Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made to enable artists to work in the European Union more easily.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We fully recognise the scale of challenges facing creative and cultural professionals wishing to tour and work in Europe. We appreciate that these challenges could not only deny European audiences the opportunity to experience British talent, but also limit opportunities for our artists to collaborate and build their careers. Cultural exchange has long been a cornerstone of the UK-EU relationship, which is why we have made a manifesto pledge to both help our touring artists and reset our wider relationship with the European Union.
We are already working collaboratively with our sectors to address key issues and are engaging with the EU and EU Member States, with a view to improving arrangements for artists working and touring across the European continent without seeing a return to free movement. This is a priority for the government.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are giving to the development of women's football in England.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We are dedicated 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.
Karen Carney OBE’s Review of Women’s Football set out a route to lift minimum standards and deliver bold and sustainable growth. It included recommendations on meaningful access to facilities, player welfare and development of the talent pathway for women and girls across the country. The Minister for Sport recently convened all parties with recommendations in the review to press them for tangible progress.
The Football Foundation, the charity funded by the Government, the Football Association and the Premier League, has committed to implementing recommendations from a recent independent review to ensure new minimum standards for women and girls at funded sites. This includes guaranteeing a share of priority slots to women’s and girls’ teams, setting up a new small grants programme, specifically targeted at creating female-friendly facilities off the pitch, and ensuring refreshed Local Football Facility Plans reflect the growth in women and girls' football.
Sport England’s ‘Accessible and Inclusive Sports Facilities’ guidance also supports grassroots sporting venues to provide well designed spaces for female users.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to regional theatre in England.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government recognises the vital role that the arts, including theatre, play for people and communities in all parts of this country, and delivers funding to theatres primarily through Arts Council England (ACE).
Arts should not be the preserve of the privileged few. It is a priority for this government and ACE to support more people to access great theatre, via funding programmes such as Project Grants and the National Portfolio. ACE’s regional theatre National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs) are key to delivering this priority, with many of their funded venues delivering high quality productions every year.
Since 2022, the Arts Council has invested nearly £43 million into community theatres, supporting theatres like the award winning Little Bulb Theatre in Mendip, which receives £720,000 per annum which will help the theatre continue to engage with community groups close to its home base in rural Somerset; and the Royal & Derngate in Northampton, that received £300,000 towards costs and loss of income relating to RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) identified in the building and the mitigating actions it took in response.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are giving to developing brass bands in England.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government recognises the vital importance of culture and heritage in all parts of the country, particularly heritage in post-industrial towns where brass bands continue to play an important local role. We also remain fully committed to supporting music in all its forms and broadening people’s access to a diverse range of music genres.
Arts Council England, which is funded by taxpayers and National Lottery players, works with Brass Bands England who are a National Portfolio organisation in receipt of c.£406,000 of funding per annum to support the brass bands sector. A significant portion of their activity is focused on encouraging children and young people to participate in brass bands.
The Arts Council also funds The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (NYBBGB) via the National Portfolio with funding of c.£100,000 per annum. NYBBGB is the UK’s leading brass band charity for children and young people. They exist to give the brightest young brass and percussion musicians the opportunity to develop their musicianship and inspire others.
Between 2022 and 2024, Arts Council England will be investing over £4.5 million into organisations whose main focus is promoting Brass Bands.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect, preserve and improve the condition of war memorials erected in streets, squares and public spaces in the UK.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
War memorials play a very important role in our cultural heritage, holding a deep emotional resonance with people across the country. HM Government will never forget the great bravery, selflessness, and distinction of all the servicemen and women who served their country during times of conflict, and it is only right that appropriate steps be taken to protect the many war memorials that honour those who gave their lives in that service.
The safety and protection of war memorials falls to local authorities and local constabularies, in consultation with the owners of the memorials.
The primary role for my Department regarding war memorials is managing the DCMS Memorial Grant Scheme, which makes grants towards the VAT incurred by charities and faith groups in the construction, repair, and maintenance of public memorial structures, including war memorials. The scheme has a fixed budget of £400,000 per annum for this spending review period.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the value to communities of a Football Community Trust operating locally.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The community arms of local football clubs are instrumental in fostering more active and resilient communities. By harnessing the power of the sport, these trusts promote social cohesion, improve public health, and make a positive impact on people’s lives.
HM Government recognises and supports the contributions of these trusts in helping to strengthen communities and get more people active, in line with the. Government’s own priorities.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the success of commercial radio in the UK.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
His Majesty’s Government strongly supports a vibrant radio sector, including national and local commercial stations as well as community stations and the BBC, which between them provide a rich variety of choice for listeners across the UK.
The UK’s commercial radio sector now accounts for approximately 55% of radio listening in the UK, according to figures published by RAJAR for Quarter 4 2023, with 39 million people tuning in to national or local commercial stations at least once a week. This compares to 42% of radio listening and 34 million listeners in Quarter 4 2013. The growth in commercial radio listening over the past 10 years is thanks to the investment the sector has made to develop and grow new services and its ability to adapt what it offers to listeners on digital radio or via internet-connected devices such as smart speakers.
The measures in the Media Bill to reduce regulatory burdens on commercial radio and to secure protections for the carriage of radio on smart speaker devices are intended to help support and secure commercial radio’s long-term future.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to the heritage railway sector to boost tourism and the enjoyment of railway heritage.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The UK is a true pioneer in the history of railway development, benefiting from the talents of Brunel and Stephenson among many others.
Heritage railways are major contributors to the UK’s visitor economy, attracting around 13 million visitors and bringing an estimated £250 million to the economy each year. More than 3,000 people are employed on heritage railways, with a further 22,000 volunteers generously committing their time and expertise.
The unprecedented Cultural Recovery Fund provided approximately £18 million to heritage railway related organisations during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping them to reopen safely and continue to welcome visitors. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is also currently undertaking the Local Visitor Economy Partnership accreditation process which will benefit heritage railways by ensuring that local tourist boards work together to boost the visitor economy across the country.
I have had a number of meetings with the Heritage Rail Association and other representatives of the sector, and keep in contact with them to discuss how else the Government can support it.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the risk to image recognition systems from cyber attacks using radio waves.
Answered by Lord Kamall - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
The Government is aware of recent research into the use of radio waves to disrupt image recognition. As part of the £2.6 billion National Cyber Strategy, the government continually works to better understand cyber security vulnerabilities and how to protect businesses and users against these.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the National Theatre's decision to postpone tours in the EU due to uncertainty about work permits.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
Touring in Europe is currently not possible due to Covid-19 and EU Member States have not set out plans for when it will be. We are working urgently with the UK’s creative industries to help ensure they can work confidently in Europe once touring can safely resume. In the meantime, we also urge EU member states to at least match what the UK offers to all EU artists touring here. The UK government strongly believes supporting touring is in the interests of both the UK and EU, and we continue our work on solutions.