Member

The Royal National Children’s SpringBoard Foundation, which my noble friend rightly saluted, works with local authorities and boarding schools to secure free places for looked-after children, who can benefit so significantly from boarding. I have paid tribute to the work of the foundation on a number of occasions and am glad to have this further opportunity to do so today. The foundation is very conscious that there is so much more to be done to increase the number of places so that need can be met more fully. Nothing could demonstrate more convincingly the case for charitable relief. The Government ought to support—not impede—the expansion of cost-effective, life-changing opportunities for looked-after children, so I repeat the question asked by my noble friend: why on earth are the Government judging that facilities that care for and support these young people are unworthy of charitable relief?