Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to increase access to sport for children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend constituency.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
I regularly meet with Ministerial counterparts on a range of issues, including young people’s engagement in sport and the barriers around this for those from lower socio-economic groups.
In the 2024/25 Financial Year, Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend constituency received £102,947 from Sport England, our Arm’s Length Body responsible for physical activity and sport participation in England, to increase sport and physical activity opportunities for local communities. Sport England also recently announced Gateshead and South Tyneside as two of their new 53 Place Partnerships, which will receive support to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions, including for children and young people.
More widely, the Government recently announced £100 million additional funding for the UK-wide Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme which funds new and upgraded pitches, facilities, and equipment ensuring a more inclusive and sustainable offer for local communities, including children and young people.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
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 Cabinet colleagues on steps to increase access to sport for children from low income households.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
I regularly meet with Ministerial counterparts on a range of issues, including young people’s engagement in sport and the barriers around this for those from lower socio-economic groups.
In the 2024/25 Financial Year, Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend constituency received £102,947 from Sport England, our Arm’s Length Body responsible for physical activity and sport participation in England, to increase sport and physical activity opportunities for local communities. Sport England also recently announced Gateshead and South Tyneside as two of their new 53 Place Partnerships, which will receive support to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions, including for children and young people.
More widely, the Government recently announced £100 million additional funding for the UK-wide Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme which funds new and upgraded pitches, facilities, and equipment ensuring a more inclusive and sustainable offer for local communities, including children and young people.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support grassroots music venues in Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend constituency.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The government has announced £2.5m of continued funding for the Arts Council England’s (ACE) Supporting Grassroots Music Fund (SGMF) for 2025-26. This enables grassroots music venues, recording studios, promoters and festivals to apply for grants of up to £40k to develop new revenue streams, make repairs and improvements, and enhance the live music experience for fans.
ACE has made a number of SGMF awards within the Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend constituency, including Women Are Mint, a grassroots festival that takes place in Newcastle, along with Brave Exhibitions Festival, The Tyne Bank Brewery and Cobalt Studios.
There are also a number of organisations within the ACE national portfolio that engage people in grassroots music activity within this constituency, including Generator, a creative and cultural talent development agency focused on artist development and skills.
The Government and the live music industry are working together to drive progress on an industry-led levy on tickets for stadium and arena shows, to support grassroots music. We welcome commitments by artists and the wider industry to implement the ticket levy, and steps taken by industry to set up a charitable trust to distribute funds from the levy.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps she has taken to provide funding to the (a) voluntary, (b) community and (c) social enterprise sector in (i) the North East and (ii) Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend constituency.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government has taken a range of steps to provide funding to the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector in the North East.
The Government recently committed up to an additional £2.8 million for the Know Your Neighbourhood Fund, which is designed to widen participation in volunteering and tackle loneliness. The Government has also committed up to an additional £1 million for the Social Enterprise Boost Fund, a fund which provides business support and grant funding to social entrepreneurs. These place-based programmes will continue delivering funding to the VCSE sector in the North East, specifically Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, County Durham, South Tyneside and Sunderland, as well as other areas in England until March 2026.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a fund to support (a) voluntary, (b) community and (c) social enterprise sector organisations to offset increases to National Insurance Contributions.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
This government recognises the vital role that charitable organisations and community groups play in providing crucial support to families and individuals across the country. These organisations, as well as the wider Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector, are integral to the Government’s vision for national renewal and delivery of the five national missions.
DCMS Ministers have met with representatives from the VCSE sector and are aware of their concerns about the National Insurance contributions (NICs) changes. We recognise the need to protect the smallest businesses and charities, which is why we have more than doubled the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning that more than half of businesses (including charities) with NICs liabilities will either gain or see no change this year.
We continue to promote availability of funding for smaller charities in several ways, including delivery of a number of grant schemes, such as the ‘Know Your Neighbourhood Fund’. Support for charities is also available through social investment which provides access to grants, repayable finance and a blend of the two. In particular, this government is continuing to look at how dormant assets can be used to support the availability of finance to facilitate VCSEs becoming more entrepreneurial and financially resilient. An estimated £350 million will flow into the Dormant Assets Scheme between 2024-28, with details on how this money will be distributed to be provided in due course.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) adult gaming centres and (b) bingo clubs on communities.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Minister for Gambling met with representatives of Bacta, a trade association which represents the adult gaming centre sector, at the Bingo Association Annual General Meeting on 1 May 2025, where she also met with other representatives from the land-based gambling sector. A further meeting between the Minister for Gambling and Bacta is scheduled in May 2025. The Minister has held several other meetings with representatives from the land-based gambling sector.
The Government recognises the contributions that adult gaming centres and bingo clubs make to communities, including providing local employment and spaces where people can have fun and socialise. We will continue to work with the land-based gambling sector to mitigate the risks of gambling-related harm and strengthen player protections in venues.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent meetings she has held with the land based adult gaming sector.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Minister for Gambling met with representatives of Bacta, a trade association which represents the adult gaming centre sector, at the Bingo Association Annual General Meeting on 1 May 2025, where she also met with other representatives from the land-based gambling sector. A further meeting between the Minister for Gambling and Bacta is scheduled in May 2025. The Minister has held several other meetings with representatives from the land-based gambling sector.
The Government recognises the contributions that adult gaming centres and bingo clubs make to communities, including providing local employment and spaces where people can have fun and socialise. We will continue to work with the land-based gambling sector to mitigate the risks of gambling-related harm and strengthen player protections in venues.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether it is her policy that only charities accredited by the Gambling Commission will be eligible for funding under the statutory levy for gambling research, prevention and treatment of gambling harms; and whether organisations involved in gambling lobbying will be excluded.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Since 1 January 2020, operators have been required to direct their annual financial contribution for gambling research, prevention and treatment as required by Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) SR code 3.1.1 to one or more of the organisations on a list maintained by the Gambling Commission. The purpose of this list is to demonstrate to operators how to be compliant with the LCCP requirement. Once the levy system is in force, it is likely that the LCCP RET will be no longer relevant or needed. The Commission has consulted on this and will publish their response in due course.
It is a priority for levy funding to be directed where it is needed most. This is why we have appointed statutory bodies to lead on research, prevention and treatment which will be led by the evidence of what works to improve and expand efforts to understand, tackle and treat gambling-related harm. We will also put in place robust governance arrangements to ensure that levy funding is spent in line with our objectives.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of Adult Gaming Centres on (a) the jobs market and (b) the exchequer.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Official statistics from a range of sources provide the Government with insights into the economic contribution of the betting and gaming industry as a whole. The latest headline statistics show that the gambling sector contributed £4.9bn to Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2022, accounting for 0.2% of UK GVA. In the financial year 2023/24, the gambling sector employed around 94,000 people in Britain (provisional), accounting for 0.2% of UK jobs and paid approximately £3.4bn in betting and gaming duty. We do not hold official statistics on GVA, employment or tax revenue for adult gaming centres specifically.
The Gambling Commission’s industry statistics show that between April 2022 and March 2023, gross gambling yield for adult gaming centres was £533m. This represented c. 11% of gross gambling yield generated by non-remote casinos, arcades, betting and bingo.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the financial impact of Adult Gaming Centres on the high street economy.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Official statistics from a range of sources provide the Government with insights into the economic contribution of the betting and gaming industry as a whole. The latest headline statistics show that the gambling sector contributed £4.9bn to Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2022, accounting for 0.2% of UK GVA. In the financial year 2023/24, the gambling sector employed around 94,000 people in Britain (provisional), accounting for 0.2% of UK jobs and paid approximately £3.4bn in betting and gaming duty. We do not hold official statistics on GVA, employment or tax revenue for adult gaming centres specifically.
The Gambling Commission’s industry statistics show that between April 2022 and March 2023, gross gambling yield for adult gaming centres was £533m. This represented c. 11% of gross gambling yield generated by non-remote casinos, arcades, betting and bingo.