Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 55487 on Tourism: National Landscapes, if she will make an estimate of the economic contribution of tourism to areas with a protected landscape in each of the next five years.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
National Parks are vital assets for tourism, attracting millions of domestic and international visitors each year and supporting local economies through recreation, hospitality, and cultural heritage. While there are no plans to make an estimate of the economic contribution of tourism to areas with a protected landscape, DCMS recognises the importance of protected landscapes to the UK’s tourism offering.
DCMS continues to work with VisitBritain to champion visits to the British countryside to a worldwide audience. VisitBritain’s new GREAT-funded international marketing campaign, ‘Starring GREAT Britain’, uses the hook of Britain’s rich film and television history to encourage more international visitors to explore across Britain, including many rural destinations, landmarks and National Parks.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
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 support the delivery of additional youth services in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As set out in section 507B of the Education Act 1996, local authorities have a statutory duty to secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient provision of educational and recreational leisure-time activities for young people.
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. We are co-producing a new National Youth Strategy to set out a new long-term vision for young people and an action plan for delivering this. The National Youth Strategy will be published later this year.
This financial year, we are investing over £145 million in youth programmes to provide stability to the sector and ensure young people can continue to access opportunities.
Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
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 the delivery of youth services in North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.
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. This is why we are developing a National Youth Strategy to set out a new long-term vision for young people and an action plan for delivering this. This strategy will cover youth services, provision and policy at local, regional and national levels. We will publish the Strategy later in the year.
Additionally, outdoor learning providers in North East Somerset and Hanham were eligible to apply for this year’s Adventures Away from Home fund. This £4.7 million investment is delivered by UK Youth and supports organisations to deliver outdoor learning experiences for disadvantaged or vulnerable young people.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 (a) UEFA and (b) FIFA on the participation of Israel in international football.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Secretary of State has not had such discussions with UEFA and FIFA. The government fully respects the independence and autonomy of sports organisations. Decisions on participation in international sports events are a matter for the relevant international sport federations and their national representatives.
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, when the primary school library rollout will begin as part of the government's commitment to ensure every primary school in England has a library by the end of this parliament.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has responsibility for the Dormant Assets Scheme, which is providing funding to support the primary school library commitment, previously announced by the Chancellor.
Through the Scheme, £132.5 million has been allocated to increasing disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in the arts, culture, sports and wider youth services, aimed at improving wellbeing and employability over the long term. This includes a commitment to ensuring that every primary school in England has a library space by the end of this Parliament.
The Government is working with The National Lottery Community Fund to co-design the programme and develop more of the specifics around its delivery. Further details will be announced in due course, including expected timelines.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
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 September 2025 to Question 74384 on Rugby, what assessment her Department has made of the long-term financial sustainability of professional rugby union; and whether she plans to discuss the financial challenges facing professional rugby union with Premiership Rugby.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The governance of rugby union is a matter for the Rugby Football Union (the national governing body for rugby union), which is independent of government.
DCMS continues to work with the RFU, representatives of Prem and Champ clubs as well as the Tier Two Board, and the wider sport sector to support the ongoing sustainability of elite and community level rugby union.
I have met with Prem Rugby previously to discuss the long-term financial sustainability of professional rugby union, and my officials regularly engage with Prem Rugby on this issue.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer to Question 8701, what action her Department has taken since 21 October 2024 to encourage (a) inbound and (b) domestic tourism in Bedfordshire.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The government is committed to expanding the tourism sector and enabling more inbound and domestic visitors to fully experience the UK's diverse offerings in areas including Bedfordshire, home to stately homes such at Bridgerton’s West Park and family attractions including Whipsnade Zoo.
To drive more inbound visits across Britain, VisitBritain launched a global screen tourism campaign ‘’Starring Great Britain’’ in January 2025. The campaign uses the country's rich film and television history as a hook to inspire visitors to explore diverse and often rural destinations. The launch was supported by a wider advertising campaign across the UK’s largest and most valuable inbound visitor markets including Australia, the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries, France, Germany and the USA.
The Government has secured a multi-billion-pound investment in a major new Universal theme park and resort in Bedford. This project will create thousands of jobs and drive millions of visitors, both inbound and domestic to Bedfordshire, reinforcing the UK as a world leader in the creative industries.
The Government has also announced the expansion of Luton airport which will significantly increase its passenger capacity enabling it to play a significant role in accommodating international visitors to the Universal theme park. The East West Rail corridor will also include Bedford from 2030, improving connectivity and driving economic growth.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the speech at the Labour Party Conference of 29 September 2025, on what evidential basis it was said that 1,700 primary schools do not have a school library.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has responsibility for the Dormant Assets Scheme, which is providing funding to support the primary school library commitment, previously announced by the Chancellor.
Research by the National Literacy Trust estimates there are 1,700 primary schools in England currently without a library. A 2023 NLT report states that 1 in 7 UK state primary schools, rising to 1 in 4 in disadvantaged areas, do not have a library or dedicated library space.
Through the Scheme, £132.5 million has been allocated to increasing disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in the arts, culture, sports and wider youth services, aimed at improving wellbeing and employability over the long term. Funding for this initiative will come from the £132.5m.
It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian. The Department for Education, therefore, does not collect data on the number or structure of school libraries or number of librarians in primary or secondary schools.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the press release entitled Cricket domes to bring year-round sport to communities, published on 25 August 2025, what the location will be of the dome in Luton.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
On 25 August, the Government announced £1.5 million investment into two indoor cricket domes in Luton and Farington, to be delivered through the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Luton’s new state-of-the-art indoor cricket dome will be in Lewsey Park and is expected to open in summer 2026, providing world-class indoor practice facilities for cricket, so local players, schools and grassroots clubs can access the sport all year round.
The flexible space will also have the potential to host other sports, such as hockey, tennis and badminton, ensuring as many local people as possible can get active. The new facility will also have a particular focus on encouraging more women and girls into the game ahead of the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup.
Work with the England and Wales Cricket Board is ongoing to monitor the impact and effectiveness of these sites and we’re keen that they benefit as wide a local area as possible.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to begin the rollout of primary school libraries in every primary school in England.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has responsibility for the Dormant Assets Scheme, which is providing funding to support the primary school library commitment, previously announced by the Chancellor.
Through the Scheme, £132.5 million has been allocated to increasing disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in the arts, culture, sports and wider youth services, aimed at improving wellbeing and employability over the long term. This includes a commitment to ensuring that every primary school in England has a library space by the end of this Parliament.
The Government is working with The National Lottery Community Fund to co-design the programme and develop more of the specifics around its delivery. Further details will be announced in due course, including expected timelines.