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Written question asked by Lord Bird (Crossbench) on Wednesday, 25 January 2017, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 8 February 2017. It was answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde (Conservative) on Thursday, 2 February 2017 on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Question

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that National Citizen Service participants experience citizenship education and political literacy as part of any programmes they undertake.

Answer

The NCS Trust is being incorporated as a Royal Charter body. The Charter specifies that the Trust must have regard to 'encouraging participants to take an interest in debate on matters of local or national political interest, and promoting their understanding of how to participate in national and local elections.'

NCS is not primarily a citizenship education programme; it is about broader personal development and social mixing. Nonetheless government wants NCS to provide young people with the opportunity to develop a range of skills, including political literacy.

Later this year, Government plans to publish guidance on NCS for schools and colleges, which will include a link to citizenship education.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL4984
Session
2016-17
Subjects
Citizenship Education Young people Voluntary work Politics
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk