Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport

Our Arm's Length Body, Sport England, has committed £1.2 million between 2022 and 2027 to support deaf sport at the grassroots level, build wider participation, and develop strong governance within UK Deaf Sport.

Sport England are also exploring 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 issues around accessibility and suggest potential solutions. Sport England has also awarded UK Deaf Sport £150,000 to fund a specialist Talent Inclusion post to further the work of the pilots.

Our Arm's Length Body, Sport England, has committed £1.2 million between 2022 and 2027 to support deaf sport at the grassroots level, build wider participation, and develop strong governance within UK Deaf Sport.

Sport England are also exploring 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 issues around accessibility and suggest potential solutions. Sport England has also awarded UK Deaf Sport £150,000 to fund a specialist Talent Inclusion post to further the work of the pilots.

I am not aware of any government plans to specifically commemorate the 1100th anniversary of England's establishment as a unified state under King Æthelstan in 927.

However, DCMS's Arms-Length Body, the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) has recently funded 2 projects that explore Æthelstan and his history.

In the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, where Æthelstan was crowned in 925, in November 2024 the NLHF gave a grant of over £178k to support the council to deliver Kingston 2025: Celebrating our past, present, and future. The project invites visitors to ‘immerse themselves in all things Saxon’, showcasing the skills and trade of Æthelstan’s era.

In Malmesbury, the town in which Æthelstan was buried at his own request, in April 2024 a NLHF grant of over £14k has supported local organisation, Malmesbury Town Team, to deliver Æthelstan 1100's The Big Dig - Revealing Malmesbury's Story. Working with archaeologists and historians, the project has engaged schools, volunteers and residents in a wide range of activities exploring the town's past. The Big Dig uncovered finds from every period of Malmesbury's history except Roman, including pottery from the time of Æthelstan.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024. Influencers can be effective in reaching audiences that the Government and traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.

The average full time equivalent staff number employed by Historic England in (1) 2015/16 was 878, (2) 2019/20 was 828 and (3) 2024/25 was 982.

The Government Art Collection (GAC) does not assert Crown Copyright over images of 2D original artworks in the Collection, where the image has been taken by its employees (i.e. Civil Servants). This is a recent change in approach to copyright assertion, with all affected documentation in the process of being updated.

GAC continues to license images for commercial and non-commercial use through a contractual agreement.

The Government Art Collection (GAC) does not assert Crown Copyright over images of 2D original artworks in the Collection, where the image has been taken by its employees (i.e. Civil Servants). This is a recent change in approach to copyright assertion, with all affected documentation in the process of being updated.

GAC continues to license images for commercial and non-commercial use through a contractual agreement.

This government recognises the invaluable contribution that Samaritans make every year to the lives of thousands of people experiencing a crisis or suicidal thoughts.

We engage with Samaritans and other voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations closely and will continue to work with them in their important role in suicide prevention efforts. Minister Peacock has met with Samaritans on World Suicide Prevention Day and this discussion focused on government support for the VCSE sector.

This government recently announced the publication of the Civil Society Covenant, which sets out the terms of a new relationship between government and civil society, and is a clear statement that government sees civil society as an indispensable partner in building a better Britain.

DCMS and Historic England, as our statutory advisers on heritage, regularly discuss sites and places we know to be interested in UNESCO World Heritage status, and have previously met and written to representatives from UK Cluniac sites.

With the large number of UK World Heritage Sites and our commitment to supporting UNESCO’s ambition for a more globally balanced and representative World Heritage List, the UK Government does not currently have plans to consider additional sites for nomination to UNESCO, beyond those already included on the UK’s Tentative List.

No recent formal assessments have been made by Historic England of sites for inclusion on the UK’s Tentative List. Applications to the 2022/23 Tentative List Review were assessed by an independent expert panel and the Government response was published in July 2023.

DCMS and Historic England, as our statutory advisers on heritage, regularly discuss sites and places we know to be interested in UNESCO World Heritage status, and have previously met and written to representatives from UK Cluniac sites.

With the large number of UK World Heritage Sites and our commitment to supporting UNESCO’s ambition for a more globally balanced and representative World Heritage List, the UK Government does not currently have plans to consider additional sites for nomination to UNESCO, beyond those already included on the UK’s Tentative List.

No recent formal assessments have been made by Historic England of sites for inclusion on the UK’s Tentative List. Applications to the 2022/23 Tentative List Review were assessed by an independent expert panel and the Government response was published in July 2023.

DCMS and Historic England, as our statutory advisers on heritage, regularly discuss sites and places we know to be interested in UNESCO World Heritage status, and have previously met and written to representatives from UK Cluniac sites.

With the large number of UK World Heritage Sites and our commitment to supporting UNESCO’s ambition for a more globally balanced and representative World Heritage List, the UK Government does not currently have plans to consider additional sites for nomination to UNESCO, beyond those already included on the UK’s Tentative List.

No recent formal assessments have been made by Historic England of sites for inclusion on the UK’s Tentative List. Applications to the 2022/23 Tentative List Review were assessed by an independent expert panel and the Government response was published in July 2023.

DCMS and Historic England, as our statutory advisers on heritage, regularly discuss sites and places we know to be interested in UNESCO World Heritage status, and have previously met and written to representatives from UK Cluniac sites.

With the large number of UK World Heritage Sites and our commitment to supporting UNESCO’s ambition for a more globally balanced and representative World Heritage List, the UK Government does not currently have plans to consider additional sites for nomination to UNESCO, beyond those already included on the UK’s Tentative List.

No recent formal assessments have been made by Historic England of sites for inclusion on the UK’s Tentative List. Applications to the 2022/23 Tentative List Review were assessed by an independent expert panel and the Government response was published in July 2023.

The government recognises the potential mental health benefits for young people that can come from playing video games.

Independent studies from the University of Oxford, the United States National Library of Medicine and The Royal Society found positive health and wellbeing impacts from playing video games. The global video games industry also published the “Power of Play” report in 2023, providing insights into video games’ social and emotional benefit, showing 71% of players turning to video games to relieve stress.

In 2023, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport published a Video Games Research Framework which seeks to improve understanding of the impacts of video games. It sets out the Government’s research topics and priorities, including the mental health impacts on players interacting with video games and how the application of video games has health tools impacts on players.

DCMS Ministers met with the Scottish tourism minister in July 2025 as part of the Devolved Administrations' Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) for Tourism, where Short-Term Lets were briefly discussed. Additionally, DCMS officials meet regularly with their counterparts in the Devolved Administrations, including the Scottish Government, to discuss issues related to tourism, including short-term lets.

Baroness Hodge will share her findings with the government in the Autumn of 2025, and the government will publish the conclusions of the review along with the government’s response in 2026.

We are working closely with the sector to understand the needs of arts centres, which are integral to communities up and down the country. Through sector engagement, as well as the recent Arup and Future Arts Centres report, Evaluating Capital Investment Needs for Arts Centres in the UK, we are aware that arts centres are facing significant challenges with their estates.

The £85 million Creative Foundations Fund (CFF), launched by this government earlier this year, is supporting arts and cultural organisations across England to resolve urgent issues with their estates, including essential renovations and repairs. An important part of this government’s growth mission, this fund aims to strengthen the long-term economic viability of the creative and cultural industries. Arts centres that met the criteria were eligible to apply for the fund, and Arts Council England have notified all those that submitted Expressions of Interest of who is being taken forward to the full application stage. The Arts Council will notify all applicants of the outcome of their full application and commit all funding by 31 March 2026.

Whilst we do not have any plans to launch a capital investment programme specifically for arts centres, we were able to secure significant investment at the Spending Review for Arts, Culture and Heritage infrastructure. The Spending Review sets out DCMS’s high-level funding settlement and we will share further details in due course.

We are working closely with the sector to understand the needs of arts centres, which are integral to communities up and down the country. Through sector engagement, as well as the recent Arup and Future Arts Centres report, Evaluating Capital Investment Needs for Arts Centres in the UK, we are aware that arts centres are facing significant challenges with their estates.

The £85 million Creative Foundations Fund (CFF), launched by this government earlier this year, is supporting arts and cultural organisations across England to resolve urgent issues with their estates, including essential renovations and repairs. An important part of this government’s growth mission, this fund aims to strengthen the long-term economic viability of the creative and cultural industries. Arts centres that met the criteria were eligible to apply for the fund, and Arts Council England have notified all those that submitted Expressions of Interest of who is being taken forward to the full application stage. The Arts Council will notify all applicants of the outcome of their full application and commit all funding by 31 March 2026.

Whilst we do not have any plans to launch a capital investment programme specifically for arts centres, we were able to secure significant investment at the Spending Review for Arts, Culture and Heritage infrastructure. The Spending Review sets out DCMS’s high-level funding settlement and we will share further details in due course.

Broadcast regulation is a matter for the independent regulator Ofcom. The Broadcasting Code prohibits material equivalent to the British Board of Film Classification R18-rating. Adult sex material, as defined by Ofcom, must not be broadcast at any time other than between 10pm and 5.30am on channels with mandatory restricted access, such as requiring a PIN.

Broadcasters must ensure that material broadcast after the 9pm watershed, which contains images and/or language of a strong or explicit sexual nature, but is not ‘adult sex material’, is justified by the context. Representations of sexual intercourse must not occur before the watershed, unless there is a serious educational purpose.

No such assessment has been made.

Our aim as a Government is ensuring the balance is right between press freedom and instances of intrusion. The government recognises that for victims and their families, incidents of undue attention and harassment from the media cause significant distress. In the UK, there exists an independent, self-regulatory system for the press, which is important for press freedom, and the Government therefore does not intervene in or oversee the work of press regulators in preventing press intrusion. These independent regulators enforce codes of conduct which provide guidelines on a range of areas, including on accuracy, privacy and harassment. We are also clear, however, that with this freedom comes responsibility, and newspapers must operate within the bounds of the law and have a responsibility to uphold high professional and ethical standards. This includes ensuring access to clear, timely and effective routes to redress.

As highlighted in the Government’s ‘Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England’, the UK spends a greater proportion of its healthcare budget on diseases caused by excess alcohol consumption than the OECD average. To help tackle this, the Government has committed to introducing a mandatory requirement for alcoholic drinks to display consistent nutritional information and health warning messages to help consumers make more informed, healthier choices.

The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.

In June, we committed another £400 million to transform sports facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We will ensure that this funding promotes health, wellbeing and community cohesion and helps to remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.

I met with Sir John Hayes and Deepings Leisure Centre Community Group in July this year to discuss grassroots sport and facilities provision in his constituency.

Government has allocated up to £23 million to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme in 2025/26. This year’s scheme will end on 31 March 2026 or when the budget is exhausted, whichever is the sooner.

Applications can be made throughout the year and are paid on a weekly basis. In order to help applicants plan, we publish an online tracker showing remaining funding. This indicates remaining budget and is not an underspend. We typically see an upsurge in claims towards the end of the financial year.

Altering the scheme's established criteria during the course of the financial year would not be fair on those organisations whose claims have already been paid, or on those who intend to claim later in the year and may find budget unavailable. We do not have plans to amend or remove the cap.

The Secretary of State takes her quasi-judicial responsibilities under the Enterprise Act 2002 and in respect of the sale of the Telegraph Media Group very seriously and she therefore cannot provide a running commentary on the sale. The Telegraph Media Group remains under The Public Interest Merger Reference (Telegraph Media Group Ltd) (Pre-emptive Action) Order 2024. She will keep Parliament updated on any decisions she takes relating to the transaction.

Gallantry awards, amongst them Victoria and George Crosses, honour exceptional acts of bravery and courage. The stories they tell form an important part of our national history. The Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum, which houses a significant number of these medals, has been well-loved since its creation in 2010 and has been invaluable to the public’s understanding of these acts of heroism.

The Government recognises the importance of these medals and their significance to the recipients, their families and the wider public. The Imperial War Museum has delayed the original date of the Gallery closure until the end of September to allow visitors to see the collection of medals for as long as possible. Following the closure at the end of this month, the Imperial War Museum plans to redisplay their own collection of Victoria Cross and George Cross medals at their sites across the country, meaning public access to them will be maintained and new audiences will be able to engage with these stories.

The BBC is operationally and editorially independent from the Government, and the Government cannot intervene in the BBC’s day-to-day operations. The decision on transmissions and distribution of BBC radio services, including for how much longer the BBC maintains Radio 4 long wave, is wholly a matter for the BBC.

The Government understands how important it is that citizens can access information in times of national emergency. Radio plays an important role in providing such access in a range of different emergency scenarios, including scenarios where other communications may be disrupted. The BBC has specific requirements under its Framework Agreement in relation to broadcast security and resilience, and works closely with DCMS in ensuring its networks are able to support emergency communications.

The Government Art Collection is a working collection, used across government buildings in the UK and the global estate, which means that artworks may change their display location from time to time in response to new display steers and requests.

This government is committed to supporting UK artists, including emerging talent, to succeed and reach their full potential.

As part of this Government’s Industrial Strategy, the Creative Industries Sector Plan published in June set out our ambition to unlock new opportunities for innovation across the creative sector and wider economy while ensuring a trusted copyright regime that values and protects human creativity. We continue to engage with industry to understand the challenges and opportunities it faces, including from AI, and are putting in place measures and funding that help create the conditions for UK artists to remain globally competitive.

The Creative Industries Sector Plan also announced the new Music Growth Package of up to £30 million over three years from 2026; more than doubling funding for the grassroots music sector. This funding will support new artists with touring, performance, mentoring and export opportunities and ensure they have the resources and guidance to grow their careers, reach wider audiences and remain competitive as new technologies such as AI impact the music industry landscape.

The government is highly supportive of the value of radio in local communities, and wants to support areas that are struggling to gain access to local services on digital.

Commercial radio and the BBC are responsible for the operation of their respective radio networks, including the DAB radio networks. This includes delivering coverage to areas and the provision of radio services to listeners as more listening migrates to digital radio and to online services.

DAB household coverage was assessed by the Digital Radio and Audio Review report published in October 2021. The Review concluded that the financial challenges involved meant that further DAB coverage by the BBC and commercial radio over the next 5 years was likely to be modest. While there are no current plans by the BBC to further expand the coverage of its national DAB network or by commercial radio operators to add more sites to the local DAB network, the government will continue to work with the BBC and commercial radio on developing future options.

As well as supporting the improvements to national and local DAB coverage, DCMS has backed the development of small-scale DAB with Ofcom and the radio industry. Small-scale DAB is a new way of transmitting digital radio that uses advances in software and low-cost computer technology to provide a flexible and inexpensive approach to the terrestrial broadcast of digital radio services to a relatively small geographic area. This initiative will provide local commercial and community radio stations with a viable opportunity to broadcast on digital, and reach under-served areas.

The government is highly supportive of the value of radio in local communities, and wants to support areas that are struggling to gain access to local services on digital.

Commercial radio and the BBC are responsible for the operation of their respective radio networks, including the DAB radio networks. This includes delivering coverage to areas and the provision of radio services to listeners as more listening migrates to digital radio and to online services.

DAB household coverage was assessed by the Digital Radio and Audio Review report published in October 2021. The Review concluded that the financial challenges involved meant that further DAB coverage by the BBC and commercial radio over the next 5 years was likely to be modest. While there are no current plans by the BBC to further expand the coverage of its national DAB network or by commercial radio operators to add more sites to the local DAB network, the government will continue to work with the BBC and commercial radio on developing future options.

As well as supporting the improvements to national and local DAB coverage, DCMS has backed the development of small-scale DAB with Ofcom and the radio industry. Small-scale DAB is a new way of transmitting digital radio that uses advances in software and low-cost computer technology to provide a flexible and inexpensive approach to the terrestrial broadcast of digital radio services to a relatively small geographic area. This initiative will provide local commercial and community radio stations with a viable opportunity to broadcast on digital, and reach under-served areas.

The government is highly supportive of the value of radio in local communities, and wants to support areas that are struggling to gain access to local services on digital.

Commercial radio and the BBC are responsible for the operation of their respective radio networks, including the DAB radio networks. This includes delivering coverage to areas and the provision of radio services to listeners as more listening migrates to digital radio and to online services.

DAB household coverage was assessed by the Digital Radio and Audio Review report published in October 2021. The Review concluded that the financial challenges involved meant that further DAB coverage by the BBC and commercial radio over the next 5 years was likely to be modest. While there are no current plans by the BBC to further expand the coverage of its national DAB network or by commercial radio operators to add more sites to the local DAB network, the government will continue to work with the BBC and commercial radio on developing future options.

As well as supporting the improvements to national and local DAB coverage, DCMS has backed the development of small-scale DAB with Ofcom and the radio industry. Small-scale DAB is a new way of transmitting digital radio that uses advances in software and low-cost computer technology to provide a flexible and inexpensive approach to the terrestrial broadcast of digital radio services to a relatively small geographic area. This initiative will provide local commercial and community radio stations with a viable opportunity to broadcast on digital, and reach under-served areas.

The government is highly supportive of the value of radio in local communities, and wants to support areas that are struggling to gain access to local services on digital.

Commercial radio and the BBC are responsible for the operation of their respective radio networks, including the DAB radio networks. This includes delivering coverage to areas and the provision of radio services to listeners as more listening migrates to digital radio and to online services.

DAB household coverage was assessed by the Digital Radio and Audio Review report published in October 2021. The Review concluded that the financial challenges involved meant that further DAB coverage by the BBC and commercial radio over the next 5 years was likely to be modest. While there are no current plans by the BBC to further expand the coverage of its national DAB network or by commercial radio operators to add more sites to the local DAB network, the government will continue to work with the BBC and commercial radio on developing future options.

As well as supporting the improvements to national and local DAB coverage, DCMS has backed the development of small-scale DAB with Ofcom and the radio industry. Small-scale DAB is a new way of transmitting digital radio that uses advances in software and low-cost computer technology to provide a flexible and inexpensive approach to the terrestrial broadcast of digital radio services to a relatively small geographic area. This initiative will provide local commercial and community radio stations with a viable opportunity to broadcast on digital, and reach under-served areas.

Local radio is an integral part of the communities it exists within, and local commercial and community radio services can bring localities together by reflecting local experiences and delivering local news and information.

Changes made by the Media Act 2024 remove some regulatory burdens on commercial radio operating on FM licenses, including requirements for commercial stations to deliver particular types of content or to target specific groups. This gives commercial radio stations the freedom to organise its programmes to meet the changing needs of its audiences, particularly as listening increasingly shifts to digital.

At the same time, Part 5 of the Media Act now strengthens protections for the regular broadcast of local news and local information. For example stations will be specifically required to provide news which has been gathered within the locality and the area to which they broadcast. The detailed requirements have been set out in new guidance that Ofcom has published on 1 July.

Ofcom is currently running a consultation on the implementation of these changes to local news provision (closing 22 September), and will in due course publish a new Code of Practice that will set out the detailed requirements for commercial radio stations in delivering local news relevant to their local communities.

Any assessment of compliance with licensing requirements, including the requirements to provide local news, and in light of the changes proposed by Nation Radio following its acquisition of Time 107.5, is a matter for Ofcom as the independent regulator.

Local radio is an integral part of the communities it exists within, and local commercial and community radio services can bring localities together by reflecting local experiences and delivering local news and information.

Changes made by the Media Act 2024 remove some regulatory burdens on commercial radio operating on FM licenses, including requirements for commercial stations to deliver particular types of content or to target specific groups. This gives commercial radio stations the freedom to organise its programmes to meet the changing needs of its audiences, particularly as listening increasingly shifts to digital.

At the same time, Part 5 of the Media Act now strengthens protections for the regular broadcast of local news and local information. For example stations will be specifically required to provide news which has been gathered within the locality and the area to which they broadcast. The detailed requirements have been set out in new guidance that Ofcom has published on 1 July.

Ofcom is currently running a consultation on the implementation of these changes to local news provision (closing 22 September), and will in due course publish a new Code of Practice that will set out the detailed requirements for commercial radio stations in delivering local news relevant to their local communities.

Any assessment of compliance with licensing requirements, including the requirements to provide local news, and in light of the changes proposed by Nation Radio following its acquisition of Time 107.5, is a matter for Ofcom as the independent regulator.

Local radio is an integral part of the communities it exists within, and local commercial and community radio services can bring localities together by reflecting local experiences and delivering local news and information.

Changes made by the Media Act 2024 remove some regulatory burdens on commercial radio operating on FM licenses, including requirements for commercial stations to deliver particular types of content or to target specific groups. This gives commercial radio stations the freedom to organise its programmes to meet the changing needs of its audiences, particularly as listening increasingly shifts to digital.

At the same time, Part 5 of the Media Act now strengthens protections for the regular broadcast of local news and local information. For example stations will be specifically required to provide news which has been gathered within the locality and the area to which they broadcast. The detailed requirements have been set out in new guidance that Ofcom has published on 1 July.

Ofcom is currently running a consultation on the implementation of these changes to local news provision (closing 22 September), and will in due course publish a new Code of Practice that will set out the detailed requirements for commercial radio stations in delivering local news relevant to their local communities.

Any assessment of compliance with licensing requirements, including the requirements to provide local news, and in light of the changes proposed by Nation Radio following its acquisition of Time 107.5, is a matter for Ofcom as the independent regulator.

Local radio is an integral part of the communities it exists within, and local commercial and community radio services can bring localities together by reflecting local experiences and delivering local news and information.

Changes made by the Media Act 2024 remove some regulatory burdens on commercial radio operating on FM licenses, including requirements for commercial stations to deliver particular types of content or to target specific groups. This gives commercial radio stations the freedom to organise its programmes to meet the changing needs of its audiences, particularly as listening increasingly shifts to digital.

At the same time, Part 5 of the Media Act now strengthens protections for the regular broadcast of local news and local information. For example stations will be specifically required to provide news which has been gathered within the locality and the area to which they broadcast. The detailed requirements have been set out in new guidance that Ofcom has published on 1 July.

Ofcom is currently running a consultation on the implementation of these changes to local news provision (closing 22 September), and will in due course publish a new Code of Practice that will set out the detailed requirements for commercial radio stations in delivering local news relevant to their local communities.

Any assessment of compliance with licensing requirements, including the requirements to provide local news, and in light of the changes proposed by Nation Radio following its acquisition of Time 107.5, is a matter for Ofcom as the independent regulator.

Local radio is an integral part of the communities it exists within, and local commercial and community radio services can bring localities together by reflecting local experiences and delivering local news and information.

Changes made by the Media Act 2024 remove some regulatory burdens on commercial radio operating on FM licenses, including requirements for commercial stations to deliver particular types of content or to target specific groups. This gives commercial radio stations the freedom to organise its programmes to meet the changing needs of its audiences, particularly as listening increasingly shifts to digital.

At the same time, Part 5 of the Media Act now strengthens protections for the regular broadcast of local news and local information. For example stations will be specifically required to provide news which has been gathered within the locality and the area to which they broadcast. The detailed requirements have been set out in new guidance that Ofcom has published on 1 July.

Ofcom is currently running a consultation on the implementation of these changes to local news provision (closing 22 September), and will in due course publish a new Code of Practice that will set out the detailed requirements for commercial radio stations in delivering local news relevant to their local communities.

Any assessment of compliance with licensing requirements, including the requirements to provide local news, and in light of the changes proposed by Nation Radio following its acquisition of Time 107.5, is a matter for Ofcom as the independent regulator.

It is vital that everyone participating in sport feels safe and secure.

Decisions regarding the use of changing facilities are the responsibility of facility owners. Many National Governing Bodies of sport (NGBs), local authorities and sports organisations have guidance and policies in place to help facility owners. As an example, the Child Protection in Sport Unit (CSPU) has produced best practice guidance. Similarly, Sport England’s This Girl Can Campaign published new guidance this year for gyms and leisure centres to make safer spaces for women and girls. This guidance was created in collaboration with ukactive, The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity and Women’s Aid, and is available on the Safer Spaces to Move Hub.

This is a matter for the Natural History Museum which is operationally independent of the Government. I understand that the Natural History Museum is aiming to resume e-commerce sales to Northern Ireland in the near future.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is the independent regulator for advertising in the UK and enforces the Advertising Codes. The Codes require that paid advertising content must be recognisable as such. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Act 2024 also prohibits unfair commercial practices involving misleading actions or misleading omissions within advertisements. Influencers are required to disclose when they are advertising under both the CAP code and consumer law.

The Influencer Marketing Code of Conduct, co-owned by the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA) and the Influencer Marketing Trade Body (IMBT), was launched in 2021 to improve standards in this area of advertising. The Code contains requirements for brands working with influencers, the agencies who represent them, and the influencers themselves, and includes a dedicated section on disclosure. An Influencer Marketing Working Group, established as part of the Government’s Online Advertising Taskforce, has helped provide new standards to be incorporated into the fourth iteration of the Code. This was launched in November 2024, and the group is working to encourage further take-up.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund awards funding to projects in all of the UK’s devolved nations.

The proportion of National Lottery Heritage Fund funding awarded in Northern Ireland over the last 15 years is; 2010 - 4%, 2011 - 2%, 2012 - 2%, 2013 - 8%, 2014 - 1%, 2015 - 2%, 2016 - 4%, 2017 - 5%, 2018 - 4%, 2019 - 2%, 2020 - 4%, 2021 - 1%, 2022 - 7%, 2023 - 3%, 2024 - 4%.

The proportion of National Lottery Heritage Fund funding awarded in Scotland over the last 15 years is; 2010 - 10%, 2011 - 10%, 2012 - 14%, 2013 - 9%, 2014 - 6%, 2017 - 11%, 2018 - 11%, 2019 - 7%, 2020 - 3%, 2021 - 5%, 2022 - 5%, 2023 - 9%, 2024 - 12%.

The proportion of National Lottery Heritage Fund funding awarded in Wales over the last 15 years is; 2010 - 10%, 2011 - 5%, 2012 - 3%, 2013 - 3%, 2014 - 6%, 2015 - 5%, 2016 - 6%, 2017 - 11%, 2018 - 11%, 2019 - 7%, 2020 - 3%, 2021 - 5%, 2022 - 5%, 2023 - 9%, 2024 - 12%.

Under the previously announced Cabinet Office Arm’s Length Bodies review, Government is considering how to ensure all its public bodies, including the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England, are as efficient and effective as possible and where we can bring certain functions under closer ministerial scrutiny to deliver better outcomes for communities and the places they live in. This initiative aligns with the Government's wider strategy to foster a more productive and agile public sector and has involved wide ranging discussions on a number of areas. If there are implications for the devolved nations on this, the department will reach out to them for discussions.

Since 1994, The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded over £2 billion to more than 4,500 land, nature and biodiversity projects across the UK.

Protecting the environment is one of the National Lottery Heritage Fund's four investment principles and they are prioritising landscape and nature projects that support nature’s recovery, deliver nature-based solutions to address climate change, and reconnect people with landscapes, marine environments and nature. Recent targeted work in this area has included the launch of Nature Towns and Cities, a partnership initiative that brings together organisations from across the UK to improve the quality of and access to urban green spaces, and Landscape Connections, a £150million strategic initiative supporting world-class landscapes across the UK to become better for nature and people.

The following proportionates of National Lottery Heritage Grant funding awarded to the natural environment are; 2010 - 28%, 2011 - 23%, 2012 - 23%, 2013 - 17%, 2014 - 25%, 2015 - 23%, 2016 - 26%, 2017 - 25%, 2018 - 19%, 2020 - 26%, 2021 - 28%, 2022 - 21%, 2023 - 24%, 2024 - 15%.

In the last financial year, 2024-25, Sport England invested £43,803 into South Holland and the Deepings constituency and £1,924,805 into Lincolnshire to improve access to sport and physical activity.

A large part of Sport England’s work focuses on their place partnerships work, where they work with local areas to understand and overcome the specific barriers to sport and physical activity in communities. Boston and East Lindsey in Lincolnshire are two of Sport England’s place partnerships.

I met with Sir John Hayes and Deepings Leisure Centre Community Group in July this year to discuss grassroots sport and facilities provision in his constituency.