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 24 November to question 92054 on Independent Football Regulator: Political Parties, if she will publish the data on the additional political donations made by David Kogan.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

All political donations required to be declared by the Governance Code on Public Appointments are publicly disclosed on the Electoral Commission donation register. The additional donations, beneath the thresholds required by the Governance Code, disclosed by Mr Kogan when he appeared before the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee on 07 May 2025, are recorded in the transcript of that hearing.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to require local authorities to collect and publish baseline data on current (a) sports facilities and (b) heritage landscapes.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department has not made an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) distribution and (b) availability of sports pitches by local authorities.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that planning policies should be based on robust and up-to-date assessments of the need for open space, sport and recreation facilities (including quantitative or qualitative deficits or surpluses) and opportunities for new provision. Information gained from the assessments should be used to determine what open space, sport and recreational provision is needed, which plans should then seek to accommodate.

The NPPF also sets out policies to maintain pitches and to conserve protected landscapes and designated heritage assets, all of which are important material considerations to be taken into account when dealing with applications for development which may affect them.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) distribution and (b) availability of sports pitches by local authorities.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

My Department has not made an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) distribution and (b) availability of sports pitches by local authorities.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) makes clear that planning policies should be based on robust and up-to-date assessments of the need for open space, sport and recreation facilities (including quantitative or qualitative deficits or surpluses) and opportunities for new provision. Information gained from the assessments should be used to determine what open space, sport and recreational provision is needed, which plans should then seek to accommodate.

The NPPF also sets out policies to maintain pitches and to conserve protected landscapes and designated heritage assets, all of which are important material considerations to be taken into account when dealing with applications for development which may affect them.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, (a) if there will be exemptions made to her ticket price cap policy and (b) what criteria is used to judge this.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

As set out in our response to the consultation on the resale of live events tickets, published last month, the Government believes that a good case can be made for narrow exemptions to the price cap in the case of resale for charitable purposes and the resale of debentures tickets. This issue was explored in the consultation, and a number of responses made the case for exemptions of this kind. We recognise that any exemptions must be tightly drawn to avoid potential abuse and we will continue to examine how these exemptions could be defined and administered in a way that does not risk undermining the overall effectiveness of the price cap, before legislation is brought forward.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what funding allocations have been made to local authorities for the protection and improvement of (a) sports pitches and (b) heritage landscapes since 4 July 2024; and if she will publish a breakdown by local authority.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. The Government has invested £98 million through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme across the UK in 2025/26, funding projects such as new and upgraded grass pitches, pitch maintenance equipment and floodlights.

The Government published a list of funded Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities projects on 9 June 2025 on Gov.uk. The lists can be found here and include funded projects that are either due to start, in progress or complete. We are committed to publishing a regularly updated list of funded and completed projects, with the next to be published in 2026.

Our delivery partner for the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme in England, the Football Foundation, plans its investment pipeline using Local Football Facility Plans (LFFPs) for each local authority, which are developed in partnership with local authorities so as to understand the needs of each community. Local Football Facilities Plans are publicly available here.

Following the Spending Review we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. In addition the Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding in areas of greatest need to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions.

According to Sport England’s Active Places database, as of December 2025 there are 59,794 grass football pitches and 6,634 artificial grass pitches in England. More details are available here.

This government also takes our responsibility to heritage seriously. For this year alone, we have committed nearly £60 million of funding for heritage, including £15m for Heritage at Risk. Local Authorities can also apply for funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s’ Arms-Length-Bodies, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which provides around c.£300 million in grants per year, and Historic England, who provide grants and advice.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what data her Department holds on the (i) number, (ii) type, and (ii) condition of publicly accessible sports pitches in each local authority area in England; and if she will publish that data.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. The Government has invested £98 million through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme across the UK in 2025/26, funding projects such as new and upgraded grass pitches, pitch maintenance equipment and floodlights.

The Government published a list of funded Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities projects on 9 June 2025 on Gov.uk. The lists can be found here and include funded projects that are either due to start, in progress or complete. We are committed to publishing a regularly updated list of funded and completed projects, with the next to be published in 2026.

Our delivery partner for the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme in England, the Football Foundation, plans its investment pipeline using Local Football Facility Plans (LFFPs) for each local authority, which are developed in partnership with local authorities so as to understand the needs of each community. Local Football Facilities Plans are publicly available here.

Following the Spending Review we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. In addition the Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding in areas of greatest need to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions.

According to Sport England’s Active Places database, as of December 2025 there are 59,794 grass football pitches and 6,634 artificial grass pitches in England. More details are available here.

This government also takes our responsibility to heritage seriously. For this year alone, we have committed nearly £60 million of funding for heritage, including £15m for Heritage at Risk. Local Authorities can also apply for funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s’ Arms-Length-Bodies, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which provides around c.£300 million in grants per year, and Historic England, who provide grants and advice.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the emigration of (a) 18-25, (b) 26-35, (c) 36-49, and (d) 50+ years old on (i) the levels of revenue raised through taxation and (ii) the sustainability of the public finances.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the government's official forecaster and is responsible for assessing the UK’s economic and fiscal outlook.

The OBR assesses the fiscal implications of migration as part of its Economic and Fiscal Outlook and long-term fiscal projections.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what data relating to local sports infrastructure her Department holds; and whether she holds datasets on local authority breakdowns.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. The Government has invested £98 million through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme across the UK in 2025/26, funding projects such as new and upgraded grass pitches, pitch maintenance equipment and floodlights.

The Government published a list of funded Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities projects on 9 June 2025 on Gov.uk. The lists can be found here and include funded projects that are either due to start, in progress or complete. We are committed to publishing a regularly updated list of funded and completed projects, with the next to be published in 2026.

Our delivery partner for the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme in England, the Football Foundation, plans its investment pipeline using Local Football Facility Plans (LFFPs) for each local authority, which are developed in partnership with local authorities so as to understand the needs of each community. Local Football Facilities Plans are publicly available here.

Following the Spending Review we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. In addition the Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding in areas of greatest need to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions.

According to Sport England’s Active Places database, as of December 2025 there are 59,794 grass football pitches and 6,634 artificial grass pitches in England. More details are available here.

This government also takes our responsibility to heritage seriously. For this year alone, we have committed nearly £60 million of funding for heritage, including £15m for Heritage at Risk. Local Authorities can also apply for funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s’ Arms-Length-Bodies, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which provides around c.£300 million in grants per year, and Historic England, who provide grants and advice.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will provide a breakdown of the costs incurred by her Department, from 4 July 2024 to date, in the establishment of the Independent Football Regulator.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Details on DCMS’s public spending can be found in DCMS’s Annual Report and Accounts, available on GOV.UK. Spending on the passage of the Football Governance Act and the establishment of the Independent Football Regulator is a subset of the reported spend of the Sport and Gambling Directorate. All relevant costs relating to the creation of the Independent Football Regulator will be recovered from clubs via a levy, ensuring that there is nil cost to the public purse.

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 the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions regarding the inclusion of physical activity and exercise-based solutions within programmes aimed at reducing ill health as a cause of worklessness.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities. The improvements to individual wellbeing is valued at £96.7 billion a year, and the wider value to society through savings to the health and care system is £10.5 billion a year.

We are working closely with other Government Departments, including the Department for Work and Pensions and Health and Social Care to develop a cross government approach to tackling physical inactivity and improving health outcomes. As part of this, we are working on a national plan for physical activity as set out in the 10 Year Health Plan.

In June, following the Spending Review we committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. We will ensure that this funding promotes health and wellbeing, and helps to remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are working with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.

The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.

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 the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the use of (a) gyms, (b) swimming pools, and (c) leisure centres alongside weight-loss drugs.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities. The improvements to individual wellbeing is valued at £96.7 billion a year, and the wider value to society through savings to the health and care system is £10.5 billion a year.

We are working closely with other Government Departments, including the Department for Work and Pensions and Health and Social Care to develop a cross government approach to tackling physical inactivity and improving health outcomes. As part of this, we are working on a national plan for physical activity as set out in the 10 Year Health Plan.

In June, following the Spending Review we committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. We will ensure that this funding promotes health and wellbeing, and helps to remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are working with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.

The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish a timeline for allocating expenditure of the £400 million capital funding for grassroots sporting facilities.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government's announcement that at least £400 million will be invested into grassroots sport over the next four years will ensure that we promote health, wellbeing and community cohesion and deliver high-quality facilities in the areas that need them most. The investment will also remove barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups such as women and girls, people with disabilities, and ethnic minority communities.

To ensure we best serve communities across the UK, we are now working with the sports sector and local leaders to develop plans for delivering this funding and further details will be announced in due course.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with international counterparts on protecting the right of nations to self-determination.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Article 1 (2) of the United Nations Charter establishes that one of the organisation's founding purposes is to develop friendly international relations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples. We continue to work with our UN colleagues and international partners on the basis of that charter.