Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport will focus on supporting culture, arts, media, sport, tourism and civil society across every part of England — recognising the UK’s world-leading position in these areas and the importance of these sectors in contributing so much to our economy, way of life and our reputation around the world.



Secretary of State

 Portrait

Lucy Frazer
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

Shadow Ministers / Spokeperson
Democratic Unionist Party
Ian Paisley (DUP - North Antrim)
Shadow DUP Spokesperson (Culture, Media and Sport)

Scottish National Party
John Nicolson (SNP - Ochil and South Perthshire)
Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

Liberal Democrat
Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury (LD - Life peer)
Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Culture, Media and Sport)
Jamie Stone (LD - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

Labour
Lord Bassam of Brighton (Lab - Life peer)
Shadow Spokesperson (Culture, Media and Sport)
Thangam Debbonaire (Lab - Bristol West)
Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Baroness Thornton (Lab - Life peer)
Shadow Spokesperson (Culture, Media and Sport)
Junior Shadow Ministers / Deputy Spokesperson
Labour
Stephanie Peacock (Lab - Barnsley East)
Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Barbara Keeley (Lab - Worsley and Eccles South)
Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
Lilian Greenwood (Lab - Nottingham South)
Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
Ministers of State
John Whittingdale (Con - Maldon)
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State
Stuart Andrew (Con - Pudsey)
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con - Life peer)
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Scheduled Event
Thursday 11th January 2024
09:30
Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
Oral questions - Main Chamber
11 Jan 2024, 9:30 a.m.
Culture, Media and Sport (including Topical Questions)
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Debates
Thursday 30th November 2023
Select Committee Docs
Tuesday 28th November 2023
12:34
Select Committee Inquiry
Wednesday 19th July 2023
British Film and High-End Television

The Culture, Media and Sport Committee is to examine the current challenges faced by the British film and high-end television …

Written Answers
Monday 4th December 2023
Historic Buildings: Havering
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will provide additional funding for the remediation …
Secondary Legislation
Monday 16th January 2023
Public Lending Right Scheme 1982 (Commencement of Variation) Order 2023
This Order brings into force on 13th February 2023 a variation of the Public Lending Right Scheme 1982 (“the Scheme”) …
Bills
Monday 18th July 2022
Data Protection and Digital Information Bill 2022-23
A Bill to make provision for the regulation of the processing of information relating to identified or identifiable living individuals; …
Dept. Publications
Monday 4th December 2023
09:32

Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Commons Appearances

Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs

Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:
  • Urgent Questions where the Speaker has selected a question to which a Minister must reply that day
  • Adjornment Debates a 30 minute debate attended by a Minister that concludes the day in Parliament.
  • Oral Statements informing the Commons of a significant development, where backbench MP's can then question the Minister making the statement.

Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue

Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.

Most Recent Commons Appearances by Category
Nov. 16
Oral Questions
Jan. 09
Urgent Questions
Nov. 30
Written Statements
Oct. 24
Westminster Hall
Nov. 08
Adjournment Debate
View All Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Commons Contibutions

Bills currently before Parliament

Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport does not have Bills currently before Parliament


Acts of Parliament created in the 2019 Parliament


A Bill to make provision for and in connection with the regulation by OFCOM of certain internet services; for and in connection with communications offences; and for connected purposes

This Bill received Royal Assent on 26th October 2023 and was enacted into law.


A Bill to make provision about the security of internet-connectable products and products capable of connecting to such products; to make provision about electronic communications infrastructure; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 6th December 2022 and was enacted into law.


A Bill to amend the Charities Act 2011 and the Universities and College Estates Act 1925; and for connected purposes

This Bill received Royal Assent on 24th February 2022 and was enacted into law.


A Bill to make provision for and in connection with an expanded dormant assets scheme; to confer power to further expand the scope of that scheme; to amend the Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts Act 2008; to enable an authorised reclaim fund to accept transfers of certain unwanted assets; and for connected purposes

This Bill received Royal Assent on 24th February 2022 and was enacted into law.


A Bill to make provision about the security of public electronic communications networks and public electronic communications services.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 17th November 2021 and was enacted into law.


A Bill to amend the electronic communications code set out in Schedule 3A to the Communications Act 2003; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 15th March 2021 and was enacted into law.


A bill to make provision about the Commonwealth Games that are to be held principally in Birmingham in 2022; and for connected purposes

This Bill received Royal Assent on 25th June 2020 and was enacted into law.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport - Secondary Legislation

This Order brings into force on 13th February 2023 a variation of the Public Lending Right Scheme 1982 (“the Scheme”) made by the Secretary of State.
These Regulations limit the wholesale roaming rates chargeable to mobile phone service providers in certain countries or territories with which the United Kingdom has an international agreement.
View All Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Secondary Legislation

Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Trending Petitions
Petitions with most signatures
Petition Debates Contributed

Make it a legal requirement when opening a new social media account, to provide a verified form of ID. Where the account belongs to a person under the age of 18 verify the account with the ID of a parent/guardian, to prevent anonymised harmful activity, providing traceability if an offence occurs.

621,440
Petition Closed
12 Feb 2021
closed 2 years, 9 months ago

In the event of a spike we would like you not to close gyms as a measure to stop any spread of Covid. Also for gyms to not be put in the same group as pubs in terms of risk or importance. Gyms are following strict guidelines and most members are following rules in a sober manner.

We want the government to recognise the importance of gyms, health clubs, leisure centres and swimming pools in empowering people to look after their health and stay fit and for them to open first as we come out of lockdown.

We're also calling for government to fund a Work Out to Help Out scheme.

View All Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Petitions

Departmental Select Committee

Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Commons Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.

At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries.

Select Committee findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website. The government then usually has 60 days to reply to the committee's recommendations.


11 Members of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Giles Watling Portrait
Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Culture, Media and Sport Committee Member since 2nd March 2020
John Nicolson Portrait
John Nicolson (Scottish National Party - Ochil and South Perthshire)
Culture, Media and Sport Committee Member since 2nd March 2020
Damian Green Portrait
Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Culture, Media and Sport Committee Member since 2nd March 2020
Julie Elliott Portrait
Julie Elliott (Labour - Sunderland Central)
Culture, Media and Sport Committee Member since 2nd March 2020
Clive Efford Portrait
Clive Efford (Labour - Eltham)
Culture, Media and Sport Committee Member since 2nd March 2020
Steve Brine Portrait
Steve Brine (Conservative - Winchester)
Culture, Media and Sport Committee Member since 2nd March 2020
Kevin Brennan Portrait
Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Culture, Media and Sport Committee Member since 2nd March 2020
Jane Stevenson Portrait
Jane Stevenson (Conservative - Wolverhampton North East)
Culture, Media and Sport Committee Member since 19th October 2021
Simon Jupp Portrait
Simon Jupp (Conservative - East Devon)
Culture, Media and Sport Committee Member since 19th October 2021
Rupa Huq Portrait
Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Culture, Media and Sport Committee Member since 7th March 2022
Caroline Dinenage Portrait
Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Culture, Media and Sport Committee Member since 17th May 2023
Culture, Media and Sport Committee: Previous Inquiries
Impact of Covid-19 on the charity sector Impact of Covid-19 on DCMS sectors Combatting doping in sport inquiry Impact of Brexit on UK Creative industries, tourism and The Single Digital Market inquiry Channel 4 Annual Report 2016 inquiry Sport governance inquiry The work of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport inquiry BBC Annual Report and Accounts 2016-17 Disinformation and ‘fake news’ The work of Ofcom inquiry Live music inquiry The social impact of participation in culture and sport inquiry Appointment of the Chair of the Charity Commission Appointment of the Chair of Ofcom Wembley Stadium and the future of English football inquiry Immersive and addictive technologies inquiry Channel 4 Annual Report 2017 inquiry BBC Annual Report and Accounts 2017-18 inquiry The work of the Charity Commission inquiry BBC pay inquiry Channel 4 Annual Report 2018 inquiry Reality tv inquiry The future of English cricket inquiry BBC Annual Report 2018-19 and TV licences for over 75s inquiry The future of the National Lottery inquiry Administration of Football Clubs inquiry Garden tourism inquiry Lessons from the First World War Centenary inquiry Economics of music streaming Sport in our communities Connected tech: smart or sinister? Safety at major sporting events Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and the blockchain Women's sport Gambling regulation Current issues in rugby union Minority languages Appointment of Richard Sharp as Chair of the BBC The future of UK music festivals British Film and High-End Television The work of the Charity Commission Broadband and the road to 5G The future of public service broadcasting Concussion in sport Administration of Football Clubs The future of English cricket Disinformation and ‘fake news’ Garden tourism Immersive and addictive technologies Channel 4 Annual Report 2018 BBC Annual Report 2018-19 and TV licences for over 75s Live music The future of the National Lottery The work of Ofcom Reality tv The Social Impact of Participation in Culture and Sport The work of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Lessons from the First World War Centenary

50 most recent Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department

24th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will provide additional funding for the remediation of buildings on the Historic England Heritage at Risk Register in the London Borough of Havering.

While HM Government has no plans to provide direct funding for buildings on the Heritage at Risk Register in the London Borough of Havering, funding is generally available for historic buildings at risk. Historic England itself offers public funding for sites which are most in need of repair and which, without additional investment, would be at risk of deterioration. The National Lottery Heritage Fund will also factor the Heritage at Risk Register into its assessments of applications for its National Lottery Grants for Heritage.



John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
23rd Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much her Department has spent on outside consultancy fees in the 2022-23 financial year.

The annual report and accounts 2022-23 (note 4.3), which covers the spend referenced, can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dcms-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
29th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress her Department has made on developing a sponsorship code of conduct that all sporting bodies must adhere to when accepting sponsorship form the gambling industry.

DCMS has been working with representatives from the sports sector, including sports governing bodies, to agree a new code of conduct for socially responsible gambling sponsorship. We hope to make further announcements once the code is finalised and agreed early next year.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
29th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her Department’s criteria are for determining a rise in the television licence fee.

We agreed a fair settlement with the BBC that will see the licence fee remain at £159 until 2024 to protect licence fee payers from inflationary pressures, and then rise in line with inflation until the end of 2027 when the current Charter is due for renewal. Exactly how a future increase would be calculated is yet to be confirmed.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
30th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what systems the Gambling Commission has in place to (a) monitor, (b) close down and (c) take other action against illegal gambling sites.

As set out in the response to WPQ 2835, the best available estimates suggest the black market accounts for less than 2.5% of bets in this country. The Gambling Commission takes a risk-based approach to the illegal provision of gambling facilities. The 2021 fees uplift increased investment in how the Commission monitors and tackles the black market. It operates on a system of escalating interventions where it identifies unlicensed operators interacting with British customers, from initial cease and desist letters up to more robust disruption. This includes working with internet search and service providers to delist illegal operators and restrict access, working with payment providers and financial institutions to cut illegal operators off from payments, and working with software providers to prevent access to popular products and games.

As we committed to in the white paper, we are also legislating through the Criminal Justice Bill to give stronger powers to the Gambling Commission to take down criminal gambling websites, and plan to reform the Commission's fee structure to give it greater flexibility to respond to emerging risks, such as black market gambling.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
29th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has has with the BBC Board on the future of investigative journalism in the BBC's programming.

The Secretary of State meets the BBC regularly to discuss a wide range of issues.

The BBC is operationally and editorially independent from the Government. While it is up to the BBC to decide how it delivers its services, the Government is clear that the BBC must make sure it continues to provide the news content required to deliver its remit, as set out in the Charter and Agreement.

The BBC's first Public Purpose in the Charter is to provide impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them. The Charter also makes clear that the BBC has a vital role to play in enabling all audiences to engage fully with major local, regional, national and global issues, and participate in the democratic process, at all levels, as active and informed citizens.

The Government expects Ofcom, as the BBC regulator, to ensure the BBC is held to account in delivering its public service duties.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
27th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of allocating financial support to the Romford Film Festival.

The Government recognises the significant cultural and economic value of cinemas, and the important role that festivals play in bringing communities and filmmakers together. Public support for UK film festivals is provided through a number of funding mechanisms, including the British Film Institute, the Government’s lead body for film and the moving image, and Local Authorities. For this reason, we have not made our own assessment of the potential merits of allocating financial support to the Romford Film Festival.

The BFI National Lottery Audience Projects Fund provides support to ambitious, audience-facing independent UK and international film and broader screen activity of national scale. The fund supports film exhibitors, distributors, and other organisations delivering audience development activity with multi-year and short-term projects as well as research and development. Applications to the fund are accepted all year round but must be received 16 weeks before the activity is due to start. Information including the funds eligibility criteria can be found on the BFI’s website:

The organisers of Romford Film Festival may also wish to engage with Film Hub London to understand what relevant support is available. Film Hub London is part of the BFI Film Audience Network (BFI FAN), a nationwide network of exhibitors taking cultural cinema to their communities. The Network is aimed at boosting film audiences across the UK, particularly for specialised and independent British film.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
24th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which spending programmes their Department devolves for administration to (a) local government in England and (b) other local spending bodies; and what the budget is of each such programme for each year for which budgets are agreed.

The Government has set itself a mission that, by 2030, every part of England that wants one will have a devolution deal, with powers at or approaching the highestlevel of devolution, with a simplified, long-term funding settlement. At Spring Budget, the government announced the trailblazer devolution deals with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and West Midlands Combined Authorities (WMCA), which included a commitment to introduce single funding settlements at the next Spending Review for these combined authorities.

At Autumn Statement, the Government published a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with GMCA and WMCA, setting out how the single settlements will work. The government also announced an ambitious new ‘level 4’ of the devolution framework.

Details of major funding programmes, including those administered by local government or other local bodies, are available on gov.uk.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
22nd Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the University of Bristol research paper entitled, The prevalence of gambling adverts during the opening weekend of the English Premier League 2023-23, published 2024; and if she will take legislative steps to reduce the number of gambling adverts shown during football matches.

His Majesty’s Government recognises that, while millions of people gamble online without experiencing problems, for some it becomes an addiction with serious consequences. In our approach to gambling advertising, we have struck a balanced and evidence-led approach which tackles aggressive advertising that is most likely to appeal to children, while still allowing sports bodies and others to benefit commercially from deals with responsible gambling firms. There are robust rules in place to ensure that gambling advertising is socially responsible and cannot be targeted at or strongly appeal to children. The Government welcomed the voluntary whistle-to-whistle ban on TV betting ads during live sports programmes, agreed by industry. According to figures from the Betting and Gaming Council, the ban reduced gambling advertisement views by children (age 4-17) by 70% over the full duration of live sporting programmes. We also welcomed the Premier League’s announcement that it will ban gambling sponsors from the front of shirts, and are working with a wider group of sports governing bodies to introduce a Code of Conduct on responsible gambling sponsorship.

We continue to monitor research, and have carefully considered the findings in the study by the University of Bristol. Furthermore, we are introducing a statutory levy charged to gambling operators which will raise trusted, long-term funding for gambling research. We are clear that we will continue to look carefully at any further research that results from that and take action if necessary.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
27th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to improve remuneration for musicians.

The Government is committed to maximising the potential of the UK music industry and its musicians.

In May 2023, alongside the publication of an industry-led agreement on metadata, the Government announced it would be establishing an industry working group to explore further issues around creator remuneration.

We expect to shortly publish the terms of reference and membership, with the first working group meeting expected to take place soon thereafter.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
27th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to This Is Music 2023, published by UK Music on 7 November 2023, what assessment she has made of the potential impact on the music sector of the decline in the physical music market in 2022 cited in that report.

The way people consume music has changed significantly over the past decade, and the industry’s continued success has come from embracing technology. As referenced in UK Music’s This is Music report 2023, there has been a ‘shift to streaming’ from physical sales.

Whilst the BPI have reported that Vinyl LP purchases grew for a 15th consecutive year in 2022, This is Music reports that the physical market declined by 10.5% in 2022. However, streaming revenues grew across all fronts. Subscription revenues for premium services grew by 4.8% in 2022, ad-supported services grew by 22.3%, and video streaming such as YouTube and TikTok grew by 11.2% in 2022.

The headline figures from the UK Music report outline that in 2022, UK music exports generated £4 billion; the music industry’s contribution to the UK economy was £6.7 billion (GVA); and total UK music industry employment was 210,000. Across all key commercial assets (musical composition, recorded music, live performance and brand image) revenues continued to grow in 2022.

The UK is the second biggest exporter of music globally and the Government is supporting the industry to retain this position in the international market by trebling the funding for the Music Exports Growth Scheme to £3.2m over the next two years.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
22nd Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent progress her Department has made on introducing an independent football regulator.

This Government is committed to putting fans at the heart of football and making sure our national game has a sustainable financial future.

The Government has committed to bringing forward legislation to establish an Independent Football Regulator, with the Football Governance Bill announced as part of the King’s Speech in November 2023.

As we work at pace to progress the legislation, we are continuing to engage with the FA, the Leagues, and fan associations to make sure we design the best regulator possible.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
21st Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has taken steps to promote tourism from the rest of the Commonwealth to (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.

His Majesty’s Government works to promote the whole United Kingdom as a destination for tourists, both domestic and international, working with the devolved governments and administrations across the UK.

VisitBritain has in-market teams for Europe, including France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and the Nordics, where they promote Britain through various campaigns and marketing of Britain’s regional diversity. VisitBritain also has in-market teams for Australia, Canada and India for the Commonwealth.The latest figures from VisitBritain’s International Passenger Survey indicate there were 21 million visitors from Europe to the UK in 2022, accounting for 67% of total inbound visits to the UK and 44% of total inbound spend.

VisitBritain recently kicked off the next phase of our GREAT-funded international marketing campaign in France and Germany to showcase Britain as a dynamic, diverse and exciting destination and to drive tourism outside of London.

Each year, VisitBritain welcomes more than 120 international travel trade buyers for a series of educational visits across Britain. They showcase the latest tourism products to international buyers. Last year, we had buyers from 16 international markets taking part including France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, the Nordic countries, Australia, India and Canada.

VisitBritain recently hosted ‘Destination Britain India’, its first trade mission to India since the pandemic. It saw dozens of British industry suppliers from across the nations and regions meet with 75 top buyers from India. The suppliers included hotels, retailers, visitor attractions, tour operators, transport providers and local destinations from across Britain.

VisitBritain is developing a new multi-million-pound GREAT Britain marketing campaign for the USA, the UK’s largest and most valuable visitor market, as well as Canada and Australia, with a focus on screen tourism.

VisitEngland is creating a portfolio of nationally supported, strategic and high-performing Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) to transform the English visitor economy landscape and appeal more strategically to domestic and inbound visitors. 26 LVEPs have now been accredited, including VisitEssex which covers the Romford area.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
21st Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has taken steps to promote tourism from the rest of Europe to (a) England and (b) Romford constituency.

His Majesty’s Government works to promote the whole United Kingdom as a destination for tourists, both domestic and international, working with the devolved governments and administrations across the UK.

VisitBritain has in-market teams for Europe, including France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and the Nordics, where they promote Britain through various campaigns and marketing of Britain’s regional diversity. VisitBritain also has in-market teams for Australia, Canada and India for the Commonwealth.The latest figures from VisitBritain’s International Passenger Survey indicate there were 21 million visitors from Europe to the UK in 2022, accounting for 67% of total inbound visits to the UK and 44% of total inbound spend.

VisitBritain recently kicked off the next phase of our GREAT-funded international marketing campaign in France and Germany to showcase Britain as a dynamic, diverse and exciting destination and to drive tourism outside of London.

Each year, VisitBritain welcomes more than 120 international travel trade buyers for a series of educational visits across Britain. They showcase the latest tourism products to international buyers. Last year, we had buyers from 16 international markets taking part including France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, the Nordic countries, Australia, India and Canada.

VisitBritain recently hosted ‘Destination Britain India’, its first trade mission to India since the pandemic. It saw dozens of British industry suppliers from across the nations and regions meet with 75 top buyers from India. The suppliers included hotels, retailers, visitor attractions, tour operators, transport providers and local destinations from across Britain.

VisitBritain is developing a new multi-million-pound GREAT Britain marketing campaign for the USA, the UK’s largest and most valuable visitor market, as well as Canada and Australia, with a focus on screen tourism.

VisitEngland is creating a portfolio of nationally supported, strategic and high-performing Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) to transform the English visitor economy landscape and appeal more strategically to domestic and inbound visitors. 26 LVEPs have now been accredited, including VisitEssex which covers the Romford area.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
24th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of a ticket levy on (a) arenas, (b) stadiums and (c) major festivals to support grassroots live music.

His Majesty’s Government is committed to supporting our grassroots music venues, which play an absolutely crucial role in our world-leading music sector and developing homegrown talent.

That is why we are supporting live music through a range of measures. This includes an additional £5 million to Arts Council England’s (ACE’s) successful Supporting Grassroots Music fund, as set out in the Creative Industries Sector Vision in June. This £5 million expands and extends ACE’s existing grassroots fund, open since 2019, and takes our total investment in grassroots music through the fund to almost £15 million. This fund will enable venues to increase support for young and emerging artists, improve equipment and physical infrastructure, and support venues to become more financially resilient and develop new income streams.

This is in addition to other government support provided to the live music sector, including over £3 million during the pandemic from the Emergency Grassroots Music Venues Fund. The Culture Recovery Fund also provided over £200m of support for live music venues, and further support was provided through the £800m Live Events Reinsurance Scheme, alongside the cross-sector grants, loans, and reduction of VAT on tickets to 5%.

Through ACE, the Government has also supported the Music Venue Trust’s ‘Own Our Venues’ initiative, providing £500,000 which will help the Trust acquire the freeholds of grassroots music venues at risk of closure. DCMS Ministers attended the opening of the first acquisition, ‘The Snug’ in Atherton, Greater Manchester, in October.

Music venues are also eligible for the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business Rates Relief, with a 75% relief up to a cash cap limit of £110,000 per business. This relief was extended for a further year during the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement last week. DCMS and DLUHC are also working closely with the sector to revise planning guidelines to ensure that new developments engage with existing music venues before being built.

We have no plans to impose a ticket levy. Industry-led discussions are ongoing regarding increased support for grassroots music venues from larger events and venues.

We understand that the DCMS Select Committee will shortly be launching an inquiry into live music, and we will consider the Committee’s report once it is published.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
24th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if her Department will hold a consultation on support for live music.

His Majesty’s Government is committed to supporting our grassroots music venues, which play an absolutely crucial role in our world-leading music sector and developing homegrown talent.

That is why we are supporting live music through a range of measures. This includes an additional £5 million to Arts Council England’s (ACE’s) successful Supporting Grassroots Music fund, as set out in the Creative Industries Sector Vision in June. This £5 million expands and extends ACE’s existing grassroots fund, open since 2019, and takes our total investment in grassroots music through the fund to almost £15 million. This fund will enable venues to increase support for young and emerging artists, improve equipment and physical infrastructure, and support venues to become more financially resilient and develop new income streams.

This is in addition to other government support provided to the live music sector, including over £3 million during the pandemic from the Emergency Grassroots Music Venues Fund. The Culture Recovery Fund also provided over £200m of support for live music venues, and further support was provided through the £800m Live Events Reinsurance Scheme, alongside the cross-sector grants, loans, and reduction of VAT on tickets to 5%.

Through ACE, the Government has also supported the Music Venue Trust’s ‘Own Our Venues’ initiative, providing £500,000 which will help the Trust acquire the freeholds of grassroots music venues at risk of closure. DCMS Ministers attended the opening of the first acquisition, ‘The Snug’ in Atherton, Greater Manchester, in October.

Music venues are also eligible for the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business Rates Relief, with a 75% relief up to a cash cap limit of £110,000 per business. This relief was extended for a further year during the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement last week. DCMS and DLUHC are also working closely with the sector to revise planning guidelines to ensure that new developments engage with existing music venues before being built.

We have no plans to impose a ticket levy. Industry-led discussions are ongoing regarding increased support for grassroots music venues from larger events and venues.

We understand that the DCMS Select Committee will shortly be launching an inquiry into live music, and we will consider the Committee’s report once it is published.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
23rd Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she is steps taking to ensure the adequacy of funding for cultural activities in Nottingham.

His Majesty’s Government is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to high-quality arts and cultural opportunities and activities, no matter where they live. We have supported culture in Nottingham in a variety of ways.

Between 2020/21 and 2023/24, Arts Council England will have invested over £30 million in arts and cultural organisations in Nottingham. As part of its 2023–26 National Portfolio, public funding is being provided to 14 organisations in Nottingham encompassing theatre, dance, museums, visual arts, literature and libraries. This funding includes over £1.2 million per year to New Art Exchange, the highly successful visual arts centre.

As part of the above funding, Nottingham City Council’s museum service was reconfirmed as a National Portfolio Organisation in the latest round of funding, meaning it will receive £1.4 million over the next three years. A number of the local projects which it directly funds are aimed at encouraging more people from disadvantaged neighbourhoods and diverse backgrounds to engage with the city’s heritage. The independent National Justice Museum is also part of the Arts Council’s National Portfolio and will receive £733,000 of support over the period 2023–26.

Another of the City Council Museums, Wollaton Hall, has this year received £470,000 from the Government’s Museum Estate and Development Fund for assistance with maintenance, whilst Nottingham libraries have received funding through both rounds 1 and 2 of the Government’s Libraries Improvement Fund.

Nottingham Castle Museum’s recent transformation was funded in part by a £13.9 million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants programme also remains open for funding bids from anyone operating arts and cultural organisations in England.

The recent announcement of the third round of the Government’s Levelling Up Fund included support for Bulwell, which will be receiving almost £20 million of public investment for Bulwell town centre – including a new marketplace, and aiming to improve the look and feel of hidden heritage by reinstating original features.

Organisations in Nottingham also benefited from the Culture Recovery Fund to protect them during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 39 organisations sharing over £10.5 million of funding.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
24th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many times and on what dates she has attended meetings of the Expert Advisory Panel on Cultural Education.

The Cultural Education Plan will ensure that all young people, regardless of their background, can access high-quality cultural education. Among other things, this is an important step in delivering our Creative Careers Promise, set out in the Creative Industries Sector Vision, which aims to build a pipeline of talent into our creative industries, from primary school onwards.

Development of the plan is being led by a panel of 22 experts, including teachers and education leaders, and representatives from the performing arts, libraries, museums, heritage and youth sectors, and the creative industries. While development of the Cultural Education Plan is being driven by the Expert Advisory Panel, the Minister for Arts & Heritage (Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay) and the former Minister for Schools (Nick Gibb MP) have attended panel meetings on multiple occasions.

Furthermore, the panel is being informed by a series of 50 listening exercises with representatives from across the creative, cultural, education and youth sectors. Lord Parkinson joined one of these listening exercises held at the Royal Opera House with teachers and educationalists from across the country.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
21st Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many people were prosecuted for TV licence evasion in Strangford constituency in 2022.

The UK Government does not hold this data.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
22nd Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to restrict advertising for high-carbon products and services.

The Government has no plans to restrict new categories of advertising, including on high carbon products.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
20th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps is she taking to increase the uptake of cultural compact initiatives by local authorities.

HM Government acknowledges and welcomes the positive role the Cultural Compacts initiative has played in forming local partnerships and increasing cultural activity and broader collaboration in places across the country.

Arts Council England has supported 30 Cultural Compacts across England – including in levelling up priority areas – and has committed to providing these existing Compacts with further funding to build capacity and long-term cross-sector relationships. Arts Council England has set itself a target of increasing the number of Cultural Compacts across England by 50% by the end of March 2024 and is in dialogue with partners in a number of places interested in setting them up.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
21st Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what is the annual cost to the public purse of her Department's expenditure on (a) IT infrastructure, (b) IT infrastructure purchased prior to 2013 and (c) legacy IT infrastructure for each year since 2010.

The annual cost (Financial Year) to the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) on IT Infrastructure are:

  1. IT Infrastructure (FY 2022-23) - £1,838,272

  2. IT Infrastructure - pre 2013 - £nil*

  3. Legacy IT Infrastructure - £nil**

The DCMS Technology service is 100% cloud based, adopting a consumption based delivery model, consuming predominantly Software as a Service (SaaS) & Platform as a service (PaaS), services.

The DCMS Technology Service was established in 2021, there is no legacy infrastructure, all services have been transformed as part of the initial transformation programme undertaken in 2021.

As of 21 November 2023, DCMS has zero (0) red-rated IT systems.

* DCMS Technology Service was established in 2021, prior to the service existing, IT services were provided through a Shared IT service model, delivered through the Cabinet Office.

** The DCMS Technology Service is relatively new, there is no legacy infrastructure due to the service model being 100% cloud based, adopting a Software as a Service (SaaS) based consume delivery model.


John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
20th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the cyber-attack against the British Library at the end of October 2023 on the public’s access to learning and research materials.

The British Library is undertaking a forensic investigation of this incident, with the support of the National Cyber Security Centre and cybersecurity specialists, and has reported it to the Information Commissioner’s Office. This investigation will help to provide a full picture of what happened, and the extent of disruption caused. This will take time, during which the British Library is liaising closely with the Department for Culture, Media & Sport and others to provide updates.

The British Library’s physical sites remain open to the public and are offering a range of services, including reading room access for personal study, some limited manual collection item ordering, exhibitions, learning events, business support, and onsite retail. Details of what the public can access are available via the British Library’s social media channels.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
20th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the group or individual responsible for the recent cyber-attack against the British Library has been identified.

The attack has been claimed by a known cyber crime group, and we currently have no reason to doubt their claim.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
20th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department has taken to increase the effectiveness of the Electronic Legal Deposit system since the cyberattack on the British Library.

The British Library has been keeping the other Legal Deposit Libraries of the UK and Ireland informed since the cyber attack against it. The Non-Print Legal Deposit network is designed for resilience in line with industry-wide digital preservation guidelines, and the British Library is working with partners on additional precautionary steps while the investigation is ongoing.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
20th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has taken steps to help secure the restoration of the British Library’s services following the recent cyber-attack against it; and what estimate her Department has made of the date by which those services will be restored.

The British Library is undertaking a forensic investigation of this incident, with the support of the National Cyber Security Centre and cybersecurity specialists, and has reported it to the Information Commissioner’s Office. This investigation will help to provide a full picture of what happened, and the extent of disruption caused. This will take time, during which the British Library is liaising closely with the Department for Culture, Media & Sport and others to provide updates.

The British Library has taken targeted protective measures to ensure the integrity of its systems, including the quarantining of hardware, the resetting of passwords for all staff, and the installation of additional monitoring and detection software across its estate.

The British Library’s physical sites remain open to the public and are offering a range of services, including reading room access for personal study, some limited manual collection item ordering, exhibitions, learning events, business support, and onsite retail. Details of what the public can access are available via the British Library’s social media channels.

It is too soon to give an exact timetable but the British Library anticipates restoring many digital services in the next few weeks, although some disruption may persist for longer.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
22nd Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the potential impact of the cost of living on university students' ability to participate in volunteering.

The Government recognises the valuable contribution that student volunteers make to their communities and the benefits they gain from these experiences.

My department funds and works closely with the Vision for Volunteering, which is a voluntary sector initiative to lead the ongoing support and development of all volunteering in England.

My department has also funded several other initiatives to support volunteering participation including the Volunteering Futures Fund, Know Your Neighbourhood and the Big Help Out, which was a day of community volunteering to mark the Coronation of His Majesty the King and Her Majesty The Queen, held on 8 May 2023. My department has allocated funding for a repeat of the Big Help Out campaign, which will take place from 7-9 June 2024.

The Government continues to recognise and celebrate the extraordinary contributions of volunteers across the country. Since 2014, over 2,100 people have been named Points of Light by the Prime Minister, highlighting a wide array of innovative and inspirational volunteering across the UK.

The department has not specifically discussed student volunteering with the Secretary of State for Education.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
22nd Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding has been provided by (a) Sport England and (b) the Arts Council for projects in the Folkestone and Hythe district in each year since 2010; and which projects in the district have received such funding.

The table below provides a summary of the investments made by Sport England and Arts Council England (“ACE”) in the Folkestone and Hythe Constituency since 2010.

YEAR

SPORT ENGLAND

ACE

2010

£19,980

£642,678

2011

£174,060

£98,621

2012

£185,448

£111,071

2013

£70,513

£912,581

2014

£37,949

£229,440

2015

£154,039

£880,023

2016

£36,187

£1,365,762

2017

£108,966

£1,934,965

2018

£140,065

£851,837

2019

£382,364

£459,254

2020

£239,443

£1,252,013

2021

£53,428

£1,616,286

2022

£106,155

£987,956

2023

£48,601

£819,229

TOTAL 2010-23:

£1,757,198

£12,161,716

For a breakdown of the projects funded across this period, Sport England publishes an updated register of grant awards on a quarterly basis, with awards dating back to 2009 listed in full.

Due to a change in Arts Council England's (ACE) grant management system in 2016, data from before that date is not as high quality and not reliably comparable with more recent data. Noting this caveat we have provided the figures nonetheless for completeness.

Grants awarded from ACE's main funding streams within the last 5 financial years (2023/2024 inclusive) are published online and provide details of all organisations that receive funding.They are available in the following locations:

National Lottery Project Grants

Developing Your Creative Practice

Investment Programme (2018-2022 NPO)

Investment Programme (2023-2026 NPO)

Cultural Recovery Fund

Emergency Response Fund

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
22nd Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the impact of energy costs on the charity sector.

DCMS Ministers and senior officials meet regularly with civil society representatives to discuss a wide range of issues including challenges faced by the sector.

We also recognise that charities are seeing higher levels of demand for their services. That is why in the Spring Budget, the Chancellor announced a package of over £100 million for charities and community organisations in England. This funding is split into two strands and is supporting organisations in need right now. The £76 million Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund has closed for applications, and is awarding funding to frontline organisations supporting vulnerable individuals and households. The second strand, the £25 million VCSE Energy Efficiency Scheme, will support longer-term sustainability, and will launch later this year for applications.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
22nd Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with representatives of charities on (a) capacity and (b) trends in the level of demand for their services.

DCMS Ministers and senior officials meet regularly with civil society representatives to discuss a wide range of issues including challenges faced by the sector.

We also recognise that charities are seeing higher levels of demand for their services. That is why in the Spring Budget, the Chancellor announced a package of over £100 million for charities and community organisations in England. This funding is split into two strands and is supporting organisations in need right now. The £76 million Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund has closed for applications, and is awarding funding to frontline organisations supporting vulnerable individuals and households. The second strand, the £25 million VCSE Energy Efficiency Scheme, will support longer-term sustainability, and will launch later this year for applications.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
22nd Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the level of financial resilience in the charity sector.

DCMS Ministers and senior officials meet regularly with civil society representatives to discuss a wide range of issues including challenges faced by the sector.

We also recognise that charities are seeing higher levels of demand for their services. That is why in the Spring Budget, the Chancellor announced a package of over £100 million for charities and community organisations in England. This funding is split into two strands and is supporting organisations in need right now. The £76 million Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund has closed for applications, and is awarding funding to frontline organisations supporting vulnerable individuals and households. The second strand, the £25 million VCSE Energy Efficiency Scheme, will support longer-term sustainability, and will launch later this year for applications.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
20th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the availability of swimming (a) pools and (b) lessons for children.

Responsibility for public access to and maintenance of swimming pools lies at local authority level.

In recognition of the benefits of physical activity, including swimming, and the challenges facing the sector, we are providing over £60 million of support for swimming pools. This will help ease cost pressures facing public swimming pool providers and help make facilities sustainable in the long-term through investment in energy efficiency measures. The funding is being delivered in partnership with Sport England and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, following extensive consultation with local authorities and the sector.

Swimming and water safety is a vital life skill, which is why it is a mandatory part of the primary PE National Curriculum. The Department for Education also administers schemes to ensure the provision of lessons and sports facilities for children, such as through the PE and Sport Premium and the Opening School Facilities (OSF) programme.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
20th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the impact of the whistle-to-whistle ban on gambling advertising in football on the number of gambling messages displayed throughout televised football matches.

The Government welcomed the voluntary whistle-to-whistle ban on TV betting ads during live sports programmes, agreed by industry. According to figures from the Betting and Gaming Council, the ban reduced gambling advertisement views by children (age 4-17) by 70% over the full duration of live sporting programmes, with a 96% reduction in gambling TV advertising specifically during the restricted period.

As part of the Gambling review, consideration was given to a range of restrictions on gambling advertising. As set out in the white paper we have struck a balanced and evidence-led approach which tackles aggressive advertising and that which is most likely to appeal to children, while still allowing sports bodies to benefit commercially from deals with responsible gambling firms.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
20th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of implementing a ban on gambling advertising on all parts of football kits.

The Government welcomed the voluntary whistle-to-whistle ban on TV betting ads during live sports programmes, agreed by industry. According to figures from the Betting and Gaming Council, the ban reduced gambling advertisement views by children (age 4-17) by 70% over the full duration of live sporting programmes, with a 96% reduction in gambling TV advertising specifically during the restricted period.

As part of the Gambling review, consideration was given to a range of restrictions on gambling advertising. As set out in the white paper we have struck a balanced and evidence-led approach which tackles aggressive advertising and that which is most likely to appeal to children, while still allowing sports bodies to benefit commercially from deals with responsible gambling firms.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
21st Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing deaf athletes to access funding allocated to Olympic and Paralympic sport through UK Sport.

UK Sport uses funding provided by the Government to support athletes with potential to achieve success in Olympic and Paralympic sports. As the Deaflympics falls outside of Olympic and Paralympic sport, UK Sport are therefore unable to fund athletes targeting this event.

This is in line with the Government’s approach to other Paralympic sports where competition is not offered in an athlete's particular classification or discipline.

Sport England has committed £1.2 million between 2022 and 2027 to UK Deaf Sport to boost deaf sport at the grassroots level and build wider participation. They have also agreed to explore a series of small-scale talent pilots for d/Deaf athletes. These pilots will see Sport England, National Governing Bodies, and UK Deaf Sport working together to explore these issues and suggest potential solutions.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
21st Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the number of online illegal gambling sites accessible from the UK.

There are inherent difficulties in accurately estimating the scale of the unlicensed gambling market in this country. We are not aware of any robust estimates for precisely how many unlicensed sites are accessible from the UK, and this is further complicated by the high churn in black market operations.

However, the Government is aware of a number of studies including from the industry which suggests that the black market accounts for less than 2.5% of bets. Data from the Gambling Commission also suggests that the scale of the black market has remained low and stable, with little variation in the number of complaints it has received about illegal gambling websites.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
22nd Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the Television Licensing Authority on the potential merits of expanding payment exemptions for the television licence fee.

While concessions are set in legislation, it is the BBC, not Government, that administers these schemes.

We are not considering making changes to the current concessions regime at this time.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
22nd Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to freeze the television licence fee in 2024.

We agreed a fair settlement with the BBC that will see the licence fee remain at £159 until 2024 to protect licence fee payers from inflationary pressures, and then rise in line with inflation until the end of 2027 when the current Charter is due for renewal. Exactly how a future increase would be calculated is yet to be confirmed.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
14th Nov 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Football Association about the implications for fairness and safety for women in football of their policy developments on the inclusion of transgender people.

The Football Association has previously attended a roundtable meeting about participation in sport by transgender people, hosted by His Majesty's Government, where we set out the position below.

When it comes to competitive sport, HM Government believes that fairness has to be the primary consideration. HM Government is clear that a way forward is needed which protects and shows compassion to all, whilst being clear that the integrity of competition must be maintained.

Where sex does have an impact on the fairness of competitive women’s sport, domestic governing bodies and international federations must provide clear direction to protect the integrity of women's sport.

It is ultimately for all individual sports’ National Governing Bodies, including the Football Association, to decide on the specific appropriate initiatives to make women’s sport fair and safe in their organisations whilst making football inclusive for all.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
15th Nov 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with sports governing bodies on the availability of female-only categories of competition that exclude all males.

His Majesty’s Government has discussed the Sports Council Equality Group’s guidance on transgender participation with sports governing bodies on multiple occasions.

When it comes to competitive sport, HM Government believes fairness has to be the primary consideration. HM Government is clear a way forward is needed that protects and shows compassion to all, whilst being clear that the integrity of competition must be maintained.

Where sex does have an impact on the fairness of competitive women’s sport, domestic governing bodies and international federations must provide clear direction to protect the integrity of women's sport.

It is ultimately for all individual sports’ national governing bodies to decide on the specific appropriate initiatives to make women’s sport fair and safe in their organisations, whilst making sport inclusive for all.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with the gambling industry on the potential impact of safer gambling week on (a) the volume of (i) marketing and (ii) direct marketing offers, (b) game speed and (c) gambling harm.

His Majesty’s Government recognises that while millions of people gamble without experiencing problems, for some it becomes an addiction with serious consequences.

The Secretary of State and I recently met with the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) and other industry representatives to discuss industry-led safer gambling measures and implementation of the gambling white paper. We welcome industry-led initiatives such as Safer Gambling Week. Figures from the BGC indicate that in 2022 Safer Gambling Week messaging made nearly 30 million impressions on social media, and that around 200,000 accounts set deposit limits during that month, with 61 percent of those players setting a limit for the first time. Such limits can be an important measure in preventing harm. We understand safer gambling week has no impact on the volume of marketing (although its content is likely to be different) or game speed.

However, as outlined in the gambling white paper, we are working with the industry, Gambling Commission and others to implement a wide range of proportionate measures to protect customers from practices and products which can drive harm.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with the gambling industry on the effectiveness of safer gambling week for reducing gambling harm.

His Majesty’s Government recognises that while millions of people gamble without experiencing problems, for some it becomes an addiction with serious consequences.

The Secretary of State and I recently met with the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) and other industry representatives to discuss industry-led safer gambling measures and implementation of the gambling white paper. We welcome industry-led initiatives such as Safer Gambling Week. Figures from the BGC indicate that in 2022 Safer Gambling Week messaging made nearly 30 million impressions on social media, and that around 200,000 accounts set deposit limits during that month, with 61 percent of those players setting a limit for the first time. Such limits can be an important measure in preventing harm. We understand safer gambling week has no impact on the volume of marketing (although its content is likely to be different) or game speed.

However, as outlined in the gambling white paper, we are working with the industry, Gambling Commission and others to implement a wide range of proportionate measures to protect customers from practices and products which can drive harm.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
15th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of ringfencing the funds raised through a statutory gambling levy for the (a) research, (b) prevention and (c) treatment of gambling-related harms.

We launched a consultation on the structure, distribution and governance of the levy in October to ensure the government has the best available evidence to make implementation of the levy effective, transparent and proportionate. The consultation closes on 14 December. Legislation requires the levy to be paid by all Gambling Commission licensees, including on forms of gambling licensed in the future, to provide sustainable, ring-fenced funding for research, prevention and treatment (RPT) of gambling-related harms.

It is important that the new levy system provides sufficient long-term stability as the new arrangements come into force, while providing scope for the government to intervene should issues arise. We think a five year review period strikes an appropriate balance. However, we are keen to receive the best available evidence on this point through the consultation.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
15th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to develop a mechanism for the statutory gambling levy to enable new forms of gambling to be (a) assessed and (b) levied at an appropriate level.

We launched a consultation on the structure, distribution and governance of the levy in October to ensure the government has the best available evidence to make implementation of the levy effective, transparent and proportionate. The consultation closes on 14 December. Legislation requires the levy to be paid by all Gambling Commission licensees, including on forms of gambling licensed in the future, to provide sustainable, ring-fenced funding for research, prevention and treatment (RPT) of gambling-related harms.

It is important that the new levy system provides sufficient long-term stability as the new arrangements come into force, while providing scope for the government to intervene should issues arise. We think a five year review period strikes an appropriate balance. However, we are keen to receive the best available evidence on this point through the consultation.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
16th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has assessed the potential merits of reducing the review period for statutory levy rates on gambling operators and the distribution of funds to every three years, to allow for changes in the gambling landscape to be appropriately accounted for.

We launched a consultation on the structure, distribution and governance of the levy in October to ensure the government has the best available evidence to make implementation of the levy effective, transparent and proportionate. The consultation closes on 14 December. Legislation requires the levy to be paid by all Gambling Commission licensees, including on forms of gambling licensed in the future, to provide sustainable, ring-fenced funding for research, prevention and treatment (RPT) of gambling-related harms.

It is important that the new levy system provides sufficient long-term stability as the new arrangements come into force, while providing scope for the government to intervene should issues arise. We think a five year review period strikes an appropriate balance. However, we are keen to receive the best available evidence on this point through the consultation.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
20th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to increase pupil access to (a) sports and (b) arts opportunities out of school.

Sport and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health and this government is committed to ensuring every child, no matter their background or ability, should be able to play sport and be active.

That is why in ‘Get Active: A strategy for the future of sport and physical activity’ we introduce an ambition that all children should meet the Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines on physical activity, with a target of getting 1 million more active children by 2030.

Schools play a key role in allowing all children to have high quality opportunities to take part in PE and sport, setting them up for a lifetime of physical activity. In July we published an update to the School Sport and Activity Action Plan. This builds on the announcement we made in March that set out new ambitions for equal access to PE and sport, with guidance on how to deliver 2 hours of quality PE a week, alongside over £600 million funding for the Primary PE and Sport Premium and School Games Organiser network.

Outside of the school day, the £57 million Opening School Facilities programme will support the most inactive young people to access facilities that will enable them to play sport and take physical exercise. By opening school sport facilities, including swimming pools, disparities in access to opportunities seen between socio-economic groups will begin to be tackled through the programme.

Over the school holidays, the Government offers £200 million of support per year to the Holiday Activities and Food programme, which provides disadvantaged children in England with enriching activities (including physical and creative activities) and healthy meals. Last summer, the programme reached over 685,000 children and young people in England, including over 475,000 children in receipt of free school meals.

We are also investing over £300 million in grassroots football and multi-sport facilities across the UK by 2025 which will further support youth participation in sport.

The Government is additionally providing significant arts and cultural opportunities for young people both in and out of school.

This includes our creative careers promise, which is backed by £115m a year to increase young people’s access to cultural and music education. The upcoming Cultural Education Plan will support all children and young people to access a broad range of high-quality cultural and creative activities and experiences inside and outside of school. Our Enrichment Partnerships Pilot aims to improve the availability and quality of enrichment activities in up to 200 secondary schools within Education Investment Areas. In addition, 79% of the organisations in Arts Council England’s 2023-26 Investment Programme portfolio are delivering activity specifically for children and young people of all ages, wherever they live.

Separately, the Government funds a diverse portfolio of music and arts education programmes that are designed to improve participation in the arts for children. The National Saturday Club, for example, gives 13 to 16-year-olds across the country the opportunity to study the subjects they love for free, including arts and creative subjects, on a Saturday at their local university, college or cultural institution. Government and Arts Council England also co-fund 15 National Youth Music Organisations offering large-scale, inclusive performances, high-quality music programmes, residencies, summer schools and workshops, to help develop young people’s skills, experience, and knowledge of music, supporting them to excel as young creatives outside of school.

The National Plan for Music Education includes £25m funding for musical instruments and equipment for schools, and the Music Progression Fund supports disadvantaged pupils with music tuition. Furthermore, we have created four new Music Hub Centres of Excellence to improve inclusion and create pathways to industry for talented young people from all backgrounds.

Stuart Andrew
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
14th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps she has taken to support the theatre industry (a) nationally and (b) in Romford constituency.

Theatre is the artform that receives the most public funding via Arts Council England, and there are now more theatre organisations in its National Portfolio than ever before. In 2023–24, Arts Council England is investing over £140 million in 194 theatre organisations, including 47 new theatre organisations joining the portfolio this year. The Arts Council will be investing £31,000 in theatre organisations in Romford in 2023–24.

In addition, theatres and orchestras will continue to benefit from the extension by His Majesty’s Government of the higher rates of tax relief for a further two years, as announced at Spring Budget 2023.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
14th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she has taken to promote the cultural heritage of the Irish diaspora in England in (a) general and (b) Romford constituency.

His Majesty’s Government has supported a number of projects looking at the cultural heritage of the Irish diaspora through its arm’s-length bodies.

Arts Council England supported the Irish Arts Foundation on its 'Exploring the musical traditions of County Cork & County Kerry' project in Leeds, providing over £20,000 of public funding in 2021/22.

In 2022/23, The National Lottery Community Fund provided £7,950 of funding to Leeds Irish Arts Foundation’s ‘Neighbours!’ project, to help engage people from around West Yorkshire in Irish music and workshops to celebrate Irish culture, music and arts. In 2023/24, The National Lottery Community Fund provided £6,421 of funding to Cú Chulainn’s to deliver a family funday to bring young people and families from the local Irish community and the community more broadly together.

Since 1994, The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded almost £3 million to projects which have explored the history of the Irish diaspora in England, covering themes such as the World Wars, aspects of culture shared with others, and the experiences of those who have built their lives here in the UK.

‘Look Back to Look Forward: 50 Years of the Irish in Britain’ is an ambitious heritage project which captures the history of the Irish in Britain’s membership organisations and the communities they serve, and is currently touring. This exhibition was made possible with a £250,000 Lottery grant.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
9th Nov 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the major technology outage experienced by the British Library as a result of a cyber-attack, whether they are confident that sufficient safeguards are in place to protect this national collection.

The British Library is undertaking a forensic investigation of this incident, with the support of the National Cyber Security Centre and cybersecurity specialists, and has reported it to the Information Commissioner’s Office. This investigation will help to provide a full picture of what happened, and the extent of disruption caused. This will take time, during which the British Library is liaising closely with the Department for Culture, Media & Sport and others to provide updates.

The attack has been claimed by a known cyber crime group, and we currently have no reason to doubt its claim.

The British Library has taken targeted protective measures to ensure the integrity of its systems, including the quarantining of hardware, the resetting of passwords for all staff, and the installation of additional monitoring and detection software across its estate.

In the meantime, the British Library’s sites at St Pancras and Boston Spa remain fully open to the public.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)