Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the British Council in delivering the Cultural Protection Fund in support of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in conflict-affected and fragile regions.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Since 2016, DCMS and the British Council have partnered to deliver the Cultural Protection Fund (CPF). This fund safeguards cultural heritage at risk due to conflict and climate change. The fund responds to open calls to protect heritage that is significant to the communities closest to it, regardless of UNESCO World Heritage status.
Since 2016 DCMS has awarded £56m to the British Council and the CPF has awarded over 150 grants to projects in 20 countries. DCMS has confirmed a further £9m of funding to the CPF until March 2029. The British Council’s plans remain ambitious over the coming period, opening a new call for applications in June 2026.
As reported in the 2019 tailored review of the British Council, DCMS feels the CPF has made a significant contribution to the department’s priorities. Three evaluations of the CPF have been published and the evaluation of the CPF’s 2022-2025 programme will be published in spring 2026.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the British Council’s delivery of the Cultural Protection Fund on (a) strengthening support for communities connected to UNESCO World Heritage Sites and (b) promoting international cultural partnerships.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The CPF supports communities to safeguard cultural heritage threatened by conflict and climate change regardless of UNESCO World Heritage status. Funded projects strengthen individual, community and societal identity alongside protecting cultural heritage. The fund is well placed to strengthen support for communities connected to UNESCO World Heritage Sites if that is part of the project scope, and has done for many previous projects.
DCMS has confirmed a further £9m of funding to the CPF until March 2029. A new call for projects will launch in June 2026. While UNESCO sites may apply, and some have received funding from the CPF in the past, applicants must demonstrate local significance.
In 2026, CPF will also take on the stewardship of the Culture in Crisis programme, which will convene international heritage actors to learn from each other and international cultural partnerships.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the contribution of the British Council’s delivery of the Cultural Protection Fund on the safeguarding and long-term preservation of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Since 2016, the Cultural Protection Fund (CPF) has worked to safeguard cultural heritage globally threatened by conflict or climate change. It supports projects significant to local communities through open calls, irrespective of UNESCO status.
The CPF has delivered projects in UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as Bamiyan in Afghanistan, Lamu Old Town in Kenya and Aleppo in Syria. The safeguarding of heritage, both tangible and intangible, is core to all projects delivered by the CPF.
DCMS is positive about the impact the CPF has had on keeping international cultural heritage sites and culturally significant objects safe, as reported in the 2019 Tailored Review of the British Council. Three evaluations of the CPF have been published and the evaluation of the CPF 2022-2025 programme will be published in spring 2026.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the forthcoming Places of Worship Renewal Fund will provide grants for adaptations, alteration and the addition of facilities alongside repairs.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Further details regarding the eligibility criteria and application process will be published in due course.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the forthcoming Places of Worship Renewal Fund will be open to non-listed as well as listed buildings.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Further details regarding the eligibility criteria and application process will be published in due course.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2025 to Question 65111 on Tickets: Sales Methods, when her Department plans to publish its response to the consultation entitled Putting Fans First: consultation on the resale of live events tickets, published on 10 January 2025; and for what reason the response has been delayed.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This Government is committed to introducing new protections for consumers on ticket resales, which is why we launched the Putting Fans First consultation on the resale of live events tickets.
We are considering the evidence provided in response to our consultation earlier this year and will set out our plans soon.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including capital purchase costs for the acquisition of (a) run‑down or (b) former cultural venues within the eligibility criteria of the Creative Foundations Fund.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Creative Foundations Fund (CFF) will support arts and cultural organisations across England to resolve urgent issues with their estates. An important part of this government’s growth mission, this fund aims to strengthen the long-term economic viability of the creative and cultural industries.
This is part of this government’s ongoing commitment to ensure arts and culture are fit for the future and to ensure everyone has access to high quality institutions in the places they call home. The fund will support organisations to continue delivering creative or cultural activity, support growth and increase opportunities to develop creative skills and engage in high-quality creative work.
We have worked with the sector to understand the variety of capital needs it is facing. Through this assessment we know there is a significant urgent need for organisations at risk of closure if urgent capital works are not completed. This fund will offer vital support to prevent the closure of operating cultural spaces and the potential irrevocable loss this would have to local communities and economies. However, property purchases have been excluded from the CFF. Full eligibility details in the guidance can be found on ACE’s website.
Looking ahead, we know that the cultural sector continues to have significant capital needs. This is why the recent Spending Review committed to significant capital spend that will support cultural institutions in towns and cities across the country. Individual programme decisions will be determined in due course and made public in the usual way.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much has been raised for grassroot music venues to date via the voluntary ticket levy; and what steps her Department plans to take monitor progress of the grassroots ticket levy.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Sector reporting shows 15% of 2025 tickets on sale since April now include the levy, totaling 1.8 million tickets since January. Summer ticket sales and the establishment of the LIVE Trust should mean greater uptake by Autumn. If not, the government will reconvene the live music sector to consider legislative options.
We are urging major promoters - whose participation is crucial to the levy’s success - to act without delay, and I recently met Live Nation to encourage them to back the scheme in earnest. I would also urge every major artist to encourage their team to sign up to the levy as a matter of urgency so that at least a majority of qualifying tickets carry the levity by the end of the year.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2025 to Question 31023 on Gambling: Young People, how many video game companies have adopted the new guidance produced by the Technical Working Group of video game representatives; and what her planned timeline is for the publication of the commissioned independent academic research on its effectiveness.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We are committed to ensuring video games are enjoyed safely and responsibly by everyone.
Following the publication of industry-led guidance on loot boxes in video games, my Department continues to work with independent academic researchers to assess the extent of implementation by video games companies and its effectiveness in improving player protections. This work is continuing and although we do not have the precise number he requests, we will publish findings in due course.
Asked by: Jonathan Davies (Labour - Mid Derbyshire)
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 rural (a) museum and (b) arts and music venues in (i) Mid Derbyshire constituency and (ii) the East Midlands.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Secretary of State announced a new £270 million Arts Everywhere Fund on 20 February. This will include support to museums, arts and music venues across the country and is a critical step that this Government is taking to help create jobs, boost local economies, and expand access to arts and culture for communities.
This is in addition to steps already being taken to support arts and culture via the Arts Council England (ACE). In the East Midlands, ACE is providing regular National Portfolio funding to 72 organisations from 2023-2027. This includes more than £8.7 million to nine museum services including Derby Museums and Creswell Crags. £4.8 million has been awarded to eight music organisations including Derby based Baby People and Sinfonia Viva (the orchestra of the East Midlands).
Across the East Midlands, since 2021, ACE has also awarded £37.5 million to music organisations and projects via the Grassroots Music Fund, and £7.5 million to regional museum projects via the Museum Estate and Development Fund.
In the Mid Derbyshire constituency, ACE has supported eight individual artists since 2021 through its Developing your Creative Practice grants, providing a total of £73,111 of funding across visual arts and music. ACE has also made six awards across combined arts, literature, theatre and museums in the constituency through National Lottery Grants, totalling more than £272,000.