Speeches by Peacock.

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms McVey. I thank everyone who contributed to this important debate. I begin by thanking my hon. Friend the Member for Chelsea and Fulham (Ben Coleman) for securing the debate. He is a great representative for the voluntary sector, having held many voluntary roles in t…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Harris. I congratulate the hon. Member for Glastonbury and Somerton (Sarah Dyke) and my hon. Friend the Member for Weston-super-Mare (Dan Aldridge) on securing this important debate and for the powerful way in which they have spoken about their constituencies and the …”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Roger. I congratulate the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Sir Iain Duncan Smith) on securing this important debate. His commitment to small charitable organisations is evident not only in his speech, but through his work in that area, and indeed in…”

“That is a very fair point, and one that I have seen in my own constituency of Barnsley. In the interest of time, I will not share the details of my example, but I will take that point away and write to the hon. Lady directly on it. We want to address that specific point through the covenant. Moving on to the second poi…”

“I take that point, Sir Roger, and I heard what the hon. Member for East Wiltshire (Danny Kruger) said. I will end where the right hon. Member for Chingford and Woodford Green began. He spoke about how the Government, families and community groups can work together, and are best placed, alongside small charities, to sup…”

“My hon. Friend makes an incredibly important point; the young volunteers were also talking to me about that data point yesterday. One example is that the DCMS launched the voluntary, community, and social enterprise business hub last year, alongside the VCSE Crown representative. The hub contains a host of resources in…”

“I absolutely recognise those volunteers and staff members, who often do huge amounts of work to deliver amazing outcomes. The hon. Gentleman makes an incredibly important point, as always. I know that volunteers across the country dedicate their time—week in, week out. If the House will indulge me, I want to share an e…”

“I am grateful to the Chair of the Select Committee for all her work; it was a pleasure to meet her again yesterday. I do not recognise her representation of cricket domes. The previous Government simply did not fund them, but this Government has, announcing two new ones, alongside the £400 million of grassroots sports …”

“I pay tribute to my hon. Friend, who is a strong champion for his constituency, and to Wayz for all its work over the last 60 years. The strategy is backed by £500 million of new funding, £350 million of which will be available till the end of March 2030, to refurbish or build youth facilities through our better youth …”

“In December, we published “Youth Matters”, the first Government strategy in over a decade for young people up and down the country. It will, of course, run alongside other major Government investments, including the youth guarantee and the expansion of mental health support teams in schools.”

“Boxing clubs like Fight for Peace play a huge role in supporting young people’s physical and mental health. Through Sport England, funding for England Boxing between 2022 and 2029 will be over £9 million. I recently met with the all-party parliamentary group on boxing, and I would be delighted to meet my hon. Friend to…”

“I am aware of the issue and would be delighted to meet the hon. Member to discuss it further.”

“Spending on youth services in England saw a 73% reduction under the last Government. Too many areas like my hon. Friend’s then had no youth services. That is why our national youth strategy, backed by over £500 million, is reversing that trend, and I would be happy to discuss it further with him.”

“I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Team GB at the winter Olympics. It was a real pleasure to be out in Italy cheering them on in their most successful winter games yet. I pay tribute to the lady the hon. Gentleman mentioned. We want everyone, whatever their age, to be able to be active, and we are al…”

“The Government are committed to ensuring that people of all ages have the opportunity to maintain an active lifestyle. Sport England invests over £250 million of lottery and Exchequer funding annually into grassroots sport to support people of all ages. That includes multiple campaigns designed to encourage active life…”

“The “30 by 30” programme seeks to recruit 40,000 more cadets across the UK. We are working with the MOD to do that. They do incredibly important work, and my hon. Friend raises an important issue.”

“Sport England is not losing its status; there is a consultation. The Prime Minister and I have met a number of times to discuss the issue. Having committed £400 million to grassroot sports, we do not want to see playing fields and grassroots sports reduced.”

“I know this is a concern to Members across the House—I have met and corresponded with a number of them. It is an issue that is incredibly important to both me and the Secretary of State, who met with players impacted by this to hear their stories. I will be hosting a roundtable discussion shortly with the football bodi…”

“I thank the hon. Gentleman for his incredibly kind comments. Following his question, I will set up a meeting with my counterpart to discuss this matter and he would be very welcome to join it.”

“Our national youth strategy sets out our plan to ensure that every young person has somewhere to go, something to do and someone who cares. It is backed by over £500 million of Department for Culture, Media and Sport funding over the next three years.”