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 much funding they provided for community choirs in each of the past three years.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
His Majesty’s Government recognises the huge contribution cultural groups and organisations make, not only to the economy and international reputation of the United Kingdom, but also to the wellbeing and enrichment of its people. Local choirs are an important part of many people’s lives across the UK, providing a creative outlet and strong sense of community, as well as an accessible, enjoyable cultural experience enjoyed by people of all ages.
The Government supports the arts financially, including choirs and singing, through its arm’s-length body Arts Council England.
The Arts Council does not have a specific category for identifying investment in ‘community choirs’. We are therefore unable to provide precise funding figures for this specific activity. The Arts Council does, however, hold details of funding to organisations which provide a focus on choral/opera music and community engagement. Organisations which fall into this category have received the following National Lottery Project funding over the last three years:
2020/21 £348,903
2021/22 £238,080
2022/23 £432,840
The Arts Council’s investment in music remains high: of the 985 organisations included in the 2023–26 National Portfolio, 139 are classed as ‘music' and will receive around £65 million per year.
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 measures they have in place to prevent the purchase of lottery tickets and scratchcards with credit cards.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
It is not possible to use a credit card to play the National Lottery online or via the National Lottery smartphone application.
Licence conditions for gambling operators make clear that, where businesses take deposits via an electronic wallet, they must ensure that the money was not loaded from a credit card. If they cannot verify this, they must not accept the deposit.
Shoppers can use credit cards to buy National Lottery and society lottery products in retailers, recognising the lower risk posed by lottery products relative to other gambling products – along with the controls which are already in place, such as the training provided to retailers.
There are currently no plans to change this position under the 4th National Lottery licence but, in any case, the licence increases player protection requirements.
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 are taking to prevent gambling from an e-wallet, such as PayPal, where the money was loaded from a credit card.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
It is not possible to use a credit card to play the National Lottery online or via the National Lottery smartphone application.
Licence conditions for gambling operators make clear that, where businesses take deposits via an electronic wallet, they must ensure that the money was not loaded from a credit card. If they cannot verify this, they must not accept the deposit.
Shoppers can use credit cards to buy National Lottery and society lottery products in retailers, recognising the lower risk posed by lottery products relative to other gambling products – along with the controls which are already in place, such as the training provided to retailers.
There are currently no plans to change this position under the 4th National Lottery licence but, in any case, the licence increases player protection requirements.
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 launch the consultation on gambling advertising promised in their white paper, 'High stakes: gambling reform for the digital age', published on 27 April.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
As outlined in our White Paper, the Gambling Commission will launch detailed consultations on the construction and targeting of bonus offers and on consent for direct marketing in online gambling. The Commission plans to make progress on and implement proposals in the White Paper as quickly as possible, with targeted consultations planned to launch this summer and later this year.
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 meetings (1) ministers, and (2) senior officials, at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have had with representatives from the gambling industry in the past six months.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
Ministers and officials at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport regularly meet a range of people and organisations with an interest in gambling, including industry and charity representatives, to hear their views on the sector and to discuss areas of concern. All ministerial meetings are published on GOV.UK and can be accessed on that website.
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 are taking to support the provision of (1) swimming pools, and (2) leisure centres, in rural areas.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
HM Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to swimming pools across the country, including in rural areas. Swimming is a great way for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy. The responsibility for providing this access lies with local authorities, and the Government continues to encourage them to support swimming facilities.
We appreciate the impact that rising energy prices are having on organisations of all sizes, including on operators of swimming pools. That is why we announced the £18 billion Energy Bill Relief Scheme in September last year. The scheme was always time-limited, and has now been succeeded by the Energy Bills Discount Scheme. Under the new scheme, swimming pools will continue to receive discounts on their gas and electricity bills during the 12-month period from April 2023 to March 2024.
Officials in my Department are in regular contact with representatives from the sector to assess the impact of rising energy costs, including monitoring how operators and local authorities are responding to them.
Sport England has invested £12,775,274 of public money in swimming and diving projects since April 2019, which includes £9,360,002 to Swim England. This is in addition to the Government’s £100 million National Leisure Recovery Fund, which supported the reopening of local authority swimming pools throughout the country after the pandemic.
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) 2016, (2) 2017, (3) 2018, (4) 2019, (5) 2020, and (6) 2021.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
The Gambling Commission can fine a gambling operator if a licence condition has been breached. In some circumstances, the Commission may decide to agree a regulatory settlement instead of issuing a fine. While fines are paid to the Exchequer, regulatory settlements are divested by the company to third parties. The following financial penalties were imposed against gambling companies for failing to meet their social responsibility obligations between 2016 and 2021:
Year | Monetary value | Details |
2016/17 | £1.7m | 3 regulatory settlements |
2017/18 | £18.4m | 2 fines and 7 regulatory settlements |
2018/19 | £19.6m | 2 fines and 7 regulatory settlements |
2019/20 | £30.2m | 2 fines and 10 regulatory settlements |
2020/21 | £32.1m | 5 fines and 10 regulatory settlements |
2021/22 | £29.4m | 9 fines and 5 regulatory settlements |
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 the Gambling Act white paper will be published.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
The Gambling Act Review is an extensive, evidence-led review, which aims to ensure gambling regulation is fit for the digital age. We will publish a White Paper setting out our conclusions and next steps in the coming weeks.
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 (1) church buildings, and (2) other historical buildings, in the UK are adversely affected by the presence of bat roosts.
Answered by Lord Kamall - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
Whilst His Majesty’s Government does not directly hold this information, we are aware of data through the Bats in Churches project, which is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and is a partnership between Natural England, Historic England, Church of England, Bat Conservation Trust, and Churches Conservation Trust. The project aims to bring together the parties to create solutions to allow bats to be managed in churches either by their exclusion or by restricting access within the church itself to concealed roof spaces. The project has accumulated some data about the prevalence of bats in ecclesiastical buildings.
This data highlighted that around 60% of pre-16th century churches contain bat roosts, many home to nationally important breeding colonies. Churches are known to house larger roosts than other, natural sites.
Of 120 churches with bats consulted by the project partnership, for the 2015 project questionnaire, 90 churches reported damage caused by bats to the fabric of the church building, 81 churches reported damage to more than one monument, and 97 churches reported damage to fixtures and fittings.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of St Albans (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what grants are available to repair medieval artwork damaged by bats in (1) church buildings, and (2) other historical buildings.
Answered by Lord Kamall - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
The £42 million per annum government funded Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme refunds the VAT incurred on the costs of repair and maintenance of Listed Places of Worship of all faiths and denominations. Under the scheme, repairs to wall paintings and murals are eligible as well as works to repair damage to the fabric of the building and mitigation measures to reduce or prevent damage caused by bats.
A Church of England congregation seeking advice on how to assess and address any damage is advised to contact the Head of Conservation at the Cathedral and Church Buildings Division, who may also signpost funders who have supported conservation projects in the past.
Those concerned about other historic buildings will find advice on historic wall paintings, their conservation and how to find an appropriate conservator on the Historic England website: https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/technical-advice/buildings/decorative-features/wall-paintings/.
The Heritage Fund is currently funding a five year long Bats in Churches project that provides practical help and advice on the mitigation and management of bats. The project gives congregations the confidence to cope with their bats positively while giving regard to their protected status under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) (as amended) and The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations (2017) (as amended). The project runs until October 2023 and will continue to support and enable churches until it closes.