Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many data centre developments have been granted consent under the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
To date, no data centres have been granted consent under the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the number of data centre developments have been granted consent by local planning authorities on green belt land since July 2024.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department does not hold the information requested.
Although it collects and publishes quarterly planning application statistics, which can be found on gov.uk here, it does not collect separate figures on data centre developments that have been granted planning permission.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the number of data centre developments have been granted consent by local planning authorities since July 2024.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department does not hold the information requested.
Although it collects and publishes quarterly planning application statistics, which can be found on gov.uk here, it does not collect separate figures on data centre developments that have been granted planning permission.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he collects data on the number of data centre developments that have been granted consent by local planning authorities.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
My Department does not hold the information requested.
Although it collects and publishes quarterly planning application statistics, which can be found on gov.uk here, it does not collect separate figures on data centre developments that have been granted planning permission.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions his Department has had with relevant stakeholders in the last month on the a) termination of the Drax power station contract, b) issuing of a licensing penalty and c) suitability of its CEO.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government has not had any such discussions with stakeholders.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has considered (a) reviewing tax relief eligibility for childcare costs for freelancers in irregular employment sectors such as film and television and (b) enabling greater flexibility in the use of Government-funded childcare hours for (i) nannies and (ii) alternative provision outside standard nursery settings.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
It is our ambition that families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, improving opportunity for every child and work choices for every parent. This is key to the government’s Plan for Change, which starts with reaching the milestone of a record number of children being ready for school.
The government recognises that evidencing income can be more complex for self-employed individuals, particularly for those with variable or seasonal earnings. That is why self-employed parents are only expected to meet the minimum income requirement over the entire tax-year (and not quarterly as is the case for employees) to qualify for Tax-Free Childcare.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing tax breaks for the training budgets of craft organisations in the film and high-end television sector.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the importance of the film and high‑end television sector, including the highly skilled craft workforce that underpins its success.
The Government supports film and high‑end television productions through the Audio‑Visual Expenditure Credit (AVEC), which provides a generous tax credit worth 34 per cent of UK production costs, or 39 per cent for animation and children’s television. Independent films (those with a UK lead writer or director and budgets under £23.5 million) are also eligible for an enhanced AVEC rate of 53 per cent on up to £15 million of core expenditure. These reliefs help attract inward investment, sustain employment, and support skills development across the sector. Whilst there is no specific exclusion of training costs, all qualifying production costs have to be incurred on pre-production, principle photography and post-production. Training costs would usually fall outside of this.
In addition to tax reliefs, skills and training in the screen sector are supported through targeted funding programmes led by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and its arm’s‑length bodies. Film and high‑end television are priority sub‑sectors within the Government’s Industrial Strategy, and DCMS has committed to a £75 million Screen Growth Package to support skills, talent development, and long‑term growth across the UK.
There are a wide range of factors to consider when introducing new tax reliefs or expanding existing ones, including their effectiveness in meeting policy objectives, how well targeted the support would be, the impact on complexity in the tax system, and the cost to the Exchequer.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
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 support the development of standardised skills frame-works and transferable accreditation systems for freelance technical roles in the UK screen industries.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Creative Industries Sector Plan sets out our approach to developing a high-quality and targeted skills and training offer, meeting the workforce requirements of the creative industries. This includes responding to the rapid changes in the screen sector to build a resilient skills base that can adapt and thrive as new opportunities emerge, and to retain knowledge within the domestic freelance workforce. We are supporting industry to develop skills passports, which will support the documenting and transfer of industry-recognised skills and competencies.
The Government’s £10 million investment in the National Film and Television School (NFTS) will deliver 2,000 new trainee and apprenticeship opportunities and has unlocked £11 million in private investment from partners including Disney, the Broccoli Foundation, and Sky. The investment is focused on increasing access for disabled students and providing structured career paths. This adds to the Government's investment in infrastructure to support virtual production and adoption of emerging technology as part of the government’s £75.6 million investment in the CoSTAR programme and its expansion through DCMS's £25 million Createch Futures.
As part of the BFI National Lottery Funding Plan 2026-2029, £35.55 million will also be provided for Skills and Workforce Development. This includes a refreshed BFI Film Academy with additional Government funding, continuation of the BFI National Lottery Skills Clusters Fund and the WorkWise for Screen pilot.
More broadly, this Government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will offer greater flexibility to employers and learners. As of August 2025, shorter apprenticeships are now possible for screen and audio production assistant apprentices, and from April 2026, we will introduce short course ‘apprenticeship units’ in areas such as digital and AI. Additionally, Skills Bootcamps continue to offer free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks in areas including Film Production and Screen Crafts, giving people the chance to build sector-specific skills with an offer of a job interview on completion.
In November, Skills England also introduced the UK Standard Skills Classification, the first standardised skills framework of its kind in our country, to help everyone from individual job seekers to major employers to navigate the world of skills with confidence.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to improve accessibility and reduce financial barriers to training and career progression within the freelance screen workforce.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Creative Industries Sector Plan sets out our approach to developing a high-quality and targeted skills and training offer, meeting the workforce requirements of the creative industries. This includes responding to the rapid changes in the screen sector to build a resilient skills base that can adapt and thrive as new opportunities emerge, and to retain knowledge within the domestic freelance workforce. We are supporting industry to develop skills passports, which will support the documenting and transfer of industry-recognised skills and competencies.
The Government’s £10 million investment in the National Film and Television School (NFTS) will deliver 2,000 new trainee and apprenticeship opportunities and has unlocked £11 million in private investment from partners including Disney, the Broccoli Foundation, and Sky. The investment is focused on increasing access for disabled students and providing structured career paths. This adds to the Government's investment in infrastructure to support virtual production and adoption of emerging technology as part of the government’s £75.6 million investment in the CoSTAR programme and its expansion through DCMS's £25 million Createch Futures.
As part of the BFI National Lottery Funding Plan 2026-2029, £35.55 million will also be provided for Skills and Workforce Development. This includes a refreshed BFI Film Academy with additional Government funding, continuation of the BFI National Lottery Skills Clusters Fund and the WorkWise for Screen pilot.
More broadly, this Government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will offer greater flexibility to employers and learners. As of August 2025, shorter apprenticeships are now possible for screen and audio production assistant apprentices, and from April 2026, we will introduce short course ‘apprenticeship units’ in areas such as digital and AI. Additionally, Skills Bootcamps continue to offer free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks in areas including Film Production and Screen Crafts, giving people the chance to build sector-specific skills with an offer of a job interview on completion.
In November, Skills England also introduced the UK Standard Skills Classification, the first standardised skills framework of its kind in our country, to help everyone from individual job seekers to major employers to navigate the world of skills with confidence.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
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 adequacy of skills and knowledge retention within the freelance film and high-end television workforce.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Creative Industries Sector Plan sets out our approach to developing a high-quality and targeted skills and training offer, meeting the workforce requirements of the creative industries. This includes responding to the rapid changes in the screen sector to build a resilient skills base that can adapt and thrive as new opportunities emerge, and to retain knowledge within the domestic freelance workforce. We are supporting industry to develop skills passports, which will support the documenting and transfer of industry-recognised skills and competencies.
The Government’s £10 million investment in the National Film and Television School (NFTS) will deliver 2,000 new trainee and apprenticeship opportunities and has unlocked £11 million in private investment from partners including Disney, the Broccoli Foundation, and Sky. The investment is focused on increasing access for disabled students and providing structured career paths. This adds to the Government's investment in infrastructure to support virtual production and adoption of emerging technology as part of the government’s £75.6 million investment in the CoSTAR programme and its expansion through DCMS's £25 million Createch Futures.
As part of the BFI National Lottery Funding Plan 2026-2029, £35.55 million will also be provided for Skills and Workforce Development. This includes a refreshed BFI Film Academy with additional Government funding, continuation of the BFI National Lottery Skills Clusters Fund and the WorkWise for Screen pilot.
More broadly, this Government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will offer greater flexibility to employers and learners. As of August 2025, shorter apprenticeships are now possible for screen and audio production assistant apprentices, and from April 2026, we will introduce short course ‘apprenticeship units’ in areas such as digital and AI. Additionally, Skills Bootcamps continue to offer free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks in areas including Film Production and Screen Crafts, giving people the chance to build sector-specific skills with an offer of a job interview on completion.
In November, Skills England also introduced the UK Standard Skills Classification, the first standardised skills framework of its kind in our country, to help everyone from individual job seekers to major employers to navigate the world of skills with confidence.