Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what role Young Futures Hubs will play in the delivery of the National Year of Reading in Somerset.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The National Year of Reading is a Department for Education initiative, in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust.
Young Futures Hubs will bring together services to improve access to opportunities and support for young people at community level, promoting positive outcomes and enabling them to thrive. Local Authorities participating in the programme will co-design the services in each hub alongside young people in the community to ensure it meets local needs.
Young Futures Hubs are just one part of delivering support within a much wider youth landscape, and will work closely with core services and wider initiatives spanning youth, education, employment, social care, mental health, youth justice and policing.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what role rural public libraries will play in the delivery of the National Year of Reading in Yeovil constituency.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Public libraries are central to the success of the National Year of Reading’s campaign to engage people of all ages with reading. The Reading Agency has been appointed to work with sector partners to deliver and support public library engagement. The Summer Reading Challenge in 2026, and World Book Night, the annual celebration of reading for adults on 23 April 2026, will be key moments for libraries during the National Year of Reading 2026. Throughout the year, The Reading Agency will provide public libraries with resources, toolkits, and print and digital materials to support their work.
Somerset libraries launched its participation in the National Year of Reading on 16 January 2026. All 32 statutory static libraries in Somerset, including five in the Yeovil constituency, will participate across the year, through existing initiatives as well as specific National Year of Reading events, activities and promotions.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help increase access to libraries in rural areas with limited transport links.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 requires all local authorities in England to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. Each local authority is responsible for assessing the needs of their local communities and designing a library service to meet those needs within their available resources.
Library service provision, including the number and location of static libraries, should take account of factors such as the rurality of the area and the availability and cost of public transport links. The statutory library provision in Somerset is delivered from 32 static libraries, as well as a mobile library service and a home library service.
The Government is committed to getting local government back on its feet. The final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2026-27 will make available £78 billion in Core Spending Power for local authorities in England in 2026-27, a 6.1% increase compared to 2025-26.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to provide (a) support and (b) funding for cricket nets in rural communities.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises that sports facilities are important to communities up and down the country, including rural communities. High-quality, inclusive facilities help people get active.
Grassroots sport, including cricket, is funded through the Government’s Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, who invest over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year. This includes long-term investment to the England and Wales Cricket Board, the National Governing Body for cricket, which receives up to £11.6 million for five years to invest in community cricket initiatives that will benefit everyone, including those in rural areas.
Future funding of sports facilities will be considered as part of the upcoming Spending Review.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she plans to take to support the provision of sports (a) clubs and (b) facilities in (i) rural communities and (ii) Yeovil Constituency.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises that sports clubs and facilities are important to communities up and down the country, including rural communities. High-quality, inclusive facilities help people get active. Everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, should have access to them and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity.
The ongoing responsibility for public leisure facilities lies at Local Authority level. Local Authorities work in partnership with operators who manage leisure services. The Government and Sport England continue to work closely with Local Authorities to monitor pressures in the sector.
The Government has committed to continued funding for grassroots facilities. £100 million will be invested into grassroots sport facilities across the UK through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme. Grassroots sport is also funded through the Government’s Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, who invest over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year.
Future funding of sports facilities will be considered as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of adding the Six Nations rugby union championship to the category A list of events not permitted to be broadcast solely on paid television services.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The current listed events regime is designed to ensure that sporting events of national significance are available to as wide an audience as possible, by prohibiting exclusive broadcasting of the event without prior consent from Ofcom. Listing does not guarantee that an event will be broadcast live, or on a free to air channel. Rights holders are not required to sell live rights for listed events and free-to-air broadcasters are not obliged to purchase them.
The Government believes that the current list of events works well and that it strikes an appropriate balance between access to sporting events and allowing sports to maximise broadcasting revenue. Therefore, the Government has no plans to review the list at this time.
It is right that the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Six Nations Rugby take a considered and balanced approach: recognising the need to achieve reach with existing and new fans, the importance that the Six Nations has for the cultural pride of each of the Home Nations, all the while maximising broadcast revenue.