Max Wilkinson Portrait

Max Wilkinson

Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham

7,210 (14.6%) majority - 2024 General Election

First elected: 4th July 2024

Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Culture, Media and Sport)

(since September 2024)


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Max Wilkinson has voted in 137 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All Max Wilkinson Division Votes

Debates during the 2024 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
Lindsay Hoyle (Speaker)
(9 debate interactions)
Ben Spencer (Conservative)
Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
(8 debate interactions)
Chris Bryant (Labour)
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
(8 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Legislation Debates
Football Governance Bill [HL] 2024-26
(1,737 words contributed)
Data (Use and Access) Bill [HL] 2024-26
(1,403 words contributed)
Climate and Nature Bill 2024-26
(95 words contributed)
View All Legislation Debates
View all Max Wilkinson's debates

Cheltenham 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

We believe social media companies should be banned from letting children under 16 create social media accounts.


Latest EDMs signed by Max Wilkinson

21st May 2025
Max Wilkinson signed this EDM on Friday 23rd May 2025

Progress in UK-EU relations

Tabled by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
That this House welcomes the steps taken at the recent reset Summit to improve UK-EU relations and move beyond the instability and confusion of recent years; recognises the potential for cooperation in areas such as science, defence and food trade to bring tangible benefits to people and businesses across the …
25 signatures
(Most recent: 23 May 2025)
Signatures by party:
Liberal Democrat: 24
Green Party: 1
7th April 2025
Max Wilkinson signed this EDM on Wednesday 21st May 2025

British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme

Tabled by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
That this House is deeply concerned regarding the impact of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (BCSSS) scandal; notes that, in the Autumn Budget, the Government released equivalent funds from the Miners’ Pension Scheme (MPS), but this welcome move to improve former miners’ pensions was not extended to the BCSSS; …
31 signatures
(Most recent: 21 May 2025)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 18
Liberal Democrat: 5
Plaid Cymru: 4
Scottish National Party: 2
Conservative: 2
View All Max Wilkinson's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Max Wilkinson, 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.


Max Wilkinson has not been granted any Urgent Questions

Max Wilkinson has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

2 Bills introduced by Max Wilkinson


A Bill to require providers of social media accounts to grant parents access to the social media accounts of their child in cases where the child has died; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Monday 21st October 2024
Next Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 11th July 2025
Order Paper number: 18
(Unlikely to be Debated - would require unanimous consent to progress)

A Bill to require the installation of solar photovoltaic generation equipment on new homes; to set minimum standards for compliance with that requirement; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 17th January 2025
(Read Debate)
Next Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 11th July 2025
Order Paper number: 17
(Unlikely to be Debated - would require unanimous consent to progress)

Max Wilkinson has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


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
1 Other Department Questions
6th Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the potential impact of Part II of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 on the effectiveness of the Government's work on tackling violence against women and girls.

This Government has set out an unprecedented mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade and we are determined to deliver on that ambition.

We will keep all legislation under review as we develop our approach to tackle sexual exploitation and violence against women and girls. We currently have no plans to change the law but will consider licensing regulations to make sure that they are protecting the vulnerable and tackling sexual crime, as well as public nuisance.

Jess Phillips
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
31st Mar 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what changes he plans to make to rules governing SME procurement in public contracts, in the context of the Spring Statement 2025.

This Government is taking major steps to give SMEs greater access to public contracts - including the publication of the National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) which sets out a mission-led procurement regime focused on driving economic growth that supports Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSEs), giving them greater opportunities to win public contracts by instructing contracting authorities to maximise their spend with these organisations. To support implementation of the NPPS in central government, we have announced new rules requiring all government departments and their executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies to set three-year targets for direct spend with SMEs from 1 April 2025, and from 1 April 2026 for VCSEs, and publish progress annually.

We will be consulting on more reforms including a requirement for large contracting authorities to publish their three-year targets for small business and social enterprise spend and report on this annually - as well as the exclusion of suppliers from contracts worth more than £5million if they don’t complete prompt payments of invoices.

In the Spring Statement, the Chancellor also announced measures to reform our procurement system to give small businesses across the UK better access to Ministry of Defence contracts.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
26th Feb 2025
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prime Minister's oral contribution of 25 February 2025, Official Report, column 634, if he will make an assessment of the potential contribution of (a) GCHQ and (b) the Golden Valley Development in Cheltenham to the UK’s (i) intelligence services and (ii) cyber security expertise and capabilities as part of the upcoming national security strategy.

The Prime Minister announced a single national security strategy will be published ahead of the NATO Summit in June. This will bring together the national security related reviews underway. As part of creating this strategy, the drafters will consult with relevant Departments and Agencies, including intelligence services.

Abena Oppong-Asare
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
17th Dec 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of relocating civil service offices to Cheltenham via the Places for Growth Scheme.

We are working with departments on their future workforce and location plans as part of the upcoming Spending Review.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
16th Dec 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of relocating civil servants working on cyber security and technology to be closer to the cyber industry in Cheltenham as part of the Places for Growth Scheme.

We are working with departments on their future plans as part of the upcoming Spending Review.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
6th Nov 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much funding the Government allocated to spend on advertising in each year since 2015, broken down by Department.

The Cabinet Office operates spend control on behalf of HMT on an annual basis. During this process departments and ALBs submit an overview of any spend (including marketing and advertising) planned for the next financial year.

Historical data on advertising spend is listed by department on the Government efficiency, transparency and accountability page on GOV.uk.

Georgia Gould
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
26th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many couples claimed shared parental pay in each of the last five years.

Information provided by employers to HMRC show the number of individuals in receipt of Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP). This data provides a broad indication of SPL take-up but does not include anyone taking unpaid Shared Parental Leave.

Table 1: Individuals in receipt of ShPP by gender, 2019/20 to 2023/24 (the latest year for which full year data is available)

Year (April to March)

No. of Individuals in receipt of ShPP

Women

Men

Total

2019-20

2,900

10,200

13,000

2020-21

2,600

8,600

11,200

2021-22

3,200

9,800

13,000

2022-23

4,100

10,200

14,200

2023-24

6,600

10,600

17,200

  1. Data is collected using HMRC Real Time Information (RTI) and is subject to revision.
  2. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
  3. Figures are based on the total number of individuals in a given year, irrespective of when the payment first started. Some individuals will be counted across two years.
Justin Madders
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
12th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what his Department's policy is on promoting deep geothermal energy.

The Government supports the development of geothermal projects, provided they deliver affordable energy for consumers and are environmentally appropriate. The following schemes are open to applications from deep-geothermal projects: Contracts for Difference (for geothermal power); the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and Green Heat Network Fund (for geothermal heat).

Recognising that cost is a barrier, the Government commissioned research to understand how we can support the geothermal sector to achieve its potential.

Kerry McCarthy
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
16th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to improve the energy efficiency of homes in winter 2024-2025.

We have various schemes already delivering improvements to home energy efficiency through the Energy Company Obligation, the Great British Insulation Scheme, the Home Upgrade Grant, the Warm Homes: Social Housing Decarbonisation, and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

Customers can also use the tool ‘Find Ways to Save Energy in your Home’ (www.gov.uk/improve-energy-efficiency), which provides users with tailored recommendations for home improvements to increase energy efficiency and clean heat.

As the first step towards the Warm Homes Plan, the Government has committed an initial £3.4 billion over the next 3 years towards heat decarbonisation and household energy efficiency.

Miatta Fahnbulleh
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
11th Dec 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment he has made of the potential contribution of domestic solar energy generation to the UK meeting its net zero targets.

Domestic solar will play an essential role. Through the Solar Taskforce and the forthcoming Solar Roadmap, we will set out recommendations on how Government and industry can work together to significantly increase rooftop solar capacity.

Michael Shanks
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
26th Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Government's decision not to sign the declaration on inclusive and sustainable artificial intelligence on the UK's reputation internationally.

We agreed with much of the Leaders’ Declaration and continue to work closely with our international partners. The UK worked hard to agree text in the Leaders’ Declaration that reflected our commitment to balance opportunity with security when it comes to AI, but unfortunately we were not able to reach agreement on all parts of the declaration. It is important to note that the UK worked closely with the French team throughout and signed other agreements at the Summit on sustainability, cybersecurity and the impact of AI on the workforce.

We remain a very close partner to France on all aspects of AI, and an active and eager participant in all future AI Summits which were started at Bletchley Park in November 2023.

The UK is also continuing to take an active role in international AI discussions – including working bilaterally and through fora such as the G7, G20, OECD-Global Partnership on AI (GPAI), the United Nations and Council of Europe.

Feryal Clark
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
30th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with R&A on the hosting of the Open Championship in 2028.

Sporting bodies operate independently of the Government. Decisions on tournament hosting venues are rightly a matter for the relevant sporting bodies, in this case the R&A and its operational team.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
29th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has received representations from (a) President Trump and (b) the US government on the potential hosting of The Open at Turnberry.

Sporting bodies operate independently of the Government, and decisions on tournament hosting venues are rightly a matter for the relevant sporting bodies.

This would be a matter entirely for The R&A and its operational team.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
29th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made representations in favour of The Open golf championship being held at Turnberry.

Sporting bodies operate independently of the Government, and decisions on tournament hosting venues are rightly a matter for the relevant sporting bodies.

This would be a matter entirely for The R&A and its operational team.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
29th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of funding for a statue of Dame Vera Lynn.

There has been no assessment. Organisations – public and private – are able to freely propose, fund, develop and deliver memorials; marking a variety of incidents and historical figures in a way that they are best-placed to deem appropriate and sensitive to their local area.

It is for those groups to work with the relevant local planning authority and other organisations to identify a suitable site and obtain the necessary planning permissions.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
28th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what support is available from her Department to independent film production companies.

The Government has introduced the 53% Independent Film Tax Credit, which came into effect on 1 April, and is now seeing its first applications. This will incentivise British independent film production, and will create jobs, growth and investment across the country.

We also fund the British Film Institute (BFI)’s UK Global Screen Fund, with £7 million for 2025-26, to distribute and promote independent British screen content internationally.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
28th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with the creative industries on joining Creative Europe.

The UK is not part of Creative Europe, and has not been since the UK left the European Union.

This government has not proposed any plans to rejoin Creative Europe, though we are committed to finding constructive ways to work with the EU and deliver for the British people on shared priorities and global challenges.

We recognise the UK’s creative and cultural sectors provide a unique and valuable contribution to Europe’s diverse cultural landscape. We are working with our world-leading sectors to ensure that they can continue to promote growth and enrich lives, at home and abroad, including through initiatives such as the £7 million UK Global Screen Fund, and the £1.6 million Music Export Growth Scheme.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
28th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of joining Creative Europe.

The UK is not part of Creative Europe, and has not been since the UK left the European Union.

This government has not proposed any plans to rejoin Creative Europe, though we are committed to finding constructive ways to work with the EU and deliver for the British people on shared priorities and global challenges.

We recognise the UK’s creative and cultural sectors provide a unique and valuable contribution to Europe’s diverse cultural landscape. We are working with our world-leading sectors to ensure that they can continue to promote growth and enrich lives, at home and abroad, including through initiatives such as the £7 million UK Global Screen Fund, and the £1.6 million Music Export Growth Scheme.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
28th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the UK's departure from Creative Europe on its creative industries.

The UK is not part of Creative Europe, and has not been since the UK left the European Union.

This government has not proposed any plans to rejoin Creative Europe, though we are committed to finding constructive ways to work with the EU and deliver for the British people on shared priorities and global challenges.

We recognise the UK’s creative and cultural sectors provide a unique and valuable contribution to Europe’s diverse cultural landscape. We are working with our world-leading sectors to ensure that they can continue to promote growth and enrich lives, at home and abroad, including through initiatives such as the £7 million UK Global Screen Fund, and the £1.6 million Music Export Growth Scheme.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
28th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of making legal aid available to people working in creative industries to enable them to pursue technology firms suspected of breaching copyright laws through artificial intelligence.

The Government has no plans to make such an assessment. We are working to ensure that copyright and intellectual property frameworks remain robust and fit for purpose in the age of AI.

We have received over 11,500 responses to our consultation, principally from creators, and are analysing those responses to shape our approach. We have been clear that AI developers must be more transparent about the content they use to train their models and that rights holders should have effective control of their works.

We encourage rights holders who believe their work has been used unlawfully to seek independent legal advice and we continue to assess how best we might support the creative sector to harness the opportunities this technology provides.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
1st Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it his policy to consult on any changes to (a) actors' and (b) performers' employment rights within the cultural sector.

We are committed to giving British creators increased security at work, and providing the creative industries with a regulatory and fiscal environment where imagination and innovation can flourish. To support this aim, DCMS is working closely with the sector to understand the implications of the Government’s Plan to Make Work Pay on the Creative Industries.

The Plan to Make Work Pay will represent the biggest upgrade in employment rights in a generation, bringing the UK back into line internationally. It tackles poor working conditions and job security, and by making work more flexible and more family-friendly, will support our wider programme across employment, health and skills policy to get Britain working.

This includes a commitment to consult on a simpler, two-part framework for employment status. Some reforms in The Plan to Make Work Pay will take longer to undertake and implement, and we see this consultation as a longer-term goal.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
31st Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what advice her Department provides to creative industries considering the use of legal recourse when artificial intelligence has been used in breach of copyright.

It would be inappropriate for the Government to provide direct legal advice to individual creators or organisations, but we fully recognise the serious and evolving challenges posed by the use of copyrighted material in AI development.

The current UK Copyright Framework enables creative rights holders to prevent the unauthorised use of protected works, but this can be very difficult to implement in the context of AI, especially for individual firms and creators. We encourage rights holders who believe their work has been used unlawfully to seek independent legal advice.

More broadly, the Government is working to ensure that copyright and intellectual property frameworks remain robust and fit for purpose in the age of AI. We have received over 11,500 responses to our consultation, principally from creators. It is only right that we take the time to read and understand those responses and use them to shape our approach. We have been clear that AI developers must be more transparent about the content they use to train their models and that rights holders should have effective control of their works.

Addressing this is an urgent priority for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, but no decisions will be taken until we are absolutely confident we have a practical plan that delivers for the creative industries.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
31st Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department has taken to assess the impact of the proposed streamlining of workers definitions on the creative industries.

We are committed to giving British creators increased security at work, and providing the creative industries with a regulatory and fiscal environment where imagination and innovation can flourish. To support this aim, DCMS is working closely with the sector to understand the implications of the Government’s Plan to Make Work Pay on the Creative Industries.

The Plan to Make Work Pay will represent the biggest upgrade in employment rights in a generation, bringing the UK back into line internationally. It tackles poor working conditions and job security, and by making work more flexible and more family-friendly, will support our wider programme across employment, health and skills policy to get Britain working.

This includes a commitment to consult on a simpler, two-part framework for employment status. Some reforms in The Plan to Make Work Pay will take longer to undertake and implement, and we see this consultation as a longer-term goal.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
27th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme projects (a) were completed between 5 July 2024 and 27 March 2025 and (b) were incomplete on 27 March 2025; how much and what proportion of the funding allocated for the provision of multi-sport grassroots facilities in this financial year has (i) been and (ii) not been committed.

Since 5 July, a total of 728 Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities projects were completed in England (as of 13 March), 14 projects were completed in Scotland, 17 projects were completed in Wales and 11 projects were completed in Northern Ireland (all as of 27 March).

A total of 513 Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities projects remained incomplete in England, 16 remained incomplete in Scotland, 37 remained incomplete in Wales and 4 remained incomplete in Northern Ireland.

For the financial year 2024/25, other than a £1.2k underspend, the full £125m proposed investment into the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme has been committed, with delivery of projects funded ongoing. The Programme has sought to maximise value for money to ensure this funding directly impacts communities across the UK by providing high-quality sports facilities and offering places for people of all backgrounds to get active.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
26th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an impact assessment of the decision to allow up to 80 gaming machines in certain casinos.

The Department has considered the available evidence and a full impact assessment will be published for the measure which allows casinos to site up to 80 gaming machines. The Government’s Better Regulation Framework classifies the sports betting measure as a de minimis measure, and therefore a de minimis assessment will be completed for this measure, although this won’t be published.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
26th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an impact assessment of the decision to allow sports betting in all casinos.

The Department has considered the available evidence and a full impact assessment will be published for the measure which allows casinos to site up to 80 gaming machines. The Government’s Better Regulation Framework classifies the sports betting measure as a de minimis measure, and therefore a de minimis assessment will be completed for this measure, although this won’t be published.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
18th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish a list of the sports governing bodies she has met with since 5 July 2024.

DCMS publishes transparency data on GOV.UK, including details of ministers’ meetings with external organisations. Details of all meetings between 1 July and 30 September 2024 were published on 30 January 2025 and details for the following quarter will be published in due course.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
12th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans her Department has to renew funding for the Park Tennis Courts programme.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.

All future funding of sports facilities will be considered as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
12th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing funding for the provision of padel courts.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.

Sport England provides long term investment to the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for padel tennis in Britain, which receives up to £10.2 million for five years to invest in community tennis and padel initiatives that will benefit everyone.

All future funding of sports facilities will be considered as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
12th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Park Tennis Court project on encouraging more people to take up tennis.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities. We recognise that everyone should have access to high quality facilities and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity.

The previous Government commissioned an independent impact evaluation assessment of the Park Tennis Court Programme in August 2023, with a key focus being the impact of the programme on participation. We expect the full evaluation impact report to be published during April 2026.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
11th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Answer to the hon. Member for Cheltenham of 27 February 2025, Official Report, column 919, what the content was of her discussions with EU commissioners on reducing bureaucracy for artists touring EU countries.

The Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism, Chris Bryant, met the EU Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef, on 26 February.

The Minister communicated the UK’s commitment to seeking a closer, more cooperative relationship with the EU, including by supporting UK creative professionals to tour in Europe. By ensuring artists and crew can move efficiently, we can support economic growth, job creation, and artistic innovation across the continent. The Minister and the Commissioner agreed to meet again to continue these discussions.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
11th Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the oral contribution by the Minister for Sport, Media, Civil Society during the debate on gambling harms of 5 February 2025, Official Report, columns 373-377WH, if she will outline the conditions under which her Department would intervene to replace the self-regulating system in the gambling industry.

Gambling in Great Britain is independently regulated by the Gambling Commission.

The independent Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is responsible for regulating advertising in the UK. There are robust rules in place to ensure that advertising, whenever it appears, is socially responsible. Gambling operators must comply with the advertising codes of practice, which are enforced by the ASA, as part of their licence conditions. The ASA has the power to take action where there is evidence of advertising in breach of the Codes, and can also refer operators’ advertising to the Gambling Commission for possible regulatory action. However, we recognise that more can be done to improve protections. We have set the gambling industry a clear task to raise standards and this work will be monitored closely.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
3rd Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of misinformation created by AI-generated news on public trust.

The Government takes very seriously the impact that online mis- and disinformation can have, including risks posed by AI. We also recognise the concerns around AI models generating large volumes of content that is indistinguishable from human generated content which may also impact trust in the information environment. Enabling users, and institutions, to determine what media is real is a key part of tackling a wide range of AI risks.

Journalism plays an invaluable role in the fabric of our society and we are committed to supporting a free, sustainable and plural media landscape, as the best way of maintaining a shared understanding of facts. We are engaging with the press sector on these concerns, including through a recent ministerial roundtable with major UK publishers and broadcasters on the broader impact of generative AI on journalism. We have also provided funding to the Bridging Responsible AI Divides research programme at The University of Edinburgh, which produced the report ‘Generative AI and Journalism: Mapping the Risk Landscape’. We will continue to work with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, as the lead department on counter-disinformation policy and monitor developments in this area to inform future policymaking.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
3rd Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of AI on employment opportunities for freelance press journalists.

Journalism plays an invaluable role in the fabric of our society and we are committed to supporting a free, sustainable and plural media landscape. At the same time, the UK is well placed to seize the transformative opportunities presented by AI and is committed to the responsible adoption of AI across all parts of the economy. In this context, we recognise concerns from the press sector that recent developments in generative AI pose risks, as well as opportunities, to journalism, including those who work freelance. We are engaging with the press sector on these concerns, including through a recent ministerial roundtable with major UK publishers and broadcasters. We have also provided funding to the Bridging Responsible AI Divides research programme at The University of Edinburgh, which produced the report ‘Generative AI and Journalism: Mapping the Risk Landscape’. We will continue to monitor developments here to inform future policymaking, including with regard to employment opportunities for freelance journalists.

We recognise that particular concerns have been raised with regard to the use of copyrighted news content in the training of AI models and how this interacts with UK copyright law. Our consultation on the impact of AI on the copyright regime has now closed. We will consider all the responses we have received and continue to develop our policy approach in partnership with creative industries, media and AI stakeholders. Addressing this is an urgent priority for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, but no decisions will be taken until we are confident we have a practical plan that delivers for the media and creative industries.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
3rd Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of AI on (a) print journalism and (b) the online media industry.

Journalism plays an invaluable role in the fabric of our society and we are committed to supporting a free, sustainable and plural media landscape. At the same time, the UK is well placed to seize the transformative opportunities presented by AI and is committed to the responsible adoption of AI across all parts of the economy. In this context, we recognise concerns from the press sector that recent developments in generative AI pose risks, as well as opportunities, to journalism, including those who work freelance. We are engaging with the press sector on these concerns, including through a recent ministerial roundtable with major UK publishers and broadcasters. We have also provided funding to the Bridging Responsible AI Divides research programme at The University of Edinburgh, which produced the report ‘Generative AI and Journalism: Mapping the Risk Landscape’. We will continue to monitor developments here to inform future policymaking, including with regard to employment opportunities for freelance journalists.

We recognise that particular concerns have been raised with regard to the use of copyrighted news content in the training of AI models and how this interacts with UK copyright law. Our consultation on the impact of AI on the copyright regime has now closed. We will consider all the responses we have received and continue to develop our policy approach in partnership with creative industries, media and AI stakeholders. Addressing this is an urgent priority for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, but no decisions will be taken until we are confident we have a practical plan that delivers for the media and creative industries.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
24th Feb 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of local government reorganisation on funding of arts, culture and leisure facilities.

The funding of local cultural services and organisations is a matter for individual local authorities, but the Government strongly supports their doing so, not least because of the significant economic, social, and wellbeing benefits cultural organisations deliver.

The final Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25. This above-inflation increase demonstrates the Government’s commitment to supporting local authorities. The majority of this funding is not ring-fenced, so local authorities can consider how best to balance their local priorities.

As set out in the Government’s guidance on proposals for local government reorganisation, areas should consider issues of local identity and cultural and historic importance in working up plans that are in the best interests of the whole area.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
20th Jan 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of a customs union between the UK and the European Union on (a) the creative industries and (b) the sports and recreation industry.

This Government has been clear that there will be no return to the EU’s Customs Union so we have made no such assessment.

As agreed between the Prime Minister and President of the European Commission in October 2024, we are committed to strengthening the relationship between the UK and EU to find constructive ways to work together and deliver for the British people.

I am proud of the international reputation of our sports and creative industries. Notably, this Government has committed to address issues facing our brilliant musicians, artists and their support staff. We are already working hard with our sectors and engaging with the EU and EU Member States to this end.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
26th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many local authority owned leisure facilities have been sold in each of the last five years.

Since 2019, 89 Health and Fitness facilities owned by Local Authorities have closed. Over the same period, 83 Health and Fitness facilities have opened.

The breakdown for closures per year is as follows:

2019: 23

2020: 16

2021: 15

2022: 16

2023: 11

2024: 2 (as of end of August 2024)

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
19th Nov 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has met with the Local Government Association since her appointment.

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has met with the Deputy Chair of the Local Government Association and a range of Local Government leaders since her appointment.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
1st Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the application process will open for the Technical Excellence College scheme.

At the Spring Statement 2025, this government committed £100 million to establish ten new Technical Excellence Colleges specialised in construction across every region in England and to further build capacity to boost the provision of skills in construction. Boosting skills in construction is a crucial part of delivering on this government’s plans to build 1.5 million homes in England this Parliament and progress vital infrastructure projects. The department will set out further details on Technical Excellence Colleges in due course.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
1st Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how colleges can apply to the Technical Excellence College scheme.

At the Spring Statement 2025, this government committed £100 million to establish ten new Technical Excellence Colleges specialised in construction across every region in England and to further build capacity to boost the provision of skills in construction. Boosting skills in construction is a crucial part of delivering on this government’s plans to build 1.5 million homes in England this Parliament and progress vital infrastructure projects. The department will set out further details on Technical Excellence Colleges in due course.

Janet Daby
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
31st Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase levels of recruitment and retention of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.

High quality teaching is the most important in-school factor to a child’s educational outcomes. Recruiting and retaining more qualified, expert teachers is critical to the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and boost the life chances for every child. This is why the department will recruit 6,500 new expert teachers, get more teachers into shortage subjects, support areas that face recruitment challenges and tackle retention issues. To deliver this pledge we are resetting the relationship with the sector to ensure teaching is once again a valued and attractive profession.

The department agreed a 5.5% pay award for teachers in 2024/25, and increased the funding available for bursaries for trainee teachers to £233 million from 2025/26, to support teacher trainees with tax-free bursaries of up to £29,000 and scholarships of up to £31,000 in some shortage subjects. The department has also expanded its school teacher recruitment campaign, ‘Every Lesson Shapes a Life’, and the further education teacher recruitment campaign ‘Share your Skills’.

A successful recruitment strategy starts with a strong retention strategy and we want to ensure teachers stay and thrive in this profession. In the first five years of their careers, new teachers of mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing will now receive a targeted retention incentive of up to £6,000, after-tax, if working in disadvantaged schools. There are three schools in the Cheltenham constituency where teachers are eligible for targeted retention incentives.

The department has also taken steps to improve teachers’ workload and wellbeing, to support retention and help re-establish teaching as an attractive profession. This includes opportunities for greater flexible working, by making key resources to support wellbeing, developed with school leaders, available to teachers.

The department is also funding bespoke support provided by flexible working ambassador schools and multi-academy trusts, ensuring schools are capturing the benefits of flexible working, whilst protecting pupils’ face-to-face teacher time. Malmesbury School is the flexible working ambassador school providing local, tailored peer support for Cheltenham schools.

High quality Continuing Professional Development is also key to ensuring the retention of an effective teaching workforce. The department has established teaching school hubs across the country, who play a significant role in delivering initial teacher training, the early career framework and National Professional Qualifications. Balcarras Teaching School Hub is a centre of excellence supporting teacher training and development across Cheltenham, Cotswolds and Stroud.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
31st Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on support for schools with budget shortfalls due to levels of high needs funding.

Through the national funding formula in the 2025/26 financial year, secondary schools are being allocated over £4 billion through formula factors that act as a proxy for their pupils’ special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and other additional needs. In addition, high needs funding will total over £12 billion this financial year, a proportion of which local authorities will use for supporting secondary schools with their pupils who have more complex SEND. Of the total high needs funding, Gloucestershire County Council is being allocated over £105 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant.

In the high needs funding system, it is the top-up funding allocated to schools by the local authority which is intended to reflect the cost of provision for pupils with complex SEND. Schools should therefore discuss with their local authority the funding that they believe is necessary to make the provision that has been commissioned, taking into account expected levels of inflation and particular costs such as for energy and staff pay, as well as any reprioritisation within their budget that schools can achieve to ensure best value from their overall resources.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
31st Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support secondary schools with increases in SEND costs.

Through the national funding formula in the 2025/26 financial year, secondary schools are being allocated over £4 billion through formula factors that act as a proxy for their pupils’ special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and other additional needs. In addition, high needs funding will total over £12 billion this financial year, a proportion of which local authorities will use for supporting secondary schools with their pupils who have more complex SEND. Of the total high needs funding, Gloucestershire County Council is being allocated over £105 million through the high needs funding block of the dedicated schools grant.

In the high needs funding system, it is the top-up funding allocated to schools by the local authority which is intended to reflect the cost of provision for pupils with complex SEND. Schools should therefore discuss with their local authority the funding that they believe is necessary to make the provision that has been commissioned, taking into account expected levels of inflation and particular costs such as for energy and staff pay, as well as any reprioritisation within their budget that schools can achieve to ensure best value from their overall resources.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
31st Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the increase in employer National Insurance contributions on school budgets.

In developing our National Insurance contributions (NICs) grant methodology for mainstream schools and academies, the department considered both the impact of the change to National Insurance rates and the changes to the threshold at which NICs are applied. By taking this approach, we have ensured that funding accounts for where increases to NICs will be most significant.

The department knows that the impact of the increase to NICs differs depending on the proportions of staff on relatively higher or lower salaries and have taken that into account in determining how much funding is allocated to primary, secondary and special schools. The technical details of how the funding is split between those phases of education has been discussed with stakeholders, including the Association of School and College Leaders.

We keep our grant methodology under review to ensure funding can best support schools and their pupils. That is why, for the first time, we are providing additional grant funding for mainstream schools with special units and resourced provision to support them with the higher staffing costs they typically face.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
31st Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the formula for reimbursing schools after increases in employer National Insurance contributions.

In developing our National Insurance contributions (NICs) grant methodology for mainstream schools and academies, the department considered both the impact of the change to National Insurance rates and the changes to the threshold at which NICs are applied. By taking this approach, we have ensured that funding accounts for where increases to NICs will be most significant.

The department knows that the impact of the increase to NICs differs depending on the proportions of staff on relatively higher or lower salaries and have taken that into account in determining how much funding is allocated to primary, secondary and special schools. The technical details of how the funding is split between those phases of education has been discussed with stakeholders, including the Association of School and College Leaders.

We keep our grant methodology under review to ensure funding can best support schools and their pupils. That is why, for the first time, we are providing additional grant funding for mainstream schools with special units and resourced provision to support them with the higher staffing costs they typically face.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)
31st Mar 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the differences in school funding across different counties.

Every year the department uses the schools national funding formula (NFF) to distribute core funding for 5- to 16-year-old pupils in mainstream state-funded schools in England. In the current NFF, the vast majority of funding is distributed on the basis of pupil numbers and characteristics.

The purpose of the NFF is not to give every school the same level of per pupil funding. It is right that pupils with additional needs attract additional funding to help schools respond and meet their needs. In addition, schools in more expensive areas, like London, attract higher funding per pupil than other parts of the country to reflect the higher costs they face.

Through the dedicated schools grant, Gloucestershire County Council is receiving over £522 million for mainstream schools in the 2025/26 financial year, which equates to £6,201 per pupil on average, excluding growth and falling rolls funding. Schools' final funding allocations are determined by local authority funding formulae and based on updated pupil numbers, and so the final per pupil funding amounts for individual schools may differ.

The department is reviewing the schools NFF for both the 2026/27 financial year and the ensuing years, recognising the importance of a fair funding system that directs funding where it is needed.

Catherine McKinnell
Minister of State (Education)