Asked by: Nigel Huddleston (Conservative - Droitwich and Evesham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish an updated assessment of the economic contribution of outdoor visitor attractions to the UK economy; and what recent discussions she has had with industry representatives on the potential impact of weather-related behaviours on their levels of economic contribution.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS recognises the vital role outdoor visitor attractions play in the UK’s visitor economy. These sites, ranging from world-leading zoos and theme parks to historic gardens, contribute to regional investment, local employment and often support learning and biodiversity conservation.
At this time, DCMS has not made a specific assessment of the potential financial impact of digital weather forecasting on outdoor visitor attractions. The Government is aware of the concerns raised by the sector regarding how these forecasts can influence visitor behaviour, including the recent campaign led by Chester Zoo.
My department continues to represent the interests of the visitor economy across Government and my officials are engaged on this matter. This includes membership of the Public Weather Service (PWS) Customer Group. This Group has been working closely with the Met Office to strengthen the focus on supporting the outdoor economy, including the visitor economy. More broadly, I remain committed to maintaining a close and constructive dialogue with industry representatives to ensure the visitor economy continues to thrive.
Asked by: Nigel Huddleston (Conservative - Droitwich and Evesham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to extend new capital funding for culture venues to include local independent cinemas.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
We are very proud to be delivering a significant package of funding for arts and cultural organisations. I understand the disappointment that funding for independent cinemas was not included in that announcement, though we have no current plans to extend that funding further. We are still operating within a challenging fiscal climate, and across government we have had to make very difficult decisions about where to direct available funding.
In recognition of the challenges that continue to face cinemas across the country, we have introduced permanently lower business rates multipliers for eligible cinemas, which will support the independent cinema sector. We will also continue to stimulate production in order to create a strong slate of films that will support our cinemas to thrive; we are doing this through generous tax incentives, investing in production support services, and delivering our £75 million Screen Growth Package under the Creative Industries Sector Plan. And the British Film Institute, as a DCMS Arm’s Length Body, will continue to support cinemas through the Film Audience Network, a network of more than 1800 cinemas and exhibitors, led by ‘Film Hubs’ across the UK.
My department will continue to work closely with the BFI, UK Cinema Association, and the wider sector to identify further ways to support this industry, and to ensure that cinemas can continue to make culture accessible to every person across the UK.
Asked by: Nigel Huddleston (Conservative - Droitwich and Evesham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding she plans to provide for local cinemas in the next 12 months.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
We are very proud to be delivering a significant package of funding for arts and cultural organisations. I understand the disappointment that funding for independent cinemas was not included in that announcement, though we have no current plans to extend that funding further. We are still operating within a challenging fiscal climate, and across government we have had to make very difficult decisions about where to direct available funding.
In recognition of the challenges that continue to face cinemas across the country, we have introduced permanently lower business rates multipliers for eligible cinemas, which will support the independent cinema sector. We will also continue to stimulate production in order to create a strong slate of films that will support our cinemas to thrive; we are doing this through generous tax incentives, investing in production support services, and delivering our £75 million Screen Growth Package under the Creative Industries Sector Plan. And the British Film Institute, as a DCMS Arm’s Length Body, will continue to support cinemas through the Film Audience Network, a network of more than 1800 cinemas and exhibitors, led by ‘Film Hubs’ across the UK.
My department will continue to work closely with the BFI, UK Cinema Association, and the wider sector to identify further ways to support this industry, and to ensure that cinemas can continue to make culture accessible to every person across the UK.
Asked by: Nigel Huddleston (Conservative - Droitwich and Evesham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the survival of local museums in a) England and b) Worcestershire.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This Government supports museums nationwide through direct funding of National museums, funding of the Arts Council, and the administration of tax schemes like the Museums VAT Refund Scheme, and the Museums and Galleries Exhibitions Tax Relief. In October the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced 75 recipients of a new £20 million Museum Renewal Fund to keep our local museums open and serving communities, protecting opening hours and jobs and telling our national story at a local level. Earlier this year, DCMS also announced a further £25 million this year to support museums across England with urgent infrastructure through the Museum Estate and Development Fund. Together, these two interventions double the c. £44 million that Arts Council England (ACE) is already investing annually into core support for local museums.
Two museums in Worcestershire, the Museum of Royal Worcester, and Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum, were awarded £228,343 and £239,922 respectively from the Museum Renewal Fund, and ACE have invested more than £3m in six museums across Worcestershire since 2021.
Asked by: Nigel Huddleston (Conservative - Droitwich and Evesham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to continue the Museum Renewal Fund past March 2026; and whether that fund remains open for new applications.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Museum Renewal Fund, announced in February, closed to applicants in May 2025. 75 museum groups were awarded a total of £20 million in October, to keep our local museums open and serving communities, protecting opening hours and jobs and telling our national story at a local level. The department keeps its funding and support for different sectors under regular review, and decisions pertaining to future budgetary allocations will be taken in the usual manner, through departmental business planning.
Asked by: Nigel Huddleston (Conservative - Droitwich and Evesham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has taken steps to explore hosting the Special Olympics World Summer Games.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to delivering international events with pride, building upon the UK’s global reputation for excellence in staging major sporting events.
We are always keen to work alongside our arm’s-length body UK Sport and other stakeholders to grow and develop our strong pipeline of events. We prioritise support for events based on a range of criteria, which includes how far they help create social and economic benefits for the UK and contribute towards the Government's Plan for Change.
The UK has already secured a strong pipeline of events over the coming years, including the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, the Grand Départ for the Tour De France and the Tour de France Femmes in 2027 and the UEFA 2028 European Championships. The Department is not currently exploring hosting the Special Olympics World Summer Games.
Asked by: Nigel Huddleston (Conservative - Droitwich and Evesham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when her Department was first alerted to the possibility of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans being banned from the fixture against Aston Villa on the 6th November.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
A range of options are considered for each match and DCMS officials were made aware by the SGSA of the options under consideration on 9 October 2025. A decision had not been made at that time, and was not communicated to the Department until 16 October, when Ministers were made aware.