Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to ensure that television documentaries that contain pornographic scenes are (a) censored and (b) blocked.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Broadcast regulation is a matter for the independent regulator Ofcom. The Broadcasting Code prohibits material equivalent to the British Board of Film Classification R18-rating. Adult sex material, as defined by Ofcom, must not be broadcast at any time other than between 10pm and 5.30am on channels with mandatory restricted access, such as requiring a PIN.
Broadcasters must ensure that material broadcast after the 9pm watershed, which contains images and/or language of a strong or explicit sexual nature, but is not ‘adult sex material’, is justified by the context. Representations of sexual intercourse must not occur before the watershed, unless there is a serious educational purpose.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 with her counterparts in the devolved Administrations to promote staycations.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
While tourism in Wales, Scotland and Ireland is devolved to the respective Governments and tourism bodies, VisitBritain retains responsibility for marketing Great Britain on the international stage. Its GREAT-funded international marketing campaign launched at the beginning of this year. ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ uses the hook of Britain’s rich film and television history to encourage more international visitors to explore across Great Britain. Staycations are by definition the responsibility of the devolved Administrations.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to increase locations for paddle boarding across the UK.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to and benefits from quality sport and physical activity opportunities, including paddle boarding.
Sport is a devolved policy area in Northern Ireland for which the Department for Communities is responsible.
In England, the Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. This includes long term investment to Paddle UK, the National Governing Body for paddle sports, which receives up to £10.2 million for five years to invest in community initiatives.
Our rivers, lakes, canals, and seas play a vital role in helping people across the country to get physically active, while enjoying the benefits of being outside in nature. The Government will continue to work collectively to improve access to clean water in order to allow more people to enjoy the benefits of water sports and water-based recreational activities, including paddle boarding.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Glastonbury organisers on comments made at the festival by Kneecap.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Culture Secretary has made clear that previous comments made by Kneecap are appalling, and that celebrating and promoting prescribed terrorist organisations is a criminal offence. This Government unequivocally condemns threatening remarks made towards any individual, and political intimidation and abuse must have no place in our society.
Following conversations between the Secretary of State and members of the Jewish community on concerns about imagery and slogans on display at the festival, DCMS officials have met with Glastonbury organisers for detailed discussions on their procedures to monitor imagery on site, and the due diligence processes undertaken for festival acts.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 incentivise local film makers to produce television in their own parts of the UK.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government incentivises television production across the UK through competitive tax reliefs, and generous support for studio infrastructure. Our public service broadcasters are also subject to regional production quotas, which encourage production activity in the nations and regions of the UK.
In recognition of the importance of this issue, the Secretary of State has challenged broadcasters and other commissioners to commission and produce more television content outside of London and the South East, with local creatives and producers given more opportunities to tell local stories that reflect the full diversity of people, communities and experiences across the UK. This will ensure that more people see themselves reflected on screen and as part of our national story. We have been clear that broadcasters and producers alike should be providing opportunities to local creatives and members of the local production workforce.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if her Department will support initiatives to connect books with (a) TV, (b) film and (c) gaming franchises to engage children and young people with reading.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government recognises the importance of reading for children’s development and of reading for pleasure. All children should have the opportunity to access books and other resources to support their learning and enjoyment. Many recognisable British stories start out as books before finding new audiences told through film, TV and video games adaptations, with production supported by the Government’s stable, efficient and reliable creative tax reliefs. The government is always supportive of the creative industries working together to enhance access of children to reading and literacy.
Arts Council England provides funding to literature organisations, writers, and independent publishers through National Portfolio funding and project grants. This includes grants for literary festivals, and support for organisations like BookTrust, which in addition to getting millions of children reading each year, works with school children until the age of 13 to showcase the very best in children’s literature. Moreover, Into Film and their partners have developed a course “Teaching Literacy through Film” which supports the use of film in classroom settings to improve speaking, listening, comprehension, and writing attainment. Many resources are provided from Oliver Twist to How to Train Your Dragon which combine the best of film and literature to provide excellent learning outcomes.
The government has also established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review covering ages 5 to 18, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The review seeks to deliver an excellent foundation in the core subjects of reading, writing and maths, and a rich and broad, inclusive and innovative curriculum that readies young people for life and work. This includes creative subjects such as art and design, music and drama. The Review Group has now published a well-evidenced, clear interim report, which highlights the successes of the current system, making clear that the most trusted and valued aspects of our system will remain, whilst setting a positive vision for the future. The government will respond to the final recommendations in autumn.
In addition to the role that industry can play, public libraries are an important resource for teachers, parents and children to engage children and young people with reading.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on promoting reading through (a) song lyrics, (b) fan fiction and (c) social media content.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Secretary of State has not held specific discussions with the Secretary of State for Education on the areas listed. However, the Secretary of State speaks regularly to the Secretary of State for Education and fully supports that department's ambitions for a rich and broad curriculum that values creativity.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 increase the number of listed buildings; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of doing so on tourism.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Heritage is a devolved matter and there are currently around 370,000 listed building entries on the National Heritage List for England.
There is no overall objective to increase the number of listed buildings; however, buildings are added to the list in England when they meet the criteria in the published Principles of Selection for Listed Buildings. Additions may follow an application or be as a result of thematic listing assessments to address gaps in the list, focusing on certain types of heritage or locations that are not well represented.
The link between Heritage and Tourism is well established and while no formal assessment has been made of the specific impact of increasing the number of listed buildings on tourism, heritage is a significant driver of visitor interest. According to VisitBritain, historic buildings and landmarks are among the top motivations for international tourists visiting the UK.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what financial support her department will offer to the creative industries in the next year.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
At the Creative Industries Growth Summit in January, DCMS Secretary of State announced £40 million of funding for the creative industries over the financial year 2025/26 – supporting start-up video game studios, British music and film exports, and creative businesses outside of London.
The Creative Industries is a key growth-driving sector and one of eight selected to be included in the Government's new Industrial Strategy. Support beyond the financial year 25/26 will be set out in the Creative Industries Sector Plan, to be published later this year.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with his US counterpart on the future of Hollywood-funded film production in the UK.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We are in active discussions with the top of the US administration and we are clear that the deep ties between the US and UK film industries provide mutual benefits to both countries. This is a fluid situation, and we will continue to take a calm and steady approach.
We are engaging closely with industry and we are absolutely committed to ensuring our film and TV sector can continue to thrive and create good jobs across the UK.