Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport

This Government supports museums nationwide through Arts Council England (ACE), as the national development agency for museums, offering funding and professional advice to museums of all sizes in England.

ACE typically invests over £44 million in museums annually, through the National Portfolio, the Museum Development Network, and National Lottery Project Grants. In addition, DCMS is funding ACE to deliver an additional £45 million of support for museums this financial year, through the new £20 million Museum Renewal Fund, and a new £25 million investment in the Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND).

ACE further supports (worth £70m a year), which provides an alternative to the cost of insurance for loans, without which many major exhibitions would not be possible. ACE also operates the Cultural Gifts and Acceptance in Lieu schemes, enabling important new acquisitions for museums (worth £45m in 2023/24), and other schemes such as the UK Museum Accreditation Standard, and Collection Designation.

The registration scheme for short-term lets legislated for in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 will apply to specified short-term rental properties in England. The detailed scope of the scheme, including how it will apply to second homes, and second homes which are let occasionally, is still being determined and details will be announced in due course.

DCMS recognises that the business events sector is a machine for economic growth and local prosperity. The business events sector is estimated to be worth £34 billion to the UK Economy and an additional £200 billion in trade established at Business Events.

The Business Events Growth Programme (BEGP), led by VisitBritain, forms part of the UK Government’s commitment to grow the business events sector across Britain. Every pound invested in the programme supported £33 of revenue being generated for the British economy through new events secured, or in additional delegate spend, during the five-year review period from 2018 to 2023.

Within DCMS, we have one civil servant who works full time on supporting the business events sector, plus a percentage of time from senior colleagues who provide oversight.

The requested figures are

Details of negotiations between private investors and the Government are currently confidential but will be set out in due course.

The Secretary of State announced a new £270 million Arts Everywhere Fund on 20 February. This will include support to museums, arts and music venues across the country and is a critical step that this Government is taking to help create jobs, boost local economies, and expand access to arts and culture for communities.

This is in addition to steps already being taken to support arts and culture via Arts Council England (ACE) through various programmes, including its National Portfolio Organisation investment programme (NPO). In Lincolnshire, ACE has provided over £27 million of funding between 2021-2025 to local organisations such as the SO Festival (an NPO), a Combined Arts organisation receiving over £320,000 per annum, that brings international artists and performers to Mablethorpe and Skegness each year, increasing engagement and interest in the arts within local communities.

Zest Theatre (also a NPO) is a national touring theatre company that creates work with and for young people which receives £180,000 per annum. They are particularly well known for their outdoor immersive work, including ‘The Zone’ – a pop up creative space for young people aged 11-18 in Lincoln each summer – and installations that amplify the voices of young people in the region.

Within the South Holland and The Deepings constituency, ACE supports organisations such as Transported (£275,00 per annum), through its Creative People and Places programme, which is a strategic, community-focused programme which aims to get more people in Boston and South Holland enjoying and participating in arts activities.

Through the National Lottery Project Grants ACE has made nine awards, since 2021, across museums, visual arts and theatre, totalling more than £241,000. Also through its Developing Your Creative Practice programme, ACE has supported three individual artists with a total of £33,324 across visual arts and music since 2021.

The Government Art Collection is a working collection, used across government buildings in the UK and the global estate, which means that artworks may change their display location from time to time in response to new display steers and requests.

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

DCMS estimates the number of static libraries that have permanently closed (and not been replaced by or relocated to a new static library) in England in each of the last 10 years is as follows:

This data is DCMS estimates based upon Arts Council England’s basic library dataset for 2023. The ACE dataset details the status (statutory and non-statutory) and operational models of each library including whether they are local authority run, community run, commissioned by the local authority to a separate trust or organisation, or delivered by alternative methods. The dataset can be found at the following link: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/supporting-arts-museums-and-libraries/supporting-libraries

ACE’s 2024 basic library dataset is due to be published shortly.

Holiday parks are already subject to licensing and oversight by local authorities and we have no plans to establish a dedicated independent regulator although we continue to monitor the effectiveness of the existing regulatory framework.

Based on the Department’s analysis of previous data, 94% of applications between 2022-2024 have been under £25,000, and most of these claims were for under £5,000. We believe that the modifications were necessary and adequate given the tight fiscal challenges we inherited from the previous government and the capital pressures on other parts of the heritage sector.

Guidance has now been published on changes to the Scheme from 1 April 2025, which includes the treatment of works already underway and works about to commence. Claimants should ensure that all claims for work already carried out are submitted before or at 23:59 on 31 March 2025. Claims for work that are submitted from 00:00 on 1 April 2025 will be subject to the cap.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has committed to investing around £100m between 2023 and 2026 to support places of worship. On 20 February, DCMS Secretary of State announced £15 million of additional funding for Heritage at Risk, building on Historic England's existing Repair Grants for Heritage at Risk programme. Listed places of worship may be eligible for this funding in certain circumstances.

DCMS is currently evaluating the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. We will take a decision on publishing the findings of the evaluation, including a user survey, once completed.

During a review of the records held at The National Archives concerning the murder of Martha Giles, a record was found to contain the personal data of several individuals who are assumed to still be living. Consequently, in accordance with the 100-year principle that is set out in the Guide to Archiving Personal Data, the record in question will be kept closed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for the assumed lifetime of the youngest individual identified (2055).

The government is committed to extending music opportunities for young people across the UK. As part of this, in March, we launched a National Music Education Network to promote arts opportunities to children and young people, support excellent teacher training in the arts, and boost partnerships between schools and arts organisations.

We are providing an additional £3m to expand the Creative Careers Programme (CCP) in 2025/26. Stockport has been identified as a priority area for the CCP, which seeks to boost opportunities and provide information on creative careers and pathways for young people aged 11 - 18 from backgrounds that are under-represented in the creative industries.

The government has announced £2.5m of continued funding to Arts Council England (ACE)’s Supporting Grassroots Music Fund for 2025-26. In Stockport, The Strines Nightingale, which is based in Hazel Grove, has received £26,592 to allow them to expand their live music programming and improve their accessibility and infrastructure.

Through ACE’s investment in National Portfolio organisations and through our Music Education Hub programme, we fund organisations that provide music education and opportunities to young people from every background and in the boroughs across Greater Manchester. Examples include Brighter Sound and Factory International, both of which are based in Manchester city but which have a number of programmes aimed at developing talent in the region.

Between 1 September 2024 and 4 April 2025 DCMS Ministers have met with numerous stakeholders from across the creative industries, including trade bodies and industry leaders, to discuss the government’s consultation on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence. These meetings have included roundtable discussions, as well as individual meetings with stakeholders.

Details of all meetings undertaken by DCMS ministers are included in DCMS transparency data, published on Gov.uk each quarter.

DCMS Ministers have met on numerous occasions with stakeholders from across the creative industries, including the music, film and book publishing industries, to discuss the impact of generative AI and the government’s consultation on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence.

AI is increasingly being used as a tool in the creative process, from music and film production to publishing, architecture and design. As of September 2024 more than 38% of Creative Industries businesses said they have used AI technologies, with nearly 50% using AI to improve business operations. It may foster innovation and efficiency but may also disrupt the sector. We are working with the creative sector and committed to ensuring our brilliant artists benefit in working with the AI sector to harness the opportunities this technology provides. In addition, we are aware that several publishing houses have licensed their content with AI companies.

DCMS Ministers have met on numerous occasions with stakeholders from across the creative industries, including the music, film and book publishing industries, to discuss the impact of generative AI and the government’s consultation on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence.

AI is increasingly being used as a tool in the creative process, from music and film production to publishing, architecture and design. As of September 2024 more than 38% of Creative Industries businesses said they have used AI technologies, with nearly 50% using AI to improve business operations. It may foster innovation and efficiency but may also disrupt the sector. We are working with the creative sector and committed to ensuring our brilliant artists benefit in working with the AI sector to harness the opportunities this technology provides. In addition, we are aware that several publishing houses have licensed their content with AI companies.

The Government is committed to the long term success of our world class games sector, having identified the creative industries as one of eight priority sectors in the industrial strategy.

£5.5 million in funding for the UK Games Fund (UKGF) has been announced for 2025/26, which will provide grants to early-stage studios across the UK to develop prototypes and new intellectual property, and run development programmes for new graduates.

Video games companies can also access the International Business Development strand of the UK Global Screen Fund, which provides financial support for business strategies that drive international growth and IP development for companies working in film, TV (animation, drama and documentary) and interactive narrative gaming.

Additionally, video games companies benefit from the Video Games Expenditure Credit, and access support from the Create Growth Programme.

We are working closely with the Department for Education (DfE) and Skills England on skills policy to address skills shortages in the creative industries, including the games sector. This includes DfE’s work on growth and skills levy reform. We will set out more detail as part of the Creative Industries Sector Plan, to be published in coming months.

The Government is committed to the long term success of our world class games sector, having identified the creative industries as one of eight priority sectors in the industrial strategy.

£5.5 million in funding for the UK Games Fund (UKGF) has been announced for 2025/26, which will provide grants to early-stage studios across the UK to develop prototypes and new intellectual property, and run development programmes for new graduates.

Video games companies can also access the International Business Development strand of the UK Global Screen Fund, which provides financial support for business strategies that drive international growth and IP development for companies working in film, TV (animation, drama and documentary) and interactive narrative gaming.

Additionally, video games companies benefit from the Video Games Expenditure Credit, and access support from the Create Growth Programme.

We are working closely with the Department for Education (DfE) and Skills England on skills policy to address skills shortages in the creative industries, including the games sector. This includes DfE’s work on growth and skills levy reform. We will set out more detail as part of the Creative Industries Sector Plan, to be published in coming months.

The Government is committed to the long term success of our world class games sector, having identified the creative industries as one of eight priority sectors in the industrial strategy.

£5.5 million in funding for the UK Games Fund (UKGF) has been announced for 2025/26, which will provide grants to early-stage studios across the UK to develop prototypes and new intellectual property, and run development programmes for new graduates.

Video games companies can also access the International Business Development strand of the UK Global Screen Fund, which provides financial support for business strategies that drive international growth and IP development for companies working in film, TV (animation, drama and documentary) and interactive narrative gaming.

Additionally, video games companies benefit from the Video Games Expenditure Credit, and access support from the Create Growth Programme.

We are working closely with the Department for Education (DfE) and Skills England on skills policy to address skills shortages in the creative industries, including the games sector. This includes DfE’s work on growth and skills levy reform. We will set out more detail as part of the Creative Industries Sector Plan, to be published in coming months.

Artworks and their locations can be searched for on the Government Art Collection website.

We have always been clear that, when it comes to women's sport, biology matters. We will continue to support sports to develop policies that protect fairness and safety, particularly when it is not possible to balance those factors with inclusion. In terms of gender eligibility, National Governing Bodies set their own policies for who can participate in their sports in domestic competitions.

Our Sports Councils produce guidance to provide domestic sports bodies with the framework and support to determine the right position for their sport. Our Sports Councils are consulting with legal experts to clarify whether the Supreme Court ruling affects the guidance. The outcome of this will feed into their timescale for a planned wider review of the guidance.

In addition the Equalities and Human Rights Commission has confirmed their work to develop a revised Code of Practice which supports service providers, public bodies and associations to understand their duties under the Equality Act and put them into practice. Their revised code will incorporate the implications of the Supreme Court judgment. They hope to lay the revised code before Parliament before the summer recess.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.

The Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year. Sport England’s work focuses on increasing participation in sport, including tennis, at grassroots level to give more and better opportunities to all. Sport England provides long term investment to the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis in Britain, which receives up to £10.2 million for five years to invest in community tennis initiatives that will benefit everyone.

On appointment to the role in 2023, the Permanent Secretary declared her interests and these were recorded in the DCMS Annual Accounts. A conflict management plan was completed which deemed it appropriate that Accounting Officer responsibility for decisions regarding Rugby Union would be delegated. This included Loan Book decisions relating to Rugby Union.

As a result, DCMS’s Chief Finance Officer has delegated Accounting Officer responsibility for matters relating to Rugby Union. This is in line with HM Treasury’s Managing Public Money guidance which states that after declaring the conflict other individuals can have delegated responsibility to make decisions.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.

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

All future funding of sports facilities will be considered as part of the Spending Review.

The press have a responsibility to behave ethically and they must also operate within the bounds of the law. Any illegal conduct such as phone hacking would be a matter for the police.

The Government does not intervene in or oversee the work of the UK’s independent press regulators. If a member of the public objects to practices of the press they can complain directly to the publication, or the relevant independent regulator, including Impress or the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO).

These regulators enforce codes of conduct which provide guidelines on a range of areas, including discrimination, accuracy, privacy, and harassment. If they find that a newspaper has broken the code of conduct, they can order corrections. Both regulators also offer arbitration schemes for legal claims relating to defamation, privacy and harassment.

Large scale commercial prize draws are a significant and growing market. Whilst not regulated as a gambling product under the Gambling Act, we want people who participate to be confident that proportionate protections are in place. The department is grateful for the voluntary action taken so far by the sector to act transparently and apply player protection measures.

We want to ensure high standards across the sector. The Minister for Gambling recently met with the leading operator Omaze to discuss this work further and will meet others in the sector soon. We will update Parliament further in due course.

The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), which is independent of Government, publishes annual reports on their website that include details on the number of complaints and enquiries received and their outcomes: https://www.ipso.co.uk/what-we-do/transparency-accountability/.

This Government is committed to an independent and free media, one that is completely separate from the Government and politicians. An independent self-regulatory regime is important to ensure the press adheres to clear and high standards. We are also clear, however, that with this freedom comes responsibility, and newspapers must operate within the bounds of the law. This includes ensuring access to clear, timely and effective routes to redress. The Government currently has no plans to change the current system.

The Football Association is the recognised National Governing Body for futsal. As they are independent of Government, it is ultimately their responsibility to address issues related to the funding and profile of the game.

To date, this Government has not had any discussions with the FA relating to futsal or its funding.

The Football Association is the recognised National Governing Body for futsal. As they are independent of Government, it is ultimately their responsibility to address issues related to the funding and profile of the game.

To date, this Government has not had any discussions with the FA relating to futsal or its funding.

The Government is dedicated to making sport in this country accessible and inclusive for everyone. The Government has announced a further £100 million in funding to deliver new and improved multi-sport grassroots facilities and pitches across the whole of the UK. The Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme’s aims include regular, weekly use by under-represented groups, including disabled people, so that everyone has the opportunity to participate. In 2024/25 the programme invested £2,706,842 in Greater Manchester.

Sport England, the Government’s Arm’s Length Body for grassroots sport, is committed to increasing participation in sport and physical activity for disabled people and improving their access to sport facilities. Sport England also has partnerships with organisations such as Disability Rights UK, Activity Alliance, Aspire, and Sense, to help more disabled people get active.

The Government has committed to a multi-year investment of £344 million over the next cycle to support Olympic and Paralympic success, including over £38 million for cycling.

It is for National Governing Bodies such as British Cycling, to set out what it takes to win gold and how they target the investment they receive from the Government and National Lottery. British Cycling are working closely with RAF Shawbury to determine the parameters for this partnership going forward.

In 2023, DCMS published updated statutory guidance to support local authorities’ understanding of the existing statutory duty on the provision of youth services and how to deliver it. That duty, and therefore local authorities’ responsibilities, have not changed. As such, we have no plans to issue new guidance to local authorities at this time.

However, since 2023 we have been funding peer reviews to help Local Authorities learn from each other on the best approaches to youth service provision. The Local Youth Transformation pilot will also test a new way of working and supporting local authorities, providing a package of support to assess, improve and develop impactful local youth offers. We will launch the pilot in 2025/26 and further details will be shared in due course.

The Government recognises that sports facilities, in communities up and down the country, help to support more people to get active wherever they live.

The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure swimming facilities lies at local authority level. We are committed to supporting Local Government, recognising the significant financial challenges faced by the sector and by ensuring that funding goes to the places that need it most through the Local Government Finance Settlement.

The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities (including swimming pools) for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities. This is complemented by the support and guidance available through the Government’s Arm’s Length Body, Sport England.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to leisure facilities which are vital spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and which play an important role within communities.

The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level. We are committed to supporting Local Government, recognising the significant financial challenges faced by the sector, and that the public leisure sector plays an important role in the delivery of sport, physical activity and leisure.

The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to leisure facilities which are vital spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and which play an important role within communities.

The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level. We are committed to supporting Local Government, recognising the significant financial challenges faced by the sector, and that the public leisure sector plays an important role in the delivery of sport, physical activity and leisure.

The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.

The Government does not intervene in or oversee the work of the UK’s independent press regulators. We are clear, however, that with this independence comes responsibility, and newspapers and regulators have a responsibility to ensure access to clear, timely and effective routes to redress.

If a member of the public objects to practices of the press they can complain directly to the publication, or the relevant independent regulator, including Impress or the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). These regulators enforce codes of conduct which provide guidelines on a range of areas, including discrimination, accuracy, privacy, and harassment. If they find that a newspaper has broken the code of conduct, they can order corrections. Both regulators also offer arbitration schemes for legal claims relating to defamation, privacy and harassment.

The Government currently has no plans to consult on reforms to press regulation.

The BBC is responsible for collection of the TV licence via TV Licensing. TV Licensing publishes the number of licences in force in its Annual Review, which can be found here: https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/about/our-performance-AB6

I have not had any recent discussions with stakeholders about the safety of rehydration clauses in combat sports. It is the responsibility of individual sports and event organisers to determine the appropriate measures to ensure the safety of participants.

The Secretary of State and I regularly meet with Ministerial counterparts from the Department for Education on a range of issues, including young people’s engagement in sport both inside and outside the school day.

As an example, in March, I attended a meeting with a range of National Governing Bodies on their role in enhancing access to sport and physical activity inside and outside the school day, hosted by the Minister for School Standards.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is working closely with veteran organisations, including the Royal British Legion (RBL), to provide travel, welfare and infrastructure support to ensure veterans can attend official events in the UK. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is also working with veterans’ charities to support and where necessary fund veterans’ attendance at relevant VE Day and D-Day commemorations overseas.

DCMS is working closely with key departments and external partners who will make a significant contribution to the VE and VJ Day 80 commemorations, including the MOD for ceremonial and military assets. Final costs will be confirmed after the event and in due course.

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, an Arm’s Length Body of the MOD, reinforces the nation's Covenant promise to support Armed Forces personnel, their families and veterans. The Trust manages the £10 million annual Armed Forces Covenant Fund on behalf of the MOD and collaborates with the UK Government to deliver strategic and targeted programmes that benefit Armed Forces communities.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is working closely with veteran organisations, including the Royal British Legion (RBL), to provide travel, welfare and infrastructure support to ensure veterans can attend official events in the UK. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is also working with veterans’ charities to support and where necessary fund veterans’ attendance at relevant VE Day and D-Day commemorations overseas.

DCMS is working closely with key departments and external partners who will make a significant contribution to the VE and VJ Day 80 commemorations, including the MOD for ceremonial and military assets. Final costs will be confirmed after the event and in due course.

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, an Arm’s Length Body of the MOD, reinforces the nation's Covenant promise to support Armed Forces personnel, their families and veterans. The Trust manages the £10 million annual Armed Forces Covenant Fund on behalf of the MOD and collaborates with the UK Government to deliver strategic and targeted programmes that benefit Armed Forces communities.