Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to help increase access to grassroots football in deprived areas.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to delivering top class sports facilities across the country, so that everyone can take part in sport and physical activity. As part of this commitment, the Government is delivering an historic level of direct investment to build or upgrade thousands of grassroots sport facilities across the UK.
Between 2021 and 2025, the UK Government is delivering investment of over £400 million to build or upgrade thousands of grassroots facilities across the UK. The largest component of this funding is the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme, which is investing over £320 million between 2021 and 2025 into football and multi-sport pitches, changing rooms and other ancillary facilities. Through this programme over £56,000 has been awarded to Northumberland County Council to improve grass pitches on Morpeth Common.
Central to this investment is a clear objective to level up access for under-represented groups through investment in deprived areas and an emphasis on equal access. 50% of funding will go to the 40% most deprived local authority areas, based on a combined inactivity and deprivation ranking.
All projects are assessed against their ability to deliver increased participation by under-represented groups - including women and girls, ethnic minority communities and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds. All projects can be viewed here on gov.uk.
In addition to facilities funding, in November 2023 Sport England announced £250 million of funding that will provide a major expansion of their investment into local communities across England to ensure those in greatest need are able to be physically active.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure the future of the Universal Service Obligation for broadband.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The broadband Universal service Obligation (USO) was launched in March 2020 and acts as a ‘digital safety net’ providing every premises with the legal right to request a decent broadband service providing speeds of at least 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload.
As the independent regulator, it is the responsibility of Ofcom to administer and monitor the broadband USO and ensure that the two Universal Service Providers comply with the obligations placed on them.
As set out in the Communications Act 2003, the Secretary of State must give Ofcom a direction to review the broadband USO once at least 75% of premises in the United Kingdom, on the basis of Ofcom’s data, take up a broadband service with a download speed of at least 30 megabits per second. As of September 2021 Ofcom reported that 69% of premises in the UK had taken up a superfast broadband service.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
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 adequacy of mental health and wellbeing training requirements for qualified sports coaches.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the importance of welfare and mental wellbeing for people participating in sport at all levels. An inclusive and professional sport and physical activity workforce is key to supporting people to be active. We want people taking part in sport and physical activity to have the best possible experience, which means that the workforce must be recruited, developed and supported in the right way.
Sport England, our arm’s length body for grassroots sport in England, funds a number of projects which aim to address knowledge and skills gaps of coaches in areas such as mental health. In 2019 they launched an e-learning course developed alongside Mind, UK Coaching and 1st4Sport which aims to help coaches and sport and physical activity providers increase their knowledge of mental health including how to support and engage people experiencing mental health problems. In 2020 Sport England also launched a duty of care toolkit with UK Coaching to equip coaches with the knowledge and skills to provide better coaching experiences and better look after themselves.
In recent years UK Sport, DCMS's arm's length body for elite sport, and the English Institute for Sport also have launched a programme of mental health education to promote positive mental health amongst coaches and support staff and encourage them to develop self-care strategies.
We will continue to work with our arm’s length bodies, sports bodies, and sector partners to promote good coaching which benefits both participants and coaches.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether adult gaming centres are non-essential retail as classified in the Government’s Shops Guidance; and if he will bring forward legislative proposals to enable those centres to reopen with other non-essential retail when covid-19 lockdown restrictions are lifted.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government has published guidance to help businesses understand how to make workplaces Covid-secure and help tackle the spread of the virus. Adult Gaming Centres should follow the shops and branches guidance in addition to Bacta’s specific guidance for FECs and AGCs to ensure they can operate as safely as possible when they are open.
The shops and branches workplace guidance was intended as guidance for those businesses on how they could operate safely when the regulations permitted them to do so after the first national lockdown and beyond. It does not have a direct bearing on the timing for reopening of the businesses included in the guidance.
As announced by the Prime Minister, we intend to publish our plan for taking the country out of lockdown in the last week of February. That plan will depend on the continued success of our vaccination programme, and on a sustained reduction in Covid-19 cases and hospitalisations.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the level of support needed by community sports groups and clubs during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
I am having regular discussions with sector and industry bodies to understand the impact of COVID-19 on sport and how we can provide support. This includes chairing a fortnightly meeting with over 25 sporting organisations.
The Chancellor has already announced a host of measures to help businesses, with £330 billion worth of government backed and guaranteed loans to support businesses across the UK. In addition, Sport England, has also announced £210 million of funding to help sport and physical activity organisations deal with the short and long term effects of the pandemic.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Minister of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which arts organisations in the North East of England his Department plans to allocate funding to in 2020.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The list outlines Arts organisations and practitioners across the North East that have been allocated funding from Arts Council England for 2020. This list is not exhaustive as ACE expects further funding applications from practitioners and organisations based in the North East of England throughout the year.
Organisation Name
Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums
North Music Trust
North Music Trust
Durham & Darlington Music Education Hub
Tees Valley Music Service
Sunderland Music Education Hub
Music Partnership North
North Tyneside Music Education Hub
Gateshead and South Tyneside Music Education Hub
New Writing North
Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council
Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums
November Club
North Music Trust
Ballet Lorent Limited
The Forge
National Youth Choirs of Great Britain
Dance City
Northern Stage (Theatrical Productions) Ltd
TIN Arts
The Maltings Berwick Trust Limited
Helix Arts Ltd
Baltic Flour Mills Visual Arts Trust
Middlesbrough Town Hall
Association for Cultural Enterprises
Stockton International Riverside Festival
Gem Arts
Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums
North East Theatre Trust Ltd
The Customs House
Bloodaxe Books Ltd
Theatre Hullabaloo
Woodhorn Charitable Trust
The Lawnmowers Independent Theatre Company
Generator North East
Amber Film & Photography Collective
Seven Stories, The National Centre for Children's Books
Vane Contemporary Art Limited
a-n The Artists Information Company
Durham County Council
Queen's Hall Arts
Sunderland Culture
Unfolding Theatre
The NewBridge Project
Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums
Workplace Foundation
Inpress Ltd
Stockton Borough Council Tees Valley Museum Group
Arts&Heritage
Beamish Museum
Teesside University
Northern Print
Tyneside Cinema
Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival
Open Clasp Theatre Company
Stockton Arts Centre Ltd
The Bowes Museum
Umar Butt
Jamie Tansley
The Auxiliary Project Space
DJAZZ - Durham City Jazz Festival
Southpaw Dance Company
Lisette Rebecca Auton
Nadia Iftkhar
Kris Johnson
David Lisser
Vivien Wood
Lydia Brickland
Michael John Heatley
Jade Byrne
National Youth Choirs of Great Britain
Festival of Thrift
South Tyneside Council
New Prospects Association Limited
Hartlepool Borough Council
Michael Evans
Curious Arts Ltd
Katie Doherty
Middlesbrough Council
Little Cog
Make & Mend Company
North Tyneside Council
Sunderland MAC Trust
Primate Productions Ltd
Patrick Ngabonziza
Amy Lord
Rachael Walsh
Little Inventors Worldwide Ltd
Sophie Buxton
Benedict Wellstood
MBC Arts Wellbeing
Kate Hunter
Gillie Kleiman
Tracks
Southpaw Dance Company
Rosa Postlethwaite
Amanda Ogden
Rebecca Glendenning-Laycock
Elizabeth Jane Klotz
Changing Relations
Beacon Films CIC
Middlesbrough Mela Association
Harambee Pasadia CIC
Katherina Radeva
Christopher Folwell
Tatwood Puppets
Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance
Alistair McDonald
Newcastle Asian Arts and Music
Hannah Thompson
Dora Frankel
Laura Harrington
Action for Children
The Middlesbrough Art Weekender
Let's Circus
Hannah Murphy
The Empty Space
Paul Miller
Durham County Council Arts Programmes Team
Eliot Smith Company
Alphabetti Theatre
Two Destination Language
Wesley Stephenson
Pineapple Black
Sheila Graber
COMMON
Regeneration NE CIC
Martin Hylton
Workie Ticket Theatre CIC
Norfolk Street Arts Community Interest Company
Aidan Moesby
Stellar Projects
Thoughtful Planet 3
William Steele
Cameron John Sharp
Teesside University
Zoe Murtagh
Miranda Tufnell
Ushaw College
Christina Castling
Newcastle City Council Culture
Tony Hopkins Entertainments Ltd
NTC Touring Theatre Company Ltd
Lindsay Duncanson
Northumbria University
Julian Germain
Mortal Fools
Opera Sunderland
Durham University
Jake Jarratt
Elizabeth Jane Klotz
fanSHEN
Lydia Brickland
Scott Turnbull
Tusk Music
Mad Alice Theatre Company
Payal Ramchandani
Chris Hornsby
Sunderland City Council
Tim Shaw
Becci Sharrock
North Music Trust
Charlie Bramley
Creative Spaces North East C.I.C.
COMMON
Elysium Theatre Company
The Creative Seed CIC
Curious Monkey Ltd
Abdulrahman Abu - Zayd
DAVE GRAY
Allan Hughes
Debra Carey
Izaak Gledhill
Hexham Book Festival
Moving Art Management
Cap-a-Pie
Alys North
blimey!
Juliana Mensah
Harriet Ghost
Transitions17
Sabina Sallis
Conversations in Painting
Faye MacCalman
Caroline Collinge
Robert Graham
Henry Amos
christopher fallow
Michelle Bayly
Leah Millar
Nell Catchpole
Melanie Rashbrooke
Slugtown
Hartlepool Wintertide Festival
Emma Dunn
Greyscale Theatre Company
D6 Culture Ltd
North East Theatre Trust Ltd
Michael Mulvihill
Teesside University
Cat Robey
Catherine Bertola
South Tyneside Council
Head of Steam - Darlington Railway Museum
Matt Jamie
Bethan Kitchen
Woodhorn Charitable Trust
South Tyneside Council
Faculty of Arts, Design and Creative Industries
Jazz North East Ltd
Simon West
Eliot Smith Company
Chalk
Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums
Durham University
Vindolanda Trust
Mortal Fools
Middlesbrough Council Cultural Services
Gary Wilkinson
Newcastle Gateshead Initiative
Dominic Nelson-Ashley
Martha Wheatley
Skimstone Arts
Luca Rutherford
Surface Area Dance Theatre CIC
Kerrin Tatman
Hannah Thompson
Gateway Studios
Liberdade community development trust
Nexus
Mathieu Geffré
identity on tyne
Shane Wreford-Sinnott
Michaela Wetherell
Steve Byron
Mi Viejo Fruta Ltd
Independent Sunderland
New Writing North
Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums
November Club
North Music Trust
Ballet Lorent Limited
The Forge
National Youth Choirs of Great Britain
Dance City
Northern Stage (Theatrical Productions) Ltd
TIN Arts
The Maltings Berwick Trust Limited
Helix Arts Ltd
Baltic Flour Mills Visual Arts Trust
Middlesbrough Town Hall
Association for Cultural Enterprises
Stockton International Riverside Festival
Gem Arts
Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums
North East Theatre Trust Ltd
The Customs House
Bloodaxe Books Ltd
Theatre Hullabaloo
Woodhorn Charitable Trust
The Lawnmowers Independent Theatre Company
Generator North East
Amber Film & Photography Collective
Seven Stories, The National Centre for Children's Books
Vane Contemporary Art Limited
a-n The Artists Information Company
Durham County Council
Queen's Hall Arts
Sunderland Culture
Unfolding Theatre
The NewBridge Project
Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums
Workplace Foundation
Inpress Ltd
Stockton Borough Council Tees Valley Museum Group
Arts&Heritage
Beamish Museum
Teesside University
Northern Print
Tyneside Cinema
Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival
Open Clasp Theatre Company
Stockton Arts Centre Ltd
The Bowes Museum
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether there is a minimum limit above which charitable organisations must bid in applying for funding from the tampon tax fund.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
Applications to the Tampon Tax Fund should be for £1million or more and be from organisations that can deliver impact across their chosen category and across multiple regions in one or more of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Applications are welcomed from individual organisations or consortia with an identified lead organisation. We are particularly interested in receiving applications from organisations whose projects include making onward grants to other charitable organisations, as a way of utilising existing expertise in the sector, increasing geographical reach, and improving impact.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure appropriate age restrictions are applied to video games and other digital content; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure such age restrictions are enforced.
Answered by Matt Hancock
The Video Recordings Act 1984 requires that all video games for sale in the UK and classified as unsuitable for children carry a European Pan European Games Information (PEGI) age rating. Enforcement is monitored by Trading Standards and any retailer convicted of supplying a PEGI 12, 16 or 18 product to someone not meeting the specific age requirement faces a possible jail term and/or a fine. It is also an offence for companies distributing or retailing games without the appropriate age ratings on them. In the online space, we welcome initiatives such as the International Age Rating Coalition which ensures that games and apps available through many online and mobile storefronts feature PEGI age ratings.
With regards to other digital content, through the Digital Economy Act 2017, we have created the requirement for commercial providers of online pornography to have robust age verification controls to prevent under 18s accessing this material. We will shortly seek Parliamentary approval of the designation of the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) as the age verification regulator. The BBFC will monitor and take enforcement action against non compliant sites.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
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 trends in the level of gambling content in video games played by children; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
Protecting children and the vulnerable from being harmed or exploited by gambling is a core objective of the regulation of gambling in Great Britain, and a priority for the government.
The statutory regulator, the Gambling Commission, monitors the participation of children in gambling through a range of data sources including complaints, academic research, and the annual Young People and Gambling Survey, which in 2017 included specific questions in relation to video gaming. The results of the survey are due to be published soon. The Gambling Commission has also asked its expert advisors, the Responsible Gambling Strategy Board, to examine the wider relationship between children and gambling.
The Gambling Commission is engaging with the video games industry and with a wide variety of stakeholders, including child protection groups, to highlight the risks of gambling linked to video games to parents, consumers and the wider public. The government’s Internet Safety Strategy published on 11 October considers options for working with the online video games industry to improve video gaming safety
The government recognises the risks that come from increasing convergence between gambling and video games. The Gambling Commission is keeping this matter under review and will continue to monitor developments in the market.
Asked by: Ian Lavery (Labour - Wansbeck)
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 effectiveness of the regulation of the video games industry.
Answered by Matt Hancock
We are committed to protecting children from inappropriate content in video games. The supply of video games on physical media in the UK is regulated under the Video Recordings Act 1984. In 2012 the Government strengthened this law so that any such games must be referred to the VSC Rating Board for a Pegi age rating if they are unsuitable for children. A retailer convicted of supplying a game to someone not meeting the Pegi 12, 16 or 18 age requirement risks a fine or jail sentence. The Pegi ratings are also voluntarily applied by industry to many games and apps made available online.
On 11 October 2017 we published our Internet Safety Strategy Green Paper, setting out our plans to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online. This includes how we will work with online platforms, game publishers and game developers and with agencies such as the VSC Rating Board to continue to improve online safety in games.