Asked by: Helen Grant (Conservative - Maidstone and Malling)
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 participation in sport for women of all ages.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Sport England’s latest Active Lives survey data shows that men are more likely to be active than women and that boys are more likely to be active than girls.
We are dedicated to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, have access to high quality sport. We want to protect time for physical education and support grassroots clubs in expanding access whilst also breaking down the barriers that exist and prevent women and girls from being active.
High-quality, inclusive facilities help clubs to get more people active and by backing these clubs, the Government will support more women and girls to get onto the pitch wherever they live.
The Government has set out its support for grassroots facilities, including through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme which provides funding to build and improve grassroots facilities to support a range of sports, and a commitment to support the Football Association’s ambition to double their number of gold-standard (3-star) community clubs by EURO 2028. This will deliver more opportunities for women and girls to get on the pitch.
Beyond funding, the Government’s commitment includes supporting girls and boys across the country to get more access to sport and physical activity, a review of the curriculum to protect time for PE, and legislation to be brought forward to limit the number of kit items schools can require.
Asked by: Helen Grant (Conservative - Maidstone and Malling)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make additional funding available for grass roots sports clubs.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
This Government recognises that grassroots sports clubs are at the beating heart of communities up and down the country. High-quality, inclusive facilities help clubs to get more people active and by backing these clubs, the Government will support more people to get onto the pitch wherever they live.
To mark the achievements of our senior men’s and women’s football teams, and inspire the next generation as we look ahead to hosting UEFA EURO 2028 across the UK and Ireland, we have set out plans to strengthen our support for grassroots clubs. This includes continuing delivery of funding through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme this year, and a commitment to work with the sector to develop a funding package that will support these plans.
We provide the majority of support for grassroots sport through our arm’s length body, Sport England – which annually invests over £250 million of National Lottery and government money. Sport England’s newly established Movement Fund offers crowdfunding pledges, grants and resources to improve physical activity opportunities for the people and communities who need it the most.
Asked by: Helen Grant (Conservative - Maidstone and Malling)
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 increase the participation of (a) girls and (b) women in sport.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Opposition Chief Whip (Commons)
The Government is committed to increasing women and girls’ participation in sport and physical activity.
Our sport strategy, Get Active, includes the target of getting 1.25 million more women and 1 million more children active by 2030. This will be supported by Government investment of over £600 million to boost equal access in school sport.
Government is delivering an historic level of direct investment of over £327 million between 2021-25, through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme, to provide up to 8,000 new and improved multi-sport grassroots facilities and pitches across the whole of the UK.
All projects on the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme are assessed against their ability to deliver increased participation by under-represented groups, including women and girls, and all projects over £25,000 in England must have an equal access women and girls plan in place.
This includes the £30 million Lionesses Futures Fund, which will deliver up to 30 artificial pitches across the country, creating opportunities to play for almost 8,000 women and girls.
The Government welcomes the Women and Equalities Select Committee’s recent report on ‘Health Barriers for Girls and Women in Sport’ and accepts most of the reports recommendations. We will continue to work with the sector to remove the barriers that prevent women and girls from being active and continue to give women and girls a voice on what they want.
Asked by: Helen Grant (Conservative - Maidstone and Malling)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Department's news story, It’s time to level up Britain’s screens, published on 23 June 2021, what evidence his Department used to inform the assessment that choice is no longer an issue for UK viewers.
Answered by John Whittingdale - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
There is a wealth of evidence set out in our consultation document that supports the case we have made about the evolving media landscape and the challenges this presents for linear TV broadcasters. Linear TV viewing is down almost 60% amongst 16-25 year olds since 2010, whilst 16-34 year olds now spend almost twice as much time on YouTube and subscription VoD services than they do with broadcast content. There are now 315 channels, compared to 5 in 1982 when Channel 4 was established. Linear TV advertising revenues - which constituted 74% of Channel 4’s revenue in 2020 - have declined across the sector at a compound annual rate of 2.5% since 2015.
Moreover, Ofcom, in their latest recommendations to Government on the future of public service media, outlined what it called the ‘rapid change in the industry – driven by global commercial trends and a transformation in viewing habits - [which] is making it harder for public service broadcasters to compete for audiences and maintain their current offer”.
It is against this backdrop that the Government is taking action through a strategic review of the UK’s public service broadcasting system, with plans to bring forward a White Paper in the Autumn, to ensure that our traditional public service broadcasters are equipped to retain their place at the centre of the UK’s media ecosystem.
Asked by: Helen Grant (Conservative - Maidstone and Malling)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure that under a potential change in ownership model Channel 4 would maintain its focus on producing content that appeals to young people.
Answered by John Whittingdale - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
Channel 4’s current remit and obligations are largely based on the key building blocks for public service broadcasting as set out in the 2003 Communications Act, with further changes made in the 2010 Digital Economy Act. The Government has made clear in the consultation that it intends to preserve Channel 4’s PSB remit.
The consultation also makes clear that the Government sees the value delivered to society through the obligations placed on Channel 4 to broadcast content appealing to young and diverse audiences. Indeed, we would expect the channel’s success with younger audiences to be something particularly appealing to potential buyers.
The Government is minded to retain such obligations, though it will be important to ensure its remit does not prohibit Channel 4’s future sustainability and its ability to broadcast relevant and quality content given the developments in the media landscape – with young audiences increasingly likely to consume content on non-linear platforms such as VoD services for example.
We are seeking views on the possible modernisation of Channel 4’s remit and obligations through the consultation.
Asked by: Helen Grant (Conservative - Maidstone and Malling)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure that under a potential change in ownership model Channel 4 would maintain its current levels of investment in skills and productivity for young people.
Answered by John Whittingdale - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
The Government believes that a change in ownership could allow Channel 4 the best chance of responding effectively to current market dynamics and opportunities, with greater access to capital and more scope to form strategic partnerships and expand internationally.
We all have a role to play in ensuring that the UK has an effective skills system that meets the needs of employers and learners - including young people - and that everyone with talent and ambition, regardless of their background, should have the opportunity to build a successful career in the Creative Industries.
A thriving, sustainable Channel 4 could offer the best prospects for long term job creation for young people in the creative economy. That is why we are considering potential reform to gather views and evidence on how the channel’s future sustainability can be achieved.
Asked by: Helen Grant (Conservative - Maidstone and Malling)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential risk that the privatisation of Channel 4 would lead to the loss of distinctive UK content and a shift towards generic content tailored to an international audience.
Answered by John Whittingdale - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
The government is currently consulting on issues around the channel’s publisher-broadcaster restriction, its contribution to levelling up, and its remit.
We will use the responses to our consultation, and evidence received through it, to inform our decision-making. As such, it would not be appropriate for us to carry out an impact assessment until we have considered the responses and answered the questions set out in the consultation - until then, we do not know what specific impacts we are assessing.
Asked by: Helen Grant (Conservative - Maidstone and Malling)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make and publish the results of an assessment of the potential effect that a change in Channel 4’s ownership model may have on the levelling up of the UK’s creative sector outside of London.
Answered by John Whittingdale - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
The government is currently consulting on issues around the channel’s publisher-broadcaster restriction, its contribution to levelling up, and its remit.
We will use the responses to our consultation, and evidence received through it, to inform our decision-making. As such, it would not be appropriate for us to carry out an impact assessment until we have considered the responses and answered the questions set out in the consultation - until then, we do not know what specific impacts we are assessing.
Asked by: Helen Grant (Conservative - Maidstone and Malling)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will conduct and publish the results of an assessment of the potential impact of revising Channel 4’s publisher-broadcaster model on (a) the UK production sector as a whole, (b) small and medium-sized production companies and (c) UK production companies based outside of London.
Answered by John Whittingdale - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
The government is currently consulting on issues around the channel’s publisher-broadcaster restriction, its contribution to levelling up, and its remit.
We will use the responses to our consultation, and evidence received through it, to inform our decision-making. As such, it would not be appropriate for us to carry out an impact assessment until we have considered the responses and answered the questions set out in the consultation - until then, we do not know what specific impacts we are assessing.
Asked by: Helen Grant (Conservative - Maidstone and Malling)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking in relation to securing the contribution that Channel 4 makes to the UK’s creative economy through its (a) regional offices and employees, (b) 50 per cent commissioning spend outside of London and (c) investment in skills and apprenticeships across the country.
Answered by John Whittingdale - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
We value Channel 4’s contribution to the UK’s creative economy, and the consultation clearly states that we consider a continued and renewed commitment to it will be appropriate to any potential change of ownership.
We have also been clear that whatever Ministers decide, Channel 4 will continue to have a Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) remit. Currently all national PSBs, including those that are privately owned, have quotas for content outside of the M25.