Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how her Department plans to support the BBC in growing the North East’s creative economy.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The BBC is a vital national institution and an engine of the nations and regions, including the North East of England. In that context, this news is concerning for the BBC workforce who are facing significant uncertainty, and for the sector as a whole. The BBC is delivering significant savings, which requires difficult decisions to be made independent of the Government. The BBC have stated that there will be more information on their plans later this year. Looking ahead, the Charter Review aims to deliver a BBC that is sustainably funded in a way that sets the BBC on a path to thrive until well into the latter half of this century. The Charter Review will consider how the BBC can support the creative economy and drive growth across the UK.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will (a) include cinemas as eligible recipients of capital funding for UK cultural venues and (b) introduce a (i) complementary and (ii) parallel funding scheme for cinemas.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Cinemas help to sustain our high streets whilst offering one of the most accessible and affordable cultural experiences for communities around the country.
In a challenging fiscal environment, we have to make difficult choices about where to direct available funding. Whilst we have no current plans to expand the eligibility criteria of existing schemes or introduce new capital funding schemes, we continue to engage with cinema stakeholders to identify options to support the sector.
Cinemas based in eligible venues can benefit from capital investment through the Creative Foundations Fund (CFF). Not-for-profit mixed arts venues in England are eligible for the CFF, including those with cinemas on site. The first round of CFF recipients included many mixed arts venues with cinemas, including Firstsite in Colchester, the Rich Mix Cultural Foundation in London, and the Queen’s Hall Arts Centre in Hexham. We are also supporting the cinema sector through permanently lower business rates multipliers; public funding schemes through the British Film Institute including the National Lottery Audience Projects Fund and the Film Audience Network; and our significant investment in stimulating production - including through generous tax credits and the £75 million Screen Growth Package we announced in the Creative Industries Sector Plan - which creates the strong slate of films cinemas need to thrive.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
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 support rural sports clubs.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to supporting grassroots sport clubs, including those in rural areas, which play an important role within communities across the country.
The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport clubs through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery Funding. They invest in over 90 Place Partnerships in various locations across the country, including in rural areas, to promote sport and physical activity.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to re-join Creative Europe.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This Government does not have any plans to rejoin Creative Europe, though we are committed to finding constructive ways to work with the EU and deliver for the British people on shared priorities and global challenges.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the availability of quality roadside facilities on recruitment and retention of HGV drivers.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Through the Rapid Evidence Assessment published in October 2023, the Department has assessed the potential impact of the availability and quality of roadside facilities on HGV driver recruitment and retention, finding that inadequate facilities can act as a deterrent to entering and remaining in the profession.
In addition, the Department also published the National Survey of Lorry Parking in September 2022, which identified shortages in HGV parking and concerns about the quality and security of welfare facilities. In response, the Department launched the HGV Parking Match Funding Grant Scheme to improve driver welfare and increase secure parking provision, delivering up to £35.7 million of joint investment from government and industry in 30 counties across England. This is on top of up to £30 million investment in lorry parking by National Highways and industry in lorry parks along the strategic road network in England,
The Department is currently undertaking a new National Lorry Parking Survey, which will provide up to date and comprehensive evidence on the availability and quality of lorry parking in England. The survey is scheduled to be published in autumn 2026.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what evaluation has been undertaken to ensure the reintroduced maintenance grants will reach the students who need them most and what steps are being taken to ensure high take-up rates among students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds in Northumberland.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to attend higher education.
Targeted maintenance grants from the academic year 2028/29 onwards will provide up to £1,000 extra support per year to students from low income households studying courses aligned with the government’s missions and Industrial Strategy. It will be crucial that the subject list is informed by the best and most up-to-date evidence on skills needs, and we will confirm which subjects will be eligible for grants closer to launch. The grants will be available to new and continuing students undertaking full-time courses at levels 4 to 6, including technical qualifications and degrees, at university or college.
In parallel, we have established a Task and Finish Group to tackle regional disparities in access and the most systemic barriers across the journey into higher education for disadvantaged students.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has plans to increase the number of state school students able to study Latin and the Classics.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government is committed to supporting a broad and balanced curriculum that is inclusive and accessible to all pupils. The study of classics and ancient languages can teach pupils valuable lessons in history, politics and art that are still relevant today. All schools are free to include Latin, Ancient Greek and classics as part of their curriculum, and there are GCSEs and A levels available in all three subjects.
The department has worked with organisations such as Classics for All, The Classical Association and Hands Up Education to ensure schools are aware of free support available to help teach these subjects.
We also continue to provide bursaries for trainee language teachers, including ancient languages. For the 2026/27 academic year, this will be £20,000.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, further to the Westminster Hall debate of 14 January 2026 titled ‘impact of Science and Discovery Centres on national science and technology priorities', whether science and discovery centres now fall within the remit of her department.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Science and Discovery Centres are primarily cultural institutions and visitor attractions which would normally fall under the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) remit.
Where they carry out research, they are funded for those activities, for example through UK Research and Innovation or other funders.
DSIT is engaging with DCMS to discuss how government’s relationship with these important institutions can best be supported.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she has taken with Cabinet colleagues to increase local roads maintenance funding.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Government has committed a record level of funding for local authorities to repair, renew and fix potholes; totalling over £2 billion annually by 2029-30. This is double the amount provided by the previous government – and it ensures that we will exceed our manifesto commitment to fix an additional 1 million potholes in each year of this Parliament.
Asked by: Joe Morris (Labour - Hexham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what opportunities her department has for independent cinemas to apply for national support schemes.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Independent cinemas play an important role in our communities, providing an accessible form of culture for people across the UK. Independent cinemas can apply for various public funding schemes through DCMS's Arm's Length Bodies if they meet the eligibility criteria. For example, through the British Film Institute, cinemas can access support for audience-facing projects through the BFI National Lottery Audience Projects Fund; and can join the BFI Film Audience Network and apply for funding to support projects that bring audiences together for screenings of UK independent and international films. Cinemas based in not-for-profit mixed arts venues in England may also meet the eligibility criteria for Arts Council England's Creative Foundations Fund; we estimate this applies to approximately 13% of the 218 full-time independent cinemas in the UK. This sector will also benefit from permanently lower business rates multipliers for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure venues, starting this year.