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Written Question
Arts Council England: Equality
Wednesday 6th March 2024

Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff in Arts Council England have job titles which include the words (a) equality, (b) diversity, (c) inclusion, (d) gender, (e) LGBT and (f) race.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The average number of Arts Council England employees (headcount) during the most recent reported year (2022-23) was 700. 11 members of staff have job titles which include one of these words.


Written Question
Big Lottery Fund: Equality
Friday 1st March 2024

Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff in the Big Lottery Fund have job titles which include the words (a) equality, (b) diversity, (c) inclusion, (d) gender, (e) LGBT and (f) race.

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

The National Lottery Community Fund currently has four employees with job titles which include the words (a) equality, (b) diversity, (c) inclusion, (d) gender, (e) LGBT or (f) race.


Written Question
Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Equality
Friday 1st March 2024

Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff in their Department have job titles that include the words (a) equality, (b) diversity, (c) inclusion, (d) gender, (e) LGBT and (f) race.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

There are five roles in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport that contain any of these words. This includes roles in our sector teams with responsibility for taking forward the government’s commitment to increasing participation in sport.

The Government is auditing the cost-effectiveness of all activities that support the equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) of the workforce, through the review of EDI spending announced last June. As stated in the Autumn Statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Minister for Cabinet Office will be outlining the final proposals in response to the review in due course.


Written Question
Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Equality
Thursday 25th January 2024

Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many equalities impact assessments her Department completed in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Under the Public Sector Equality Duty (the Duty) all public authorities, including Government departments, are required by law to ensure that they have due regard to certain equality considerations when carrying out their functions. While ‘equality impact assessments’ may be produced, there is no legal requirement for duty assessments to be recorded in a specific format.

We do not centrally collate equalities impact assessments in the department, but are confident that we are meeting the Duty in our decision-making processes.


Written Question
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Training
Thursday 17th September 2020

Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much the Department spent on unconscious bias training in each of the last five years.

Answered by John Whittingdale

All staff are expected to complete Diversity and Inclusion e-learning on an annual basis. This includes modules on unconscious bias. All e-learning is free of charge to staff as it is covered by the department’s annual payment to access Civil Service Learning.

In addition to this DCMS spent £7,500+VAT in f/y 2019/20 on face to face unconscious bias training.


Written Question
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Staff
Tuesday 15th September 2020

Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many members of staff in their Department have one or more of the words equality, diversity, inclusion, gender, LGBT or race in their job title.

Answered by John Whittingdale

On 1st September 2020, 10 members of staff in DCMS had equality, diversity, inclusion, gender, LGBT or race in their job title.

This includes staff working on diversity and inclusion policy for the department in the People and Workplace directorate, as well as diversity and inclusion across DCMS policy areas.


Written Question
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Staff
Tuesday 8th September 2020

Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many members of staff in his Department have either equality, diversity or inclusion in their job title.

Answered by John Whittingdale

On 1st September 2020, 10 members of staff in DCMS had equality, diversity or inclusion in their job title.

This includes staff working on diversity and inclusion policy for the department in the People and Workplace directorate, as well as diversity and inclusion across DCMS policy areas.


Written Question
Chris Bruney
Monday 8th June 2020

Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he plans to take in relation to the findings of the Gambling Commission on the death of Chris Bruney.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Gambling Commission has a range of sanctions at its disposal to hold operators to account for failures. These include financial penalties and the review of both operator licences and personal management licences, as well as criminal prosecution where appropriate. As part of its recent action against PT Entertainment Services (PTES), the Commission is continuing to investigate the roles of individual licence holders and will take appropriate action if necessary.

The government and the Gambling Commission monitor on an ongoing basis whether changes to legislation or licence conditions are needed. We are looking at the issues raised by this case and any lessons to be learned.


Written Question
Data Protection
Tuesday 16th July 2019

Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of UK firms that import data from the EU that would be subject to the EU's rules on data export to third countries in the absence of an adequacy decision.

Answered by Margot James

We are currently undertaking analysis regarding the number of businesses this will affect.

The UK and the EU agree that the continued free flow of personal data is an important underpinning feature of the future relationship for both economic and security purposes. In 2017, around 40% of the EU’s service exports to the UK were data-enabled worth approximately £30bn, and around 70% of the UK’s service exports to the EU were data-enabled, worth approximately £80bn. This demonstrates that it is in everyone’s interests that the exchange of personal data between EU Member States and the UK continues in the event of a no deal scenario. The EU has an established mechanism to allow the free flow of personal data to countries outside the EU, namely adequacy decisions and the UK stands ready to begin the adequacy assessment process right away.

In the event of no deal, given the degree of alignment between the UK and EU’s data protection regimes, the UK will transitionally recognise all EEA states, EU adequate third countries, EU and EEA institutions, and Gibraltar, as though they have been subject to an affirmative adequacy decision by the UK. This will allow personal data to continue to flow freely from the UK to the EU. The UK would keep all of these decisions under review.

In a no deal scenario, the UK does not expect the European Commission to have made adequacy decisions regarding the UK at the point of exit. This means UK and EU organisations should take steps to mitigate any impact in this scenario by implementing alternative transfer mechanisms to send personal data from the EU to the UK. Details of what the alternative transfer mechanisms available are and how to make use of them are set out in the ICO guidance and gov.uk.