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 HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what conversations they have had with heritage and faith communities about zero-rating VAT on repairs to listed buildings; and what assessment they have made of potential implications for the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. VAT is the UK’s second largest tax forecast to raise £171 billion in 2024/25. Taxation is a vital source of revenue that helps to fund vital public services.
Evidence suggests that businesses only partially pass on any savings from lower VAT rates. In some cases, reliefs do not represent good value for money, as there is no guarantee that savings will be passed on to consumers.
To preserve heritage, restorative work carried out on listed buildings previously benefited from a zero rate of VAT. However, this relief was abolished in 2012, as it was primarily used to carry out extension work unnecessary for heritage purposes. Withdrawing this relief simplified VAT rules and also removed the scope for error when categorising construction work as either alteration or repair.
Over £350 million has been returned to churches, synagogues, mosques and temples through the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. This has helped protect listed places of worship and enabled them to continue their work as centres of worship and community assets.
Departmental settlements have been set following the Budget announcement on October 30. The outcome of individual programmes, such as the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, will now be assessed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport as they finalise their financial allocation for 2025/26.
The Chancellor makes decisions on tax policy at fiscal events in the context of the overall public finances.
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 HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the current remote gaming duty levels on economic growth.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
At Autumn Budget 2024 the Government announced its intention to publish a consultation next year on proposals to bring remote gambling (meaning gambling offered over the internet, telephone, TV, and radio) under a single tax, rather than taxing it through the current three-tax structure.
This consultation will consider the impacts of reforming gambling duties. Alongside any changes that are announced, the Government will publish a Tax Information and Impact Note, including an economic impact assessment, to detail the expected impacts.
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 Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of introducing an arts premium to allow for schools to pay for arts opportunities such as music lessons, as recommended in the report by the Sutton Trust, A class Act: Social mobility and the creative industries, published on 13 November.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
The government believes that creative subjects like arts, music and drama are vital elements of the rounded and enriching education that every child deserves. Arts and music should not be the preserve of a privileged few, in or beyond the classroom.
The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The review will seek to deliver a curriculum which is rich and broad, so that children and young people get a excellent foundation in the core skills of reading, writing and mathematics whilst ensuring they do not miss out on subjects such as music, arts, sport and drama, as well as vocational subjects.
This government does not currently plan to introduce an arts premium. However, the department continues to make significant investment in arts and music, over and above core school budgets. The department has already confirmed £79 million in revenue funding this academic year for Music Hubs, which support music education in 90% of primary schools and 82% of secondary schools in England, alongside capital funding of £25 million for musical instruments and equipment. The department has also confirmed more than £30 million for the Music and Dance Scheme this academic year, so it can continue to remove financial barriers to specialist music and dance education for children whose families could not otherwise afford it. The department has also recently announced a new £2 million initiative for the Music Opportunities Pilot over four years, supporting disadvantaged children to learn a musical instrument or to sing.
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.