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 incentivise local film makers to produce television in their own parts of the UK.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government incentivises television production across the UK through competitive tax reliefs, and generous support for studio infrastructure. Our public service broadcasters are also subject to regional production quotas, which encourage production activity in the nations and regions of the UK.

In recognition of the importance of this issue, the Secretary of State has challenged broadcasters and other commissioners to commission and produce more television content outside of London and the South East, with local creatives and producers given more opportunities to tell local stories that reflect the full diversity of people, communities and experiences across the UK. This will ensure that more people see themselves reflected on screen and as part of our national story. We have been clear that broadcasters and producers alike should be providing opportunities to local creatives and members of the local production workforce.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps with the Fundraising Regulator to help ensure compliance by social fundraising platforms with its guidance on the prominence of a zero fee or tip option.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Fundraising platforms are commercial organisations that provide an important service to charities and donors. Most platforms are registered with the Fundraising Regulator, which is the independent, non-statutory regulator of charitable fundraising in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. DCMS meets with the Fundraising Regulator regularly to discuss a range of issues, including fundraising platforms.

The Fundraising Regulator’s new Code of Fundraising Practice, which will come into force on 1 November 2025, includes requirements for fundraising platforms to include information for donors about how fees, including any voluntary tips, are calculated. The information must be easy to find, and include details on how voluntary tips can be amended or removed altogether in a straightforward way. The Fundraising Regulator will engage with fundraising platforms to ensure they are clear on the new transparency requirements for fees and tipping sliders before the new Code comes into effect.

The government has no current plans to bring forward legislation on fundraising platforms. DCMS will continue working with the Fundraising Regulator, charities, and online giving platforms to support best practice across all forms of charitable fundraising.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to require that tipping sliders on online fundraising platforms can be dragged to zero.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Fundraising platforms are commercial organisations that provide an important service to charities and donors. Most platforms are registered with the Fundraising Regulator, which is the independent, non-statutory regulator of charitable fundraising in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. DCMS meets with the Fundraising Regulator regularly to discuss a range of issues, including fundraising platforms.

The Fundraising Regulator’s new Code of Fundraising Practice, which will come into force on 1 November 2025, includes requirements for fundraising platforms to include information for donors about how fees, including any voluntary tips, are calculated. The information must be easy to find, and include details on how voluntary tips can be amended or removed altogether in a straightforward way. The Fundraising Regulator will engage with fundraising platforms to ensure they are clear on the new transparency requirements for fees and tipping sliders before the new Code comes into effect.

The government has no current plans to bring forward legislation on fundraising platforms. DCMS will continue working with the Fundraising Regulator, charities, and online giving platforms to support best practice across all forms of charitable fundraising.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with the Fundraising Regulator on the transparency of tipping sliders on online fundraising platforms.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Fundraising platforms are commercial organisations that provide an important service to charities and donors. Most platforms are registered with the Fundraising Regulator, which is the independent, non-statutory regulator of charitable fundraising in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. DCMS meets with the Fundraising Regulator regularly to discuss a range of issues, including fundraising platforms.

The Fundraising Regulator’s new Code of Fundraising Practice, which will come into force on 1 November 2025, includes requirements for fundraising platforms to include information for donors about how fees, including any voluntary tips, are calculated. The information must be easy to find, and include details on how voluntary tips can be amended or removed altogether in a straightforward way. The Fundraising Regulator will engage with fundraising platforms to ensure they are clear on the new transparency requirements for fees and tipping sliders before the new Code comes into effect.

The government has no current plans to bring forward legislation on fundraising platforms. DCMS will continue working with the Fundraising Regulator, charities, and online giving platforms to support best practice across all forms of charitable fundraising.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions her Department has had with the BBC board on impartiality in news coverage of the conflict in Israel and Gaza.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport meets regularly with BBC leadership, including its Board, to discuss a range of topics.

The Government believes that it is absolutely fundamental that stories about the events in Gaza are told and heard, but are done so with the utmost care, transparency and sensitivity. Under its Royal Charter and Ofcom’s wider Broadcasting Code, the BBC has a duty to provide accurate and impartial news and information. This responsibility is particularly important when it comes to coverage of highly sensitive issues, such as the conflict in Gaza. Ofcom, as the BBC’s independent regulator, is responsible for ensuring BBC coverage is impartial and accurate under the Broadcasting Code and BBC Charter.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to curb the sale of looted antiquities from Syria on the international market.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government is committed to preventing the sale of looted antiquities. Through our International Cultural Heritage Protection programme, we work closely with international partners, including the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA), Blue Shield International and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on projects to prevent the trafficking and sale of looted antiquities, including those from Syria.

We have a range of provisions in international and domestic UK law, including criminal offences, to protect cultural objects from unlawful removal and illicit trade. UK authorities work with the UK art market and online selling platforms, such as eBay, to combat the sale of stolen and looted cultural objects. The Government encourages anyone who believes that a cultural object has been stolen or looted to raise it with the appropriate authorities.

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 implications for her policies of the possible regulatory failures identified in the Review of the Regulation of BetIndex Limited: final report, published on 22 September 2021, in the context of providing compensation to individuals who incurred financial losses as a result of the collapse of Football Index.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

I refer my Honourable Friend to the answer I gave on 8 January 2025 to Question UIN 21381.

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 promote the use of redundant churches for (a) cultural, (b) community and (c) educational purposes.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Arms-Length body the Churches Conservation Trust is the national charity that saves redundant historic churches at risk, and has a portfolio of over 350 churches that have been kept open and now used to serve the local communities. These are now enjoyed as cultural, social, tourism and educational resources with over 4000 community, arts and educational events taking place within them per year.

Additionally, redundant churches may be eligible for wider DCMS Heritage funding to support their use by the community. In February my Department announced new funding worth almost £20 million for 2025/26. The Heritage at Risk fund will restore local heritage and is targeted towards areas of higher deprivation. The Heritage Revival Fund empowers local people to take control of and look after their local heritage, supporting community organisations to own neglected heritage buildings and bring them back into good use.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff network events took place in her Department in May 2025 ; and what the names of those events were.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Staff networks are collaborative volunteer networks, organised by staff themselves rather than the department. As a result, events are organised by staff themselves, not the department. We are aware of the following events that these networks organised in May 2025.

7 events were held in May:

1. For Mental Health Awareness Week, 5 events took place:

• Women’s Mental Health Talk, Monday, May 12.

• Men’s Mental Health Talk, Monday, May 12,

• Keeping Healthy at Work, Wednesday, May 14

• LGBT+ Awareness Talk, Thursday, May 15

• Mental Health Awareness Week Panel, Thursday, May 15

2. For World Culture Day, optional drop-in “bring your own lunches” were hosted in Manchester, Darlington and London on Wednesday, May 21.

3. The Faith and Belief Network, held a “Faith, Fasting and Food” lunchtime discussion on Thursday, May 22

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has updated guidance on the use of single-sex facilities in response to the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

We will review and update policy wherever necessary to ensure it complies with the latest legal requirements. We aim to ensure appropriate facilities are available for all staff.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many schools engaged with Historic England’s Heritage Schools Programme in each region in the most recent academic year for which data is available.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The most recent academic year for which DCMS holds data is September 2023 - July 2024. 582 schools have engaged with Historic England’s Heritage Schools Programme, with approximately 116,400 children participating.

The regional breakdown is as follows:

There was no delivery in London and the South East in the 2023-24 academic year, however Historic England are supporting Surrey Museums to run a Heritage Schools programme in their area this year.

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 increase access to sport for children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend constituency.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

I regularly meet with Ministerial counterparts on a range of issues, including young people’s engagement in sport and the barriers around this for those from lower socio-economic groups.

In the 2024/25 Financial Year, Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend constituency received £102,947 from Sport England, our Arm’s Length Body responsible for physical activity and sport participation in England, to increase sport and physical activity opportunities for local communities. Sport England also recently announced Gateshead and South Tyneside as two of their new 53 Place Partnerships, which will receive support to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions, including for children and young people.

More widely, the Government recently announced £100 million additional funding for the UK-wide Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme which funds new and upgraded pitches, facilities, and equipment ensuring a more inclusive and sustainable offer for local communities, including children and young people.

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 Cabinet colleagues on steps to increase access to sport for children from low income households.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

I regularly meet with Ministerial counterparts on a range of issues, including young people’s engagement in sport and the barriers around this for those from lower socio-economic groups.

In the 2024/25 Financial Year, Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend constituency received £102,947 from Sport England, our Arm’s Length Body responsible for physical activity and sport participation in England, to increase sport and physical activity opportunities for local communities. Sport England also recently announced Gateshead and South Tyneside as two of their new 53 Place Partnerships, which will receive support to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions, including for children and young people.

More widely, the Government recently announced £100 million additional funding for the UK-wide Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme which funds new and upgraded pitches, facilities, and equipment ensuring a more inclusive and sustainable offer for local communities, including children and young people.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the BBC about making access to its television channels by residents of the Republic of Ireland subject to subscription payment.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government does not hold information about the number of people who have access to free BBC channels from the Republic of Ireland.

The Government has not had discussions with the BBC about making access to its television channels by residents of the Republic of Ireland subject to subscription payment. With regard to the ongoing distribution of UK television services in the Republic of Ireland, the Government remains committed to the relevant provisions set out in the Good Friday Agreement and 2010 Memorandum of Understanding.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many people in the Republic of Ireland have access to free BBC television channels.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government does not hold information about the number of people who have access to free BBC channels from the Republic of Ireland.

The Government has not had discussions with the BBC about making access to its television channels by residents of the Republic of Ireland subject to subscription payment. With regard to the ongoing distribution of UK television services in the Republic of Ireland, the Government remains committed to the relevant provisions set out in the Good Friday Agreement and 2010 Memorandum of Understanding.

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 10 June 2025 to Question 55042 on Football Governance Bill (HL), what was discussed with UEFA on the Football Governance Bill at that meeting; and whether she plans to meet UEFA before the (a) third reading of the Football Governance Bill in the House of Commons and (b) independent football regulator is established.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Secretary of State and I continue to meet with clubs, leagues, governing bodies, fan groups and many other stakeholders from across the game to discuss the Football Governance Bill. This will continue throughout the Bill’s passage and beyond.

During my last discussion with UEFA on 11 November, we discussed a range of topics including the Football Governance Bill. UEFA expressed no concerns regarding the Bill.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has a strategy to help increase participation in cricket by women and girls.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government is committed to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, are able to participate in sport and physical activity.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding.

This includes long term investment to the England and Wales Cricket Board, the National Governing Body for cricket, which receives up to £11.6 million for five years to invest in community cricket initiatives. This includes programmes such as Chance to Shine, that will benefit everyone, including disabled people, women and girls and older people. ECB Cricket youth programmes such as All Stars and Dynamos also provide fun and engaging ways for young women and girls to engage in inclusive cricket.

We look forward to hosting the Women's T20 World Cup in 2026. By supporting the ECB to host major events such as the World Cup, the Government is committed to making sure that women and girls have clear routes to see elite female athletes compete at the highest level which is key to inspiring and engaging fans and players now and into the future.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what total quantified estimate they have made of fraud and error in the Culture Recovery Fund; what methodology, including statistical sampling or independent audit verification, they used to calculate that estimate; and how that methodology has evolved since the start of the fund.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

While the department has recently updated data on detected fraud and error, there is no overall quantified estimate of total (detected and undetected) fraud and error for the CRF.

For the core grant programmes delivered by Arts Council England, British Film Institute, and National Lottery Heritage Fund, and DCMS’s loans programme: fraud risk assessment, due diligence, upfront eligibility verification and post award sampling of grants took place across the Fund. This was either conducted or reviewed by independent auditors, however, the methodologies were not all based on statistical sampling so can not be brought together.

The total fraud and error detected across the CRF programmes is £12.9 million, consisting mainly of dual funding with the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and breaches of terms and conditions. Of this, £10.3 million has been recovered.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the fraud and error of the Film and TV Production Restart Scheme; what processes are in place to identify, quantify and mitigate fraud and error in that scheme; and how much has been recovered as a result of those processes as of the most recent date available.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

External auditors were appointed to review the level of fraud and error in the Film and TV Production Restart Scheme, which ran between October 2020 and April 2022 under the previous Government. This was an indemnity scheme with robust checks at application and claims stages by the scheme administrator and loss adjusters.

The evaluation found an error rate of less than 1%, and did not identify any fraud. The supplier concluded that the scheme had strong governance controls in place reducing the risk of fraud, and the rate of error was within expectations, particularly in the context of a pandemic where there is a need to prioritise speed and financial support to organisations. Errors were reviewed by the administrator and corrected where appropriate within the terms of the scheme, with £2240 recovered accounting for the majority of the error rate.

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 support deaf athletes in Surrey Heath constituency.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government is dedicated to making sport across the country accessible and inclusive for everyone, including d/Deaf people.

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.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many permanent civil servants in her Department had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

From 1st April 2022 - 31st March 2025 there were seven dismissals. Of this total there were less than five poor performance dismissals that occurred between April 2023- March 2024.

We are unable to provide the precise number of poor performance dismissals because this would constitute a breach of the Data Protection Act, this is because the information relates to someone other than the data subjects and the risk of individuals becoming identifiable where case numbers are 5 or less.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether (a) the Prime Minister and (b) his office had contact with the confirmed candidate (i) prior to and (ii) during the appointment process for the Chair of the Independent Football Regulator.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

I am the appointing Minister.

The preferred Chair appointment was subject to pre-appointment scrutiny by the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee.

The Commissioner for Public Appointments is carrying out an inquiry into the campaign to appoint a new Chair of the Independent Football Regulator. The Government is co-operating fully with the Commissioner's office.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Prime Minister has had discussions with the Commissioner for Public Appointments on the appointment of the Chair of the Independent Football Regulator.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

I am the appointing Minister.

The preferred Chair appointment was subject to pre-appointment scrutiny by the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee.

The Commissioner for Public Appointments is carrying out an inquiry into the campaign to appoint a new Chair of the Independent Football Regulator. The Government is co-operating fully with the Commissioner's office.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she is taking steps to reallocate National Citizen Service funding to the wider youth sector.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

This Government recognises the transformative role that youth services play in young people’s lives. We know that being part of supportive communities and having access to youth provision can improve a young person’s wellbeing, health and personal development.

The Secretary of State previously committed to set out this department's 2025-26 funding for youth programmes - an investment of over £145 million - to provide stability to the youth sector and ensure young people can continue to access opportunities, as we transition to the new National Youth Strategy.

The Government will publish the National Youth Strategy this Summer. The detail and scale of the funding commitments included in the strategy will be shaped by engagement with young people and the youth sector and will be announced in due course.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has had discussions with the Camanachd Association on support for shinty.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Whilst the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not had discussions with the Camanachd Association, the Government is supportive of shinty as an important grassroots sport, particularly in Scotland. The Department regularly works with the Scottish Government, for example as part of the Inter-Ministerial Group for Sport.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the contribution of the Highland Games to UK sporting (a) culture and (b) heritage.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

DCMS recognises the contribution of the Highland Games to UK sport, culture and heritage but no formal assessment has been made as these areas are devolved to the Scottish Government.

However, we would encourage the Highland Games community to engage with our work on living heritage.

As part of the implementation of the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the UK Government is working closely with the Devolved Governments to create inventories for each of the four nations in the UK; these will combine into one inventory of Living Heritage (or Intangible Cultural Heritage) in the UK.

We would welcome a submission from the Highland Games community when we open the call for submissions later this year.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the UK-US trade deal on the (a) culture, (b) media and (c) sport sectors.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The deal does not have direct or immediate implications for the culture, media or sports sectors, but the UK and US have a long mutually beneficial relationship embracing our thriving cultural, media and sports sectors and we will continue to monitor the situation, and take action where needed to protect and promote these sectors' interests.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on promoting reading through (a) song lyrics, (b) fan fiction and (c) social media content.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Secretary of State has not held specific discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on the areas listed. However, the Secretary of State speaks regularly to the Secretary of State for Education and fully supports that department's ambitions for a rich and broad curriculum that values creativity.

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 16 June 2025 to Question 59074 on Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme: Lancashire, which three projects received funding from the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme in Fylde constituency in the 2023-25 financial year.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The three projects in the constituency of Fylde that have benefited from Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme investment during the 2024/25 financial year are:

• Park View Road Playing Fields,

• William Pickles Sport Ground

• Roseacre Road Playing Fields

The two projects in the constituency of Fylde that have benefited from Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme investment during the 2023/34 financial year are:

• Staining Village Hall

• Cottam Hall

All projects received grant awards for new goalposts.

On 9 June 2025, the Government published an updated list of completed MSGF projects across the UK, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/multi-sport-grassroots-facilities-programme-projects-2021-to-2025.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing the recommendation on the right of charities to hold Government to account within the forthcoming Civil Society Covenant framework set out on page 20 of the report by NCVO and ACEVO entitled A New Relationship, published in May 2025.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is developing a Civil Society Covenant which will be published in the Summer. The Covenant will act as a foundation for resetting the relationship between government and civil society, symbolising recognition of the sector as a trusted and independent partner. DCMS is working closely with departments across government, including the Cabinet Office, to ensure the Covenant is developed and implemented effectively. DCMS has also worked closely with civil society organisations, including NCVO and ACEVO, from the beginning of the process and has conducted a significant period of engagement across the civil society sector to inform the development of the Covenant. The feedback and recommendations in the NCVO and ACEVO report titled ‘A New Partnership’ are being carefully considered as the Covenant develops.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the recommendation on Feedback on accountability and implementation on page 18 of the report by NCVO and ACEVO entitled A New Partnership: Building a Covenant for Civil Society and Government, published on 21 May 2025.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is developing a Civil Society Covenant which will be published in the Summer. The Covenant will act as a foundation for resetting the relationship between government and civil society, symbolising recognition of the sector as a trusted and independent partner. DCMS is working closely with departments across government, including the Cabinet Office, to ensure the Covenant is developed and implemented effectively. DCMS has also worked closely with civil society organisations, including NCVO and ACEVO, from the beginning of the process and has conducted a significant period of engagement across the civil society sector to inform the development of the Covenant. The feedback and recommendations in the NCVO and ACEVO report titled ‘A New Partnership’ are being carefully considered as the Covenant develops.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the report by NCVO and ACEVO entitled A new partnership: Building a Covenant for Civil Society and Government section 6 page 7, published in May 2025, whether she has made an assessment of the merits of holding yearly reviews of stakeholder experience.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is developing a Civil Society Covenant which will be published in the Summer. The Covenant will act as a foundation for resetting the relationship between government and civil society, symbolising recognition of the sector as a trusted and independent partner. DCMS is working closely with departments across government, including the Cabinet Office, to ensure the Covenant is developed and implemented effectively. DCMS has also worked closely with civil society organisations, including NCVO and ACEVO, from the beginning of the process and has conducted a significant period of engagement across the civil society sector to inform the development of the Covenant. The feedback and recommendations in the NCVO and ACEVO report titled ‘A New Partnership’ are being carefully considered as the Covenant develops.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of recommendation 2 of the report by NCVO and ACEVO entitled A new partnership.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is developing a Civil Society Covenant which will be published in the Summer. The Covenant will act as a foundation for resetting the relationship between government and civil society, symbolising recognition of the sector as a trusted and independent partner. DCMS is working closely with departments across government, including the Cabinet Office, to ensure the Covenant is developed and implemented effectively. DCMS has also worked closely with civil society organisations, including NCVO and ACEVO, from the beginning of the process and has conducted a significant period of engagement across the civil society sector to inform the development of the Covenant. The feedback and recommendations in the NCVO and ACEVO report titled ‘A New Partnership’ are being carefully considered as the Covenant develops.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the annual costs of the office of the Independent Football Regulator.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Football Governance Bill Impact Assessment, which was approved under the last government, estimates that the operating costs of the Independent Football Regulator will be between £8.0m per annum and £10.2m per annum, for the first 10 years. While these are reasonable estimations of the levy charge they should not be treated as conclusive final costs. Final costs will be dependent on the scope of the Bill passed by Parliament and the work necessary to ensure clubs are complying with the regulatory regime.

These estimates have been adjusted to account for the impact of inflation, and future costs have been converted to their present value, as per Green Book guidance issued by His Majesty’s Treasury for Impact Assessments.

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 20 May 2025 to Question 52581 on Broadcasting, whether her Department is responsible for initiating changes to OFCOM's oversight role.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has overall sponsorship responsibility for Ofcom. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport retains responsibility for broadcasting policy. This includes relevant legislation that sets out Ofcom’s duties regarding broadcasting regulation.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if her Department will support initiatives to connect books with (a) TV, (b) film and (c) gaming franchises to engage children and young people with reading.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The government recognises the importance of reading for children’s development and of reading for pleasure. All children should have the opportunity to access books and other resources to support their learning and enjoyment. Many recognisable British stories start out as books before finding new audiences told through film, TV and video games adaptations, with production supported by the Government’s stable, efficient and reliable creative tax reliefs. The government is always supportive of the creative industries working together to enhance access of children to reading and literacy.

Arts Council England provides funding to literature organisations, writers, and independent publishers through National Portfolio funding and project grants. This includes grants for literary festivals, and support for organisations like BookTrust, which in addition to getting millions of children reading each year, works with school children until the age of 13 to showcase the very best in children’s literature. Moreover, Into Film and their partners have developed a course “Teaching Literacy through Film” which supports the use of film in classroom settings to improve speaking, listening, comprehension, and writing attainment. Many resources are provided from Oliver Twist to How to Train Your Dragon which combine the best of film and literature to provide excellent learning outcomes.

The government has also established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The review seeks to deliver an excellent foundation in the core subjects of reading, writing and maths, and a rich and broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work. This includes creative subjects such as art and design, music and drama. The Review Group has now published a well-evidenced, clear interim report, which highlights the successes of the current system, making clear that the most trusted and valued aspects of our system will remain, whilst setting a positive vision for the future. The government will respond to the final recommendations in autumn.

In addition to the role that industry can play, public libraries are an important resource for teachers, parents and children to engage children and young people with reading.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what support is available for community sports organisations to help modernise (a) running tracks and (b) other facilities.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government recognises that sports clubs and facilities are important to communities up and down the country. High-quality, inclusive facilities help people get active. Everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, should have access to them and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity.

Grassroots sport is also funded through the Government’s Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, who invest over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year.

Sport England’s Movement Fund also offers crowdfunding pledges, grants and resources to improve physical activity opportunities for the people and communities who need it the most. The Movement Fund can be used for the refurbishment or upgrading facilities to improve or create spaces that can provide opportunities to get more people active.

Alongside funding Sport England also provides extensive guidance to organisations looking to develop and modernise facilities. This guidance is available here.

The Government is also committed to continued funding for grassroots facilities. £100 million will be invested into grassroots sport facilities across the UK through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme. Investment into individual projects is still to be determined for 2025-26.

Future funding of sports facilities beyond 2025/26 will be considered following the Spending Review.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the guidance entitled Libraries as a statutory service, published on 21 February 2025, whether her Department was informed by Leicester City Council of its plans for a consultation on the future of its library service before that consultation was launched.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Department officials have met with City Council officers on several occasions to understand their public library proposals, as well as their consultation plans and to remind the Council of its statutory duty. This included a meeting on 24th March 2025. The City Council’s consultation on ‘Proposals for Leicester city libraries and community centres’ opened on 2nd April 2025.

The guidance set out in Libraries as a Statutory Service encourages, but does not mandate, councils to inform the department when it is considering changing its library service, before public engagement or consultation.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she will publish the civil society covenant.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is working closely with civil society representatives to develop a Civil Society Covenant that will act as a foundation for resetting the relationship between government and civil society. We aim to publish the final Covenant in the summer.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of protections for non-designated but significant archaeological sites under current (a) heritage and (b) land management regulations; and if she will consider introducing new (i) powers and (ii) funding streams to support (A) geophysical surveys and (B) site preservation where landowner cooperation is not forthcoming.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

No such assessment has been undertaken recently.

The significance of non-designated heritage assets varies considerably. Measures to help conserve significant non-designated heritage assets through the planning and development control processes are included in national planning policy, while incentives for the positive management of some of those located in rural areas can be found in environmental land management schemes. Owners of such assets can also consider entering into related conservation covenants.

The protections conferred specifically by heritage legislation primarily relate to designated heritage assets, including Scheduled Monuments and Listed Buildings. Some non-designated heritage assets may benefit from a degree of legislative protection by being incidentally located on, in or under land that has been protected by non-heritage-related designations (such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest).

The Government has no plans at the present time to introduce further measures.

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 an increase in gambling levies on pools operators.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

As set out in the government’s consultation response, the statutory gambling levy will be charged at a set rate for all holders of a Gambling Commission licence, ranging from 1.1% to 0.1% of Gross Gambling Yield (GGY). Remote and non-remote pool betting operators will be charged the levy at the lowest rate of 0.1%. We will conduct a formal review of the statutory levy system within five years where the structure and effectiveness of the system, including levy rates, will be assessed and any necessary adjustments made to ensure we are achieving our objectives and impacts are proportionate.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Twycross on 12 June (HL Deb col 306GC), where the figures that the crafts subsector generated around £400 million in gross value added and employed around 7000 highly skilled artisans were originally sourced from; and how these these figures have been computed.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

These figures are sourced from accredited official statistics published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) as part of the DCMS Sectors Economic Estimates series.

Our annual gross value added (GVA) statistics, based on data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), provisionally estimate that the crafts subsector contributed £400 million to the UK economy in 2023. Our employment statistics, based on data from the ONS Annual Population Survey, estimate that there were 7,000 filled jobs in the crafts subsector in 2023.

Detailed methodological information about these statistics is available in the accompanying technical report published in each statistics release.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a list of the Government Art Collection (GAC) items in each ministerial office that have been selected by ministers since the general election, broken down by (1) minister, (2) artist, (3) title, and (4) GAC number.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government Art Collection is a working collection, used across government buildings in the UK and the global estate, which means that artworks displayed in ministerial offices may change from time to time in response to new display steers and requests. The Government Art Collection website has all artworks belonging to the Collection and their current location. It is possible to search for all artworks in a specific location.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has approved a funding application for Basement Films Company in the last 12 months.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

No. DCMS does not directly approve individual funding applications for film and television content. Our partners, including the British Film Institute (BFI), are responsible for implementing specific funding programmes. The BFI has advised they have no record of funding being awarded to this production company.

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 Spending Review 2025 on the Park Tennis Courts Programme.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities.

On 20 June, my Rt Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, committed £400 million to continued investment in local sport facilities on 20 June, following the recent Spending Review. We will work closely with sporting bodies - including the Lawn Tennis Association - and local leaders to establish what each community needs and then set out further plans.

The Park Tennis Court Programme was a joint investment between the UK Government and LTA that started in 2022 and concluded in 2024.

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 Spending Review 2025 on the National Youth Strategy.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

This Government fully recognises the importance of youth services to help young people live safe and healthy lives, and we are committed to giving all young people the chance to reach their full potential. The funding commitments within the National Youth Strategy will depend on departmental business planning processes, now underway following the recent spending review. The detail and scale of the funding commitments included in the strategy will also be shaped by engagement with young people and the youth sector.The Government will publish the strategy this autumn.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the strength of local print media; and what plans they have, if any, to offer financial or other assistance to that sector.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Sustainability of local journalism, in print as well as online, is an area of particular concern for this Government. We are developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of this vital sector. Our vision is a thriving local media that can continue to play an invaluable role as a key channel of trustworthy information at local level: reporting on the issues that matter to communities, reflecting their contributions and perspectives, and helping to foster a self-confident nation in which everyone feels that their contribution is part of an inclusive national story.

We are working across Government and with other stakeholders as the Strategy develops, and we recently held a roundtable discussion with local news editors to discuss our planned approach and collaboration with industry on the Strategy. An industry working group has now been set up to consider the issues in more detail and we will announce more in the coming months.

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 ensure that (a) people and (b) organisations involved in futsal feel able to raise concerns about the conduct of (i) the Football Association and (ii) other governing bodies to the relevant authorities without fear of adverse consequences.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

England Futsal is a private company, licensed by the Football Association (FA).

In the first instance, participants should follow the complaints process of the relevant National Governing Body (NGB), including any procedures for appeal. UK Sport’s and Sport England’s complaints procedures set out how they handle complaints falling within their remits.

The Code for Sports Governance sets out the levels of transparency, diversity and inclusion, accountability and integrity that are required from sporting governing bodies, including the FA, who seek, and are in receipt of, Government and National Lottery funding from either Sport England or UK Sport.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what funding her Department has allocated to grassroots sports clubs in Ashfield constituency in the last 12 months.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, has access to and benefits from high-quality sport facilities, which offer the chance to be physically active.

The Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sports and health club facilities through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding in areas of greatest need to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions. Details of the funded projects are available on Sport England’s website here.

The constituency of Ashfield also received a total of £1,849,232 of investment via the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme in 2024/25. Details of the funded projects are available on Gov.uk here.

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 17 June 2025 to Question 59412 on Government Departments: Reviews, if her Department will publish the line by line review of its spending conducted for the Spending Review 2025.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Department for Digital, Media and Sport is committed to meeting the 5% savings and efficiency target, with SR funding allocations agreed on this basis.

These funding allocations – informed by the findings of the ZBR – are the first step in a wider plan to finalise budgets for different projects and programmes, with any necessary savings decided through that process. The savings taken forward will be subject to the normal rigorous business planning processes, and in-year financial management.

Found: tax system HC 645 22nd Government’s support for biomass HC 715 21st Fixing NHS Dentistry HC 648 20th DCMS

Found: She has secured competitive funding from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)

Found: There was the National Citizen Service in DCMS, which I think David Cameron set up as Prime Minister

Found: tax system HC 645 22nd Government’s support for biomass HC 715 21st Fixing NHS Dentistry HC 648 20th DCMS

Found: tax system HC 645 22nd Government’s support for biomass HC 715 21st Fixing NHS Dentistry HC 648 20th DCMS

Found: Dawn Butler: It would be DCMS. Chair: Okay, fine. Any other questions?

Found: Justice (MoJ), the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS

Found: Correspondence to Minister for Sport, Media, Civil Society and Youth, DCMS, re, Health Barriers for girls

Found: tax system HC 645 22nd Government’s support for biomass HC 715 21st Fixing NHS Dentistry HC 648 20th DCMS

Found: aim is for the group to be managed by DSIT, supported by officials and Ministers from both DSIT and DCMS

Found: aim is for the group to be managed by DSIT, supported by officials and Ministers from both DSIT and DCMS

Found: Jonathan Roberts: DCMS, largely. Lord Harlech: We had Project Gigabit, did we not?

Found: important from a MHCLG and housing perspective, although possibly less far up the priorities for DCMS

Found: In the last few years, for example, I have noticed how Departments like DCMS think about the online

Found: In the last few years, for example, I have noticed how Departments like DCMS think about the online

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to help support the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

As set out in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) Royal Charter, the six member countries contribute to the funding of the Commission in proportion to the number of graves maintained for each nation’s Armed Forces. The United Kingdom is the largest contributor, paying 79% of the Commission’s budget via quarterly payments. For this year, that equates to a UK contribution of £59 million.

Given the scale of the UK contribution, the Secretary of State for Defence is the Chair of the CWGC. Additionally, the Defence Services Secretary represents Defence at the quarterly CWGC Commissioners’ meetings and the regular finance meetings where budgets are agreed and expenditure monitored.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) also work closely with the CWGC on selected commemorative events. Alongside this year’s landmark VE Day 80 and VJ Day 80 anniversaries, DCMS are leading Government assistance to the CWGC’s delivery of the ‘For Evermore Tour’, a programme of over 250 mobile exhibitions and events across the UK and at key global commemorative sites, to honour and share the stories of those who served in the Second World War. Questions related to that specific assistance should be addressed to DCMS.

Found: and former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS

Found: and former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS

Found: Managed Expenditure Expenditure arising from: Provisions, impairments and other AME expenditure from DCMS

Found: Managed Expenditure Expenditure arising from: Provisions, impairments and other AME expenditure from DCMS

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Found: ), the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS

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Found: DCMS instigated a Cultural Recovery Board to further review larger grants and loans to help mitigate

Found: The government’s interests were managed by a dedicated team in DCMS – the Government Olympic Executive

Found: UK Businesses,’ a report prepared by Verian and the Innovation and Research Caucus for DSIT and DCMS

Found: We will kickstart growth, with DCMS more than doubling targeted funding for the Creative Industries,