Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions her Department has had with football authorities about (a) inclusion and (b) accessibility for disabled fans.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The government recognises the great importance of sport and physical activity for disabled people at both the grassroots and elite levels. We recognise there are barriers which exist and prevent some people from taking part and spectating. We will continue to do all that we can to tackle these and are encouraging sport bodies to make sport more accessible.
The government recently ratified the St Denis Convention. In doing so, we committed to providing an integrated safety, security and service approach at football matches and other sports events. The Sports Ground Safety Authority, one of DCMS’s Arm's-Length Bodies, has begun a partnership with the Council of Europe to better understand and promote the ‘safety’ and ‘service’ element of the convention to the benefit of all fans.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent progress her Department has made on introducing an independent football regulator.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
This Government is committed to putting fans at the heart of football and making sure our national game has a sustainable financial future.
The Government has committed to bringing forward legislation to establish an Independent Football Regulator, with the Football Governance Bill announced as part of the King’s Speech in November 2023.
As we work at pace to progress the legislation, we are continuing to engage with the FA, the Leagues, and fan associations to make sure we design the best regulator possible.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to support the digitisation of (a) census records and (b) other national archives.
Answered by John Whittingdale - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
On 6 January 2022, the 1921 Census for England and Wales was launched by Findmypast in partnership with The National Archives, following the transfer of the records from the Office for National Statistics. It was the largest transcription and digitisation project ever completed by The National Archives, consisting of more than 30,000 bound volumes of original documents stored on almost one linear mile of shelving.
The National Archives actively seeks to publish digitised content if it is not being published through partners. The Department for Culture, Media & Sport also assists the wider archive sector in this area by enabling organisations to promote their own content via its ‘Manage Your Collections’ service. Furthermore, The National Archives actively targets philanthropic and grant funding to increase the availability of collections through digitisation, which align with HM Government’s strategic and policy priorities.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
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 increase the accessibility of the national archives.
Answered by John Whittingdale - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
The National Archives is committed to increasing the accessibility of the records in its care.
This includes, over the next four years, expanding its collection through the absorption of the Parliamentary Archives and c.10 million Ministry of Defence service personnel records, increasing its visitor numbers by 50 per cent, doubling the number of participants in its learning programmes, and investing in the skills, capability and infrastructure needed to support its mission over the long term.
To increase accessibility to its collection, The National Archives has also been creating digital images of its records since the mid-1990s. The vast majority of these digital images, approximately 138 million, have been created in partnership with commercial companies through its licensing programme.
The National Archives also has a significant online engagement programme, with its content being available both nationally and internationally online.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the announcement by Meta that it plans to discontinue funding for the Community News Project on (a) student journalists, (b) local communities and (c) the broader media landscape.
Answered by John Whittingdale - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
The government is disappointed to see that Meta is closing its Community News Project. We are working to support journalism and local newsrooms to ensure the sustainability of this vital industry, and our new digital markets regime will help rebalance the relationship between the most powerful platforms and those who rely on them – including press publishers.
Additionally, our support for the sector has included the delivery of the £2 million Future News Fund; the zero rating of VAT on e-newspapers; the extension of a 2017 business rates relief on local newspaper office space until 2025; the publication of the Online Media Literacy Strategy; and the BBC also supports the sector directly, through the £8m it spends each year on the Local News Partnership, including the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
Ministers and officials regularly meet with stakeholders, including from the local press and from among the tech platforms, to discuss relevant policy interests and concerns.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of discontinuing of funding for the Community News Project on diversity and representation of local news teams across the UK.
Answered by John Whittingdale - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
The government is disappointed to see that Meta is closing its Community News Project. We are working to support journalism and local newsrooms to ensure the sustainability of this vital industry, and our new digital markets regime will help rebalance the relationship between the most powerful platforms and those who rely on them – including press publishers.
Additionally, our support for the sector has included the delivery of the £2 million Future News Fund; the zero rating of VAT on e-newspapers; the extension of a 2017 business rates relief on local newspaper office space until 2025; the publication of the Online Media Literacy Strategy; and the BBC also supports the sector directly, through the £8m it spends each year on the Local News Partnership, including the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
Ministers and officials regularly meet with stakeholders, including from the local press and from among the tech platforms, to discuss relevant policy interests and concerns.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has had recent discussions with Meta on funding for the Community News Project.
Answered by John Whittingdale - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
The government is disappointed to see that Meta is closing its Community News Project. We are working to support journalism and local newsrooms to ensure the sustainability of this vital industry, and our new digital markets regime will help rebalance the relationship between the most powerful platforms and those who rely on them – including press publishers.
Additionally, our support for the sector has included the delivery of the £2 million Future News Fund; the zero rating of VAT on e-newspapers; the extension of a 2017 business rates relief on local newspaper office space until 2025; the publication of the Online Media Literacy Strategy; and the BBC also supports the sector directly, through the £8m it spends each year on the Local News Partnership, including the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
Ministers and officials regularly meet with stakeholders, including from the local press and from among the tech platforms, to discuss relevant policy interests and concerns.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to take steps to help support community journalism projects.
Answered by John Whittingdale - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
The government is disappointed to see that Meta is closing its Community News Project. We are working to support journalism and local newsrooms to ensure the sustainability of this vital industry, and our new digital markets regime will help rebalance the relationship between the most powerful platforms and those who rely on them – including press publishers.
Additionally, our support for the sector has included the delivery of the £2 million Future News Fund; the zero rating of VAT on e-newspapers; the extension of a 2017 business rates relief on local newspaper office space until 2025; the publication of the Online Media Literacy Strategy; and the BBC also supports the sector directly, through the £8m it spends each year on the Local News Partnership, including the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
Ministers and officials regularly meet with stakeholders, including from the local press and from among the tech platforms, to discuss relevant policy interests and concerns.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to (a) introduce an Independent Regulator of English Football and (b) strengthen rules on ownership of football clubs.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
We will publish a White Paper in the next couple of weeks that sets out a detailed plan on how football will be reformed through regulation, including rules around football club ownership.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to encourage FIFA to (a) enhance and strictly implement its human rights criteria for future events and (b) strengthen its human rights due diligence processes.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Government has frank conversations at international level with our counterparts around the world on issues such as human rights, and we will continue to have those conversations.
Sport operates independently of government, therefore direct representations to FIFA on their criteria and due diligence processes for future events would be a matter for Home Nation football governing bodies to raise.