Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff in her Department have been allocated to deal with issues related to international trade in (a) each of the past five years and (b) the next two years; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
DCMS staff allocated to trade negotiations, trade policy development, and trade analysis over the last 5 years is approximately:
2018/19 - 37.5 FTE
2019/20 - 37.5 FTE
2020/21 - 39.9 FTE
2021/22 - 36.7 FTE
2022/23 - 34.3 FTE
With regards to FYs 2023-24 and 2024-25, future staffing is subject to ongoing Departmental Business Planning, therefore we are not able to comment on it at this time.
Additionally, there is an international trade dimension relevant to many aspects of DCMS's work and so it is not possible to fully disaggregate staff time on international trade aspects versus other policy work.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much financial support the Government has provided to support South Asia Heritage Month in each of the last five years; what proportion of that funding came from (a) his and (b) other Government departments; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s Arm's Length Body, Arts Council England (ACE), via its National Lottery Project Grants funding has supported a wide range of organisations and events focused on engaging with and celebrating South Asian Heritage, including supporting the South Asian Heritage Trust, which delivers their annual South Asian Heritage Month observance.
South Asian Heritage Month was established in 2020. Since then, ACE awarded a £20,175 National Lottery Project Grant to the South Asian Heritage Trust for their South Asian Heritage Month Online Programme in May 2022. Additionally, ACE awarded £41,700 to 'Tribe Arts' in July 2022 as part of a project to establish partnerships with South Asian Heritage Month.
Significant projects have also been funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund between 2003- 2021, in the London Borough of Harrow, with a total investment of £178,732 which explored and celebrated the South Asian community.
Current projects supported by Historic England are celebrating South Asian Places of Worship through thematic listing and research, and two projects have been awarded through their Everyday Heritage programme to the Bengali Photography Archive and the Sikh Development Academy.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when her Department last funded celebrations, exhibitions and programmes related to (a) the contributions of the South Asian community to UK life and (b) the culture, history and religions of South Asian countries; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
My Department has funded many exhibitions and programmes related to the contribution of South Asian culture and history through the bodies it funds.
Significant projects have been funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund between 2003- 2021, in the London Borough of Harrow, with a total investment of £178,732 which explored and celebrated the South Asian community. Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants has also supported a wide range of organisations and events including: the South Asian Heritage Trust, which delivers their annual South Asian Heritage Month observance; Luton Mela, a festival of South Asian arts and cultural heritage; and Croydon’s Beeja Dance Company who play a national role in developing the next generation of Indian dance leaders in the UK.
Current projects supported by Historic England are celebrating South Asian Places of Worship through thematic listing and research, and two projects have been awarded through their Everyday Heritage programme to the Bengali Photography Archive and the Sikh Development Academy.
There are also future events to look forward to. In 2023 the Manchester Museum will unveil a new South Asian gallery in partnership with the British Museum and which has been part-funded by a £5m grant from the government. The British Library also plays a part in celebrating South Asian culture and history through their partnership programmes and events such as the upcoming Lahore literature festival in 2023.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of adopting the UNICTRAL Model Law 2017 for UK-Australia trade; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
In the UK Australia Free Trade Agreement both parties agreed to “…maintain a legal framework governing electronic transactions consistent with the principles of the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce…” and to “...recognise the importance of developing mechanisms to facilitate the use of electronic transferable records.”
In the Queen’s Speech, the Government committed to implementing the recommendations made by the Law Commission for England and Wales by legislating to put electronic documents on the same legal footing as paper documents, thereby delivering the principles of the UN Commission On International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law.
Reform in this area is a G7 commitment made under DCMS Secretary of State’s Digital Track of the UK G7 Presidency and confirmed by the Carbis Bay G7 Leaders’ Summit Communique.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with the Football Association on its policy in respect of the keeping of transcripts of proceedings for disciplinary hearings covering breaches of regulations by footballs clubs; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The policies with regards to recording meetings between football clubs and competition organisers are independent of the government and a matter for the relevant organiser.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will ask the Football Association to publish details of the number of cases of non-league football clubs penalised under player registration rules that have nonetheless been using the Whole Game System for player registration in each region of England; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The policies and procedures for player registrations within football are independent of the government.
I would encourage anyone interested in player registrations and the Whole Game System to contact the FA in the first instance. If they are not satisfied with the response of the FA or require additional support, Sport Resolutions UK is an independent dispute resolution service available for sport in the UK.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will ask the Football Association to review the effectiveness, utility and accuracy of the its Whole Game System in the context of recent decisions to penalise Rayners Lane FC; and if she will make statement.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The policies and procedures for handling formal complaints within football are independent of the government.
I would encourage Rayners Lane FC to submit a formal complaint to the FA and follow their complaints processes (including any procedures for appeal). If they are not satisfied with the response of the FA or require additional support, Sport Resolutions UK is an independent dispute resolution service available for sport in the UK.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will have discussions with the Football Association on the decision of the Middlesex FA to exclude Rayners Lane FC from the final of the Middlesex Premier Cup; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The policies and procedures for handling formal complaints within football are independent of the government.
I would encourage Rayners Lane FC to submit a formal complaint to the FA and follow their complaints processes (including any procedures for appeal). If they are not satisfied with the response of the FA or require additional support, Sport Resolutions UK is an independent dispute resolution service available for sport in the UK.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the claim by the YMCA that, adjusted to real terms, Harrow West has experienced a decrease in funding for youth services of 61 per cent in the last decade; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Local Authorities have a statutory duty to allocate funding to youth services in line with local need. This is funded from the Local Government settlement, which was over £12 billion this year.
The government recognises the vital role that youth services and activities play in improving the life chances and wellbeing of young people. The government is investing £560 million over the next 3 years in a new National Youth Guarantee, so that by 2025 every young person will have access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has had any (a) financial contract and (b) meetings with (i) Clifford Chance LLP, (ii) FTI Consulting and (iii) Fenchurch Advisory Partners in the last five years; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department has awarded a contract to FTI Consulting in November 2017 for a period of 4 months to a maximum value of £29,250 (excluding VAT).
Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly and can be found on GOV.UK.