Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an estimate of the economic contribution of adult gaming centres to (a) high streets and (b) town centres.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Official statistics from a range of sources provide the Government with insights into the economic contribution of the betting and gaming industry as a whole. The latest headline statistics show that the gambling sector contributed £4.9bn to Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2022, accounting for 0.2% of UK GVA. In the financial year 2023/24, the gambling sector employed around 94,000 people in Britain (provisional), accounting for 0.2% of UK jobs and paid approximately £3.4bn in betting and gaming duty.
The Gambling Commission’s industry statistics show that between April 2022 and March 2023, gross gambling yield for adult gaming centres was £533m. This represented c. 11% of gross gambling yield generated by non-remote casinos, arcades, betting and bingo.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to promote the heritage of county Essex.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
His Majesty’s Government is committed to promoting local heritage for the benefit of present and future generations.
Historic England (HE), the government’s expert advisor on heritage, works closely with heritage organisations in Essex, such as the Thomas Plume Library and Maldon Town Council. HE has provided funding of £67,962 towards the grade I listed library in Maldon’s town centre for the removal and replacement of the ceiling, as well as repairs to the external masonry and windows. This work was completed in 2021.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded significant grant funding to support heritage organisations in Essex, such as The Pioneering Sailing Trust in Brightlingsea, which was awarded £2.3 million this April (2024) to restore historic vessels and create an apprenticeship scheme.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help local authorities fund public libraries.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Public libraries are funded by local authorities and each local authority is responsible for assessing the needs of their local communities and designing a library service to meet those needs within available resources.
I will work with my colleagues in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to get local government back on its feet after fourteen years of savage and drastic underfunding. We will do the basics right, providing councils with more stability through multi-year funding settlements and ending unnecessarily expensive competitive bidding for tiny pots of money.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the Director of the British Museum on the long-term ownership of historic artefacts originating from other countries.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
No.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has (a) organised events and (b) taken other steps to celebrate the Olympic Games in the next two weeks.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to supporting elite sport and enabling our athletes to excel on the world stage. The Secretary of State and I were both fortunate enough to attend the Paris Olympics to cheer on our athletes. The Government welcomes the free, accessible, fan zones that Team GB set up around the UK for fans to watch live coverage with friends and family, and the many local events that communities across the country enjoyed. We were also delighted to join the celebrations for our Olympians at the National Lottery’s Team GB Homecoming in Manchester on 17 August.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to support Scouting and Girlguiding in the British Overseas Territories.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has taken steps to promote cultural relations between the UK and the Republic of North Macedonia.
Answered by Julia Lopez
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport promotes cultural relations around the world, working closely with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the Department for Business & Trade, and the British Council to ensure that culture and the creative industries are embedded in the UK’s diplomatic activities and that the importance of these sectors – which contribute so much to our economy, our way of life, and our international reputation – are properly reflected.
The British Embassy in Skopje has prioritised the promotion of bilateral cultural relations and continues to build links with local cultural institutions and artists, particularly those with connections to the UK.
The British Council promotes exchange between the Western Balkans and the UK’s education sector and creative industries, and supports people and institutions in developing enterprising cultural offerings. In May, for instance, the British Council hosted a conference in North Macedonia for 200 English teachers on the future of English.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether (a) flags, (b) statues and (c) other national symbols receive specific protections.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Flag-flying in England is subject to standard conditions set by the Government including keeping them in a safe condition and that flags are maintained in a condition that does not impair the overall visual appearance.
Statues that qualify as a building and are deemed to be of special architectural or historic interest can be protected by the Secretary of State through designation as a Listed Building.
National symbols, such as Royal Names, State Emblems, the Royal Arms and the Government Coat of Arms are already subject to guidelines.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government made plans for the celebration of St. George's Day in England.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
My department promotes the importance of celebrating St George’s Day each year through its flag flying policy for designated days which encourages the flying of the Union Flag on UK Government Buildings.
St George’s Day is a designated day. UK Government Buildings, where they have more than one flag pole, are also encouraged to fly the Cross of St George alongside the Union Flag. Individuals, local authorities and other organisations may fly the Cross of St George if they wish.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Mayor of London on the designs for the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square.
Answered by Julia Lopez
HM Government has had no discussions with the Mayor of London on the designs for the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square.