Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of churches and cathedrals currently open for daily access that would be likely to be closed for daily public access due to their condition as a result of any withdrawal of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme in March 2025.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Departmental settlements have been set following the Budget announcement on October 30. Individual programmes will now be assessed during the departmental Business Planning process.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to announce the future of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Departmental settlements have been set following the Budget announcement on October 30. Individual programmes will now be assessed during the departmental Business Planning process.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the potential withdrawal of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme on the ability of church buildings to host the 35,000 social action community projects operating in Anglican churches across England.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Department monitors the implementation and impact of the grant scheme through the regular reporting of the grant administrator. Since 2010, the grant scheme has returned over £350 million to listed places of worship.
Departmental settlements have been set following the Budget announcement on October 30. Individual programmes will now be assessed during the departmental Business Planning process. We have made no specific assessment in the terms set by the Lord Bishop, but we are fully aware of the importance of the scheme to all listed places of worship, including Anglican churches across England and the rest of the UK.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with heritage bodies and faith communities regarding the extension of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme after March 2025.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism and DCMS officials have met with a range of heritage bodies since July and this has included discussions on the future of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.
The Department has received correspondence from religious organisations regarding the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme and the views of congregations and communities as a result of funding. In addition, a couple of Church of England bishops have approached the Minister for the Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism at events to mention the scheme.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the preservation of historic places of worship if the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme is not extended after March 2025.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Department monitors the implementation and impact of the grant scheme through the regular reporting of the grant administrator. Since 2010, the grant scheme has returned over £350 million to listed churches, synagogues, mosques and temples.
Departmental settlements have been set following the Budget announcement on October 30. Individual programmes will now be assessed during the departmental Business Planning process.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the calls in The Lancet Public Health Commission on gambling, published on 24 October, for stronger policy and regulatory controls for gambling.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to strengthening protections to ensure that the sector can thrive, without the risks that can ensue from harmful gambling. We are acutely aware of the impact harmful gambling can have on individuals and their families. We are committed to reviewing the best available evidence from a wide range of sources and working with all stakeholders in order to support the industry and ensure there are robust protections in place to protect those at risk, and we have noted the Lancet Public Health Commission’s report. We will provide further updates to the House soon.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to ban creative arts institutions and conservatoires that receive state funding from charging for auditions, as recommended in the Sutton Trust’s report A class Act: Social mobility and the creative industries, published on 13 November.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Creative education and a career in the Creative Industries should never be the preserve of a privileged few. The Government will support the aspiration of every person who wants to go to further and higher education. Universities and conservatoires are autonomous bodies, independent from government and are responsible for their own admissions decisions. Where providers deem it necessary for applicants to undertake auditions, interviews or other admissions tests, it is their responsibility to ensure these additional admissions processes are not creating or reinforcing barriers to opportunity and the ways they will ensure this are detailed in their Access & Participation plans.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many fines were imposed on gambling companies by the Gambling Commission for failing to meet their social responsibility obligations in (1) 2018, (2) 2019, (3) 2020, (4) 2021, (5) 2022, and (6) 2023.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
In 2018, there were 3 fines imposed by the Gambling Commission on gambling companies for failing to meet their social responsibility obligations. For the years 2019 to 2023, I refer the noble Lord to the answer I provided to your question HL1825:
The total number of fines imposed by the Gambling Commission on operators for failing to meet their social responsibility obligations in each of the last six years is detailed below:
2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 (to-date) |
2 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 3 |
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many fines were imposed against gambling companies by the Gambling Commission for failing to meet their social responsibility obligations in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, (4) 2022, (5) 2023, and (6) 2024.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The total number of fines imposed by the Gambling Commission on operators for failing to meet their social responsibility obligations in each of the last six years is detailed below:
2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 (to-date) |
2 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 3 |
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to support children growing up in households where an adult is experiencing problem gambling.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We recognise the impact harmful gambling can have on individuals and their families. The National Gambling Clinic (NGC) supports people aged 13 - 18 years old in England who are experiencing harm from gambling, and offers a Family and Friends service which provides support to those impacted by someone else’s difficulty with gambling.
As stated in the Government’s manifesto, we are committed to strengthening protections for those at risk. We will consider the best available evidence in future decisions regarding the fulfilment of that important commitment.