Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
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 ensure local authorities have sufficient funds for youth services.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Local authorities hold the statutory duty to secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient provision of educational and recreational leisure-time activities for young people. Local Authorities fund youth services from their Local Government Settlement in line with local need, and this was increased to more than £69 billion in 2025/26 - a 6.8% increase in cash terms compared to 2024/25.
We will be launching the Local Youth Transformation pilot this year, which will support select local authorities to build back capability to improve local youth offers. We will share more information in due course.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of press regulation.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
In the UK, there exists an independent, self-regulatory system for the press and the Government therefore does not intervene in or oversee the work of press regulators. We are also clear, however, that with this freedom comes responsibility, and newspapers must operate within the bounds of the law. This includes ensuring access to clear, timely and effective routes to redress.
Having a press that is completely separate from the Government is important for press freedom and to ensure the public have access to accurate and trustworthy information from a range of different sources. An independent self-regulatory regime is important to ensure the press adheres to clear and high standards and the Government currently has no plans to change the present system of press regulation.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
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 enhance press regulation.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
In the UK, there exists an independent, self-regulatory system for the press and the Government therefore does not intervene in or oversee the work of press regulators. We are also clear, however, that with this freedom comes responsibility, and newspapers must operate within the bounds of the law. This includes ensuring access to clear, timely and effective routes to redress.
Having a press that is completely separate from the Government is important for press freedom and to ensure the public have access to accurate and trustworthy information from a range of different sources. An independent self-regulatory regime is important to ensure the press adheres to clear and high standards and the Government currently has no plans to change the present system of press regulation.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
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 support religious buildings of historic importance.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
There is a range of support available via DCMS and the Department’s Arm’s-Length Bodies for listed places of worship. These include the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme; the National Lottery Heritage Fund's £15m Heritage in Need: Places of Worship initiative, funded through the National Lottery between 2023 and 2026; the Churches Conservation Trust (CCT), which funds repairs and maintenance of over 350 churches in the CCT portfolio; and Historic England's Heritage At Risk grants, which support certain religious buildings such as cathedrals on the Heritage at Risk register.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
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 help support grassroots live music venues in Liverpool.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Following the Autumn Budget, we are continuing to support Arts Council England’s (ACE’s) successful Supporting Grassroots Music Fund which provides grants to grassroots music venues, recording studios, promoters and festivals across England. ACE has provided funding to grassroots music venues in Liverpool, such as the multi-purpose venue District for the District Live Music Programme, to help support 6 months of accessible live music performances. There are also a number of ACE’s National Portfolio Organisations that support grassroots music in Liverpool, such as Liverpool Sound City, an annual music festival and industry conference, and Future Yard, a community music venue which provides training and artist development services alongside live music space.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of dynamic pricing on the accessibility of music gigs.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We will soon launch a call for evidence on pricing practices for live events tickets, which will include dynamic pricing, alongside a consultation on new protections for consumers on the resale of tickets.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will have discussions with the Football Association (FA) on the potential impact of ending FA Cup replays on non-Premier League teams.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
David and Goliath fixtures are part of the magic of the FA Cup. They are also important for the finances of smaller clubs. While this is ultimately a matter for the football authorities, we expect the FA and Premier League to consult with the English Football League and other leagues further down the pyramid on moves such as this and reach agreements collectively.
It is now incumbent on the FA and Premier League to publicly explain this decision and what further support they can provide to affected clubs.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with the Football Association (FA) on consultation with the English Football League on FA Cup replays.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
David and Goliath fixtures are part of the magic of the FA Cup. They are also important for the finances of smaller clubs. While this is ultimately a matter for the football authorities, we expect the FA and Premier League to consult with the English Football League and other leagues further down the pyramid on moves such as this and reach agreements collectively.
It is now incumbent on the FA and Premier League to publicly explain this decision and what further support they can provide to affected clubs.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to direct the Horse Race Betting Levy Board to increase the proportion of the levy for aftercare provision for vulnerable horses leaving the racing industry.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Government is aware of the vital work the horseracing industry does in supporting and retraining former racehorses. However, we have no current plans to direct the Levy Board to make amends to levy schemes.
The Horserace Betting Levy Board’s expenditure covers all its three statutory purposes, all of which support horse welfare to some extent, with one of their goals to drive high quality care and support for the horse in Racing. In total, the Horserace Betting Levy Board spends around £3.5 million annually on horse-related areas, such as educational research and on a number of horse welfare projects. The Levy Board funds the Retraining of Racehorses charity, which is British Horseracing's official charity for the welfare of horses who have retired from racing.
The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) is responsible for the safety of horses at races in Britain and works with animal welfare organisations like the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare to keep racecourses as safe as possible for horses. The British Horseracing Authority created a cross-industry Horse Welfare Board in April 2019. The Board makes recommendations including a multi-year strategy for improving welfare. In February 2020, the Welfare Board published its five-year strategic plan for the welfare of horses bred for racing. The strategy focuses on the ambition that every horse bred to race should lead – and be seen to lead – “a life well-lived”. The Horse Welfare Board is funded by the HBLB and The Racing Foundation.
Furthermore, in April 2024 the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and Great British Racing (GBR) launched a new campaign, HorsePWR, designed to promote the facts around welfare in horseracing and challenge and correct inaccurate information shared by people who are opposed to it.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's Gambling white paper, published on 27 April 2023. whether she plans to take steps to help reduce the impact of the white paper's proposals on (a) casual gamblers and (b) the growth of illegal gambling.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
His Majesty’s Government recognises that, while millions of people gamble online without experiencing problems, for some it becomes an addiction with serious consequences. The white paper, published in April this year, outlines a balanced and proportionate package of measures.
The white paper’s proposals are targeted to protect those most at risk of gambling addiction or suffering catastrophic losses, while having minimal impact on the freedoms of the large majority of gamblers. For example, financial risk checks will be frictionless checks and based on data sharing, and only apply to only the very highest spenders. Proposed changes to game design rules will only impact the most intense products and not how most people ordinarily play, and the proposed data sharing between operators is only for those showing strong indicators of harm. “Casual gamblers” will also benefit from a number of the reforms, such as the new ombudsman to provide redress when things go wrong, greater control over the gambling marketing they receive, and reforms to support the land-based sector. Where proposals have been subject to consultation, we and the Gambling Commission are considering all responses carefully, including from gamblers not suffering harm.
We are also taking strong action to tackle illegal gambling alongside our reforms to the licensed sector. The Gambling Commission has been engaging with internet search and service providers to delist illegal operators and restrict access, working with payment providers and financial institutions to cut illegal operators off from payments, and working with software providers to prevent access to popular products and games. Furthermore, as we committed in the white paper, we are legislating through the recently introduced Criminal Justice Bill to give the Gambling Commission tough new powers to tackle criminal gambling websites.