Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to require set amounts of local news from local commercial radio stations.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Local radio continues to bring communities together by reflecting local experiences and delivering local news and information. However, it does so against a backdrop of changing listener behavior, with only around 20% of commercial radio listening now on AM or FM.
In light of this, the Media Act 2024 removed detailed requirements that only applied to stations holding AM and FM commercial radio licences and set out how their local services should be operated. These were replaced with new obligations that prioritise the broadcast of local news and information regularly, including “locally-gathered” news - a key part of radio’s public value.
Further details on the required frequency of local news broadcasts is set out in the guidance which Ofcom published on 25 February this year, titled “Provision of local news and information on analogue commercial radio”. The precise requirements will continue to vary by individual licence and Ofcom will be engaging directly with Licensees on how any changes impact them.
Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for the proposed (1) governance, (2) ownership, and (3) operating model, for the Creative Content Exchange (CCE); and whether the CCE will be structured to be commercially independent of AI developers and government.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Creative Content Exchange is a proof of concept pilot, funded by UKRI’s Research and Development Missions Accelerator Programme. Governance structures, ownership and operating model will be considered at a later stage should the CCE proceed beyond the pilot phase.
Asked by: Mike Reader (Labour - Northampton South)
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 support the transformation of the National Lottery.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The National Lottery is a national institution and a unique source of national pride and funding for good causes. It is a huge contributor to the Government’s Plan for Change, providing £1.9 billion in 2024/25 to the arts, heritage, sport and community sectors.
Allwyn, the operator of the 4th National Lottery licence, has successfully delivered its technical transformation. This modernisation will ensure the National Lottery continues to enrich lives and support communities across the country for generations to come.
Asked by: Mike Reader (Labour - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her planned timetable is for appointing a permanent Chief Executive of the Gambling Commission.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The appointment of a permanent Chief Executive is a matter for the Gambling Commission. The Commission will identify a preferred candidate, with the appointment subject to the Secretary of State approving the terms and conditions. Officials are in regular contact with the Gambling Commission in relation to this appointment.
Asked by: Mike Reader (Labour - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of the time taken to complete the National Lottery licence transition on the change in the amount of funding provided through the National Lottery Community Fund.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Allwyn, as the new operator of the National Lottery, has successfully delivered its technical transformation programme. This marks the biggest investment in the National Lottery since 2009, and will support Allwyn’s commitment to double weekly good cause returns by 2034.
In 2024/5, good cause returns were £1.9 billion, which is consistent with returns over the last 5 years (£1.8 billion in 2023/4). In 2024/5, the National Lottery Community Fund’s share of the good cause returns was £760m, up from £728m in 2023/24.
Asked by: Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential economic impact of the full implementation of financial risk assessments on gambling on the horse racing industries.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government recognises the significant contribution that racing makes to British sporting culture and its importance to the British economy. Horseracing is the only sport in receipt of a direct government-mandated levy which helps to drive improvements in the sport.
The Government remains committed to supporting the implementation of key measures in the 2023 white paper, including the introduction of Financial Risk Assessments (FRAs).
Following the conclusion of its pilot on FRAs, the Gambling Commission has continued to engage with gambling operators and other stakeholders. As the independent regulator, the Gambling Commission will decide how to implement FRAs based on the best available evidence.
The Gambling Commission has recently published an updated blog on its pilot findings and plans to publish the pilot data, including updated impact assessment results following implementation decision, as is standard practice.
Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government who will be responsible for setting the terms on which creative content is made available in the Creative Content Exchange (CCE); and how they intend to ensure that independent creators and smaller creative businesses, as well as major rights holders, are equitably represented in the CCE's design and operation.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Creative Content Exchange is currently in a pilot phase so the exact terms on which content is made available, including pricing and the terms of use for licensed content, are still to be determined. The expectation is that content owners will be able to set their own pricing and control of the specific use-cases of licensing.
During the pilot phase the CCE is focused on creative content held by large cultural institutions. Government is committed to ensuring that the specific circumstances and requirements of independent creators and small creative businesses are represented. In particular, the 18th March 2026 Statement on Copyright and AI Progress announced a working group on independent and smaller creative organisations to explore whether there is a role for government to support their ability to license their content.
Asked by: Baroness Wolf of Dulwich (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people started an apprenticeship in (1) thatching, (2) stone masonry level 2, (3) stone masonry level 3, and (4) stained glass crafts, in (a) 2015, (b) 2016, (c) 2021, (d) 2022, (e) 2023, (f) 2024, and (g) 2025.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The requested data on how many people started an apprenticeship in thatching, stone masonry (levels 2 and 3) and stained glass crafts, across the specified dates, is set out below:
Level 2 Thatcher (ST0821)
There have been no people starting a Level 2 Thatcher (ST0821) apprenticeship since it was approved for delivery in February 2024.
Level 2 Stonemasonry (ST0442)
There have been a total of 243 starts on the Level 2 Stonemasonry (ST0442) apprenticeship since it was approved for delivery in June 2021. No data is available for 2015/2016 because the qualification did not exist at the time:
2020/21 – 1 start
2021/22 – 67 starts
2022/23 – 53 starts
2023/24 – 31 starts
2024/25 – 49 starts
2025/26 - 42 starts
There is no Level 3 in Stonemasonry available at present.
Level 4 Stained Glass Craftsperson (ST0912)
There have been a total of 3 starts on this apprenticeship since it was approved for delivery in September 2021: No data is available for 2015/2016 because the qualification did not exist at the time:
2020/21 – 0 starts
2021/22 – 0 starts
2023/24 – 1 start
2024/25 – 2 starts
This has been derived from the Skills England website, where all data regarding apprenticeships is publicly available.
Asked by: Mike Reader (Labour - Northampton South)
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 Gambling Commission on the suitability of the current ownership arrangements of the Health Lottery.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
DCMS Ministers and officials have had no discussions with the Gambling Commission on the ownership arrangements of the Health Lottery.
Asked by: Lord Gilbert of Panteg (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 17 April (HC123654), and with reference to paragraph 1.6 of the Ministerial Code, what is the public interest reason for disclosing the information on Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) artwork held on FCDO premises abroad in the Freedom of Information FOI2025/05106, but not publishing the equivalent information for FCDO premises in London in that Written Answer.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I will deposit a copy of the equivalent information for FCDO premises in London in the Libraries of both Houses. This will be published in due course in the deposited papers database on Parliament’s website.