Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the press release of 15 May 2025 entitled Media law reforms to boost press sustainability and protect independence, whether a company (a) wholly owned by and (b) under the majority control of the Chinese government would be permitted to buy a stake of up to 15 per cent in a UK newspaper.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The new foreign state intervention (FSI) regime, set out in the Entreprise Act 2002, seeks to preserve the freedom of the press. It applies to all foreign powers that may seek to acquire control or influence a UK newspaper or news periodical and will be applied case by case based on the facts presented.
Our assessment on the potential impact of foreign states investing in UK Newspapers can be found in my Written Statement Ministerial of 15 May 2025 - Official Report Vol 767 Col 17WS.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Draft Enterprise Act 2002 (Mergers Involving Newspaper Enterprises and Foreign Powers) Regulations 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the partial ownership of UK newspapers by foreign governments on (a) democracy and (b) national security in the UK.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The new foreign state intervention (FSI) regime, set out in the Entreprise Act 2002, seeks to preserve the freedom of the press. It applies to all foreign powers that may seek to acquire control or influence a UK newspaper or news periodical and will be applied case by case based on the facts presented.
Our assessment on the potential impact of foreign states investing in UK Newspapers can be found in my Written Statement Ministerial of 15 May 2025 - Official Report Vol 767 Col 17WS.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
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 potential conflict between the impact of exemptions to copyright law for AI development on the creative sector and the creative sector being listed as an area growth in the Industrial Strategy.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The government’s Industrial Strategy identifies eight growth-driving sectors with the greatest growth potential over the next decade including the Creative Industries, with more detail in the Creative Industries Sector Plan.
As part of this, we have said it is important to ensure that the copyright regime values and protects human creativity, can be trusted and unlocks new opportunities for innovation. The government has committed to set out a detailed economic impact assessment on all options under consideration following its consultation on Copyright and AI.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
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 the Spending Review 2025 on the Park Tennis Courts Programme.
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.
On 20 June, my Rt Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, committed £400 million to continued investment in local sport facilities on 20 June, following the recent Spending Review. We will work closely with sporting bodies - including the Lawn Tennis Association - and local leaders to establish what each community needs and then set out further plans.
The Park Tennis Court Programme was a joint investment between the UK Government and LTA that started in 2022 and concluded in 2024.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
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 the Spending Review 2025 on the National Youth Strategy.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
This Government fully recognises the importance of youth services to help young people live safe and healthy lives, and we are committed to giving all young people the chance to reach their full potential. The funding commitments within the National Youth Strategy will depend on departmental business planning processes, now underway following the recent spending review. The detail and scale of the funding commitments included in the strategy will also be shaped by engagement with young people and the youth sector.The Government will publish the strategy this autumn.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has had discussions with Ofcom on the adequacy of levels of news bulletins in the BBC’s proposals for new DAB radio stations targeted at younger audiences.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The BBC is operationally and editorially independent of the government. It is for Ofcom, as the BBC’s independent regulator, to hold the BBC to account in meeting its obligations to provide duly accurate and impartial news to audiences across its services.
Ofcom is also responsible for assessing changes to BBC services that may have a significant impact on fair and effective competition. Ofcom is currently considering the BBC’s proposals for the new DAB+ stations and published their provisional findings on their website in April this year. Their final decision on the BBC’s proposal is expected to be issued by 4 July 2025.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
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.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
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.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
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 potential impact of the UK's departure from Creative Europe on its creative industries.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
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.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
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 potential merits of joining Creative Europe.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
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.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
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.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
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.