Asked by: Lewis Cocking (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help support the provision of multi-use pitches.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England - which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding into grassroots sport across England, including providing support for England Hockey.
We are also investing £98 million into new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities across the UK through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme in 2025/26. Projects funded through the programme include new artificial multi-sport grass pitches, changing pavilions and floodlights. At least 40% of funded projects have a multi-sport offer, allowing more people to participate in a wider variety of sports.
£85 million will be invested through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities across the UK in 2026/27, with £68.35 million to be invested in England. An additional £15 million will be invested into innovative facilities in England, to allow more people to participate in sports they wish to.
Asked by: Kate Osborne (Labour - Jarrow and Gateshead East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the FA regarding proposed changes to the Women’s FA Cup.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Football Association (the national governing body for football) is independent of the Government and independently determines how they organise their competitions.
Karen Carney’s 2023 Independent Review of Women’s Football made a series of recommendations for key stakeholders in the game to take forward which included a recommendation that the FA make a clear commitment to equalising FA Cup prize money as soon as is feasible. Following the review, the Minister for Sport has convened the Women’s Football Taskforce with industry stakeholders including the FA and Football Supporters’ Association, to drive forward the recommendations of Karen Carney’s review.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help promote tourism in coastal communities.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS is committed to ensuring that tourism contributes to growth and jobs across all parts of the country including in rural and coastal communities.
The forthcoming Visitor Economy Growth Strategy will set out a long term plan to increase visitor flows across the UK, boost value, and deliver sustainable growth. Central to this strategy is the delivery of greater regional dispersal, ensuring that visitor income is spread effectively across regional destinations, including rural and coastal communities.
VisitEngland is launching a major domestic marketing campaign pilot in February, specifically highlighting the seaside resorts of the North West. This initiative aims to drive a surge in visits and overnight stays during the vital shoulder season, providing essential year-round support for local businesses.
Asked by: Baroness Bakewell of Hardington Mandeville (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent underage access to gambling via loot boxes, skin betting and other third party markets linked to video games.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to ensuring games are enjoyed safely and responsibly by everyone, including children.
Prizes that can be won via loot boxes do not have a monetary value, cannot be cashed-out, and are of value only within the context of the game. They are therefore not legally classified as gambling. However, where products do amount to unlicensed gambling, such as unlicensed skin betting, the Gambling Commission has shown that it will take swift enforcement action. There are currently no licensed gambling operators which offer skin betting.
In July 2023 the video game industry published new loot box principles to improve protections for players. Following a 12-month implementation period, the government commissioned independent academic research to assess the effectiveness of this guidance. We have engaged relevant government departments and regulators to consider the research. We will publish the report and set out our next steps in the near future..
Asked by: Lord Butler of Brockwell (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Twycross on Thursday 15 January (Hansard: HL Deb col 183), when they expect to publish the report on industry-led guidance on loot boxes.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to ensuring games are enjoyed safely and responsibly by everyone and that, where they contain loot boxes, there are appropriate protections in place for players of all ages.
To improve those protections, industry-led guidance was published in 2023 with a 12-month implementation period after which DCMS commissioned independent academic research into its effectiveness. We will publish the research in the near future, alongside our next steps.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what guidance and funding streams are available to support independent, family-owned cultural and educational attractions that contribute to community engagement and heritage preservation.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This Government recognises the importance of local heritage assets in contributing to local community engagement. Through our dedicated funds, such as the £15m Heritage at Risk Capital Fund, delivered by Historic England, and the £4.85m Heritage Revival Fund, delivered by the Architectural Heritage Fund, we support communities and local community organisations to care for and in some cases take ownership of and repurpose heritage assets for community benefit. Support is provided throughout various project stages, and may include guidance and advice on project plans, to funding for feasibility studies and larger capital grants for repairs.
On the 21st of January, the Secretary of State announced a £1.5bn Arts Everywhere package. The package includes nearly £200 million new funding for heritage protecting and preserving heritage buildings across the country:
£60 million for at risk heritage which provides grants towards repairs and conservation of historic buildings.
£41 million for the Heritage Revival Fund which helps communities to take control of and look after local heritage and bring buildings back into public use.
Further details regarding the application process,eligibility criteria and guidance, for both funds, will be announced in due course.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund offers grants between £10,000 and £10 million to projects that connect people and communities to the UK’s heritage.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether support will be made available through the Arts Everywhere funding to heritage ships of historic national significance.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Over the course of this parliament £1.5 billion will be invested in arts venues, museums, libraries and heritage attractions across England. Historic ships, where they are registered as accredited museums, can apply for the Museum Estate and Development Fund, the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund, and tax incentives like the Museums and Galleries Exhibitions Tax Relief, and Museum VAT Refund Scheme. The Government also continues to support National Historic Ships UK who lead on research, publications, training, recording and similar activities relating to the preservation of historic vessels.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2026 to Question 109187 and Question 109186 on Religious Buildings: Wales, what additional funding was agreed with the Treasury to support the Places of Worship Renewal Fund; and what amount of proportional funding was made available to the Welsh Government.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
At the Spending Review 2025, HM Treasury agreed budgets for Departments for a three-year period for Resource DEL, and a four-year period for Capital DEL. The Department then completed a Business Planning process to allocate this funding to programmes. This included £92 million (£23 million per year) for the Places of Worship Renewal Fund.
At Spending Reviews, the Devolved Governments generally receive Barnett consequentials as a proportion of overall departmental settlements, not specific funding lines or programmes. Decisions on the allocation of this funding are then for the Devolved Governments to take. We are not therefore able to provide Barnett numbers relating to specific policy measures.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to publish further information on the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Further details regarding the eligibility criteria and application process on the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund, will be published in due course. The fund will be focused on England, because Heritage is a devolved policy area. We are working closely with other funders in the sector to ensure that opportunities for funding places of worship throughout the UK are maximised.
Asked by: Kate Osborne (Labour - Jarrow and Gateshead East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed changes to the Women’s FA Cup on (a) domestic women’s leagues, (b) player welfare and (c) fans.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Football Association (the national governing body for football) is independent of the Government and independently determines how they organise their competitions.
Karen Carney’s 2023 Independent Review of Women’s Football made a series of recommendations for key stakeholders in the game to take forward which included a recommendation that the FA make a clear commitment to equalising FA Cup prize money as soon as is feasible. Following the review, the Minister for Sport has convened the Women’s Football Taskforce with industry stakeholders including the FA and Football Supporters’ Association, to drive forward the recommendations of Karen Carney’s review.