial investment in NCS for the lifetime of this parliament is

:51:42. > :51:46.absolutely critical. The NCS can and should become one of the key tools

:51:47. > :51:51.of social integration, so I am delighted it is being expanded and

:51:52. > :51:55.put on a statutory footing today. Before concluding, I want to make it

:51:56. > :51:59.clear to other organisations that encourage voluntary service and

:52:00. > :52:05.teach young people life skills that the focus on the NCS no way

:52:06. > :52:09.denigrates the fantastic work they do, and I include in that girl

:52:10. > :52:12.guiding, the Scouts, the International citizenship service,

:52:13. > :52:17.which is run by voluntary services overseas in my constituency, and the

:52:18. > :52:20.many other charities like Chris list of element, formerly student

:52:21. > :52:24.partnership worldwide, that I spent a number of months with honour

:52:25. > :52:30.charity project in South India. They are all part of the rich tapestry of

:52:31. > :52:33.volunteering and voluntary services for the youth today, but the

:52:34. > :52:36.National Citizen Service with the funding behind it and the statutory

:52:37. > :52:40.footing that will get today will lead the way.

:52:41. > :52:48.The NCS should make sure it works where it puts young people into

:52:49. > :52:53.voluntary placements with local charities for two reasons. Firstly,

:52:54. > :52:56.they often have much less human and financial resources than the large

:52:57. > :53:01.national charities and could really do with those additional volunteer

:53:02. > :53:05.man hours from young enthusiastic NCS volunteers will stop secondly,

:53:06. > :53:10.because if the NCS participant is going to develop a long-term

:53:11. > :53:14.relationship with a charity or voluntary organisation, it is much

:53:15. > :53:19.better that it is a local one in their community where they are based

:53:20. > :53:21.and they can continue to serve. In conclusion, the NCS is the

:53:22. > :53:29.fastest-growing youth movement of its kind for a century. I hope it

:53:30. > :53:31.becomes a rite of passage and a national institution like the Peace

:53:32. > :53:38.Corps and America corps are in the US. It gives young people from all

:53:39. > :53:43.backgrounds the chance to mix and learn how to give something back to

:53:44. > :53:47.their community. And it leads to a better society with more active and

:53:48. > :53:52.responsible citizens, better engaged in their communities. Thank you.

:53:53. > :53:57.Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. It is a pleasure to follow the

:53:58. > :54:04.honourable member for Kingston and Surrey so can I start by saying I

:54:05. > :54:06.agree with his marks about scouting and girl guiding and other

:54:07. > :54:10.organisations and the contribution that they make, and also to what I

:54:11. > :54:15.thought was a really good point about the way in which the Peace

:54:16. > :54:20.Corps and America call in America contributed to many of the aims seek

:54:21. > :54:26.to pursue here in Parliament, today. Can I say to the Minister that we

:54:27. > :54:31.all on this and our front bench as well throw much welcome the bill and

:54:32. > :54:36.think it is an important step forward in achieving the goals that

:54:37. > :54:41.we all have stopped Madam Deputy Speaker and will start by just

:54:42. > :54:45.saying that at a time when Brecht dominates, quite rightly, the

:54:46. > :54:49.national debate, many of our debates here in Parliament, I think we

:54:50. > :54:55.should at times say to the media and to the public at large that also

:54:56. > :54:59.alongside that there are hugely significant and hugely important

:55:00. > :55:04.debate which take place. The government brings important

:55:05. > :55:07.statements forward and we respond and I think today is one of those

:55:08. > :55:12.occasions. The National Citizen Service is a hugely, hugely

:55:13. > :55:17.important initiative and the government seek to verb and build on

:55:18. > :55:22.the progress that has been made with the bill that is brought forward

:55:23. > :55:23.today. I have seen for myself in Nottingham and other honourable

:55:24. > :55:30.members have recounted their experiences when they have been to

:55:31. > :55:36.see the work done in their own areas that there is no better it is not

:55:37. > :55:39.short of relevant some of the work done, some of the impact that young

:55:40. > :55:45.people from different backgrounds, the influence that this programme

:55:46. > :55:51.has upon them, and can I say one of the things, and one of the words

:55:52. > :55:54.haven't been used yet, of particular importance, that when I saw and

:55:55. > :56:00.which duly graduate ceremony is the self esteem, the self-esteem that it

:56:01. > :56:04.brings in young people. If there is one thing that holds back many of

:56:05. > :56:08.our young people as well as opportunity, background and so on,

:56:09. > :56:11.it's a lack of self-confidence, a lack of self-esteem, a lack of

:56:12. > :56:17.belief that they have something positive to offer and I think what

:56:18. > :56:20.the NCS has done in many circumstances is generated that

:56:21. > :56:24.self-esteem and belief that they have worse, they have something to

:56:25. > :56:30.offer. If that is something that will in my view contribute and help

:56:31. > :56:34.them through their lives, I think that is an enormous step forward.

:56:35. > :56:38.Can I also say, Madam Deputy Speaker, that the other reason that

:56:39. > :56:44.this is important, this debates today, is this. Clearly, there are

:56:45. > :56:50.in this house and in the country different views on Brecht. And the

:56:51. > :56:55.invitations that there are as a consequence of that. -- Brexit

:56:56. > :56:59.different views on Brecht. There can be no division between us about the

:57:00. > :57:02.need for us to continue to provoke the universal values of tolerance,

:57:03. > :57:07.people coming together, of self-respect, of looking and

:57:08. > :57:12.respecting others whatever ethnic background or religion or whatever,

:57:13. > :57:16.those things, and the NCS has at its heart the promotion of those

:57:17. > :57:21.universal values. I think at a time when there is somewhat concerned

:57:22. > :57:25.about tolerance, there is some concern about divisions in our

:57:26. > :57:28.community, surely it is right for us as a Parliament to say look at this

:57:29. > :57:35.as a model of the way forward we want to see in our country, and our

:57:36. > :57:44.communities go. So I think that this is hugely important. Let me just say

:57:45. > :57:47.to the Minister just to, and again as a challenge to the government,

:57:48. > :57:52.but also a challenge to all of us, and a challenge to this Parliament,

:57:53. > :58:00.as it stands at the moment, according to the EN 80 report, 96%

:58:01. > :58:03.of people but is abating in the scheme at the present time, and the

:58:04. > :58:10.government 's intention, and the attention we all wish to support, in

:58:11. > :58:17.21 -- 2021 to 360 thousand participants. That requires a order

:58:18. > :58:20.percent annual growth. I hope as the bill goes through committee there

:58:21. > :58:24.will be a challenge for the committee on the challenge for us to

:58:25. > :58:28.look at how we actually are going to achieve that, how we are actually

:58:29. > :58:33.going to increase as participation groups, and look at what are the

:58:34. > :58:36.barriers to participation, and the report points out a couple of these.

:58:37. > :58:41.First of all, brand awareness. The need for us to try to ensure that

:58:42. > :58:47.more people are aware of the opportunities available through NCS,

:58:48. > :58:51.and I think that is an important point for us. Secondly, access to

:58:52. > :58:54.schools, and what we can do with respect to that, how we promote

:58:55. > :58:59.that. Again, something that I think is hugely important and hugely

:59:00. > :59:04.significant, and I'm sure that much good work is done in school but

:59:05. > :59:09.alongside that there is something that we need to promote. I will say

:59:10. > :59:12.this, but all are somehow or other needs to understand and to look at

:59:13. > :59:18.how we can more effectively promote the work of the NCS, and what it is

:59:19. > :59:24.and opportunities that there are. Of course. Thank you Madam Deputy

:59:25. > :59:27.Speaker and I thank my honourable friend forgiving way. Would you also

:59:28. > :59:33.agree with me that part of that broadening from those numbers, and

:59:34. > :59:39.about 40% is a large growth, but it will also need a large number more

:59:40. > :59:43.volunteering projects for those children to all attend and benefit

:59:44. > :59:48.from, and that actually is something that the work of those of us in this

:59:49. > :59:51.chamber could help with, but it would be interesting to know how the

:59:52. > :59:55.government is going to fulfil that, as well, in order to get more

:59:56. > :00:01.children into residential homes, playgroups, right across the

:00:02. > :00:06.spectrum of how they help. That's a very good point. A point well made.

:00:07. > :00:14.The Minister will have heard that. As I say, I think the challenge for

:00:15. > :00:17.us is to look to see how we increase the number of volunteering

:00:18. > :00:20.opportunities that the honourable member said and how we as a

:00:21. > :00:24.Parliament challenge ourselves to deliver the objectives that we have,

:00:25. > :00:27.it is not a criticism to turn around and say we haven't got the numbers

:00:28. > :00:31.that we would all like, it is a challenge will stop it is not for us

:00:32. > :00:36.to say the government is wicked, the opposition are terrible, it is us as

:00:37. > :00:38.a Parliament to say this is a collective view, about what is good

:00:39. > :00:43.for our country and our young people. And therefore what is it

:00:44. > :00:49.that we have to do in order for us to achieve that objective? I think

:00:50. > :00:54.that the big challenge for us because there are imaginative thing

:00:55. > :00:57.that needs to be thought about and different things that need to be

:00:58. > :01:03.looked at. When you think about this, my honourable friend looked up

:01:04. > :01:06.for me because I didn't know the answer, there are 1.5 million 16 and

:01:07. > :01:11.17-year-olds in our country and in my own view every single one of them

:01:12. > :01:17.would benefit from an NCS type programme. So, we are talking about

:01:18. > :01:21.how we increase participation, and I say this to the Minister, I am not

:01:22. > :01:26.criticising, I am saying we are talking about how we increase it to

:01:27. > :01:30.360,000, and saying that is a massive challenge... And yet all of

:01:31. > :01:34.us who would agree that is something that all of our young people would

:01:35. > :01:37.want to experience was how we do that, how we deliver that is the

:01:38. > :01:43.challenge. And the question we need to ask ourselves. Can I just

:01:44. > :01:49.finished, Madam Deputy Speaker, with this point. It is so important, this

:01:50. > :01:53.business of integration and how we bring people together, my honourable

:01:54. > :02:01.friends and honourable members are talked about the need to reach the

:02:02. > :02:04.harder to reach groups and some of the worrying statistics we saw in

:02:05. > :02:10.that report and we need to look at that, and clearly participation is

:02:11. > :02:14.an issue but it is hard to reach all young groups. Can I just say this? I

:02:15. > :02:19.think inspiration is hugely important whether it be to an ethnic

:02:20. > :02:23.group, between social groups, whether it be to hard to reach

:02:24. > :02:28.groups or people who are well off and so on, let me also say this to

:02:29. > :02:31.the Minister. We must also look at it in terms of integration in terms

:02:32. > :02:36.of the regional divides that are there politically in our country.

:02:37. > :02:40.The divide between rural and urban areas. They divide not only between

:02:41. > :02:43.look white and black and all of those sorts of things that we would

:02:44. > :02:49.want to see overcome, but what about the generational divide? The fact

:02:50. > :02:56.that we see many people... I must finish. He makes an interesting

:02:57. > :03:02.point. He talks about bringing people together from different parts

:03:03. > :03:06.of society and the country, and one of the ambitions yet to be achieved

:03:07. > :03:08.is actually the people in my constituency in Sussex may come from

:03:09. > :03:14.different parts of society but they don't mix with his constituents in

:03:15. > :03:16.Nottinghamshire and vice versa, and we need to extend this scheme so

:03:17. > :03:20.that we can bring people from different parts of the country and

:03:21. > :03:23.different parts of the King and, ultimately, to share their

:03:24. > :03:28.experiences. I agree absolutely with that, that is the point I am making.

:03:29. > :03:31.I will finish with this point, Madam Deputy Speaker, that one of the most

:03:32. > :03:36.interesting things, and I'm sure we have done it all, when we see young

:03:37. > :03:42.people talking to old people, and their different perspectives and

:03:43. > :03:45.bringing history alive, and as a former teacher of history, when old

:03:46. > :03:53.people talk about history to young people they brought it alive to

:03:54. > :03:55.them. I think those sorts of ways of bringing people together, the ways

:03:56. > :04:00.of overcoming division, whether I say as it is between classes and

:04:01. > :04:04.generations, it is the great strength of the NCS and what I think

:04:05. > :04:09.that we need to do and to be more open with ourselves about is to say

:04:10. > :04:13.we have huge ambition for ourselves and for our country. We shouldn't be

:04:14. > :04:17.afraid of having that huge ambition, that is a challenge for us, about

:04:18. > :04:23.how we actually deliver that, and not something we should shy away

:04:24. > :04:26.from. Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker, and is is a pleasure to

:04:27. > :04:32.follow the honourable gentleman, the member for Gedling. I welcome the

:04:33. > :04:38.opportunity to speak on this bill and take part in this debate and I

:04:39. > :04:42.think we should, you know, we should recognise all the work that has gone

:04:43. > :04:45.into the NCS programme by those who work on the scheme, those who have

:04:46. > :04:49.developed the scheme and of course I would like to add to the record my

:04:50. > :04:56.thanks to all the work that David Cameron has done and I believe

:04:57. > :05:01.continues to do in relation to NCS. Before coming to this place, Madam

:05:02. > :05:04.Deputy Speaker, I was involved in a number of social action projects as

:05:05. > :05:10.members on this side of the chamber will probably be aware, both in the

:05:11. > :05:13.UK and some overseas. One thing that I always took away from that was

:05:14. > :05:16.yes, we had some young people the more we had some older people on

:05:17. > :05:21.there, but the way in which social action projects can bring together

:05:22. > :05:27.people from all walks of life, and you often find that you are in a

:05:28. > :05:31.challenging situation, in experiencing new things that you

:05:32. > :05:37.have never experienced before, and I think there is a lot that we can all

:05:38. > :05:43.learn from social action projects. In particular, in the summer of

:05:44. > :05:48.2015, that's just over a year ago, I was invited to join young people who

:05:49. > :05:53.were taking part in an NCS project in my Oldridge Brownhills

:05:54. > :05:59.constituency, a project called the hothouse, on the red house estate in

:06:00. > :06:03.Aldridge. I think it is fair to say with my usual enthusiasm for things

:06:04. > :06:05.social action I turned up and much to the surprise of some of my

:06:06. > :06:10.constituents and some of the young people may be as well, I was more

:06:11. > :06:15.than habit is get stuck in and I joined in with a little bit of, more

:06:16. > :06:20.than a little bit of painting. What took away from that was this was a

:06:21. > :06:23.group of young people, some from the same school, others from different

:06:24. > :06:28.schools, but who had been brought together by the NCS erbium. They

:06:29. > :06:34.were working together as a group, working together at the hothouse,

:06:35. > :06:38.and members of the community coming into the hothouse during the time

:06:39. > :06:43.that they were undertaking the project there and the Hothouse to me

:06:44. > :06:48.is a very special place in the constituency, on the heart of the

:06:49. > :06:53.red house estate, the heart of the community, and doing a lot of

:06:54. > :06:56.support work, and I think it was really good example of, you know,

:06:57. > :07:00.NCS at the heart of the local community, people working together,

:07:01. > :07:05.different ages, different backgrounds but... And this is the

:07:06. > :07:08.important thing for the mutual benefit of the community, and it is

:07:09. > :07:15.a great example of how social interaction and social integration

:07:16. > :07:18.really well and can work. I think this is what is so special about the

:07:19. > :07:23.NCS, it is that he quite unique to me. This is something that we need

:07:24. > :07:28.to hold onto as we move forwards. The ability to reach out to a broad

:07:29. > :07:33.base of young people, and we know that the NCS already reaches out,

:07:34. > :07:37.and this is what we need to maintain, but I feel that we need to

:07:38. > :07:42.do all we can to make sure that goes further than that, that it builds

:07:43. > :07:45.further, and what I am talking about is the things that we see are really

:07:46. > :07:50.did, we see projects reaching out to some of those hard to reach groups,

:07:51. > :07:54.the free school meals groups, the BME communities, but I wonder

:07:55. > :07:55.whether there are other groups as well that we need to be finding ways

:07:56. > :08:10.to reach out to and into. Some of those groups we talk about

:08:11. > :08:14.just about managing, those families. Young people who do not seek NCS as

:08:15. > :08:19.naturally for them, perhaps they lack the confidence to put their

:08:20. > :08:24.name forward. That is where we need to be really sure in the work we're

:08:25. > :08:34.doing in this place, that we do all we can to make sure they have that

:08:35. > :08:36.opportunity as well. For NCS to be truly National Service, and I think

:08:37. > :08:43.that is what it is edging towards, that is what we have to do. This

:08:44. > :08:48.bill is an important step towards making NCS and national institution.

:08:49. > :08:54.NCS, as we have heard this afternoon, is often the first step

:08:55. > :08:59.for young people in their youth social action participation. As I

:09:00. > :09:03.have seen for myself, it is a huge contributor to community in terms of

:09:04. > :09:10.volunteering, social integration and social cohesion. The research and

:09:11. > :09:17.research I did, I believe a typical programme is 30 hours. If you

:09:18. > :09:22.multiply that by 300,000 young people, that adds up to an awful lot

:09:23. > :09:28.of hours of time spent in the community, working on social action,

:09:29. > :09:34.building social capacity but my maths are not good enough to add up

:09:35. > :09:43.to how many that would be. Safe to say, it makes a massive contribution

:09:44. > :09:49.to our country. And to my constituency like others. In 2016,

:09:50. > :09:56.78 young people from Aldridge-Brownhills took part.

:09:57. > :10:01.Across Birmingham the total was 5786 during last summer. I think that is

:10:02. > :10:04.terrific but I want to seem more and I want is the way is through this

:10:05. > :10:13.bill we can make sure it reaches out and achieve that. As I said, to

:10:14. > :10:18.young people from all walks of life. When I was researching, one question

:10:19. > :10:22.I was key to ask, how many of my local schools were involved in the

:10:23. > :10:27.project? I was pleased to hear that all of the schools in my

:10:28. > :10:32.constituency had been involved and I think that is a good example of how

:10:33. > :10:39.NCS is starting to reach out right across all of those skills, all of

:10:40. > :10:44.those young people in my patch. -- those schools. We have heard about

:10:45. > :10:50.the review this afternoon, I would like to reiterate one point which

:10:51. > :10:56.was made in the recent Casey review about integration in the UK, it

:10:57. > :10:59.stated that the NCS programme is having a positive impact in

:11:00. > :11:03.improving and understanding relationships between young people

:11:04. > :11:10.of different backgrounds, something I think is really important. It is

:11:11. > :11:17.not just about the social action, not just about doing in the

:11:18. > :11:22.community, it is about so many other things, intergenerational

:11:23. > :11:27.integration as well as social integration. Community cohesion. The

:11:28. > :11:33.honourable member spoke about the impact of Brexit and the need to

:11:34. > :11:37.bring our country together. The Prime Minister speaks about the need

:11:38. > :11:42.to bring communities and the country together. I think NCS has an

:11:43. > :11:50.important role to play in doing that as well. As we have said this

:11:51. > :11:55.afternoon, it is also about developing those life skills. Life

:11:56. > :12:02.skills that are not always taught in schools or even at home but that can

:12:03. > :12:05.be taught and developed through the NCS programme. I believe in an

:12:06. > :12:09.environment where young people feel safe to be able to develop their

:12:10. > :12:13.skills and learn from one another. It is an excellent opportunity for

:12:14. > :12:21.young people to experience social action. In a way which bit by bit

:12:22. > :12:26.across communities and across the country is making a difference and

:12:27. > :12:30.contributing to social cohesion and social integration. As I said, I

:12:31. > :12:35.hope this is something we can build on with this bill. It is not just

:12:36. > :12:40.about young people of today or the young people of tomorrow, for me it

:12:41. > :12:48.is about the future, the future we all want to see, a country that

:12:49. > :12:52.works together and is cohesive and not forgetting that at the heart of

:12:53. > :12:56.the NCS is and should be the fact that young people come together from

:12:57. > :13:02.all walks of life. It does not matter if you're black or white,

:13:03. > :13:07.working-class or middle-class, whatever background you come from,

:13:08. > :13:15.we all have that opportunity to take part in the NCS programme. Thank

:13:16. > :13:21.you, Madam Deputy Speaker, I am proud to be part of this debate

:13:22. > :13:26.today and to say this bill come of age. NCS comes of age with this bill

:13:27. > :13:31.just as NCS is a coming of each project. I am very proud of the

:13:32. > :13:38.small part I played in its Genesis, having been the back in 2005 when it

:13:39. > :13:44.was a germ of an idea by the then Prime Minister who spoke to youth

:13:45. > :13:50.leaders and tasks what became the youth advisor for David Cameron to

:13:51. > :13:59.go out and develop the programme. I was asked to be part of that. In

:14:00. > :14:05.2008, we published the report, it is time to inspire teenagers, a white

:14:06. > :14:11.paper which to the subject of what the NCS. The scheme was designed on

:14:12. > :14:19.the principles laid out in that unofficial white paper, with the

:14:20. > :14:23.help of people like Steve Hilton who had an even more ambitious idea for

:14:24. > :14:28.the scheme, that it should take at least six weeks long throughout the

:14:29. > :14:33.summer. It should be called National Service and would be much closer to

:14:34. > :14:40.the original scheme of which it has some echoes but also that it should

:14:41. > :14:46.be compulsory. After a great deal of research, I remember spending many

:14:47. > :14:50.weekends with groups of fantastic talkative young people from Leeds,

:14:51. > :14:53.Liverpool and London who had some amazing ideas as to how such a

:14:54. > :15:01.scheme should develop, we put together what Ben became the

:15:02. > :15:07.National Citizen Service. It was intended to be a rites of passage

:15:08. > :15:12.scheme. We do transition into adult food really badly in this country.

:15:13. > :15:17.Other countries and cultures, there is no point in a teenager's life

:15:18. > :15:23.when you can be said to transition into adult food and get respect from

:15:24. > :15:27.society as an adult but we do not do that. Too often growing up is

:15:28. > :15:32.characterised by negatives. You become adult when you have had your

:15:33. > :15:38.first flag behind the bike shed or when you become a teenage pregnancy

:15:39. > :15:43.statistic. Negatives about how we judge the progress of young people.

:15:44. > :15:48.This game is all but the positives of young people. If you go through

:15:49. > :15:53.the scheme which is rigorous and challenging, designed to do so, and

:15:54. > :15:57.unique no sacrifice as part of it, then you deserve the right to be

:15:58. > :16:01.respected and valued as an adult with a voice in society. That was

:16:02. > :16:07.one of the guiding principles behind this scheme when it was set up. It

:16:08. > :16:12.was also absolutely about social mixing. We have many other good

:16:13. > :16:18.schemes and have had them for many years, but none of them are as

:16:19. > :16:22.successful as social mixing as NCS has become. Too often kids from the

:16:23. > :16:29.same school or neighbourhood may go on an outward bound to project,

:16:30. > :16:31.linked to some local youth organisation but not often enough at

:16:32. > :16:37.a mix-up with people they would never come across order narrowly or

:16:38. > :16:42.pass the time of day with in the street from the other side of town,

:16:43. > :16:46.the other side of the tracks or the country is so social mixing was

:16:47. > :16:50.absolutely at the heart of all this. It was also about challenging young

:16:51. > :16:55.people, taking them out of their comfort zone. This is not a holiday

:16:56. > :17:01.camp. I have been on many NCS challenges over the years. My

:17:02. > :17:07.honourable friend said she took up the challenge of having to paint. I

:17:08. > :17:13.have been forced to go on Jake's ladder and climbing walls which is

:17:14. > :17:17.no mean feat, especially when the young people have to hold you up.

:17:18. > :17:23.The challenge means just as much for them. I met kids who have never been

:17:24. > :17:28.out of the city, who had never been out on the mirrors and never been

:17:29. > :17:35.near the Brecon Beacons or the Lake District. These were challenging and

:17:36. > :17:39.frightening experiences but this was part of NCS, getting taken out of

:17:40. > :17:42.your comfort zone and getting shown there is more to life and with the

:17:43. > :17:49.help of your team been able to conquer it. Literally, I have seen a

:17:50. > :17:55.kid right out of youth justice establishment holding one end of a

:17:56. > :17:58.rope, and the other end of the rope is an old Etonian dangling off the

:17:59. > :18:02.wall. Two people who would not normally come together are thrown

:18:03. > :18:07.together and absolutely rely on one another to get through that

:18:08. > :18:13.challenge. That is why the scheme is so successful, that was one of the

:18:14. > :18:16.guiding principles and also about engendering a sense of social

:18:17. > :18:23.responsibility and community cohesion as sustainably as well. As

:18:24. > :18:25.the honourable member for Gedling mentioned, it is about self-esteem

:18:26. > :18:30.and confidence. So much of the feedback from young people in the

:18:31. > :18:35.scheme is when you go in the graduation ceremony, they have to

:18:36. > :18:38.perform and speak in front of an audience of hundreds, they all say I

:18:39. > :18:45.would never have been able to do that if it was not for the scheme.

:18:46. > :18:49.These challenges inspire them with confidence. That is a great seeing

:18:50. > :18:54.from the late great ammeter Roddick who said, if you think you're too

:18:55. > :19:00.small to make a difference, try going to bed with a mosquito. The

:19:01. > :19:04.whole point of NCS was too unleashed a swarm of mosquitoes, young people

:19:05. > :19:13.who on their own might not have much affect but by being valued in such a

:19:14. > :19:16.scheme and working together with other like-minded people, actually

:19:17. > :19:19.have the confidence to go out and make a difference. It was part of

:19:20. > :19:23.this scheme being positive for youth policy which we developed in the

:19:24. > :19:28.Department of education as well. It should not be seen in isolation. It

:19:29. > :19:37.is not a scheme for its own sake, it is part of a bigger jigsaw about how

:19:38. > :19:40.we empower, engage and inspire confidence in young people. It is

:19:41. > :19:44.also about society gaining respect for young people. One big problem we

:19:45. > :19:52.have in society is an intergenerational divides. Too often

:19:53. > :19:56.older people regard younger people as a bit reckless and a bunch of

:19:57. > :20:04.hoodlums. Too often younger people think older people are too set in

:20:05. > :20:12.their ways, detached and retrograde, etc. NCS is about young people doing

:20:13. > :20:15.something worthwhile, being seen to do something worthwhile, making

:20:16. > :20:20.sacrifices and gaining respect from society, not least older people,

:20:21. > :20:24.trying to bring those generations together. That is one of the biggest

:20:25. > :20:30.challenges we still have in our society in this country. My vision

:20:31. > :20:36.in developing NCS was that we would have projects set up throughout the

:20:37. > :20:43.country, sustainable projects, it may be nature conservation, health

:20:44. > :20:47.projects, a huge variety. We have heard some good examples. There

:20:48. > :20:52.would be a big sign saying this project is part of National Citizen

:20:53. > :20:56.Service, setup and run by young people. What a fantastic billboards

:20:57. > :21:03.and adverts for the constructive stuff our young people do, too often

:21:04. > :21:06.denigrated by the rest of society and especially the media. We know

:21:07. > :21:10.proportionally that young people are more likely than any other

:21:11. > :21:15.generation to be volunteers, spending their time volunteering and

:21:16. > :21:23.they are not getting credit for it. NCS is one way of making that more

:21:24. > :21:27.high-profile. When it started in 2009, 160 young people went through

:21:28. > :21:32.it. My fear was this would be used as some sort of cheap middle-class

:21:33. > :21:38.-- cheap summer holiday camp by the middle classes. How wrong I was. 60%

:21:39. > :21:43.of the people on it were a young black girls from the inner-city.

:21:44. > :21:47.They did fantastically well. We had to encourage the middle classes to

:21:48. > :21:52.get involved in this as well and eventually this happened. We came

:21:53. > :21:55.into government in 2010, the responsibility we shared between the

:21:56. > :22:01.Cabinet office and the Department of education. We had a small budget to

:22:02. > :22:08.start with and no budget to promote or publicise the scheme but it

:22:09. > :22:14.really took off. At a difficult time of austerity, at a time when youth

:22:15. > :22:20.services were being unduly and unfairly hit through local authority

:22:21. > :22:26.cuts in funding, but it got off the ground. Six years on, Madam Deputy

:22:27. > :22:35.Speaker, more than 300,000 teenagers have now taken part. Some 93,000 in

:22:36. > :22:40.the last calendar year. The en route -- the honourable gentleman is

:22:41. > :22:44.correct, the court is something like 170000 and absolutely the scheme

:22:45. > :22:50.should be available to all. We need to be realistic and make sure we do

:22:51. > :22:55.not die with the quality of what is being offered. The availability of

:22:56. > :23:01.good quality, well-trained leaders is the only thing holding this back.

:23:02. > :23:06.I do not want to artificially reach that target which might the expense

:23:07. > :23:13.of Dai Whittingham value and quality of the programme. That is? About bed

:23:14. > :23:18.capability of NCS to train up leaders within its own organisation

:23:19. > :23:22.and for graduates to come back as leaders themselves rather than porch

:23:23. > :23:32.them from other youth groups which would not be... The figures about

:23:33. > :23:34.the social and ethnic mix. 30% of people doing the scheme are from BMI

:23:35. > :23:46.communities. As many honourable members will have

:23:47. > :23:52.done to go to those graduation ceremonies, many are given a

:23:53. > :23:56.certificate, and many will stop their stuff, I went to one at

:23:57. > :24:00.Wembley Stadium where 1000 young people and graduated through the

:24:01. > :24:04.various football schemes in front of a thousand people in the audience,

:24:05. > :24:10.every one of them getting up their bit. It was a hugely uplifting

:24:11. > :24:13.emotional site and the number of parents who come up to me afterwards

:24:14. > :24:18.saying this is the best scheme I have ever had or my son or daughter,

:24:19. > :24:24.why do you keep it such a secret? That is not of the problem, this

:24:25. > :24:28.scheme is hugely undersold in terms of the actual outcomes and

:24:29. > :24:33.achievements and good that it does. I want to see, again, as was

:24:34. > :24:36.envisaged, I want to see some really good examples of the social action

:24:37. > :24:41.projects which have come about through the NCS featured in

:24:42. > :24:44.television programmes, featured in national use -- newspapers and

:24:45. > :24:49.magazines, and a every year, which was, between the best social action

:24:50. > :24:53.projects, in certain different categories. We need an equivalent of

:24:54. > :24:57.the Oscars for the National Citizen Service to show people really what

:24:58. > :25:01.is being achieved by the most inspiring and dedicated young

:25:02. > :25:07.people, and all those behind them. I am a big supporter, Madam Deputy

:25:08. > :25:12.Speaker, of the NCS and of this bill here today. Have a couple of

:25:13. > :25:18.technical comments to take up in the bill itself. In clause one,

:25:19. > :25:24.subsection two, it says the purposes of this section, young people mean

:25:25. > :25:28.mean 16 or 17-year-old, or other people 15 or 18 but under the age of

:25:29. > :25:33.25. Madame Debord is bigger I don't know many 16 or 17-year-olds or 15

:25:34. > :25:36.the Court 18-year-olds not under the age of 25 colours are not entirely

:25:37. > :25:41.sure what that clause is doing there. The other point I would make

:25:42. > :25:45.is in the same subsection, talking just about England, and we know that

:25:46. > :25:49.the scheme at the moment is confined to include although we have tried in

:25:50. > :25:53.the past and extended to other parts of the Kingdom but of course it is a

:25:54. > :25:56.devolved matter, and Northern Ireland in particular showed a lot

:25:57. > :26:02.of interest in this. I would hope that the National Citizen Service

:26:03. > :26:05.can become a UK wide programme, with the buy in of the assemblies and

:26:06. > :26:09.parliaments in the other parts of the United Kingdom and I would hope

:26:10. > :26:11.that we would not have do have a new piece of Liz to make that possible

:26:12. > :26:18.because that will best track this builds dust -- does just limit it to

:26:19. > :26:25.England at the moment. In the section about reports, all our

:26:26. > :26:27.standard and absolutely but to be constructively critical and I point

:26:28. > :26:32.raised eye with the secretary of state earlier this is not just about

:26:33. > :26:36.numbers, it is not just about the quality of this specific, explicit

:26:37. > :26:41.programme itself, it's not just about the amount of money we are

:26:42. > :26:49.spending on it, but it needs to be seen in the context of the wider use

:26:50. > :26:53.offer as well. -- you've offer. We need to be able to judge, and there

:26:54. > :26:57.needs to be able to be a mechanism to do this and this was raised also

:26:58. > :27:00.in the other place, that how we raise and judge the quality of what

:27:01. > :27:06.the NCS is achieving, against other youth programmes and the value for

:27:07. > :27:10.money we are getting against other investments in other youth

:27:11. > :27:14.organisations as well. This cannot be seen as a stand-alone

:27:15. > :27:22.intervention for young people will stop NCS is not just there for NCS's

:27:23. > :27:27.state that I go sake, and of course it only starts at the age of 16 and

:27:28. > :27:30.thereabouts, and the problem is that the NCS tries to address starts

:27:31. > :27:37.earlier and need early intervention as well, some 42% of young people

:27:38. > :27:44.more fully committed to social action began getting involved before

:27:45. > :27:49.the age of ten. And the scouts point out that the NCS three-week

:27:50. > :27:52.programme which costs around ?1500 per person, although the National

:27:53. > :28:01.Audit Office has come up with a new report is raising that is too near

:28:02. > :28:08.1860. The Scouts will claim that they can offer similar ideas for

:28:09. > :28:12.?400, and have a huge waiting list because I haven't got enough people

:28:13. > :28:15.to be Scout leaders. That is fine. There are places for both, and

:28:16. > :28:21.particularly if the NCS is providing leaders as it is intended to do, not

:28:22. > :28:24.just to help lead the NCS but also to help all other youth

:28:25. > :28:27.organisations, immunity organisations as well, the NCS is a

:28:28. > :28:32.recruiting Sergeant, if it works properly, for a whole host of other

:28:33. > :28:38.youth organisations, whose expansion can often be detailed by the lack of

:28:39. > :28:44.youth leaders and properly trained youth experts as well. So, my plea,

:28:45. > :28:48.Madam Deputy Speaker, is that we need more detail, to make it more

:28:49. > :28:54.sustainable, and to make it more complimentary and not conflictual

:28:55. > :28:58.with other youth organisations doing some really good stuff in other

:28:59. > :29:03.parts of the kingdom, that we need to make sure that we can justify its

:29:04. > :29:06.expense and its quality in the greater context of what else is

:29:07. > :29:12.going on as well. So, there's a lot of ambition in NCS, a lot of it has

:29:13. > :29:16.come about, and a lot more needs to be done to make it more widely

:29:17. > :29:20.available to a great many more young people who can benefit from it just

:29:21. > :29:25.as the evidence has showed, 300,000 have so far. We need some guarantees

:29:26. > :29:30.about value for money across the whole of the sector, about the

:29:31. > :29:36.quality impact across the whole sector, and about the sustainability

:29:37. > :29:40.of ongoing volunteering in those NCS graduates, not just for the duration

:29:41. > :29:43.of the scheme, itself, but how those social action products are not just

:29:44. > :29:48.therefore a matter of weeks but they are there for the perpetuity, with

:29:49. > :29:51.other local organisations, local authorities local businesses and

:29:52. > :29:57.volunteers helping to run those projects in between those some

:29:58. > :30:00.experiences for the NCS cohorts. So I do wish this bill well, there are

:30:01. > :30:04.some questions I think which have come up during committee which will

:30:05. > :30:07.add yet further to the quality of this programme, but more

:30:08. > :30:11.importantly, and yet further to the enthusiasm of other people involved

:30:12. > :30:16.in helping young people in our society today. And if there is one

:30:17. > :30:19.good thing, well, there's lots of good things, but if there is one

:30:20. > :30:22.good thing that we can all agree on that has come out of the Brexit

:30:23. > :30:26.debate which has been mentioned even though this subject, and I have

:30:27. > :30:29.avoided mentioning it so far, is that the turnout of young people in

:30:30. > :30:34.the Brexit referendum, when it wasn't called the Brexit referendum,

:30:35. > :30:38.but some six to 3%. It the turnout of young people in the normal

:30:39. > :30:44.general election of some 43%. NCS can be part of the solution for

:30:45. > :30:47.persuading and encouraging people to be part of the decision-making in

:30:48. > :30:51.our society, it is a great example of how young people are involved in

:30:52. > :30:55.its design, and it should be a great example of how young people should

:30:56. > :31:01.be continuing to be involved in the fabric of the future of our country

:31:02. > :31:07.as a whole. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker and like all other speakers

:31:08. > :31:14.I welcome this bill which secures the future of the NCS through the

:31:15. > :31:18.Royal Charter. I join others who have congratulated the former Prime

:31:19. > :31:29.Minister David Cameron for his role as a driving force for the scheme.

:31:30. > :31:33.My own constituency has got some considerable success on this. When

:31:34. > :31:40.the scheme started there were just 45 who joined the initial cohort,

:31:41. > :31:46.where that has now increased to over 1200. And I think one of the reasons

:31:47. > :31:53.for that is that it is a dedicated and dynamic leadership of Lee

:31:54. > :31:57.Stevens who sat in public gallery and I pay tribute to his dedication

:31:58. > :32:02.not only by the leading scheme but also having sat through not only the

:32:03. > :32:07.whole of this debate but the question Time that preceded it. It

:32:08. > :32:13.was mentioned earlier by the honourable gentleman from idling

:32:14. > :32:16.about the differences, Howard brings together at the differences and

:32:17. > :32:21.divides between our own country people, and he spoke of rural and

:32:22. > :32:26.regional divides, and representing them as I do, the coastal community

:32:27. > :32:32.with the problems of poor educational standards and the like,

:32:33. > :32:40.I recognise the importance of it and NCS has played a major part in that.

:32:41. > :32:46.Those who participate are able to gain new schools, enhance their CV,

:32:47. > :32:55.and it helps with the transition from school to perhaps further

:32:56. > :32:57.education. The value of the schools, in the Lincolnshire part of my

:32:58. > :33:02.constituency has been recognised by the fact that now every secondary

:33:03. > :33:06.school and Academy has signed up to the programme, as well as the two

:33:07. > :33:14.colleges who are both working to integrate NCS into their curriculum.

:33:15. > :33:20.Only last Friday, I visited my old school, have a lock school in

:33:21. > :33:27.Grimsby where the headteacher was explaining to me the difficulties

:33:28. > :33:32.she has with a catchment area which is, shall we say, in one of the port

:33:33. > :33:36.towns. In fact, the catchment area includes the yeast Marsh award of

:33:37. > :33:44.Grimsey, which is ranked amongst the 20 poorest wards in the country,

:33:45. > :33:48.when ranked by the various social economic indicators. There is no

:33:49. > :33:55.doubt that NCS has played a major part in bringing forward young

:33:56. > :33:57.people from all parts of the community in the Cleethorpes

:33:58. > :34:04.constituency and the surrounding areas. Now, over the last three or

:34:05. > :34:11.four years I have visited many projects in the constituency just to

:34:12. > :34:16.mention three come if I may. The Saint Andrew 's Hospice in Grimsby,

:34:17. > :34:21.and the Harbour Place Centre for the homeless, but also some work that

:34:22. > :34:25.young people did for the Alzheimer's Society, and I can recall a year or

:34:26. > :34:30.two ago visiting a care home where they were helping residents who

:34:31. > :34:37.suffered from dementia, and I think it is important that our young

:34:38. > :34:41.people realise is actually a growing problem in our ageing society, and

:34:42. > :34:47.many went on to work, again, with those sufferers when the scheme had

:34:48. > :34:52.finished and that is a great tribute to them and to those who organise

:34:53. > :34:59.it. There have also been schemes such as tidying up some local

:35:00. > :35:05.cemeteries. I can remember going to a enthusiastic group involved last

:35:06. > :35:09.summer in repainting new Waltham visit leg-macro village hall, a very

:35:10. > :35:16.colourful haul now. The list could go on. Our a more technical aspect

:35:17. > :35:20.of the bill, I welcome them in particular, clauses five and six,

:35:21. > :35:27.that relates to the business plan is and the annual report, both of which

:35:28. > :35:31.I think emphasise each year they give us a focused attention on the

:35:32. > :35:36.targets, and that we do want to make sure that the scheme does not run

:35:37. > :35:44.out of steam but continues to prosper. Young people can get a bad

:35:45. > :35:46.press, but the vast majority, as we all know, are a credit boat to their

:35:47. > :35:53.families and to their local communities. Society today as it

:35:54. > :36:00.always has faces many challenges, and if we can develop the natural

:36:01. > :36:08.skills and enthusiasms of our young people, then they can through the

:36:09. > :36:16.NCS, will make a major contribution to society. The scheme gives them a

:36:17. > :36:18.sense of satisfaction, a growing sense of self-confidence, and a

:36:19. > :36:25.realisation that by giving to the community in which they live, they

:36:26. > :36:31.can fill not only many of their own aspirations but contribute greatly

:36:32. > :36:37.to the society and to the community in which they live. Madam Deputy

:36:38. > :36:43.Speaker I give my wholehearted support to the scheme, many of us

:36:44. > :36:45.will have seen groups of young people and indeed individuals who

:36:46. > :36:50.have prospered and gone on to greater things as a result of the

:36:51. > :36:58.NCS scheme, and I think I welcome the bill, I urge ministers to take

:36:59. > :37:04.note of what's been said. It's been a debate where there has been a

:37:05. > :37:09.mutual support and respect for the bill from all sides of the house at

:37:10. > :37:14.a time when we have been talking about divisions and how to bring

:37:15. > :37:19.cross-party support to some of what are perhaps the more contentious

:37:20. > :37:24.aspects of policy. I think this is something that we can learn from and

:37:25. > :37:28.I that members across the house will bear that in mind. Thank you, Madam

:37:29. > :37:32.Deputy Speaker. Madam Deputy Speaker I share the sentiment of my

:37:33. > :37:34.honourable friend for Cleethorpes in describing some of the NCS social

:37:35. > :37:40.action project that his constituency has engaged in.

:37:41. > :37:45.I agree with almost everything which is being said today by so many

:37:46. > :37:51.members of the House and either side. I agree with my honourable

:37:52. > :37:58.friend in his comprehensive speech about the jigsaw of empowerment for

:37:59. > :38:02.young people which the NCS is part of. I agree about the importance of

:38:03. > :38:08.coming together and learning tolerance. I agree with the

:38:09. > :38:12.honourable member for Queen of the South about the power of the NCS to

:38:13. > :38:19.inspire volunteering although she was holding the papers so far from

:38:20. > :38:25.her face that I wondered in the spirit of volunteering I should

:38:26. > :38:28.offer her my spectacles. Madam Deputy Speaker, today we celebrate

:38:29. > :38:34.the transformation of the NCS from an idea to something which has

:38:35. > :38:38.shaped the lives of over 300,000 young people and now heads towards

:38:39. > :38:45.Royal Charter status. An extraordinary journey. The three key

:38:46. > :38:52.aspects, social cohesion, social engagement and social mobility. 30%

:38:53. > :39:01.of all participants are from ethnic minorities for example. Any of us

:39:02. > :39:05.could have hosted sessions and could be given certificates. I will never

:39:06. > :39:11.forget getting a father with his daughter who did an NCS scheme and

:39:12. > :39:15.he said his daughter had changed completely after going on that

:39:16. > :39:21.course. He said that she had seen much more of life and she had before

:39:22. > :39:26.and that she was much more confident now and quote, it is down to the

:39:27. > :39:30.NCS. No surprise that nine out of ten young people feel they have

:39:31. > :39:35.learned important skills for the future, and that is from an

:39:36. > :39:41.independent valuation of the scheme. No surprise they feel more confident

:39:42. > :39:45.about getting jobs later on. These figures show some room for

:39:46. > :39:50.improvement but it would be in the spirit of a sports coach who tells

:39:51. > :39:55.the winner of an Olympic medal, you can do better than that. That was

:39:56. > :39:58.roughly the ambition of the Member for Croydon North, the is always

:39:59. > :40:05.room for improvement. First, today is a good time to look back to the

:40:06. > :40:11.start of the NES -- of the NCS when none of the success was expected or

:40:12. > :40:13.predicted. It is right to congratulate the former Prime

:40:14. > :40:18.Minister and all those involved in the start-up. I would like to thank

:40:19. > :40:27.those in the Cabinet office at the time. It was good to you the Member

:40:28. > :40:29.for Dagenham also save us from the opposition benches. And although

:40:30. > :40:35.civil servants who have been involved in putting together the

:40:36. > :40:38.programme. In the five years the NCS has existed, the numbers of

:40:39. > :40:49.participants from Gloucestershire have expanded rapidly. 1592 so far

:40:50. > :40:57.which puts us third out of 127, just inside the top. 216 in this year

:40:58. > :41:02.alone came from Gloucester. I have been delighted by this. I have been

:41:03. > :41:08.delighted to support and encourage participation in the NCS. If I could

:41:09. > :41:12.wave one magic wands, it would be to involve every teenager in our city

:41:13. > :41:18.of Gloucester and every teenager in the country to join the programme.

:41:19. > :41:24.For some, like the two groups this year who went on a tall ship, manned

:41:25. > :41:32.the mass and worked night shifts, it has stretched them and taken out of

:41:33. > :41:36.comfort zones with the experiences which will remain in their minds

:41:37. > :41:44.forever. I think the honourable member for Canterbury, his plea

:41:45. > :41:48.earlier for retaining adventure training would approve of these

:41:49. > :41:53.experiences. The results of the work for community and that is incredibly

:41:54. > :41:58.important, like the redecoration of the Gloucester city farm cafe or

:41:59. > :42:04.making a video to promote an online counselling service. From the

:42:05. > :42:09.Gloucester college courses are alone, some ?60,000 worth of cash

:42:10. > :42:13.and goods have been raised by the participants for good causes in our

:42:14. > :42:20.city and county and that really has made a difference. To take this

:42:21. > :42:27.forward, after the evaluation of the any all report, it seems to be

:42:28. > :42:31.building on success. Let me comment briefly, in the spirit of room for

:42:32. > :42:38.improvement, which is the second part of the debate. First, I agree

:42:39. > :42:41.that the average cost to the taxpayer is ?1800 for each

:42:42. > :42:45.participant then it must be possible to reduce this in order to make

:42:46. > :42:48.available to as many people as possible but not I hope at the cost

:42:49. > :42:55.of squeezing out some of the more expensive adventures. I also hope

:42:56. > :42:58.the letter from each MRC which is presumably in the same letter which

:42:59. > :43:03.gives national insurance numbers and therefore no extra cost, will

:43:04. > :43:10.inspire more participation and gets the message across more widely. I am

:43:11. > :43:16.not sure about widening the eligible age group is fine as 25. The social

:43:17. > :43:21.benefits of teenagers spending a month together is a huge improvement

:43:22. > :43:29.but I worry that mixing 25-year-olds and 16-year-olds... I see his head.

:43:30. > :43:37.So I presume this will not happen but it would bring difficult

:43:38. > :43:42.dynamics. -- ICN shaking his head. Only 25% of members of our own House

:43:43. > :43:48.participate, this is a rite of passage which I believe we should

:43:49. > :43:54.all support. I have some sympathy for Saffron Walden's comments about

:43:55. > :43:56.measurement. I believe that is something important which can be

:43:57. > :44:04.captured, which is what happens to people who've gone on an NCS course

:44:05. > :44:08.afterwards. The confidence gained and in the jobs market. It is the

:44:09. > :44:11.young people themselves who will put a value on the NCS with their

:44:12. > :44:18.recommendations to those younger than them and their analysis of what

:44:19. > :44:23.has led to their future growth so the NCS has been a success, no doubt

:44:24. > :44:28.about that. Its founders should be proud. We should also not forget

:44:29. > :44:32.congratulate those who made it happen on the ground, the colleges,

:44:33. > :44:37.charities and other organisations who run courses. The volunteer

:44:38. > :44:42.mentors and the participants themselves who created and run such

:44:43. > :44:47.spectacular social action projects. Madam Deputy Speaker, today is more

:44:48. > :44:52.than an NCS lovefest. It is about the next stage and reaching more

:44:53. > :44:56.young who are more difficult to reach and everyone doing new and

:44:57. > :45:01.challenging adventures outdoors and indoors so that one and more

:45:02. > :45:05.families across the land say the NCS is not yet another action which were

:45:06. > :45:10.not sure what it stands for, but as the symbol of a life changing

:45:11. > :45:14.moment, a month in their lives which will do is much to build stronger

:45:15. > :45:19.communities all around us as anything else I know and honest we

:45:20. > :45:27.change the perceptions or what our young are capable of. Thank you,

:45:28. > :45:32.Madam Deputy Speaker, it is a real pleasure to follow my friend from

:45:33. > :45:36.Gloucester. I wish she had that magical wand because I know he is

:45:37. > :45:41.great champion of young people has done a huge amount of work in his

:45:42. > :45:46.own constituency for young people. It is a wonder how he has not yet

:45:47. > :45:53.made it as a minister. I am delighted to speak in this debate,

:45:54. > :45:58.NCS has done -- on a long way since the initial pilots. Thousands of

:45:59. > :46:05.young people have benefited from the opportunities with 93,000 in 2016

:46:06. > :46:09.alone. I'm staggered only 25% of MPs have had the opportunity to seed a

:46:10. > :46:14.fantastic work going on in their constituencies. I have visited every

:46:15. > :46:20.stage in the transformation, I have taken part in assault courses, I

:46:21. > :46:25.have been a dragon and mentors, I have not forgiven the five-year-old

:46:26. > :46:29.who took me out in 20 seconds, I have attended graduation ceremonies

:46:30. > :46:36.and I have bought a lot of cakes in charity sales. I visit this not just

:46:37. > :46:40.as an MP and local resident but as a former employee -- form an employer

:46:41. > :46:43.who employed a lot of young people. I was impressed by the total

:46:44. > :46:47.transformation of the young people who had taken advantage of this

:46:48. > :46:55.fantastic opportunity, many of the speakers have already highlighted

:46:56. > :46:58.the skills, team skills, public speaking, confidence, many of us

:46:59. > :47:04.could learn from those public skills being displayed. To understand and

:47:05. > :47:09.appreciate their local communities. We have seen that has led to a total

:47:10. > :47:13.of 8 million additional hours of voluntary work within our local

:47:14. > :47:19.communities and that is fantastic. Also the maturity, learning those

:47:20. > :47:22.life skills which are so important to transition from school into the

:47:23. > :47:30.real world, securing those first jobs. When the logo of NCS says yes,

:47:31. > :47:37.it generally refers to the opportunities that they apply for.

:47:38. > :47:40.The other thing I noticed at the graduation ceremonies is how proud

:47:41. > :47:43.the parents are in the transformation of their children.

:47:44. > :47:46.They talk about how nervous they were about signing up, questioning

:47:47. > :47:56.whether it was the right thing to do. I have to be credit to the NCS

:47:57. > :48:01.website. The NCS website is fantastic, it has success stories,

:48:02. > :48:04.it is confident and enthusiastic and you can say why those nervous

:48:05. > :48:10.youngsters take that great step to sign up for the costs because what

:48:11. > :48:14.surprises a lot of people, you anticipate they all know one

:48:15. > :48:19.another. They have all collectively decided to go from one class but it

:48:20. > :48:24.is a random collection of people, stepping outside their comfort zone,

:48:25. > :48:28.giving up their valuable summer holidays to do something

:48:29. > :48:35.constructive. Yes, it is enjoyable but often they do not realise how

:48:36. > :48:38.enjoyable. I want this to succeed. Our Secretary of State and the

:48:39. > :48:42.Minister are so passionate about this, I want to say their passion

:48:43. > :48:46.for themselves. I have a few requests. Bristol: number of

:48:47. > :48:52.speakers have highlighted how we would like to seek every young

:48:53. > :48:57.person have that opportunity. -- first of all. There has been a

:48:58. > :49:01.problem in terms of promotion but I welcome in the Royal Charter which

:49:02. > :49:07.is planned, every young person will be written to. This brings back

:49:08. > :49:12.happy memories of mail I received as a child. This will give every single

:49:13. > :49:17.child that opportunity to sign up. I would encourage that that is

:49:18. > :49:21.extended to schools, to remind them of bursaries available. I have

:49:22. > :49:28.spoken to a number of head teachers in my constituency to say what an

:49:29. > :49:30.opportunity would be from children from Channel -- challenging

:49:31. > :49:35.backgrounds and they were not aware of the bursary system. The speakers

:49:36. > :49:40.highlighted the brilliant social action projects which have taken

:49:41. > :49:44.place, I have seen some fantastic one but I think NCS needs to do

:49:45. > :49:48.something to build a database because sometimes they have

:49:49. > :49:52.struggled to come up with meaningful projects. The best cases are aware

:49:53. > :49:57.that as a tangible link in the groups. I saw one on ones where are

:49:58. > :50:06.very confident young girl was presenting to me to say why they had

:50:07. > :50:08.chosen the Swindon's women's refuge. The reason she was so passionate was

:50:09. > :50:13.because at a younger time in her life, her family had had to use that

:50:14. > :50:17.refuge so she personally benefited from the service and convinced her

:50:18. > :50:23.friends and colleagues this was the one they should put their energy

:50:24. > :50:26.into. We had that extra incentive to go and make a difference. I also

:50:27. > :50:31.think there should be more information to -- provided on how to

:50:32. > :50:38.carry out those social action projects. They go out and contact

:50:39. > :50:43.business, the great thing about young people is their very cheeky

:50:44. > :50:47.and with their energy, they have some very successful social action

:50:48. > :50:53.projects by have also seen some lost, some confused about what to do

:50:54. > :50:57.and missed the opportunity to really make a difference. Whenever

:50:58. > :51:02.possible, I would encourage living in mentors to road test the ideas

:51:03. > :51:05.before they deliver projects. There are countless local business people

:51:06. > :51:11.who would be happy to give up their time to support these fantastic

:51:12. > :51:15.projects. I also want to look at quality because again, I have been

:51:16. > :51:20.visiting since 2012 and I have seen every part of the process. I have

:51:21. > :51:26.seen some fantastic ones and some less good ones. I have a concern

:51:27. > :51:30.that in recent years, with some of the changes to contractors, some of

:51:31. > :51:35.the staff delivering this have become too young. Initially, in

:51:36. > :51:39.Swindon, it was delivered by the Swindon College and another college,

:51:40. > :51:43.the staff delivering it were lectures who were doing additional

:51:44. > :51:48.work over the summer. They instantly had the respect of the young adults,

:51:49. > :51:52.which is a particular challenge at the start as young people have not

:51:53. > :51:57.developed all those girls which become given by the end. Sometimes

:51:58. > :52:01.some of the younger staff struggled to hold the line. They are too

:52:02. > :52:06.integrated with their students. It is very important we get that right.

:52:07. > :52:11.The advantage of having the colleges involved is the already have the

:52:12. > :52:15.buying in of the students. It is not a surprise that numbers have fallen

:52:16. > :52:23.away since the colleges have ceased to lead on this. This is something I

:52:24. > :52:26.think is vital. I know it is complicated but there does need to

:52:27. > :52:30.be some real deep thinking in a procurement exercise. Many speakers

:52:31. > :52:36.have topped about the ?1800 cost. One of the challenges is finding

:52:37. > :52:40.facilities to use. I do not understand why as a society, we have

:52:41. > :52:45.fantastic college facilities which are often empty during the school

:52:46. > :52:51.holidays which is when the NCS courses take place, so we then seek

:52:52. > :52:54.NCS providers paying for other facilities which they could use

:52:55. > :52:58.other facilities without being charged which could be deployed to

:52:59. > :53:05.other facilities within the programme.

:53:06. > :53:14.Some of his thoughts echo mine. 455 graduates in others there were in

:53:15. > :53:20.the project that breach would care home where they worked on disability

:53:21. > :53:25.access local businesses, local volunteers and people donating wound

:53:26. > :53:29.and stone and fountains that it was a project that had a lasting effect

:53:30. > :53:36.and that is trying to make sure that all these products are highlighted,

:53:37. > :53:40.he makes a good point about that. Is a powerful intervention because that

:53:41. > :53:44.highlights the real power, the real difference and the real boost to the

:53:45. > :53:48.local community, and I'm delighted and it is a credit to the team in

:53:49. > :53:53.the area that he represents what a difference they make. Finally, many

:53:54. > :53:57.of the speakers have been tempted to make suggestions of how we could

:53:58. > :54:01.tweak what was has been done and how we can empower people, the dreaded

:54:02. > :54:04.exit word was even mentioned. Please don't do this. Please don't ruin

:54:05. > :54:11.something that is working so well. There is nothing -- nothing worse

:54:12. > :54:20.then went out of touch adults prescribed what young people want to

:54:21. > :54:25.do. It is a success because students are shape it. The NCS use board is

:54:26. > :54:29.integral to what they deliver, they know best, they have done it, they

:54:30. > :54:32.are young, they understand what young people want. I know we are

:54:33. > :54:36.well-meaning and well-intentioned but please let the young people

:54:37. > :54:41.decide how to do that. Our involvement is as mentors,

:54:42. > :54:44.supporters, to showcasing that work highlighting its been local media

:54:45. > :54:47.and highlighting the best that our young people can offer and this is

:54:48. > :54:54.the parents jobs in being grateful for. Thank you, Madam Deputy

:54:55. > :54:59.Speaker. It has been fantastic to sit through the debate and listen to

:55:00. > :55:04.how much passion there is about such an amazing organisation as the

:55:05. > :55:09.National Citizen Service, and it is a pleasure to follow on from my

:55:10. > :55:11.honourable friend and all the other members who have made the tundra

:55:12. > :55:17.regions do this debate, too. They have been a huge advocate over their

:55:18. > :55:20.time in Parliament to engaging with young people in their constituencies

:55:21. > :55:26.from across the entire house, and it is sometimes awkward for myself, at

:55:27. > :55:29.age 30, to go in front of a National Citizen Service group and speak to

:55:30. > :55:38.them about what young people are thinking, when I am virtually around

:55:39. > :55:41.about ten years older than they are. This place has however to do a lot

:55:42. > :55:45.more in order to engage with young people and I think the National

:55:46. > :55:51.Citizen Service engages Billy Mack plays a huge part in that local

:55:52. > :55:56.parliaments do. I echo all comments made by members across the floor,

:55:57. > :56:02.engaging the National Citizen Service. That is the shore. I

:56:03. > :56:06.support the fantastic bill, and in fact should declare an interest. I

:56:07. > :56:14.am very jealous of what the National Citizen Service does, I have heard

:56:15. > :56:18.first-hand and seen first-hand some of the amazing thing is happening

:56:19. > :56:21.with the actual citizen service, a week away, days away, and I have to

:56:22. > :56:28.say like my honourable friend for Worthing and east shore, they might

:56:29. > :56:34.end up have two push me up the rock climbing face at some point too.

:56:35. > :56:37.Something has missed in this debate, and one thing that has underpinned

:56:38. > :56:42.the National Citizen Service does and that is the aspect of fun. The

:56:43. > :56:46.main reason why young people want to get involved in the NCS is because

:56:47. > :56:49.it is fun and it is something that they want to enjoy, to get involved

:56:50. > :56:54.in as well. This isn't about the government telling people young

:56:55. > :56:58.people that they have to go and join the NCS, this is through

:56:59. > :57:01.word-of-mouth, and the rampant rise that we have heard across the floor

:57:02. > :57:05.today has been because of the fact that the young people have gone

:57:06. > :57:08.through the programme and have told other people that they have really

:57:09. > :57:12.enjoyed it and had a great time and they should also be able to enjoy it

:57:13. > :57:14.too. That is why we have seen in this increase in the number of

:57:15. > :57:20.people attending and joining the NCS. I have attended for the last

:57:21. > :57:25.two years, have been honoured to present graduation certificates for

:57:26. > :57:29.the NCS was joining forces, the organisation that runs the NCS in my

:57:30. > :57:33.constituency and they have been so successful now that they are also

:57:34. > :57:36.expanding out to other areas of the UK, T. Ex-servicemen who are really

:57:37. > :57:44.starting to promote the work that they are doing into areas like these

:57:45. > :57:48.of England, four example. They are designing programmes for young

:57:49. > :57:54.people and adults to succeed in life and I have to say that while example

:57:55. > :57:58.really does stick in the back of my mind from the last graduation

:57:59. > :58:04.service, ceremony that I went to earlier on last year. It really

:58:05. > :58:08.shows to me how great the NCS is and it stuck with me, now, for quite a

:58:09. > :58:12.long period of time. At the graduation from a young man stood up

:58:13. > :58:15.and made a speech saying that if it wasn't for joining forces and the

:58:16. > :58:18.NCS programme he would not be able to speak in front of 200 strong

:58:19. > :58:25.audience made up of parents and his peers. A difficult decision for any

:58:26. > :58:28.young person to make and he previously struggled in

:58:29. > :58:32.conversations with two or three people, and couldn't imagine

:58:33. > :58:36.speaking to such a large audience. The NCS programme gave him huge

:58:37. > :58:39.amounts of confidence to push the boundaries he had previously never

:58:40. > :58:44.expected to achieve and I'm pleased to say that this bill and the

:58:45. > :58:48.government putting it through is getting even more young people the

:58:49. > :58:51.opportunity and chance to develop those skills that will help them

:58:52. > :58:57.later in life. Where else at the end of the day do 15 to 17-year-olds no

:58:58. > :59:01.matter what their background is to be get the chance to develop these

:59:02. > :59:08.key life skills in a safe environment away from their parents?

:59:09. > :59:11.And set providers are dedicating to inspiring the next generation and

:59:12. > :59:14.NCS is a fantastic programme challenging and developing young

:59:15. > :59:16.people individually as well as building greater social cohesion as

:59:17. > :59:20.welcome as many honourable members have raised early on by mixing teens

:59:21. > :59:24.and getting people to think about their local communities. I ask

:59:25. > :59:29.Edward Hodges, the director of joining forces why he thinks the NCS

:59:30. > :59:31.make such a positive contributor and Andy that one of the most rewarding

:59:32. > :59:35.aspects the programme is the response you get from parents,

:59:36. > :59:39.teachers, and most importantly the young people that take part. You see

:59:40. > :59:43.them growing confidence overcoming their fear of heights or standing in

:59:44. > :59:47.front of their peers, pitching an idea, and to see them go as a team

:59:48. > :59:51.guide to plan and deliver sites earning projects was great to be a

:59:52. > :59:54.part of. The young people also receive a session on democracy and

:59:55. > :59:59.how they can participate in bringing about positive change even before

:00:00. > :00:02.they reach the voting age and have contributed some fantastic local and

:00:03. > :00:06.national campaign and in future they could perhaps look further afield

:00:07. > :00:10.into how they make positive differences to the world with global

:00:11. > :00:14.campaigns, two, and the International citizen programme to

:00:15. > :00:20.enabling them to just do that. One thing in my mind with debates

:00:21. > :00:22.relating International development is if you ask one of those young

:00:23. > :00:26.people, Madam Deputy Speaker, what they would like to see prioritised

:00:27. > :00:32.in government spending, instead of the 017%, they would like to set

:00:33. > :00:35.seat 10% spent on national aid and potentially that might give good

:00:36. > :00:39.Hope to the international government secretary for the next budget

:00:40. > :00:43.discussions. I hope that the Royal Charter and a clear mission of the

:00:44. > :00:48.NCS being open to all that more children can from a wide variety of

:00:49. > :00:52.backgrounds including those less fortunate they got the chance to

:00:53. > :00:55.join the scheme and I support the use of HSRC getting out information

:00:56. > :01:01.to all young people alongside the national instruments when they turn

:01:02. > :01:06.16. -- national insurance. It is an important thing to advertise the

:01:07. > :01:09.scheme to all young people. In summary, as all members have said,

:01:10. > :01:18.this is probably the least divisive debates we have had in this place.

:01:19. > :01:23.This is an absolutely in important initiative and gives young people

:01:24. > :01:29.take take part, sickly and Bath my constituency, making a fantastic

:01:30. > :01:36.contributing to the city, changing lines and I look forward to seeing

:01:37. > :01:39.them develop over the years. Thank you Madam Deputy Speaker. I would

:01:40. > :01:44.like to thank all members for their contributions to this important

:01:45. > :01:48.debate today. Social action plays a huge part in our society, and that

:01:49. > :01:53.both a local and national level we see the positive impact it has not

:01:54. > :01:58.only on individuals but entire communities. Many members that they

:01:59. > :02:05.have cited over 130,000 young people have already taken part in NCS, and

:02:06. > :02:10.300,000 are expected to have participated by 2020. The honourable

:02:11. > :02:14.member for Gedling expressed this and challenged us to increase

:02:15. > :02:17.numbers even further if possible. I would like to congratulate all of

:02:18. > :02:21.those who have graduated from NCS as well as all of those to help to

:02:22. > :02:26.deliver the programme each year. I was also like to encourage all 16

:02:27. > :02:32.and 17-year-olds to apply is take part. As my honourable friend from

:02:33. > :02:35.red cards heard Billy Mack is that everyone should be in courage was as

:02:36. > :02:38.good as the sadistic side as fantastic the experience gained by

:02:39. > :02:42.all young people will be, we on this side of the house still hold

:02:43. > :02:45.concerns for social action, civil society, and use opportunities of a

:02:46. > :02:52.wider scale. The honourable member for Barnsley made an important point

:02:53. > :02:55.regarding not just staying in our bubbles. We have heard many times

:02:56. > :02:59.already the slogan of a shared society from the other side of these

:03:00. > :03:04.benches. Civil society and the work of NCS really do fit into this, but

:03:05. > :03:08.the reality we are facing is a slashing funding for youth services,

:03:09. > :03:12.a failure to develop citizenship and education, and then office of civil

:03:13. > :03:19.theory that a pro-civil society moved around departments when it

:03:20. > :03:24.should be across Whitehall. All those -- although we on the side of

:03:25. > :03:27.the house will not be dividing, we have concerns about the future of

:03:28. > :03:33.the policy. The SU of youth action is wider than this bill alone. In

:03:34. > :03:36.each of our constituencies we see local youth organisations working

:03:37. > :03:40.tirelessly to provide opportunities to our young people. I am sure

:03:41. > :03:43.either of ourselves with in this chamber or any of our children may

:03:44. > :03:47.well currently benefit from them and we have heard examples of today

:03:48. > :03:51.funding slashed across the country as it is, local youth services

:03:52. > :03:54.closing, particularly in areas of high deprivation, the new, shared

:03:55. > :03:58.society has a lot of work to do if it will develop for our young

:03:59. > :04:08.people. Young people for Dagenham and rain were passionate about

:04:09. > :04:12.creating a cohesive society. However, I would like to outline

:04:13. > :04:16.some of the concerns with this bill. Firstly, as many of the honourable

:04:17. > :04:20.members have said today, NCS finds its unique selling point in its

:04:21. > :04:23.ability to successfully makes people from all backgrounds and allow young

:04:24. > :04:25.people to interact with others whom they may never have had the

:04:26. > :04:30.opportunity to build relationship is with otherwise. Honourable friend

:04:31. > :04:34.from Croydon Northolt at this with passion eloquence. Personally from a

:04:35. > :04:37.young age I was able to do this through sport and to be held to

:04:38. > :04:41.stand here today and speak about NCS with the knowledge that young people

:04:42. > :04:45.that young people across the country are also benefiting from this is

:04:46. > :04:47.such a pleasure. The me this is nothing about a positive, not only

:04:48. > :04:54.for the individual people themselves but for society as a whole. Having

:04:55. > :04:58.said this, I don't believe the world goes fast enough in emphasising this

:04:59. > :05:01.importance. I would like to put on record that I, and others, both

:05:02. > :05:05.within this house and those who deliver the programmes on the ground

:05:06. > :05:09.would have hoped to see the bells specify social integration in its

:05:10. > :05:14.wording. Will the Minister, today, commit to this? Otherwise, the

:05:15. > :05:19.unique nature of NCS risks being watered down, something that would

:05:20. > :05:22.benefit nobody. Secondly, not to be accused of stating the obvious, but

:05:23. > :05:32.the hardest to reach young people are called that for the reason. They

:05:33. > :05:34.are the hardest to reach. I don't at this to denigrate the debate but to

:05:35. > :05:40.emphasise the inclusion within debate. There was a wonderful

:05:41. > :05:44.analogy given by stressing the importance of inclusion, and I

:05:45. > :05:48.wholeheartedly agree. With another approximately hundred and 70,000

:05:49. > :05:53.young people sets to participate over the next three years, this bill

:05:54. > :05:57.has a duty to ensure that the barriers to participation are broken

:05:58. > :06:03.down not raised. The member from Bob gave a wonderful example of young

:06:04. > :06:06.people pushing boundaries will stop the National Audit Office report

:06:07. > :06:09.into scheme provides concerning reading. It states that in order to

:06:10. > :06:16.meet spending review targets, spending power participant must fall

:06:17. > :06:19.by 29%. This is a significant cut. A significant cut that could have a

:06:20. > :06:23.detrimental effect if not managed well, on those who participate in

:06:24. > :06:31.the scheme. Recruitment of the hardest to reach, costs more, must

:06:32. > :06:36.be well conducted and takes time. Without this, the NCS risks becoming

:06:37. > :06:41.an opportunity for the few, something which would disappoint all

:06:42. > :06:44.of us I am sure. Again, perhaps they the obvious, barriers keep people

:06:45. > :06:48.away, barriers stop people from applying or even knowing about the

:06:49. > :06:54.scheme, and it is perhaps obvious that the government needs to hear.

:06:55. > :06:58.Dedicated work to reach hardest to reach groups is a necessity. We are

:06:59. > :07:01.already seeing a falling percentage of NCS graduates coming from the

:07:02. > :07:09.lowest income families. With women as they commence -- will be Minister

:07:10. > :07:12.comment to ring fencing funding for the hardest to reach groups question

:07:13. > :07:17.mark I must pay tribute to the outstanding work of volunteer

:07:18. > :07:20.centres, providing so many opportunities to young people and

:07:21. > :07:24.whose staff work incredibly tirelessly to insert your the best

:07:25. > :07:27.programmes are available. Without these organisations, many young

:07:28. > :07:31.people would be left with little to do in their communities. With the

:07:32. > :07:34.commitment of a funding injection of ?1 billion, there is concern that

:07:35. > :07:39.this will squeeze out other youth service operators, as well as other

:07:40. > :07:43.with voters who support the work of NCS, and that they will not receive

:07:44. > :07:46.adequate resources to be able to do so to the best effect. I was however

:07:47. > :07:52.pleased to learn that the Minister for civil society has written to the

:07:53. > :07:54.chair of the NCS trust to outline his expectation that the trust will

:07:55. > :08:00.report on relationships with the voluntary sector. It would be

:08:01. > :08:02.comfortable to hear that commitment to gain from the government to

:08:03. > :08:10.ensure the good working relationship with voluntary organisations.

:08:11. > :08:18.Finally, integration and inclusion should not only come at participant

:08:19. > :08:24.level but at all levels of NCS. All too often young people are looped

:08:25. > :08:27.over but it is my belief there would be nowhere better for a young person

:08:28. > :08:39.to play an active role than in this instance. I thank the honourable

:08:40. > :08:44.member for giving way. I was wondering, that is a bleak outlook.

:08:45. > :08:48.I think NCS is amazingly transformative, certainly in

:08:49. > :08:51.Huddersfield it is bringing people from all communities together. I

:08:52. > :08:55.wonder if she would stay -- say a few words about her personal

:08:56. > :09:02.experience and how well it is doing in her part of the world? Thank you

:09:03. > :09:06.very much. I would agree it is an absolutely wonderful programme which

:09:07. > :09:11.should be supported and indeed, we on the side of the House to support

:09:12. > :09:17.it but I would not be doing my role just as if I were not to ensure the

:09:18. > :09:24.best possible outcome for all NCS participants and graduates. When you

:09:25. > :09:30.ask about my constituency, I have had the pleasure of meeting people

:09:31. > :09:35.who have taken part. Over the summer, a group of young people from

:09:36. > :09:40.cheating were holding a fair trial as part of their social project. I

:09:41. > :09:48.personally contributed to the food collection. -- from tooting. Thank

:09:49. > :09:53.you very much. I will continue. NCS developed the skills and confidence

:09:54. > :09:58.of young people, many of whom go on to graduate and work in future NCS

:09:59. > :10:03.projects. Why should this not lead to more young people on the board of

:10:04. > :10:07.patrons? I am sure the Minister will agree. I would like to put on record

:10:08. > :10:11.that I support the call for focus groups of young people to be brought

:10:12. > :10:19.together to inform, review the social aspect part of the programme.

:10:20. > :10:23.These are young people who've lived these experiences so why do we not

:10:24. > :10:27.capture and learn from them directly? I would like to as the

:10:28. > :10:31.Minister if he agrees and what recommendations will be made to the

:10:32. > :10:37.NCS trust on the inclusion of young people on the development of NCS

:10:38. > :10:42.going forward? Young people harness so much positivity, passion, energy

:10:43. > :10:48.and drive that we should not seek to bottle this, we should seek to

:10:49. > :10:52.ensure as the opportunity to be expressed. NCS provides

:10:53. > :10:55.opportunities for social action to ensure this. We have a

:10:56. > :11:02.responsibility to the young people in all their constituencies to

:11:03. > :11:06.ensure no barriers are put in place and no opportunity is missed to

:11:07. > :11:11.upscale these youngsters. NCS should be seen as an entry point to a

:11:12. > :11:17.longer programme of volunteering. We need to ensure all aspects of NCS is

:11:18. > :11:23.of a high quality so no participant feels their experience has not been

:11:24. > :11:28.the best it could be. As a starting point, NCS should lead into each

:11:29. > :11:34.opportunity for involvements in communities. I hope the government

:11:35. > :11:39.can say this as a wide opportunity outside this bill, the ink -- the

:11:40. > :11:43.increase of social action and volunteering is not a negative one.

:11:44. > :11:47.My honourable friend made an excellent point about ensuring the

:11:48. > :11:51.legacy continues. There are 1.8 billion young people in the world

:11:52. > :11:56.today. It is estimated that at no other time mother be more young

:11:57. > :12:00.people in the world, if we do not punish their passion, creativity and

:12:01. > :12:05.drive for change when will we? This bill is a good step forward in

:12:06. > :12:16.ensuring we do that hear and I just hope the government listens to our

:12:17. > :12:19.concerns and the concerns of those in the voluntary sector to ensure we

:12:20. > :12:21.can harness the potential of young people for the future, they are

:12:22. > :12:25.after all our future politicians. Minister. Thank you, Madam Deputy

:12:26. > :12:30.Speaker. I would like to thank all the honourable members who have

:12:31. > :12:33.taken part today and not only that, to thank them and all others who

:12:34. > :12:39.have helped to make NCS a success so far. I would be delighted to say how

:12:40. > :12:43.many honourable members have embraced NCS in their own

:12:44. > :12:49.constituencies, editing, encouraging and taking part in Dragon Den style

:12:50. > :12:53.panels which help social action projects for young people. It is

:12:54. > :12:56.fitting that a programme which unites people from different

:12:57. > :13:01.backgrounds should be endorsed by all sides of this House. We will

:13:02. > :13:06.have debates and discussions, we already are, but I hope we can

:13:07. > :13:10.continue in that spirit as we discuss this bill with their common

:13:11. > :13:15.goal to make NCS is the best possible experience for future

:13:16. > :13:20.generations. NCS should be one experience amongst others. As

:13:21. > :13:25.Minister for civil society, I had the pleasure of seeing a huge number

:13:26. > :13:30.of programmes and actions run by really excellent organisations. NCS

:13:31. > :13:35.is not hear to compete with other opportunities for young people,

:13:36. > :13:39.quite the opposite, I want NCS to give young people an appetite for

:13:40. > :13:47.servers, for other opportunities and for trying new things. Our vision is

:13:48. > :13:52.for NCS to be a common experience for all, scouts, cadets, people

:13:53. > :13:55.familiar with servers in the same team, sharing their experience with

:13:56. > :14:01.people who've never done anything like this before. NCS sees people

:14:02. > :14:04.with different backgrounds, faiths and interests coming together at a

:14:05. > :14:08.formative age and learning the impact they can have on the

:14:09. > :14:14.community around them. The independent evaluations show that we

:14:15. > :14:20.should not underestimate the impact of those four weeks for the junk

:14:21. > :14:25.people. We also have participant's on words to take for it. -- for the

:14:26. > :14:32.young people. They ask the graduates what they would say to someone

:14:33. > :14:35.considering NCS. One said, it is the most amazing experience you will

:14:36. > :14:41.ever have, take it with both hands and mould your future. So it is

:14:42. > :14:46.crucial we get the delivery of this amazing experience absolutely right.

:14:47. > :14:51.This bill, together with the Royal Charter, is designed to create a

:14:52. > :14:56.delivery body that the public will trust that spends money wide --

:14:57. > :15:00.wisely and has the right priorities. I would like to turn to some of the

:15:01. > :15:07.issues that the honourable member for Croydon North raised earlier.

:15:08. > :15:12.There were many in the debate that raised the issue of social

:15:13. > :15:18.integration. The NCS Bill and the Royal Charter cover this been

:15:19. > :15:22.extensively. The Royal Charter includes the objective, to promote

:15:23. > :15:26.social cohesion by ensuring equality of access to the programmes by

:15:27. > :15:30.participants regardless of their background or circumstances. The NCS

:15:31. > :15:33.requires the trust to report any extent to which participants from

:15:34. > :15:39.different backgrounds have mixed on the programmes. There are many

:15:40. > :15:44.excellent examples of social integration in the practice on NCS,

:15:45. > :15:48.including specific interfaith NCS groups. NCS will continue to play an

:15:49. > :15:51.important role in promoting social integration but of course I am

:15:52. > :15:59.willing to consider what is being said hear today. In terms of the

:16:00. > :16:04.duty to promote NCS or people from disadvantaged background, the

:16:05. > :16:08.trust's primary function includes enabling people from disadvantaged

:16:09. > :16:12.backgrounds to work together so the trust is tasked to be focused on

:16:13. > :16:21.promoting NCS to young people regardless of background. In terms

:16:22. > :16:26.of the NBA all and the background is disproportionately represented, the

:16:27. > :16:31.NCS is working to increase the representation of disadvantaged

:16:32. > :16:34.people. Eight out of ten participants feel more positive

:16:35. > :16:43.about people from different backgrounds as a result, according

:16:44. > :16:48.to the 2014 survey. Young people's involvement, they are at the centre

:16:49. > :16:53.of NCS. That is the National youth board which feeds into the trust

:16:54. > :16:59.from 19 regional youth boards across the country, there are also 120 NCS

:17:00. > :17:03.leaders which the honourable gentleman has spoken to in the House

:17:04. > :17:07.who are ambassadors for the programme, representing the

:17:08. > :17:13.interests of their peers. Under the new arrangements, a new board will

:17:14. > :17:17.be appointed as part of the process, we welcome suggestions for who that

:17:18. > :17:23.might include. The honourable member for Canterbury made some excellent

:17:24. > :17:27.points about adventure training and the challenge represented for

:17:28. > :17:32.residential centres. It is not within the scope of this bill but I

:17:33. > :17:37.am happy to look at the issue he raises. Regarding the Member for

:17:38. > :17:42.Dagenham, he is right to highlight the nonpartisan basis of the bill

:17:43. > :17:47.and Royal Charter and they aim to strike the balance between

:17:48. > :17:51.independence of the NCS trust and accountability that it has two

:17:52. > :17:57.parliaments. He raised a number of issues, should the annual report be

:17:58. > :18:01.debated in this House? The bill requires the report to be laid

:18:02. > :18:08.before Parliament to debate it if it wishes. In terms of guidance for

:18:09. > :18:12.schools and local authorities, officials in the office are drafting

:18:13. > :18:15.guidance for local authorities on the benefits of NCS to them and how

:18:16. > :18:21.they can engage further with the programme. In terms of ring fenced

:18:22. > :18:28.funding, and number of people have asked about, I will, after I have

:18:29. > :18:33.answered this question... The bill gives the trust the freedom to set

:18:34. > :18:37.its own targets but requires a report on the mix of participants

:18:38. > :18:43.from different backgrounds so we can assess it on outcomes. We are

:18:44. > :18:50.interested in outcomes rather than... I will give away. Can you

:18:51. > :18:59.clarify what the government will think about statutory guidance to

:19:00. > :19:04.schools about NCS? We want to ensure the right balance between the

:19:05. > :19:08.independence of the NCS trust and to make statutory guidance would

:19:09. > :19:15.therefore enforce what the NCS had to do could be a problem so we don't

:19:16. > :19:19.want to go along that route. In terms of, the honourable member for

:19:20. > :19:24.Saffron Walden, I would like to thank him for the fantastic support

:19:25. > :19:30.years given to the NCS. He paid tribute to the former Prime

:19:31. > :19:34.Minister, quite rightly so. This is a programme which is

:19:35. > :19:39.transformational and it has seen of day thanks to heaven. I did like the

:19:40. > :19:45.idea of building a movement. -- thanks to him. In terms of some of

:19:46. > :19:51.the questions regarding threats to other parts of the sector, the trust

:19:52. > :19:56.is part of generation exchange, a group of youth organisations looking

:19:57. > :20:00.to increase the scale and quality of youth social action programmes. The

:20:01. > :20:09.trust is committed to helping NCS become a gateway to other programmes

:20:10. > :20:11.and other opportunities for young people to volunteer for a lifetime.

:20:12. > :20:15.In terms of detriment to other local authority services, this is

:20:16. > :20:22.additional funding we have announced. That is also funding for

:20:23. > :20:27.other programmes and that is additional to funding that local

:20:28. > :20:31.authorities have. There are some good examples of local authority

:20:32. > :20:37.provision on youth services. I only have a couple of minutes available

:20:38. > :20:41.so I have to push on. We want NCS to be accessible to every young person.

:20:42. > :20:47.I know a number of people have asked about young carers and young

:20:48. > :20:53.offenders. There is a place for all of them on this scheme. Every young

:20:54. > :21:02.person that wants a place can have a place. The honourable member for

:21:03. > :21:08.Rutherford asked the Minister for rail and road to look into this so I

:21:09. > :21:14.hope this reassures her. In terms of NCS providers regarding best

:21:15. > :21:19.practice, we are working with the trust to issue guidance to providers

:21:20. > :21:22.to help them build relationships with local authorities and local

:21:23. > :21:32.schools to ensure social action projects take on the needs of young

:21:33. > :21:35.-- needs of local projects. There were questions about devolved

:21:36. > :21:40.administrations, Scotland and Wales. The NCS Bill will help the trust

:21:41. > :21:45.deliver the programme across England. The government would

:21:46. > :21:49.welcome the expansion of NCS in the future and each administration is

:21:50. > :21:55.considering how the NCS programme would work. In terms of Northern

:21:56. > :22:01.Ireland, it is supportive of NCS. There is separate provision of NCS

:22:02. > :22:05.which is a charity which supports the peace process with unique and

:22:06. > :22:11.long-standing expertise. Government has licensed the NCS intellectual

:22:12. > :22:18.property rights to allow Northern Ireland to run the programme. The

:22:19. > :22:27.honourable member for East Worthing asks, the NCS Bill applies only to

:22:28. > :22:32.England. The majority of the bill refers to England only. There are

:22:33. > :22:37.some provisions thriller -- relating to reserved matters which means the

:22:38. > :22:43.bill as a whole does not meet the test to be certified as England

:22:44. > :22:49.only. Although each MRC will only apply to the people of England, the

:22:50. > :22:55.functions of each MRC are a wholly reserved matter. In terms of why you

:22:56. > :23:02.couldn't achieve the same outcomes or scouts and cadets? The recent

:23:03. > :23:05.report finds the NCS is distinct from other programmes, especially

:23:06. > :23:10.its focus on mixing people from different backgrounds. It is

:23:11. > :23:13.available and affordable and has a combination of personal development

:23:14. > :23:18.and the chance to mix with people from other backgrounds. It is

:23:19. > :23:21.designed to be a single, unifying rite of passage for young people

:23:22. > :23:26.which sits alongside the many other fantastic opportunities for young

:23:27. > :23:29.people. It is a small bill but it is very important and says the probe --

:23:30. > :23:48.the framework for a programme Public confidence is absolutely key

:23:49. > :23:53.to the success of NCS. The bill will help it grow and become a rite of

:23:54. > :23:56.passage for future generations. Establishing NCS for the long-term

:23:57. > :24:04.is, in a small way, part of defining what sort of nation we want to be in

:24:05. > :24:06.the future. It is an ancient that invest in young people, fosters

:24:07. > :24:12.social integration and believes that the values of service. Over 300,000

:24:13. > :24:17.young people have benefited from NCS all ready. The bill is our

:24:18. > :24:22.opportunity to secure the same life changing is the sharing --

:24:23. > :24:26.experience for generations to come, a service for everyone and a

:24:27. > :24:28.commitment to greater social cohesion, social mobility, and

:24:29. > :24:35.social engagement. I commend the bill to the house the question is

:24:36. > :24:41.that the bill now be read a second time. As many -- As many as are of

:24:42. > :24:49.the opinion, say "aye". To the contrary, "no".. The ayes have it.

:24:50. > :24:56.The ayes have it. For the motion to be moved formerly... The question is

:24:57. > :25:01.as on the order paper. As many as are of the opinion, say "aye". To

:25:02. > :25:06.the contrary, "no".. The ayes have it, the ayes have it. Money

:25:07. > :25:12.resolution to be moved formerly. I beg to move. The question is Alice

:25:13. > :25:15.on the order paper. As many as are of the opinion, say "aye". To the

:25:16. > :25:22.contrary, "no". The ayes have it. The ayes have it. We now come to

:25:23. > :25:28.motion number four on local government. Minister to move. I beg

:25:29. > :25:31.to move. Write the question is as on the order paper. As many as are of

:25:32. > :25:37.the opinion, say "aye". To the contrary, "no". The ayes have it.

:25:38. > :25:47.With the leave of the house I propose to put motions five, six,

:25:48. > :25:54.and seven together. The question is, we now come to motion number five,

:25:55. > :25:57.six and seven. Relating to the administration committee and a

:25:58. > :26:02.finance committee and the regulatory reform committee. Mr Bill Wiggin.

:26:03. > :26:05.The iMac I beg to move. The question is as on the order paper. As many as

:26:06. > :26:15.are of the opinion, say "aye". To the contrary, "no". The ayes have

:26:16. > :26:20.it, the ayes have it. Yet an actor I beg to move that the house do now

:26:21. > :26:31.adjourn. Do the house now adjourned? Maria Eagle. Thank you Mehdi that

:26:32. > :26:34.it. -- and endeavoured to speaker. Mbeki speaker Gamma defibrillators

:26:35. > :26:37.save lives. That is the true starting the work of the Oliver King

:26:38. > :26:42.foundation. The leading foundation is a charity which campaigns to

:26:43. > :26:47.ensure that defibrillators are available in public places, to make

:26:48. > :26:52.sure that people are trained to use them. Every year Ambulance Services

:26:53. > :26:57.in the UK treat around 30,000 people for a nonhospital risible cardiac

:26:58. > :27:04.arrest, but fewer than 10% survive. Fewer than one in ten. Out of the

:27:05. > :27:11.average of 82 cardiac arrest that occur in the UK every day, outside a

:27:12. > :27:17.hospital, just eight people live. Cardiopulmonary reservation or CB

:27:18. > :27:23.are often championed as the best way of treating cardiac arrest before

:27:24. > :27:27.ambulances. Indeed, in some cases it can double the likelihood of

:27:28. > :27:33.surviving. But even then, the chances of resuscitation are still

:27:34. > :27:43.as low as 20%. That is only in some cases. Clearly, CPR alone isn't

:27:44. > :27:46.enough. Indeed. As a parent, in fact, a year ago, the 7th of

:27:47. > :27:56.December last year, a 28-year-old son had a cardiac arrest. He is one

:27:57. > :27:58.of the few lucky ones that got to hospital and has is a deliberate,

:27:59. > :28:04.but with the honourable lady agree with me that actually in conjunction

:28:05. > :28:08.with the related as it is incredibly important, as was the case in my

:28:09. > :28:12.son's case, that his girlfriend was CPR trained, and saw him through the

:28:13. > :28:18.process until the paramedics arrived? The honourable gentleman

:28:19. > :28:23.has had a frightening experience in his family, but also has learned the

:28:24. > :28:26.incredible importance of not only having different related is

:28:27. > :28:33.available but having people who know how to use them will stop and I

:28:34. > :28:38.could hardly better his example, that family example that he has

:28:39. > :28:42.their, of how important it is that their belated are available and

:28:43. > :28:44.people know how to use them. A study by the British Heart Foundation

:28:45. > :28:52.found that for every single minute without a relation, the chances of

:28:53. > :28:55.survival fall by 7-10%. The Care Quality Commission sets a response

:28:56. > :28:59.target for emergency Ambulance Services of eight minutes. However,

:29:00. > :29:03.we know that not all ambulances can possibly arrive in every single case

:29:04. > :29:09.within that time. And even if they did, the chances of survival without

:29:10. > :29:13.immediate different relation and CPR will already have plummeted to 20%

:29:14. > :29:19.or even lower. So, access to a defibrillator can make a huge

:29:20. > :29:26.difference. If cardiac arrest is recognised, basic first aid given,

:29:27. > :29:29.999 called, if CPR is applied in combination with rapid and effective

:29:30. > :29:33.different relation guide chances of survival can exceed 50%, in fact in

:29:34. > :29:40.some cases this can be as high as 80%. But immediate action is vital,

:29:41. > :29:44.a defibrillator must be at hand for these survival rates to be realised.

:29:45. > :29:52.Now, three people who know this better than most are my constituents

:29:53. > :29:58.Mark, Joanne, and Ben King. 2011, Mark and Joanne King lost their son,

:29:59. > :30:06.Oliver, and Ben lost his brother. Oliver tragically died following a

:30:07. > :30:09.sudden cardiac arrest whilst racing and winning in a school slamming

:30:10. > :30:16.competition. He was just 12 years old. He had a hidden heart

:30:17. > :30:20.condition, and without access to a different relate at school his

:30:21. > :30:25.chances of survival on that day were dramatically reduced. Had he lived,

:30:26. > :30:31.this Saturday would have been his 18th birthday. Now, I never met

:30:32. > :30:36.Oliver but I have been struck by talking to those who knew him and

:30:37. > :30:41.you did know him well. He was clearly a very happy and popular

:30:42. > :30:46.boy, judging by the tribute that poured in from those who knew him.

:30:47. > :30:52.Following the shock of that terrible day. Oliver was known as a big

:30:53. > :30:57.character at King David high school. His teachers recall his

:30:58. > :31:06.uncompromising zest for life, and how he was loved and respected by

:31:07. > :31:10.boys and girls and teachers alike. His best friend, David, recalls

:31:11. > :31:14.Oliver's charm, and how it was sometimes deployed, to get them out

:31:15. > :31:18.of tricky situations on more than one occasion, I understand will stop

:31:19. > :31:22.this year is particularly difficult for David, as he will be celebrating

:31:23. > :31:28.the milestone of turning 18 without his best friend. Everyone mentions

:31:29. > :31:36.Oliver's love of football. He was a staunch ever Tony and. He was a

:31:37. > :31:40.supporter of Everton. He had talent and potential on pitch. One of his

:31:41. > :31:42.teachers described him as a sportsman at heart and a natural at

:31:43. > :31:51.whatever he turned his hand to. Above all, Oliver was caring,

:31:52. > :31:54.loving, and incredibly close to his family, family was everything to

:31:55. > :31:59.Oliver. Now it goes without saying that his death left many people who

:32:00. > :32:05.knew him and love him with a great sense of loss. Oliver's family and

:32:06. > :32:12.friends are sadly not alone in going through this terrible ordeal. Of the

:32:13. > :32:16.thousands of people every year who die following the sudden cardiac

:32:17. > :32:19.arrest, there are thousands more who are now faced with the agonising

:32:20. > :32:28.reality of living without a loved one. Indeed. I am grateful. I pay

:32:29. > :32:33.tribute for her bringing this subject to and her good fortune in

:32:34. > :32:40.having so long potentially to debate it. She has given an emotional case

:32:41. > :32:44.for somebody who for the sake of a relatively simple and inexpensive

:32:45. > :32:48.bits of kit that the outcome might have been different. But she agree

:32:49. > :32:53.that in public buildings and certainly places like schools that

:32:54. > :32:56.automatically the assumption should be that these bases should be fitted

:32:57. > :33:05.with a defibrillator? And would she pay tribute to use a lottery grant

:33:06. > :33:10.in my constituency for the enhancement of a village, whose

:33:11. > :33:14.first action was to install four different places in the corner of

:33:15. > :33:18.each village, and anyone outside the local pharmacy, as a worthwhile

:33:19. > :33:22.thing to do. They have imaginatively used things like telephone boxes,

:33:23. > :33:28.now redundant, to replace them with different relate is, as an obvious

:33:29. > :33:33.point for help for local people. This is something we should do

:33:34. > :33:37.automatically, isn't it? I agree very much with the honourable

:33:38. > :33:40.gentleman and he has set out and example from his own constituency

:33:41. > :33:43.and there are many around the country had many ways in which

:33:44. > :33:48.communities are starting to make sure that they have access to

:33:49. > :33:54.defibrillator is, to ensure that if needed, they are there. And I

:33:55. > :34:01.welcome that, it is something I think we should try and ensure is

:34:02. > :34:06.available throughout our land, up and down, north and south, east and

:34:07. > :34:12.west. Now, what happens to Oliver is not as rare as we might hope there

:34:13. > :34:19.are 270 young people who tragically die every year in the UK of sudden

:34:20. > :34:22.cardiac arrest was at school, and nothing that makes further the point

:34:23. > :34:25.that the honourable gentleman has just made, that it seems to me that

:34:26. > :34:33.it seems to be a no-brainer, to have different relate is routinely

:34:34. > :34:41.available in schools. In 2012, Mark and Joanne, Oliver's parents, set up

:34:42. > :34:45.the Oliver King foundation, in memory of their son and its aims are

:34:46. > :34:49.to raise awareness of the conditions leading to sudden cardiac arrest,

:34:50. > :34:54.vitally important, because the family didn't know that Oliver had

:34:55. > :35:03.any condition that might lead to this happening, and of course, if

:35:04. > :35:09.they had known, probably by use of ace simple ECG tests to diagnose,

:35:10. > :35:14.and they may have been able to take steps to avoid what happened

:35:15. > :35:17.happening. Secondly, to purchase a place their belated in schools and

:35:18. > :35:23.sports centres, and to train their staff on how to use them, thirdly to

:35:24. > :35:27.hold screening event to enable simple painless ECG testing to help

:35:28. > :35:33.diagnose these conditions, and make sure that what happened to Oliver

:35:34. > :35:37.doesn't happen to the children of other families. Now, they've done an

:35:38. > :35:42.incredible job. Their aim is simple. To ensure no more families have to

:35:43. > :35:47.go through what they did. Knowing that the death of a son or daughter

:35:48. > :35:51.or mother or father or friend may have been prevented. And they

:35:52. > :35:53.campaigned tirelessly and I might say very effectively, to ensure that

:35:54. > :35:58.every school in the country is equipped with an automated external

:35:59. > :36:01.defibrillator will stop they have the support of more than 200

:36:02. > :36:07.members, the right Honourable members in this house across

:36:08. > :36:09.parties. Now, automatic external different relate is our

:36:10. > :36:15.defibrillator is specifically designed for use by nonmedically

:36:16. > :36:20.trained people. They are remarkable life-saving machines, not difficult

:36:21. > :36:24.to use. They will only apply an electrical pulse when the machine

:36:25. > :36:30.itself detects an irregular heart rate, and they talk the user through

:36:31. > :36:34.the process, step-by-step. At around ?1200, they are not cheap. Even if

:36:35. > :36:40.provided, some people are often afraid of using them. As a result,

:36:41. > :36:44.many schools in high-risk public areas in the UK are still not

:36:45. > :36:47.equipped with them and as a direct result of the Oliver King

:36:48. > :36:52.foundation, over 800 schools and public places in the country now

:36:53. > :36:57.have this life-saving kit and people confident to use it. In Liverpool,

:36:58. > :37:00.Oliver's home city, not a single school is now without one, thanks to

:37:01. > :37:05.the work of the Oliver King foundation, and liveable City

:37:06. > :37:10.Council. The foundation have also managed to drain of 15,000 people

:37:11. > :37:18.around the country in how to use and DED -- these different releases,

:37:19. > :37:22.raising confidence to use this life-saving kit. As a direct result,

:37:23. > :37:27.Madam Deputy Speaker, 11 lives have been saved that would otherwise have

:37:28. > :37:30.been lost. One was an elderly gentleman suffering a heart attack

:37:31. > :37:34.is local gym, and thanks to the quick thinking of the staff and use

:37:35. > :37:39.of the defibrillator in the gym, he was sat up and talking by the time

:37:40. > :37:44.emergency services arrived. In Waltham, where Oliver used to live,

:37:45. > :37:47.and my own constituency, and automated external defibrillator

:37:48. > :37:48.provided by the foundation was deployed three times this December

:37:49. > :37:58.alone. If the defibrillator is available

:37:59. > :38:03.and training provided, people will use them, it is as simple as that

:38:04. > :38:07.but we cannot and should not be reliant on charities to do all of

:38:08. > :38:13.the heavy lifting and work in this policy area. In November the

:38:14. > :38:15.honourable member for Lewis introduced their defibrillators

:38:16. > :38:20.availability bill under the ten minute procedure with the purpose

:38:21. > :38:25.being to increase the rates of survival from nonhospital cardiac

:38:26. > :38:30.arrests across the UK. Its objective is basically to do for the nation

:38:31. > :38:35.what the foundation has done for Liverpool and is continuing to do in

:38:36. > :38:40.its work in other places, providing defibrillators in public places and

:38:41. > :38:47.training them to use them. Yes, indeed. I thank the honourable

:38:48. > :38:54.member for giving way. I am not sure if she is the impact the dead -- the

:38:55. > :38:58.defibrillators are having in ambulances. When I qualified and

:38:59. > :39:05.Alan Jones picture up and to go to hospital but now even in

:39:06. > :39:08.professional hands, it is this technology which has transferred --

:39:09. > :39:14.transformed out of hospital procedure. I thank her for that

:39:15. > :39:22.useful piece of information coming from your own experience as a

:39:23. > :39:26.doctor. It is important that the availability of this kit is widened

:39:27. > :39:36.across our society in order to save lives. Current legislation

:39:37. > :39:38.surrounding public access to defibrillators is practically

:39:39. > :39:45.nonexistent. Last year the government produced guidance

:39:46. > :39:48.regarding the purchase of defibrillators but whilst I welcome

:39:49. > :39:56.that, I think the government should do more so I wonder if the Minister

:39:57. > :40:01.could undertake to meet with Mark, JoAnn and the foundation to discuss

:40:02. > :40:04.realistic programme of providing AEDs in public places and training

:40:05. > :40:08.for people to feel confident in using them and I wondered if he

:40:09. > :40:12.could facilitate a meeting with the Prime Minister. I know the

:40:13. > :40:15.foundation would welcome an opportunity to argue their case at

:40:16. > :40:22.the highest possible level of government. Indeed. I thank the