Jonathan Gullis Portrait

Jonathan Gullis

Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North

First elected: 12th December 2019


Pensions (Extension of Automatic Enrolment) (No. 2) Bill
8th Mar 2023 - 15th Mar 2023
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
7th Sep 2022 - 28th Oct 2022
Pension Schemes (Conversion of Guaranteed Minimum Pensions) Bill
26th Jan 2022 - 2nd Feb 2022
Nationality and Borders Bill
15th Sep 2021 - 4th Nov 2021
Education Committee
2nd Mar 2020 - 7th Sep 2021


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Jonathan Gullis has voted in 916 divisions, and 10 times against the majority of their Party.

17 Jun 2020 - Health and Personal Social Services - View Vote Context
Jonathan Gullis voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 104 Conservative Aye votes vs 124 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 253 Noes - 136
22 Mar 2023 - Northern Ireland - View Vote Context
Jonathan Gullis voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 22 Conservative No votes vs 281 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 515 Noes - 29
7 Mar 2023 - Public Order Bill - View Vote Context
Jonathan Gullis voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 107 Conservative Aye votes vs 109 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 116 Noes - 299
18 Jul 2023 - Business without Debate - View Vote Context
Jonathan Gullis voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 16 Conservative No votes vs 251 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 402 Noes - 21
13 Sep 2023 - Exiting the European Union - View Vote Context
Jonathan Gullis voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 3 Conservative No votes vs 271 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 434 Noes - 10
4 Dec 2023 - Business without Debate - View Vote Context
Jonathan Gullis voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 26 Conservative No votes vs 217 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 381 Noes - 37
13 Dec 2023 - Retained EU Law Reform - View Vote Context
Jonathan Gullis voted No - against a party majority and against the House
One of 10 Conservative No votes vs 288 Conservative Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 464 Noes - 11
16 Jan 2024 - Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill - View Vote Context
Jonathan Gullis voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 57 Conservative Aye votes vs 262 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 58 Noes - 525
16 Jan 2024 - Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill - View Vote Context
Jonathan Gullis voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 58 Conservative Aye votes vs 262 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 68 Noes - 529
17 Jan 2024 - Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill - View Vote Context
Jonathan Gullis voted Aye - against a party majority and against the House
One of 59 Conservative Aye votes vs 266 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 65 Noes - 536
View All Jonathan Gullis Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Jacob Rees-Mogg (Conservative)
(34 debate interactions)
Tom Pursglove (Conservative)
Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
(29 debate interactions)
Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party)
Shadow DUP Spokesperson (Human Rights)
(22 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Department for Education
(147 debate contributions)
Home Office
(134 debate contributions)
HM Treasury
(64 debate contributions)
Cabinet Office
(60 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
Legislation Debates
Nationality and Borders Act 2022
(11,145 words contributed)
Illegal Migration Act 2023
(2,143 words contributed)
Public Order Act 2023
(1,868 words contributed)
View All Legislation Debates
View all Jonathan Gullis's debates

Stoke-on-Trent North Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petition Debates Contributed

The Government must exercise its power under s.23 of the Gender Recognition Act to modify the operation of the Equality Act 2010 by specifying the terms sex, male, female, man & woman, in the operation of that law, mean biological sex and not "sex as modified by a Gender Recognition Certificate"

It has been reported that the Government may amend the Equality Act to "make it clear that sex means biological sex rather than gender." The Government has previously committed to not remove legal protections for trans people, an already marginalised group, but this change would do so.

Mark Avery , Chris Packham and Ruth Tingay (Wild Justice) want the opening of the Woodcock shooting season to be pushed back to 1 December. 160,000 Woodcock are shot for fun across the UK whilst their population is declining. The Defra Secretary of State has powers to vary the shooting season.

Many missing microchipped pets are never reunited as it’s optional to scan & check microchip registration. It’s time veterinary professionals, authorities and rescues checked pet & keeper match on the original database at a pets 1st consultation or yearly checkup. It’s their only chance to get home

A healthy young dog with RBU was euthanised. The person who requested euthanasia was not the registered keeper.

Bring in a law which enforces professional football clubs to have at least 51% fan ownership similar to how the Bundesliga operates this rule.

The Government should use the recently established fan led review of football to introduce an Independent Football Regulator in England to put fans back at the heart of our national game. This should happen by December 2021.

Government should support vulnerable children & #endchildfoodpoverty by implementing 3 recommendations from the National Food Strategy to expand access to Free School Meals, provide meals & activities during holidays to stop holiday hunger & increase the value of and expand the Healthy Start scheme

The government should allow BTEC students to achieve teacher predicted grades rather than being forced into a system that is unethically downgrading thousands of students grades.

Schools can be a breeding ground for the spread of coronavirus. Children are mingling at schools and returning to families who are potentially vulnerable, keeping rates high.

It's only been since schools opened that infection rates have been high in Kent, and keeping them open may keep it high.

Cancel all standardise testing for year 11 and year 12 students in 2021. By replacing tests with smaller amounts of course work and teacher assessment, students would have a fair chance at achieving their target grades and it would relieve stress for teachers and students.

Please don’t send students back until we know we have had the priority groups vaccinated such as the elderly, the extremely clinically vulnerable, and those with underlying health conditions.

The threat of covid19 is real. Children can’t be expected to maintain sufficient social distancing to keep this virus from spreading. They are social creatures. Allowing them back to school could cause a new spike in cases. They could bring it back home, even if they are a-symptomatic.

The Government should cancel GCSEs and A Levels in 2021 due to the disruption of Covid-19. By the time students go back to normal learning, 6 months will have passed since schools were closed to most pupils. This has already had a huge impact on the studying of so many.

Schools should move to online learning from 9 December so that all students and school staff have a chance to isolate for two weeks and then can safely meet older relatives.

Close down schools and colleges due to the increase in COVID-19 cases. We are seeing cases of students and teachers catching the virus since schools have reopened.

Football is a powerful tool of which allows a range of benefits such as employment, and other important aspects of life. Football can be associated with passion, emotion, excitement and dedication across the community. With Fans attending football games a range of economic benefits are there too.

Legislate to allow parents to have the option to remove their children from school if there is a pandemic e.g. Coronavirus or similar without negative action by schools or local authorities. They shouldn’t lose the child’s place in the school or face any kind of prosecution.

We want the Education Secretary and the Government to step in and review the exam board’s decision on how GCSE and A-Level grades will be calculated and awarded due to the current coronavirus crisis. We want a better solution than just using our previous data to be the basis of our grade.

A significant number of students will sit their final 2021 examinations. The outcome of which undoubtedly will be their passport, for many of their future life chances and successes. In order for this to be done fairly, it is imperative that the amount of content they are tested on is reduced.


Latest EDMs signed by Jonathan Gullis

21st February 2024
Jonathan Gullis signed this EDM on Thursday 22nd February 2024

No confidence in the Speaker

Tabled by: William Wragg (Conservative - Hazel Grove)
That this House has no confidence in Mr Speaker.
91 signatures
(Most recent: 4 Mar 2024)
Signatures by party:
Conservative: 45
Scottish National Party: 41
Plaid Cymru: 3
Independent: 2
22nd September 2020
Jonathan Gullis signed this EDM as a sponsor on Monday 5th October 2020

The Maltby Miners Welfare Institute

Tabled by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
That this House notes the proposed sale of the Maltby Miners Welfare Institute, the Stute, by CISWO, the coal mining charity; acknowledges that miners have paid for the Stute over the years out of their wages to safeguard their mining heritage; is disappointed that CISWO has chosen to put the …
7 signatures
(Most recent: 5 Oct 2020)
Signatures by party:
Conservative: 5
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Scottish National Party: 1
View All Jonathan Gullis's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Jonathan Gullis, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Jonathan Gullis has not been granted any Urgent Questions

4 Adjournment Debates led by Jonathan Gullis

Tuesday 17th January 2023
Wednesday 23rd November 2022
Tuesday 9th June 2020

6 Bills introduced by Jonathan Gullis


A Bill to make provision about the extension of pensions automatic enrolment to jobholders under the age of 22; to make provision about the lower qualifying earnings threshold for automatic enrolment; and for connected purposes.

This Bill received Royal Assent on 18th September 2023 and was enacted into law.


A Bill to amend section 5 of the Education Act 2005 to provide that Ofsted may inspect the governing bodies of Multi-Academy Trusts.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 6th May 2022

A Bill to make provision for increased fines for failures to comply with a notice under section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 6th May 2022

A Bill to make provision about the extension of pensions automatic enrolment to jobholders under the age of 22; to make provision about the lower qualifying earnings threshold for automatic enrolment; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Wednesday 20th July 2022
(Read Debate)

A Bill to create the offence of desecrating a war memorial; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Tuesday 23rd June 2020
(Read Debate)

A Bill to make provision for increased fines for failures to comply with a notice under section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Tuesday 22nd September 2020
(Read Debate)

Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
3 Other Department Questions
30th Dec 2020
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to tackle discrimination in (a) offices, (b) factories and (c) shop floors.

The Equality Act 2010 (the Act) provides protection for those aged 16 or over, against direct and indirect discrimination in employment settings (including offices, factories and shop floors), the provision of goods, services, public functions and in private clubs. The Act makes it unlawful for an employer to discriminate against an employee or a job applicant due to a protected characteristic. Similar rules apply to service providers.

The Act is civil law, meaning that a person who believes that they have experienced discrimination may take their case to an employment tribunal or, in non-employment cases, a County Court (Sherriff’s Court in Scotland).

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Equality Act 2010, and is increasingly focusing its work on effective enforcement. In December a new Chair and four new Commissioners were appointed to the EHRC to help drive this agenda forward.

The Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS), the helpline for anyone who believes that they have been discriminated against in the provision of goods, services and public functions, can provide free bespoke advice and in-depth support. The EASS can be contacted via its website - www.equalityadvisoryservice.com, by telephone on 0808 800 0082, or by text phone on 0808 800 0084. Acas can assist in relation to employment discrimination issues, their number is 0800 464 0979.

Kemi Badenoch
President of the Board of Trade
30th Dec 2020
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment the Government has made of the effect of its policies on tackling the covid-19 outbreak on white, working class, disadvantaged communities.

The government is committed to supporting all groups in society, including white, working class and disadvantaged communities from the challenges caused by COVID-19. This includes taking action to support those on lower incomes, including through income protection schemes, mortgage holidays and additional support for renters. The government is also supporting those in education by keeping colleges, primary and secondary schools open for vulnerable children and for the children of critical workers. The government continues to monitor the impact of these measures.

Kemi Badenoch
President of the Board of Trade
14th Jul 2020
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what plans she has for the Government's Equality Hub to help tackle (a) geographical and (b) socio-economic inequality in (i) Stoke-on-Trent and (ii) Staffordshire.

The Prime Minister has set out our vision to level up and spread opportunity and I want the Equality Hub to look at issues such as geography and social background to identify barriers to success.

The Government has introduced unprecedented support for business and workers across all regions of the UK, including Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, to protect them against the current economic crisis. We will support jobs in every region, and invest in our towns, cities, people and places.

The forthcoming Local Recovery and Devolution White Paper will set out the place-based regional economic strategy. This will build on regional partnerships like the Midlands Engine which promotes the global footprint of our regions and the economic opportunities within.

Kemi Badenoch
President of the Board of Trade
16th Mar 2022
To ask the Attorney General, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the unduly lenient sentence scheme in relation to the offences of (a) death by dangerous driving and (b) driving under the influence.

Each eligible case in which a review of sentence is sought is considered personally by the Law Officers with the utmost care, to decide whether there are proper grounds to make a referral to the Court of Appeal. ‘Eligible’ means no more than 28 days have elapsed since the sentence and the offence is within the unduly lenient sentence scheme. The offence of death by dangerous driving is within the scheme; the offence of driving while under the influence of drink or drugs is not. Last year the Law Officers referred eight sentences passed in cases of death by dangerous driving to the Court of Appeal; four were increased. The decision whether to increase a sentence is a matter for the independent judiciary.

Alex Chalk
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
1st Jul 2021
What recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the referral process for members of the public and victims to request review of sentences under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

It is important that the ULS scheme is easy to operate. That is why there is no requirement to be connected to the case, and no particular form in order to make a reference.

The revised Victims’ Code, which came into force earlier this year, contains for the first time the entitlement of victims to be informed about the scheme. This ensures that victims know about the scheme, promptly after sentence and so referrals can be made within the time limit.

Lucy Frazer
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
1st Dec 2022
To as the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to support the opening of a Home Office innovation centre in Stoke-on-Trent as part of the Places for Growth programme.

Places for Growth is relocating 22,000 roles from London by 2030, increasing opportunities and providing an economic boost to cities and towns across the UK.

The Home Office has a comprehensive Stoke-on-Trent programme and has already recruited around 100 of the 500 roles that will be based at the Stoke-on-Trent Innovation Centre by 2025. Officials continue to work closely with the City Council and local organisations on this work.

16th Mar 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to increase the opportunities for ceramic businesses to bid for government contracts.

The Government works very closely with the ceramics sector on a number of issues, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic and following our exit from the European Union.

Government departments spend a significant sum on public procurement, and we are aware of the vital role this will play in kick-starting the economy. We have launched a new social value model which helps to ensure that the Government's huge purchasing power is used to support communities and the local economy. Our Green Paper proposals set out long-planned changes to the public procurement rules which will cut red tape, reduce bureaucracy and help unleash wider social benefits from public money spent on procurement.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
16th Mar 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to deliver civil service jobs in Stoke-on-Trent.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to PQ 129140 on 22 December 2020. A number of announcements have been made on Places for Growth locations. This includes the Cabinet Office establishing a second headquarters in Glasgow, a joint headquarters for FCDO in East Kilbride and a new economic campus in Darlington. Further announcements for other departments will be made in due course.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
14th Dec 2020
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to increase the proportion of civil service jobs based outside London in (a) Stoke-on-Trent and (b) Staffordshire.

The Government has committed to ensuring that the administration of Government is less London-centric by relocating 22,000 Civil Service roles out of central London and into the regions and nations of the United Kingdom by the end of the decade.

The Cabinet Office, through the Places for Growth programme, will make further announcements on this programme in the usual way.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
7th Jul 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that equal constituency sizes are in place before the next general election.

The Government committed, in its 2019 Manifesto, to delivering updated and equal UK Parliamentary boundaries with the aim of making sure that every vote counts the same - a cornerstone of democracy.

The Parliamentary Constituencies Bill sets the framework of future boundary reviews, including the next review due to begin in early 2021. The Bill is scheduled to complete its stages in the House of Commons on 14 July and will then proceed to the House of Lords.

This Bill provides that the next boundary review will run to a slightly shorter timetable of approximately 2 years and 7 months. This one-off change aims to ensure that updated and equal Parliamentary boundaries are delivered.

5th Oct 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the number of loans provided through the Bounce Back Loan scheme to applicants in (a) Stoke-on-Trent, (b) Kidsgrove and (c) Talke.

A breakdown on the number of loans provided through the Bounce Back Loan scheme as of 7 August is in the table below.

Constituency

Loans offered

Value of Loans offered (£)

Stoke-on-Trent North (which includes Kidsgrove, Talke and part of Stoke-on-Trent)

1040

30,573,493

Stoke-on-Trent South

861

26,011,673

Stoke-on-Trent Central

1149

35,168,237

15th Sep 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support research and development in ceramics.

Through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF), ceramics, along with the other 5 sectors that make up the foundation industries, are eligible for a share of the £66 million Transforming Foundation Industries. This Challenge looks to reduce environmental impact (including carbon emissions) through resource and energy efficiency. It is funding a number of projects relevant to the ceramics industry including hybrid sintering, development of new ceramic fibres for enhanced filtering, heat recovery in furnaces, robotics based optimisation and non-combustible cladding systems.

The Midlands Industrial Ceramics for Industry 4.0 project were recently awarded seedcorn funding of up to £50,000, under wave 2 of the Strength in Places Fund. The investment will build on existing ceramic and manufacturing strengths to help to make the Midlands a global leader in advanced ceramics. .

The Government is implementing its ambitious research and development roadmap to ensure the UK is the best place in the world for scientists, researchers and entrepreneurs to live and work, while helping to power up the UK’s economic and social recovery and level up the UK.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
15th Sep 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support geothermal energy generation.

Opportunities for geothermal electricity generation in the UK are limited and only likely to be economically feasible in certain locations, such as the far South West of England. The Government is supporting the development of the United Downs Deep Geothermal Project in Cornwall.

The most promising use of geothermal energy in the UK is for low temperature applications such as district heating schemes. BEIS has been providing support to the deployment of district heat networks from geothermal through the Heat Networks Delivery Unit (HNDU) and the Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP). We also announced a further £270m from 2022 to 2025 in the Green Heat Network Fund at the March budget and we will be consulting on eligibility criteria this Autumn.

8th Sep 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support ceramic businesses affected by the covid-19 outbreak.

The Government has taken unprecedented action to support businesses, including the those in the ceramics sector, since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. Measures include regulatory easements, tax deferrals and changes to Statutory Sick Pay.

The Coronovirus Business Interruption Loan Schemes, alongside the Covid Corporate Financing Facility and Bounce Back Loans, also provide businesses with the opportunity to access Government-backed financing.

In addition to this, the Job Retention Scheme has supported millions of workers since March and has been significant in keeping people in jobs, ensuring that sectors will be able to recover smoothly.

The Government has also launched the Kickstart Scheme, which provides funding to employers to create new, 6-month job placements for young people currently on Universal Credit.

Taken together, these measures as well as others are providing support to businesses across the country and in the ceramics sector.

9th Jul 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support research and development in the ceramics industry to help reduce carbon emissions.

At the 2020 Budget, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the Government will at least double the size of the Department’s Energy Innovation Programme to £1 billion. This programme will focus on decarbonising UK power, homes, and industry (including ceramics), to meet the challenge of net zero emissions by 2050.

Ceramics, along with the other 5 sectors that make up the foundation industries, are eligible for a share of the £66 million Transforming Foundation Industries element of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. This Challenge looks to reduce environmental impact, including carbon emissions, through resource and energy efficiency. We are funding a number of projects relevant to the ceramics industry, including hybrid sintering, the development of new ceramic fibres for enhanced filtering, heat recovery in furnaces, robotics-based optimisation, and non-combustible cladding systems.

15th Jun 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to provide support to the ceramics industry to help that industry to decarbonise.

The Department works closely with the ceramics industry to support its efforts to decarbonise.

Manufacturers of ceramics will soon be able to access the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund, a scheme to help businesses with high energy use to reduce their emissions and energy costs by investing in clean technologies. The first phase will open for applications this summer, supporting industrial energy efficiency projects, as well as feasibility and engineering studies.

Ceramics firms can also access the Industrial Heat Recovery Support Programme. This grant funding programme helps manufacturing businesses to identify and invest in opportunities for recovering and reusing industrial waste heat. A total of £18 million is available to support industrial heat recovery projects across England and Wales.

2nd Jun 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many UK (a) businesses and (b) universities are Investors in People accredited.

Investors in People is responsible for awarding the Investors in People standard. Since 1 February 2017 this has been a Community Interest Company, which is not part of the Government.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
5th May 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to support supply chains in the ceramics industry in (a) the UK and (b) Stoke-on-Trent North constituency.

The Government is working tirelessly to protect our people and businesses, during and after the COVID-19 outbreak, including those in the ceramics industry.

The Government has taken unprecedented action to support businesses, which may be of benefit to the ceramics industry. Measures include:

- £330 billion worth of Government-backed loans through the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, and the newly launched Bounce Back Loans Scheme.

- VAT deferment for firms for the next quarter.

- The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, where employers are eligible to apply for a Government grant of 80% of their workers’ salaries, up to £2500 per month.

Locally, the Government has supported and invested in 38 Growth Hubs across England. Growth Hubs provide businesses with free advice, and improve awareness and coordination to increase the take-up of the business support schemes that are available.

In the financial year 2018/19, the Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) reached over 5000 business individuals. This included supporting 2231 businesses with face-to-face support, of which 107 received high-intensity support. The LEP has also helped 491 individuals to start a new business.

20th Apr 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to support the ceramics industry during the covid-10 outbreak.

The Government has taken unprecedented action to support businesses, including those within the ceramics sector, during the outbreak of COVID-19. This includes changes to Statutory Sick Pay, the opportunity to defer VAT and/or income tax for 3 months, as well as regulatory easements to help businesses manage the impact of the virus.

In addition, the Job Retention Scheme offers a Government grant to enable companies to furlough their staff from 1 March 2020 and will run until the end of June 2020..

The Coronovirus Business Interruption Loan Schemes for businesses of all sizes, alongside the Covid Corporate Financing Facility, also provides businesses with the opportunity to access Government-backed financing.

These measures are providing unprecedented support to businesses across the country, and the Department is in daily contact with the ceramics sector to offer further advice and support.

17th Mar 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy to promote origin marking on ceramic products.

Consumer law requires traders to provide consumers with information on the main characteristics of goods. This would not normally require the inclusion of origin markings for ceramic products.

Where goods have a country of origin mark, there is a requirement for it to be accurate and not misleading. The Government does not have plans to change these rules.

25th Jan 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of not having an EU Data Adequacy Agreement on the UK video games sector.

We see no reason why the UK should not be awarded data adequacy by the EU and we expect the process to be concluded promptly. However, we advise UK organisations to take sensible steps to prepare for a situation where the EU does not adopt adequacy decisions for the UK.

In such a scenario, businesses and other organisations would be able to use alternative legal mechanisms to continue to transfer personal data. Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) are the most common legal safeguard and will be the relevant mitigation for most organisations. Guidance can be found on GOV.UK and the ICO’s websites regarding steps organisations may be required to take relating to data protection and data flows by the end of the bridging period.

We have liaised extensively with representatives from the video games industry and fully recognise the key role the sector can play in the future prosperity of the UK. Video games contributed an estimated £2.9 billion to the UK economy in 2019.

25th Jan 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment the Government has made of the effect of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement on the video games sector.

We recognise the importance of the UK video games industry, which is a significant player in the global games industry, with scope to deliver powerful economic benefits for the UK. The sector contributed an estimated £2.9 billion to the UK economy in 2019, a 9.1% year-on-year increase from 2018.

The UK games industry relies on a highly skilled workforce that possesses leading technical and creative expertise. The UK and the EU have agreed to a list of activities that can be carried out by short-term business visitors without the need for a work permit, on a reciprocal basis in most Member States, subject to any reservations taken. Domestically, the UK’s new Points Based System will enable companies to attract the best and brightest from around the world.

Data is of fundamental importance to the video games industry. The Trade and Cooperation Agreement helps to facilitate the cross-border flow of data by prohibiting requirements to store or process data in a specific location. As the EU left insufficient time to ratify data adequacy decisions before the end of 2020, we have agreed a time limited ‘bridging mechanism’ which will allow personal data to continue to flow as it does now whilst EU adequacy decisions for the UK are adopted, and for no more than 6 months. We see no reason why the UK should not be awarded data adequacy by the EU and we expect the process to be concluded promptly. However, we advise UK organisations to take sensible steps to prepare for a situation where the EU does not adopt adequacy decisions for the UK.

The video games sector relies on continued market access to export digital goods and services throughout the EU. The Trade and Cooperation Agreement maintains zero tariffs and zero quotas on trade in goods between the UK and the EU. The Agreement also secures commitments on the promotion of cross border trade in services by providing service suppliers and investors with transparency and certainty about future trade with the EU.

The sector also relies on a strong and stable framework governing Intellectual Property rights. The Trade and Cooperation Agreement represents a good balance between securing high standards for copyright protection and securing the UK’s domestic flexibility to continue to improve and adapt the copyright framework to meet future opportunities and challenges.

25th Jan 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential economic merits of The Independent Game Developers' Association's proposal for a video games investment fund.

DCMS’ Creative Industries Economic Estimates show that the UK video games industry contributed an estimated £2.9 billion to the UK economy in 2019, up from £0.4 billion in 2010, and its headcount has grown to 27,000, a 47% increase since 2013.

I am pleased that in 2021/22 my Department will be continuing to fund the UK Games Fund, which provides valuable support to early stage games development businesses and talented graduates throughout the UK. We continue to consider what further actions we can take to underpin the games sector’s vital contribution to the UK’s future economic success. We are currently looking closely at industry’s most recent proposals, including The Independent Game Developers Association’s updated proposal for the creation of a new, large scale video games investment fund.

30th Dec 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what support his Department has provided to (a) fairgrounds, (b) other outdoor events and (c) the wider events sector during the covid-19 outbreak.

The Government has introduced a number of support measures for businesses and individuals through COVID-19, which fairgrounds and the wider outdoor events sector can access. These include various government-backed loans, as well as the extended furlough and self-employed support schemes. We also introduced a substantial, UK-wide cut in VAT for many tourism and hospitality activities, including admission to circuses and fairs, until the end of March.

In light of the national restrictions announced on 4 January, the Chancellor has announced one-off top up grants for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses worth up to £9,000 per property to help businesses through to the Spring. He also announced that a £594 million discretionary fund will be made available to support other impacted businesses.

This comes on top of the existing Additional Restrictions Grant discretionary funding and the Local Restrictions Support Grants.

On 13 January I met with representatives of the Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain to assess how we can most effectively support the fairground industry through this period. We also remain in close contact with the wider events sector via the Tourism Industry Council and the Events Industry Senior Leaders Panel to closely monitor the situation.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
30th Dec 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, prior to 30 January 2020, when a Minister of his Department most recently visited Chatterley Whitfield Colliery.

Helen Whately, then Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism, visited Chatterley Whitfield Colliery Heritage Centre, with Jonathan Gullis MP on Wednesday 29th January 2020.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
27th Nov 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress his Department has made on delivering support for local authority owned culture and heritage assets through the Culture Recovery Fund.

Support for the Arts for Local Authorities in Round 1 was £23,376,244. Support for Heritage for Local Authorities in Round 1 was £1,435,900. This included funding for councils and local government owned assets including museums, theatres, music venues, archives; designed landscapes; buildings; monuments and industrial transport.

In addition to the arts and heritage emergency recovery grants, The CRF Heritage Stimulus Fund ‘Covid-19 Emergency Heritage at Risk’ stream granted £89,870.

Under the CRF Heritage Stimulus Fund ‘Repair Grants for Heritage at Risk Fund’ Lincoln City Council received £1,086,629 for Lincoln Castle and Blackpool City Council received £764,000 for the Blackpool Tower Ballroom.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
27th Nov 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress his Department has made on distributing the tampon tax to support women and girls.

To date more than £62 million of VAT on sanitary products has gone to good causes supporting women and girls, through the Tampon Tax Fund. The successful applicants to the 20/21 round of the Tampon Tax Fund were announced on gov.uk on Friday 27th November 2020 and funding will be distributed in due course.

14th Sep 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) the film sector and (b) other creative industries.

The Government recognises the huge contribution the film and wider creative industries sectors make, not only to the economy and international reputation of the United Kingdom, but also to the wellbeing and enrichment of its people.

Regarding the film sector specifically, the Government has worked alongside industry to quickly develop guidance allowing for the restart of production activity and has continued to support the sector in applying this guidance. In addition, in July 2020 the Government granted quarantine exemption for cast and crew of eligible film and high-end television productions, bespoke action which has helped ensure that significant inward investment projects have still been able to operate safely in the UK.

Since then, the Government has also announced the Film and TV Production Restart Scheme, a £500m scheme to help TV and film productions get back up and running across the country, despite a lack of available insurance for Covid-19 losses. It is a temporary scheme that will compensate eligible productions for costs incurred due to delays or abandonment of productions because of Covid-19.

As you will know, in March, the Government implemented an unprecedented package to support businesses, charitable organisations, workers and the self-employed through the Coronavirus crisis. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, Self-Employed Income Support Scheme, Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and business rates relief in particular are providing support to organisations across these sectors.

The extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme was announced in May, which was extended to the end of July, with more flexibility being introduced from August to October.

The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme has also been extended with applications opening in August for a second and final grant. The grant will operate in the same way as the existing scheme with self-employed workers eligible for a single payment covering three months, at a level of 70% of average monthly earnings up to a maximum of £6,570 (i.e. down from 80% and a maximum of £7,500).

The Secretary of State provided a major £1.57 billion support package for key cultural organisations to help them through the coronavirus pandemic. This funding will provide targeted support to organisations across a range of cultural and creative sectors.

We are committed to continuing to work with the film and creatives industries sectors to understand the difficulties they face and help them access support through these challenging times and through recovery.

14th Sep 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress he has made on plans for UK Festival 2022; and how (a) Stoke-on-Trent and (b) Staffordshire can participate in that festival.

Festival UK 2022 is a major nationwide festival of creativity and innovation. It will deliver a programme of ten ground-breaking large-scale new commissions with the ambition of bringing people together and promoting the UK’s creativity to the world.

The programme, led by Martin Green, Chief Creative Officer, recently launched a £3m R&D Project. This is an open call for creative teams of organisations and individuals from across Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths to come together to receive funding to develop new ideas for 2022.

I encourage people and organisations in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire to get involved by registering on the Festival website (www.festival2022.uk)

14th Sep 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many organisations in (a) Stoke-on-Trent and (b) Staffordshire have received funding through the £1.57 billion arts, culture and heritage covid-19 rescue fund.

Arts Council England, British Film Institute, Historic England and National Lottery Heritage Fund are considering applications for grant funding against agreed criteria, as set out in the published guidance.

Our priority is to ensure that organisations get the funding they need as swiftly as possible and we expect some funding decisions to be made this month with announcements soon after that. A list of the recipients of the Arts Council’s Emergency Grassroots Music Venues Fund can be found here:

https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/document/emergency-grassroots-music-venues-fund-recipients

This funding will provide a lifeline for thousands of organisations facing imminent challenges and will be available this financial year.


14th Sep 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to tackle (a) anti-semitism and (b) islamophobia online.

The Government is absolutely clear that there is no place for hateful content online. In April 2019 the Government published the Online Harms White Paper setting out our plans for world-leading legislation to make the UK the safest place to be online. In February 2020 the Initial Government Response to the consultation was published indicating the direction of travel for the legislation. The Full Government Response detailing proposals for the legislation will be published later this year.

Government recognises that incidents of online hate crime are becoming more prevalent and we are taking action to tackle the issue. We allocated £200,000 for a new national police hub to tackle the emerging threat of online hate crimes which went live in January 2018.?We have been supporting initiatives specific to tackling islamophobia and anti-semitism. We have committed £100,000 for the Antisemitism Policy Trust to support their work to tackle online antisemitism,?and acknowledge this as a growing area of concern. We have also supported Tell MAMA?(Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks)?with?just over £2.8m between 2016 and 2020 to monitor and combat anti-Muslim hatred (including online).

14th Sep 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking increase the availability of full fibre broadband in Stoke-on-Trent.

Good progress has been made in the Stoke-on-Trent North constituency, with over 99% of premises in the constituency able to access superfast broadband. This is up from 73% in March 2013. Gigabit-capable coverage in the constituency stands at 8%.

There is an active Local Full Fibre Network Project (LFFN) taking place in Stoke-on-Trent with around 110km of new fibre network being built with the aim of creating 100% city wide full fibre connectivity. DCMS have invested over £9 million into this project with a supplier also contributing. There is a video which gives an overview of this Government funded project in Stoke here: https://vimeo.com/368247591

On top of that, 25 premises took advantage of our recently closed Gigabit Voucher Scheme in the area.

For those premises that are still struggling with slow speeds, there are a number of options available to them. DCMS runs another voucher scheme that can be used by rural communities across the UK to reduce the cost of installing gigabit-capable connectivity. This provides a voucher worth up to £3,500 for eligible small businesses and vouchers worth up to £1,500 for residents. However, Staffordshire County Council have recently committed to “top up” these voucher values investing £1m of funding in addition to eligible funding from the Rural Gigabit Connectivity Programme. This means that in rural areas of Staffordshire, residents can get a voucher of up to £3,500 and small businesses a voucher of up to £5,500.

8th Sep 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sports, what fiscal steps he is taking to support cultural and creative industries affected by the covid-19 outbreak in (a) Stoke-on-Trent and (b) Staffordshire.

The Culture Recovery Fund will provide £1.57 billion of targeted support to critical cultural, arts and heritage organisations to help them survive and recover through the coronavirus pandemic. Funding will be prioritised to institutions of national and international significance and those that are crucial to levelling up places and communities, including smaller organisations and cultural venues that are at the centre of their communities.

Key organisations in England have been able to apply for grants or loans. The relevant DCMS Arms Length Bodies (Arts Council England, Historic England, National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Film Institute) will make funding decisions for grants against the published criteria agreed by Ministers. In addition, the independent Culture Recovery Board will make decisions regarding applications for loans, and provide additional assurance over the largest grants.

Our priority is to ensure that organisations get the funding they need as swiftly as possible and we expect some funding decisions to be made this month with announcements soon after that.

The Underground live music venue in Stoke on Trent has already benefited from the £3.36 million Emergency Grassroot Music Venues Fund which has been shared among 135 venues across England who applied for support to survive the imminent risk of collapse caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

30th Jun 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the delivery of the Youth Fund.

DCMS officials are rapidly assessing how the impact of Covid-19 will affect the delivery of the Youth Investment Fund in 2020-21 and beyond.

We hope to provide further information during the summer.

30th Jun 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the provision of youth services for at risk young people.

My department is aware that Covid-19 has had an unprecedented impact on young people, in particular those deemed at risk. DCMS has been working with departments across Whitehall, including the Department of Education and the Home Office, to ensure at risk young people are supported during and post Covid-19.

Youth centres are able to re-open from 4th July, to ensure at risk young people have access to support, and opportunities to engage in safe activities. Youth workers are already supporting vulnerable young people through detached youth work, and we have supported the National Youth Agency to produce guidance for youth organisations on operating safely during Covid19.

This government will further support youth services with the new £500m Youth Investment Fund, designed to increase the capacity of youth services and the opportunities available to young people.

18th May 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions officials in his Department have had with representatives of sporting bodies on the covid-19 outbreak.

I am having regular discussions with sector and industry bodies to understand the full impact of COVID-19 on sport and how the government can best provide support. This includes a fortnightly meeting with sporting organisations including national governing bodies. My officials maintain daily contact with sporting organisations.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
18th May 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to hold the Festival of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 2022.

The Department remains committed to delivering Festival 2022 which will showcase the UK’s unique strengths in creativity and innovation, and celebrate our place in the world in the 21st century. The Festival is currently in its development phase and Martin Green (Chief Creative Officer) is leading work collaboratively with the devolved administrations. We expect Festival 2022 will offer opportunities for research, strategic and development work through the commissioning phase later this year.

18th May 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) the creative industries and (b) workers in those industries during the covid-19 outbreak.

The Government recognises the important role creative industries play in the UK by providing access to entertainment, culture and news during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To ensure we are assisting the sectors as effectively as possible, regular ministerially-chaired roundtables are held with business representative organisations (BROs) as well as trade associations within the creative industries. In addition, officials are in regular contact with stakeholders from all sectors.

To further support businesses and workers in the creative industries the Government has launched a number of schemes. For example, the Chancellor announced £330bn of guaranteed loans (equivalent to 15% of GDP) for supporting businesses to access finance. This support is delivered through two main schemes: the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, and the Coronavirus Corporate Financing Facility. More recently, the Government launched the Bounce Back Loan Scheme, which helps small and medium-sized businesses to borrow between £2,000 and up to 25% of their turnover during the coronavirus outbreak. For workers in the creative industries, the Government has sought to protect millions of jobs by introducing the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. This has now been extended to the end of October, with new flexibility being introduced from August to get employees back to work and boost the economy. For those who are self-employed, the coronavirus self-employment income support scheme can provide grants, worth 80% of trading profits/partnership trading profits, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month.

Alongside these support measures, we continue to speak with HM Treasury colleagues to ensure that the full spectrum of government support reaches the UK's world-leading creative industries.

18th May 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to help the tourism sector to reopen safely after the covid-19 outbreak.

We are regularly engaging with tourism stakeholders and are feeding into cross-Government discussions on how we can safely reopen the tourism sector.

As part of the Government’s leisure and recreation taskforce, my Department has set up a Visitor Economy Working Group to specifically focus on the practicalities and guidelines for opening up the sector during the recovery period. We will issue further guidance shortly on our phased reopening approach, including which businesses could be covered in each phase and the timeframes involved.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
20th Apr 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the effective delivery of broadband and telecommunications in (a) Stoke-on-Trent and (b) Kidsgrove.

The Government’s contingency planning with industry and considerable investment in superfast broadband has ensured that the UK’s broadband and mobile networks have stood up well to the increase in home working as a result of COVID-19


We are also ambitious to see further improvements in broadband and mobile coverage, including nationwide coverage of gigabit capable broadband, and are introducing a range of measures to deliver this ambition. The Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill will make it easier for operators to deploy broadband in blocks of flats. In addition, in March, we announced that we would be legislating to mandate gigabit connectivity in new build homes, and that we will be investing £5 billion in bringing gigabit broadband to the hardest to reach areas of the UK.

The Government also announced on 9 March that it had agreed a £1 billion deal with the mobile network operators to deliver the Shared Rural Network. This will see operators collectively increase 4G mobile coverage throughout the UK to 95% by the end of 2025, underpinned by legally binding coverage commitments


In Stoke-on-Trent specifically, the Government has also provided £9.2 million to the City of Stoke-on-Trent for a Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) Wave 3 project. In partnership with VXFIBER, this project will develop a publicly owned and operated, open access and gigabit-capable, 60 mile long network with citywide coverage by spring 2021.

20th Apr 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to support the YMCA and other youth projects in North Staffordshire.

DCMS is engaging regularly with key youth organisations and colleagues in other government departments to understand the impact of Covid-19 on the provision of vital services for young people and options for addressing this.

Government has funded up to £7 million through the Youth Accelerator Fund, expanding existing successful projects delivering positive activities for young people, and to address urgent needs in the youth sector.

UK Youth has distributed over £1 million in small grants to support grassroots organisations to deliver extra sessions in youth clubs and increase positive activities for young people across the country. 5 grants have been awarded to organisations in Staffordshire totalling over £18,000.

This Government is also distributing £310 million via the National Lottery Community Fund to support the organisations in England most impacted by Covid-19. This is part of the wider Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise package to include organisations working with vulnerable people.

20th Apr 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle loneliness in (a) Stoke-on-Trent, (b) Kidsgrove and (c) Talke.

The government’s first annual report on tackling loneliness was published in January 2020. It highlighted the progress made so far across the country, including in the West Midlands.

The report highlighted the good work of the 126 projects supported through the £11.5m Building Connections Fund to bring people and communities together. 14 grants, totalling £1.2million, have been made to projects in the West Midlands. This includes grants made to Staffordshire Housing Association Limited to provide long-term social support to older people and to Saltbox to support older people in Stoke-on-Trent and the surrounding areas.

In addition, the Government has recently announced a plan to tackle feelings of loneliness and social isolation during the coronavirus outbreak and period of social distancing. The plan includes funding for loneliness organisations, a new #Let’sTalkLoneliness public campaign and a new ‘Tackling Loneliness Network’ convened by Government of high profile charities, businesses and public figures to help connect groups at risk of isolation.

20th Apr 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions his Department has had with charities in (a) Stoke-on-Trent and (b) Kidsgrove on applying for the Tampon Tax Fund.

The Department for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport is not aware of any discussions that have been had with charities in a) Stoke-on-Trent and b) Kidsgrove about applying to the 2020/21 round of the Tampon Tax Fund.

17th Mar 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to expand the availability of gigabit-capable broadband throughout (a) Staffordshire and (b) Stoke-on-Trent.

The Government is committed to delivering nationwide gigabit capable connectivity as soon as possible. Much progress has already been made, with full fibre coverage doubling in the past year to reach 10% of UK premises, according to the latest Ofcom figures.

This Government will continue to take action to remove barriers to network rollout and to ensure that those in the hardest to reach areas are not left behind. We have introduced legislation to make it easier for operators to deploy broadband in blocks of flats, will be legislating to mandate gigabit connectivity in new builds and will invest £5 billion of funding to support gigabit rollout in hard to reach areas.

Specifically in Staffordshire, the Government has already invested £9.6 million into better broadband. Superfast coverage is 98.9% across the area, compared to the UK average of 96%. The Government has also provided £9.2 million to the City of Stoke-on-Trent for a Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) Wave 3 project. In partnership with VXFIBER, this project will develop a publicly owned and operated, open access and gigabit-capable, 60 mile long network with citywide coverage by spring 2021.

17th Mar 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what representations he has received on a potential Staffordshire 5G connected region growth deal.

My department is in contact with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and its Cities and Local Growth Unit with regard to Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire’s Local Industrial Strategy. The Government is committed to delivering world-class digital infrastructure across the country, including 5G and encourages all Local Enterprise Partnerships to consider opportunities for digital infrastructure deployment with their plans.

Government has allocated up to £200m to build the business for 5G through its 5G Testbeds and Trials Programme. This has accelerated 5G deployment with over 80 UK towns and cities now receiving 5G coverage - including Stoke-on-Trent.

The Government recently announced further funding via the Programme, a £30 million competition - 5G Create. This is an open competition aiming to attract bids from a variety of industries where the UK has a competitive advantage, encouraging dynamic business models and opening up new opportunities and markets. This includes our creative industries such as film, TV and video games, but also our rich variety of technology businesses in diverse sectors such as energy, water, health and social care, logistics and more.

9th Mar 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) Historic England and (b) local authorities to preserve Chatterley Whitfield Colliery.

Chatterley Whitfield Colliery is one of the UK’s most important industrial heritage sites, and is deserving of a positive regeneration solution to protect it for future generations. The previous Heritage Minister recently visited the Chatterley Whitfield Colliery alongside representatives from Historic England and Stoke-on-Trent City Council to discuss the issues facing the site, and to seek to identify potential next steps and opportunities for its future.

The scale of the challenge presented by a site of this size and complexity is vast, but Government stands ready to further support Historic England and Stoke-on-Trent City Council in their ongoing conversations to find a long-term solution that will provide a sustainable future for Chatterley Whitfield.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
9th Mar 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has plans to allocate funding from the public purse to the refurbishment of former sports centres in (a) Stoke-on-Trent North constituency and (b) England.

Government's Sporting Future strategy emphasises the important role that facilities play in encouraging people of all ages and backgrounds to get more active.

Through Sport England, Government is investing over £120m into grassroots facilities across England between 2017-2021 to make sure that everyone is able to access high quality sports facilities, regardless of where they live.

So far, during their current investment period (2017-2021), Sport England has awarded over £12.5k to improve or refurbish sports facilities in Stoke on Trent North.

Sport England welcome applications from projects looking to take over an underused sports facility or one under threat of closure. More information is available on Sport England’s website: https://www.sportengland.org/how-we-can-help/our-funds/community-asset-fund

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)