Asked by: John Whitby (Labour - Derbyshire Dales)
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 ex-footballers with neurodegenerative diseases.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
My department is taking important steps to ensure that former football players with neurodegenerative diseases, and their families, receive the support they need.
The Secretary of State and I have met with affected family members and ex-footballers, including individuals associated with the Football Families for Justice organisation, to discuss player safety and welfare for those suffering from neurodegenerative diseases.
Our immediate priority is to push the football authorities for greater clarity on the funding available through the Brain Health Fund, and ensure that there is a clear and publicly available articulation of the scope of this funding and process for accessing it. Further to this, we are actively discussing with relevant stakeholders to explore whether funding can be expanded to involve other footballing organisations.
Asked by: John Whitby (Labour - Derbyshire Dales)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding Sport England is providing to support the development of Futsal in 2025-2026 financial year.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
In the 2025-2026 financial year, Sport England has allocated a total of £165,325 across 17 multi-sport awards where Futsal is specifically included as one of the supported sports or activities.
In addition, Sport England is providing a total investment of £37.9 million into The Football Association over the five-year period from 2022 to 2027. This long-term commitment supports the development of all formats of football, including Futsal.
Asked by: John Whitby (Labour - Derbyshire Dales)
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 ensure that the proposed short-term let registration scheme will ensure all properties are clean and safe.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The registration scheme will make short-term let providers aware of their legal responsibilities, particularly around safety, helping to raise standards of accommodation, build consumer confidence, and support fair competition.
Asked by: John Whitby (Labour - Derbyshire Dales)
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 encourage more (a) domestic and (b) inbound tourists to visit National Parks.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
National Parks are vital assets for tourism, attracting millions of domestic and international visitors each year and supporting local economies through recreation, hospitality, and cultural heritage. To encourage more visitors, the Government has led a once-in-a-generation reform of regional and local destination management: 41 Local Visitor Economy Partnerships have now been accredited across England, creating a high-performing network across the Visitor Economy working with local authorities and businesses at a local level - encouraging new levels of collaboration between regions and empowering domestic tourism for places of tourist interest such as National Parks.
DCMS continues to work with VisitBritain to champion visits to the British countryside to a worldwide audience. VisitBritain’s new GREAT-funded international marketing campaign, ‘Starring GREAT Britain’, uses the hook of Britain’s rich film and television history to encourage more international visitors to explore across Britain, including many rural destinations, landmarks and National Parks.