Asked by: Nigel Huddleston (Conservative - Droitwich and Evesham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when his Department plans to respond to responses received on the Consultation on the implementation of the new subscription contracts regime in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government is committed to protecting consumers who enter into subscription contracts. We consulted on the implementation of the new subscription contracts regime in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act and have engaged closely with stakeholders. We are carefully considering the points raised and a government response will be published in due course.
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 Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the cooling-off period provision in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 on cultural, heritage and tourism organisations operating on a subscription model, including national museums and galleries.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
This government recognises the significant public value delivered by the UK’s charitable sector.
The government has consulted on the implementation of the subscriptions regime in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act 2024. The consultation received over 70 responses including 15 from charitable organisations, and the government is engaging closely with the sector to understand the impacts on both consumers and these bodies.
The impact assessment for the subscriptions chapter in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act can be found here: Subscription traps: annex 2 impact assessment. Together, the subscription measures are anticipated to provide £400m of consumer benefits per year and the estimated net direct cost to businesses is £171m per year. Sector-specific analysis has not been conducted.
Asked by: Nigel Huddleston (Conservative - Droitwich and Evesham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve HM Courts and Tribunal Service response times in cases which require referral for expert probate examination.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
HM Courts & Tribunals Service has invested in more staff in 2026, alongside system process improvements and a programme of upskilling new and existing staff to conduct more specialist examiner work. This will improve the timeliness for applications that require referral to a more experienced probate case worker.
Asked by: Nigel Huddleston (Conservative - Droitwich and Evesham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to recruit more specialist examiners in HM Courts and Tribunal Service.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
HM Courts & Tribunals Service has invested in more staff in 2026, alongside system process improvements and a programme of upskilling new and existing staff to conduct more specialist examiner work. This will improve the timeliness for applications that require referral to a more experienced probate case worker.
Asked by: Nigel Huddleston (Conservative - Droitwich and Evesham)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much and what proportion of central Government advertising spend was spent with (a) Meta, (b) Google, (c) Twitter/X, (d) YouTube and (e) TikTok in the last (i) three, (ii) six and (iii) 12 months; and what the total spend was in each of those periods.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As digital and social media become central to how people consume information, Government is adapting its communications approach to meet audiences where they are.
Digital and social media channels enable us to reach audiences more cost-effectively, delivering better value from communications budgets.
The table shows monthly platform expenditure for the last 12 complete months. Twitter/X is excluded due to zero expenditure. This list is not comprehensive of all social media platforms used.
Date | Meta | TikTok | YouTube | Grand Total | |
Jan 25 | £1,115,953.00 | £1,213,342.00 | £0 | £702,900.00 | £3,032,195.00 |
Feb 25 | £1,514,555.00 | £1,510,013.00 | £114,589.00 | £853,837.00 | £3,992,994.00 |
Mar 25 | £2,062,190.00 | £3,202,959.00 | £157,767.00 | £1,366,138.00 | £6,789,054.00 |
Apr 25 | £343,556.00 | £231,438.00 | £0 | £153,443.00 | £728,437.00 |
May 25 | £394,475.00 | £197,552.00 | £0 | £249,593.00 | £841,620.00 |
Jun 25 | £449,914.00 | £488,775.00 | £0 | £214,741.00 | £1,153,430.00 |
Jul 25 | £1,058,727.00 | £772,827.00 | £0 | £195,158.00 | £2,026,712.00 |
Aug 25 | £1,613,621.00 | £959,909.00 | £0 | £270,287.00 | £2,843,817.00 |
Sep 25 | £1,429,652.00 | £972,581.00 | £0 | £273,406.00 | £2,675,639.00 |
Oct 25 | £1,863,553.00 | £1,517,730.00 | £58,723.00 | £393,222.00 | £3,833,228.00 |
Nov 25 | £2,222,017.00 | £1,803,863.00 | £132,931.00 | £365,748.00 | £4,524,559.00 |
Dec 25 | £1,962,956.00 | £1,692,115.00 | £259,102.00 | £469,430.00 | £4,383,603.00 |
Asked by: Nigel Huddleston (Conservative - Droitwich and Evesham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential financial implications for the dairy and yoghurt manufacturing industry of redesigning labels and packaging as a result of yoghurt and other dairy-based products being classified as high in fat, sugar, or salt under the revised Nutrient Profiling Model.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Heath Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.
As part of this, we are committed to updating the standards which underpin the advertising restrictions on television and online and the promotions restrictions in stores and their equivalent places online on ‘less healthy’ food and drink products. The Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) 2004/05 is plainly out of date and updating the standards will strengthen the restrictions by reflecting the latest dietary advice and will more effectively target the products of most concern to childhood obesity.
Applying the new NPM to our advertising and promotions policies will further incentivise businesses to reformulate their products, making it easier for consumers to make healthier food choices.
We have published guidance to industry on how to determine which food and drink products will be in scope of the advertising and promotions restrictions. Products are classified as ‘less healthy’ for the purpose of the restrictions if they achieve a score within the thresholds of the NPM and fall into one of the categories of food and drink products which are of most concern to childhood obesity, which are set out in the regulations.
We will publish a consultation this year to seek stakeholder views on applying the new NPM to the advertising and promotions restrictions on less healthy food and drink products, including an impact assessment of the costs to businesses and intended health outcomes. We set out in the 10-Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future that applying the new NPM to these policies is expected to reduce a further 170,000 cases of childhood obesity.
Asked by: Nigel Huddleston (Conservative - Droitwich and Evesham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential financial implications for the dairy and yoghurt manufacturing industry of reformulating products if the revised Nutrient Profiling Model results in yoghurt and other dairy-based products being classified as high in fat, sugar, or salt.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Heath Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.
As part of this, we are committed to updating the standards which underpin the advertising restrictions on television and online and the promotions restrictions in stores and their equivalent places online on ‘less healthy’ food and drink products. The Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) 2004/05 is plainly out of date and updating the standards will strengthen the restrictions by reflecting the latest dietary advice and will more effectively target the products of most concern to childhood obesity.
Applying the new NPM to our advertising and promotions policies will further incentivise businesses to reformulate their products, making it easier for consumers to make healthier food choices.
We have published guidance to industry on how to determine which food and drink products will be in scope of the advertising and promotions restrictions. Products are classified as ‘less healthy’ for the purpose of the restrictions if they achieve a score within the thresholds of the NPM and fall into one of the categories of food and drink products which are of most concern to childhood obesity, which are set out in the regulations.
We will publish a consultation this year to seek stakeholder views on applying the new NPM to the advertising and promotions restrictions on less healthy food and drink products, including an impact assessment of the costs to businesses and intended health outcomes. We set out in the 10-Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future that applying the new NPM to these policies is expected to reduce a further 170,000 cases of childhood obesity.
Asked by: Nigel Huddleston (Conservative - Droitwich and Evesham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Department has had with Dairy UK and other trade bodies on the potential impact of the revised Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) for the dairy supply chain.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, we will take decisive action on the obesity crisis, easing the strain on our National Health Service and creating the healthiest generation of children ever.
As part of this, we are committed to updating the standards which underpin the advertising restrictions on television and online and the promotion restrictions in stores and their equivalent places online on ‘less healthy’ food and drink products. The Nutrient Profiling Model (NPM) 2004/05 is plainly out of date and updating the standards will strengthen the restrictions by reflecting the latest dietary advice and more effectively target the products of most concern to childhood obesity.
The Government has met with a range of stakeholders over the past year to listen to their concerns, and officials met with Dairy UK in August 2025.
The Government remains committed to engaging relevant stakeholders and we will consult this year on the application of an updated NPM’s to the advertising and promotion restrictions to ensure they can feed in their views.