Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Twentieth Report of the Committee of Public Accounts’ of Session 2024-25 on DCMS management of COVID-19 loans, HC 364, published on 2 April 2025, what steps her Department took to delegate Accounting Officer responsibility for the loans to top–tier rugby union clubs; and, with reference to paragraph 3.9.1 of HM Treasury's document entitled Managing public money, published on 4 May 2023, what assessment she has made of those steps' compatibility with that guidance.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
On appointment to the role in 2023, the Permanent Secretary declared her interests and these were recorded in the DCMS Annual Accounts. A conflict management plan was completed which deemed it appropriate that Accounting Officer responsibility for decisions regarding Rugby Union would be delegated. This included Loan Book decisions relating to Rugby Union.
As a result, DCMS’s Chief Finance Officer has delegated Accounting Officer responsibility for matters relating to Rugby Union. This is in line with HM Treasury’s Managing Public Money guidance which states that after declaring the conflict other individuals can have delegated responsibility to make decisions.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the potential impact of the subscriptions regime in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 on the level of investment in the video games sector.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
My Department regularly engages with the Department for Business and Trade on a range of issues relating to the implementation of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act 2024.
The Department for Business and Trade’s consultation on the implementation of these measures closed on 10 February 2025, and they are currently analysing responses.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department is providing to early years providers in the private sector to mitigate the impact of increases to employer National Insurance contributions.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
It is the government’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, improving the life chances for every child and the work choices for every parent. That also means ensuring the sector is financially sustainable and confident as it continues to deliver the entitlements and high quality early years provision going forward.
That is why, despite tough decisions to get public finances back on track, the government is continuing to prioritise and invest, supporting early education and childcare providers with the costs they face.
In the 2025/26 financial year alone, the department plans to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements. We have also announced the largest ever uplift to the early years pupil premium, increasing the rate by over 45% compared to the 2024/25 financial year, equivalent to up to £570 per eligible child per year.
On top of this, the department is providing further supplementary funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant to support the sector as it prepares to deliver the final phase of expanded childcare entitlements from September 2025, recognising the significant level of expansion needed and the effort and planning this will require. An additional £25 million is also being provided to public sector employers through the early years National Insurance contributions grant for 2025/26.
Early years childcare providers may also benefit from the Employment Allowance. Employment Allowance is being increased to protect businesses by providing relief of up to £10,500 per annum on their employer Class 1 National Insurance contributions liabilities from 6 April 2025. Early years childcare providers are entitled to claim the Employment Allowance if they are private businesses or charities and the department expects the vast majority will be eligible to do so.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many days each Minister has spent in her Department's Manchester office since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Ministers visit the DCMS office in Manchester as their diaries permit. Most recently, all four DCMS Ministers visited the Manchester office on 10 April.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
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 (a) Chancellor of the Exchequer on Government funding and (b) Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on planning requirements for the England and Wales Cricket Board's proposed indoor test cricket venue.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport regularly engages with the Chancellor and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on a range of issues.
The responsibility for planning requirements and permission lies with local planning authorities (LPA) through the local authority.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 39136 on the Independent Football Regulator, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Independent Football Regulator on the growth of the economy.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport are leading on setting up the Independent Football Regulator where they are looking to put in place a flexible and proportionate regime focused on ensuring the financial sustainability of the game, which will create the certain and stable regulatory environment required to drive the right kind of investment in, and growth of, English football.
The Regulator also has duties to avoid having any adverse effects on the competitiveness of any regulated club and on the financial growth of, or financial investment in, English football.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the number of problem gamblers not receiving treatment between the ending of the voluntary gambling levy period and the distribution of funds collected under the statutory levy.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
It is a priority that in this crucial transition period, valuable support and treatment services for those experiencing gambling-related harm are protected. To ensure there is no disruption, operators must continue to provide financial contributions at their current levels until the levy is in force, and we have received reassurances from the industry that this will be delivered.
In addition, following the end of the current funding arrangement in line with the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) SR code 3.1.1, the levy will come into force in April this year with funding flowing for research, prevention and treatment as soon as possible. We will ensure funding is directed in a way which protects key services as the new support and treatment system is established.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
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 changes to football ticket prices on grassroots participation.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The matter of football ticket prices is a commercial decision for individual clubs and leagues to take. The Government has introduced legislation to establish an Independent Football Regulator to protect and promote the sustainability of English football in the interests of fans and the local communities football clubs serve. This will mean that clubs are required to consult fans on key issues, including ticket prices.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is restructuring loans issued under the (a) Culture Recovery Fund, (b) Sport Survival Package and (c) Rugby Football League Loan Scheme.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) assesses any loan reprofiling requests on a case by case basis, working alongside our Loan Agents, who continuously monitor the financial performance of borrowers. Requests will be considered where borrowers demonstrate evidence of need and have exhausted other funding routes. The Department has reprofiled individual loans of fewer than five borrowers (<5%) under the Culture Recovery Fund, Sport Survival Package and Rugby Football League Loan Scheme.
DCMS is not able to comment on specific cases.
Asked by: Louie French (Conservative - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2025 to Question 34945 on Freedom of Expression, if she will make an assessment of the compatibility of the Youth Parliament’s statement in its manifesto 2024-26 that freedom of speech should be balanced against the rights of others, and the law should better reflect this, with the Government commitment to freedom of speech.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government is clear that everyone has a fundamental right to freedom of speech. People are expected to express their views concerning respectfully including exercising the appropriate restraints within the confines of the law when providing criticism. All language adopted by Government must be accurate and acknowledge British citizens’ unchanging right to freedom of speech and expression.