Asked by: Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland about ending the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme; and whether the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund will be subject to the Barnett formula.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I wrote to Angus Robertson MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, regarding the closure of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. DCMS officials have also met with counterparts in the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland to discuss the closure and confirm Barnett consequentials were applied as a proportion of overall departmental settlements.
At the Spending Review 2025, HM Treasury agreed budgets for Departments for a three-year period for Resource DEL, and a four-year period for Capital DEL. The Department then completed a Business Planning process to allocate this funding to programmes. This included £92 million (£23 million per year) for the Places of Worship Renewal Fund.
At Spending Reviews, the Devolved Governments generally receive Barnett consequentials as a proportion of overall departmental settlements, not specific funding lines or programmes. Barnett consequentials were confirmed taking into account the overall DCMS allocation, which includes funding for the Places of Worship Renewal fund. Decisions on the allocation of this funding are then for the Devolved Governments to take.
Asked by: Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to seek a redesign of the Lesser Arms used in government communications; and if so, what discussions they plan to have with (1) the Royal Household, and (2) the College of Arms, about the matter.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government Communication Service routinely reviews its branding guidance to ensure it remains effective, accessible and fit for purpose across all channels, including digital platforms.
Any costs associated with routine updates to branding guidance are covered by existing operational budgets. We continue to engage with relevant stakeholders, including the Royal Household, in accordance with standard protocols.
Asked by: Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to seek a redesign of the Lesser Arms used in government communications; and if so, what is the maximum budget they have allocated for those plans.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government Communication Service routinely reviews its branding guidance to ensure it remains effective, accessible and fit for purpose across all channels, including digital platforms.
Any costs associated with routine updates to branding guidance are covered by existing operational budgets. We continue to engage with relevant stakeholders, including the Royal Household, in accordance with standard protocols.
Asked by: Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to seek a redesign of the Lesser Arms used in government communications; and if so, whether they plan to hold a public consultation about the matter.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government Communication Service routinely reviews its branding guidance to ensure it remains effective, accessible and fit for purpose across all channels, including digital platforms.
Any costs associated with routine updates to branding guidance are covered by existing operational budgets. We continue to engage with relevant stakeholders, including the Royal Household, in accordance with standard protocols.
Asked by: Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask The Senior Deputy Speaker what is the current estimated cost of changing the typeface for the printed version of the House of Lords Official Report from a serif to a sans-serif typeface.
Answered by Lord McLoughlin
The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. The suggested redesign of the printed version of the House of Lords Official Report, in which the change in font is one element, has not been finalised or approved, so there are as yet no formal quotes from the third-party supplier, but the expectation is that costs would be low. The House of Lords Services Committee will be provided with the estimated costs before any final decisions are taken.
Asked by: Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask The Senior Deputy Speaker, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on the 6 January (HL13198), how many individual comments were received; and, of those comments, how many were (1) in favour of, and (2) opposed to, changing the typeface for the printed version of the House of Lords Official Report from a serif to a sans-serif typeface.
Answered by Lord McLoughlin
The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. In total, 20 individual responses were received on the total redesign package, offering varying views on different aspects. Specifically on the proposed change of font, which was covered in nine of the responses, two were in favour, three did not offer a preference and four preferred the current font. Some concerns were also raised about the front page and the suggested design was amended accordingly. The redesign remains a work in progress and will be reviewed again by the House of Lords Services Committee alongside further consultation with Members before any decision is taken.
Asked by: Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask The Senior Deputy Speaker, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 6 January (HL13198), who initiated the preparation of the paper which was presented to the Services Committee in May 2025 regarding the proposal to change the printed version of the House of Lords Official Report from a serif to a sans-serif typeface.
Answered by Lord McLoughlin
The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. Hansard initiated the paper proposing changes to the design of the printed version in consideration of contemporary accessibility standards. The existing design does not conform to contemporary accessibility standards in several ways. The justified layout is generally regarded as more difficult for visually impaired and dyslexic people to follow, and the serif text requires more effort to read than non-serif fonts. This work is being done in tandem with House of Commons Hansard, with which post-production processes are shared, so a divergence of approach would be likely to increase costs.
Asked by: Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Cultural Policy Unit, The National Library Card, published in December 2025; and what plans they have to act on its recommendations.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Libraries matter to people. They provide inspiration, education and entertainment for many thousands of people every week. The Government fully recognises the importance and value of public libraries for all members of the public. During early years, for example, libraries can help boost language and reading skills and confidence through rhymetime sessions and family learning events, building lifetime foundations of reading for pleasure.
We are aware of the report and I have read it with interest. As the Cultural Policy Unit identifies, the value of a public library card lies beyond simply having one, but in using it. This is why last year DCMS published its non-users research, a comprehensive quantitative report exploring the barriers to library use and potential strategies for re-engagement.
We will also be working with The Reading Agency and the public library sector to look at ways to boost membership and usage of public library service by people of all ages during the 2026 National Year of Reading.
Asked by: Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 18 December 2025 (HL12789), whether they plan to encourage the Church of England to allow appeals in cases where Bishops refuse to extend a parish clergy's period in office.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Aside from the limited extensions permitted by legislation and set out in the previous response dated 18 December 2025 (HL12789), there is a mandatory retirement age of 70 prescribed by section 1(3) of the Ecclesiastical Offices (Age Limit) Measure 1975 which applies to all Archbishops, Bishops, Deans, Archdeacons, residentiary Canons, parish incumbents and curates. Any changes to this, including the introduction of an appeals process, would be for the Church of England to determine.
Asked by: Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to estimate the number of people who access information about the activities of their local authorities from their local or regional newspapers.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Local press plays a vital role in scrutinising local authorities and supporting democratic engagement at local level, and there is a wealth of evidence relating to how audiences engage with this role. Ofcom’s most recent Local News and Media Survey found that nearly half of UK adults use local media to seek out local government information, such as local council updates or plans. The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism's most recent global survey of news audiences found that people consider local newspapers and other news media to be a better source of information on local politics and government than online platforms, to a greater degree than for any other type of local news or information.
Last year, DCMS commissioned research last year into the relationship between local news provision and local public service performance. That research has helped inform our plans for the Local Media Strategy to support local journalism. As part of the Strategy, we want to better empower local media to hold local public services to account, and we are exploring whether there is more that local authorities can do to support the vital role that local media plays, for example through increased openness in providing local journalists with access to information. We will also continue to monitor how audiences engage with this role. More detail will be announced on the Strategy and our commissioned research in the coming months.