Submit Evidence (by 4 Nov 2026)

The committee will examine the department's progress in delivering 'Youth Matters: Your National Youth Strategy', which was published in December 2025.

Found: extremism) • Ofsted (inspection and safeguarding) • Office for Students (university regulation) • DCMS

Found: I know that it is work that the Secretary of State at DCMS is looking at.

Found: the women in tech taskforce has gone to DCMS instead of Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.

Found: the women in tech taskforce has gone to DCMS instead of Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.

Found: the women in tech taskforce has gone to DCMS instead of Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an accelerated collection loans process from national to regional museums, for those with accreditation under the UK Museum Accreditation Scheme.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

Fulfilling the manifesto commitment to increase loans from national collections is a key priority for the Secretary of State. DCMS is actively considering delivery models, in consultation with the sector and Arts Council England.

There is no single process for loans from DCMS-sponsored national museums to regional museums, as national museums’ loan policies and procedures are a matter for the individual museum. The conditions associated with each loan will vary according to the item being borrowed. In 2024/25, national museums made loans to 1,078 venues across the UK.

DCMS is also working with ACE on improvements to the Government Indemnity Scheme (GIS) - a key enabler for museum loans - in line with the government response to the recent ACE Review recommendation that it should adopt a more pragmatic approach to risk appetite in relation to the Scheme. Work is also underway to make the GIS guidelines clearer for museums, and to create a digital system which will speed up the current application process. As organisations in receipt of government funding, national museums are not in scope for cover under the GIS but may find improvements to the scheme beneficial when considering their own loans to regional museums.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the efficacy of the current collection loans process from national to regional museums.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

Fulfilling the manifesto commitment to increase loans from national collections is a key priority for the Secretary of State. DCMS is actively considering delivery models, in consultation with the sector and Arts Council England.

There is no single process for loans from DCMS-sponsored national museums to regional museums, as national museums’ loan policies and procedures are a matter for the individual museum. The conditions associated with each loan will vary according to the item being borrowed. In 2024/25, national museums made loans to 1,078 venues across the UK.

DCMS is also working with ACE on improvements to the Government Indemnity Scheme (GIS) - a key enabler for museum loans - in line with the government response to the recent ACE Review recommendation that it should adopt a more pragmatic approach to risk appetite in relation to the Scheme. Work is also underway to make the GIS guidelines clearer for museums, and to create a digital system which will speed up the current application process. As organisations in receipt of government funding, national museums are not in scope for cover under the GIS but may find improvements to the scheme beneficial when considering their own loans to regional museums.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if her Department will consider establishing a statutory Cornish Language Commissioner with responsibility for advising on, developing and monitoring a formal Cornish Language Development Plan.

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

DCMS does not currently have plans to establish a statutory Cornish Language Commissioner.

Consistent with the Government’s ambitious devolution agenda and its belief that local communities are best placed to identify and deliver the support needed in their areas, Cornwall Council, with the support of UK Government, is leading efforts to strengthen and promote the Cornish language. This locally led approach ensures that measures are tailored to Cornwall’s unique cultural and linguistic heritage, while enabling the language to flourish for future generations.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether any internship schemes managed by (a) her Department and (b) each of its Arm’s Length Bodies are restricted to applicants on the basis of (i) ethnicity, (ii) social class and (iii) both.

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

1. DCMS runs an internship scheme with one of our partners, Upreach, which is restricted to applicants of a low-socio economic background. In addition, DCMS takes part in the Cabinet Office run Summer Internship Scheme which provides placements to individuals from low-socioeconomic backgrounds. No schemes are run which are restricted to applicants on the basis of ethnicity.

2. DCMS does not collect this information for its Arms Length Bodies.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2026 to Question 16029 on Darlington Economic Campus: Remote Working, how many DCMS departmental staff are assigned to work at the Darlington Economic Campus, how many desks are assigned to that office for those staff.

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

There are currently 9 FTE staff contracted to our office in Feethams House, Darlington Economic Campus. DCMS currently occupies 6 work stations in Feethams House.

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what consultations they undertook in advance of the establishment of the Prize Competition Council on 1 July; whether they included the Advertising Standards Authority, the Committee of Advertising Practice and the Institute of Promotional Marketing in any such consultations; and what was the result of those consultations.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Prize Competition Council (PCC) was established independently of the Government.

Whilst DCMS did not have a role in establishing the PCC, DCMS engaged extensively with a wide range of stakeholders, including regulatory bodies, to develop the Voluntary Code of Good Practice for Prize Draw Operators.

Published in November 2025, this Code sets a clear and uniform approach across the sector to strengthen player protections, increase transparency and improve accountability.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, further to the answer of 22 June 2026, to Question 10189, on Databases: EU law, if they will list the data and reporting requirements that the department must make to the European Commission and its agencies.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The UK and EU share information and data where it supports our mutual safety, security, and prosperity, as part of our broader cooperation on trade, the economy, and defence and security.

DCMS acts in accordance with the reporting and information-sharing provisions relevant to the Department. These provisions are set out in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the Withdrawal Agreement, including the Windsor Framework. These documents are publicly available.

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reported 85 per cent reduction in religious broadcasting at peak times across public service media between 2011 and 2022; and what plans they have, if any, to reverse it.

Answered by Baroness Mackenzie of Sherwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government recognises that there has been a fall in religious programming being broadcast. We understand the important role religion plays in the lives of many people in the UK and would expect religious programming to continue to form an important part of the content produced by public service broadcasters (PSBs).

The Media Act 2024 has modernised the public service broadcasting system, including their remit and quotas system which enables our PSBs to continue delivering for all audiences.

The Act also gives Ofcom the powers, including a clear statutory monitoring role, to ensure that PSBs continue to produce a range of genres such as religious programming. If Ofcom believes that a certain genre of programming is being underserved they can recommend that the DCMS Secretary of State introduce a new quota.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government with reference to the command paper Protecting What Matters published on 9 March 2026, what youth, sport and community infrastructure will receive £750 million over the next four years.

Answered by Baroness Blake of Leeds - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The referenced Protecting What Matters commitment is being led by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). DCMS is investing £400 million in new and upgraded grassroots sports facilities through to 2030.

In 2026/27, this includes the following commitments:

• £85 million will be invested through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme to build and upgrade pitches and facilities UK-wide, funding projects such as artificial grass pitches, changing rooms, and floodlights. This funding is designed to benefit the areas most in need, with 50% of investment going to the 30% most deprived areas in the UK. At least 40% of funded projects have a multi-sport offer, and the programme also aims to increase access and participation levels for under-represented groups, including women and girls, across the UK.
• The UK Government and NBA will invest £5 million each into basketball and basketball-led multi-sport facilities in England.
• At least £2.5 million will be invested via the Lawn Tennis Association into covered courts in England for tennis, padel and other activities, and additional funding to enable a wider range of sporting bodies to trial innovative funding pathways.
• £3 million will be invested via the England and Wales Cricket Board to build covered, all-weather multi-sport domes in Birmingham, Bolton, Derby, Newcastle, and Nottingham.

Additionally, DCMS’ Youth Matters Fund is a merged capital and revenue fund that will provide over £400 million over the next few years to enable youth organisations across the country to deliver high-quality youth work and activities as well as refurbish or build up to 250 youth facilities. Further details on when it will open to applicants, along with guidance on the application process and eligibility criteria, will be announced in the coming weeks.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps is the government taking to create a national youth forum to consult young people on policies that affect them, giving them powers to challenge policies that will affect their interests.

Answered by Vicky Foxcroft - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

DCMS is taking a number of steps to ensure there are a variety of national forums through which young people are consulted and involved in decisions that affect them. Too many young people feel that their voice does not matter and this needs to change. The ‘Seen and Heard’ chapter of Youth Matters sets out our ambitions to put young people in the driving seat and give them more opportunities to influence policy locally, regionally and nationally. Some examples are as follows:

Firstly, the department is creating a new ‘Youth Policy Network’ to ensure that whichever part of the government is making decisions, if they affect young people, a diverse range of young people can take part.

Secondly, the department continues to work closely with a Youth Advisory Group on the delivery of Youth Matters, and previous members play a key role as ambassadors.

Thirdly, to hold the government accountable, the department will invite a diverse group of young people to run an annual national hearing on the Strategy's delivery.

Alongside this, DCMS youth funding programmes are required to be co-designed with young people. We are also working closely with young people and partners to co-design our approach to youth participation in democracy and decision-making. Outcomes of this engagement with young people will be shared in the Autumn.

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) repair vessels for communication cables, and (2) repair crew for communication cables, are based in the UK.

Answered by Baroness Mackenzie of Sherwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

Owners of subsea telecoms cables manage repair and maintenance through membership of commercial cable maintenance agreements. There are currently six cable repair vessels servicing the maintenance agreements in the Atlantic and Northern Europe, one of which is based in the UK (information collected via DSIT Request for Information April 2026). Government does not routinely hold information on the crewing of cable vessels, which varies by vessel and commercial operator. There is a privately owned UK-based facility that trains subsea cable repair technicians.

The Government recognises the importance of a UK-based and UK-flagged subsea telecoms cable repair vessel. DCMS is exploring options for securing this capability in the long term.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what funding her Department provides to support grassroots sports programmes aimed at diverting young people away from antisocial behaviour and gang involvement.

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

The Department works closely with Sport England to target grassroots investment toward high-need areas, which includes areas experiencing elevated youth violence. Through the Community Sports Facilities Programme, which is investing £400 million of funding through to 2030, we are expanding peak evening and weekend capacity by funding floodlights and durable all-weather pitches that offer up to 80 hours of weekly use.

In addition, Sport England have partnered with StreetGames to produce a Theory of Change document focused on Sport, Youth Offending and Serious Youth Violence. The document sets out clearly how sport can reduce risk factors linked to youth offending while strengthening protective factors that keep young people safe. That theory underpinned the Ministry of Justice’s £5m Youth Justice Sport Fund, which now informs more than a dozen place-based partnerships with Active Partnerships, Police and Crime Commissioners and Violence Reduction Units.

The Department also funds the Million Hours Fund, in partnership with The National Lottery Community Fund, which provides youth organisations with funding to deliver additional hours of positive activities for young people in areas with higher levels of anti-social behaviour. The latest phase of the Fund, which runs until March 2027, awarded £18 million to 292 organisations, including grassroot sports programmes.

DCMS is also funding the Young Futures Hubs and Transformation Programme to improve local youth services and establish a network of 50 Young Futures Hubs by March 2029. Each Young Futures Hub will meet three outcomes of increasing opportunities, improving mental health and wellbeing, and reducing crime.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will list each industrial dispute live within her Department, including the nature of the dispute and level of industrial action.

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

There are no live industrial disputes in DCMS.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to regulate the a) use of management contracts on OnlyFans, b) responsibility of OnlyFans to ensure creators on their platform are protected from unfair and manipulative contracts and c) responsibility of platforms such as OnlyFans to allow content creators freedom to leave sites and absolve contracts with management agencies.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

DCMS is working with law enforcement and the Home Office to tackle drivers of sexual exploitation.

Any platform that provides services to UK users must abide by UK law, and will face enforcement action if they do not. Ofcom has DCMS’s full backing to use all powers available to them where platforms are in breach of the law.

Found: Funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), delivered in partnership with

Found: Ipsos is carrying out the survey on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS

Found: Cocos Islands 893 Republic of Keeling Islands 894 Norfolk Island 895 France 895 French Overseas Depts (DCMS

Found: Certification scheme owner The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) is the certification

Found: From previous version of Document previously title 11 – Framework Auditor Competencies as issued by DCMS

Found:  DSIT cyber security team was moved into the new Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS

Found: FY26-27 Q1 Apr-May-Jun DCMS Ceremonials EVENT MANAGEMENT COMPANY FOR MAJOR CEREMONIAL EVENTS Identiity

Found: DCMS changed its guidance on flag-flying so that UK government buildings are "encouraged to fly the Union

Found: Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST), the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS

Found: Provides support, expertise and public funding for treating gambling addiction Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport

Found: Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST), the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS

Found: Notes to Editors DCMS has around 400 regulated Public Appointment roles across 44 Public Bodies including

Found: Certification scheme owner The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) is the certification

Found: From previous version of Document previously title 11 – Framework Auditor Competencies as issued by DCMS