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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which Government department is responsible for the UK's events industry strategy.

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

The UK is a world leader in the events industry. The events industry spans many sectors and has cross-cutting interests across a number of Government Departments including the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Department for Business and Trade, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the Cabinet Office and the Home Office on safety and security elements.

The Department for Business and Trade works closely with the events sector to ensure they are engaged and able to shape developing government policy and any business issues the sector is facing are captured and addressed.

There have been a number of sector specific strategies published, including the Gold Framework which set out how the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and UK Sport work jointly to support the bidding for and staging of major sporting events at a UK level. In addition, UK Sport published a major event strategic framework, Making Live Sport Matter, which sets out a target list of major events hosting for the coming decade.

DCMS will also be launching a new Visitor Economy Growth Strategy later this year, which will include the business events industry. It will set out a clear, joined-up plan for driving growth, improving the visitor offer and strengthening the UK's appeal in an increasingly competitive global market.

Found: (78.9%) Shivani Raja (Conservative, Leicester East) (added 25 Nov 2024) 2 of 15 (13.3%) Rachel Taylor

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Sarah Owen (Chair); Natalie Fleet; Catherine Fookes; Rachel Taylor

Found: West) Samantha Niblett (Labour; South Derbyshire) Shivani Raja (Conservative; Leicester East) Rachel Taylor

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for the Home Office to tackle freight crime; and what assessment she has made of the merits of targeting the HGV parking and driver welfare grant scheme funding at areas with high rates of freight crime.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

This Government understands the significant and damaging impact freight crime can have on businesses and drivers. Through our Safer Streets Mission and wider reforms, we are tackling crime and restoring public confidence in policing and the wider criminal justice system.

Alongside the Home Office Minister of State for Policing and Crime Reduction, I met Rachel Taylor MP, Chair of the APPG for Freight and Logistics on 26 March to discuss the impact of freight crime.

The Home Office continues to work closely with the police and the wider automotive industry to ensure our response to vehicle crime, including freight crime, is as strong as it can be.

The Department for Transport’s HGV parking and driver welfare grant scheme is providing up to £43.5 million of joint investment with industry to upgrade HGV parking and driver welfare facilities across England. This investment has been allocated and is supporting operators across 30 counties in England to improve security, toilets, showers and refreshment facilities and increase lorry parking spaces.

This is on top of up to £26 million joint investment by National Highways and industry in lorry parking facilities, including Motorway Service Areas, along the strategic roads network.

Future funding for financial years beyond 25/26 and its potential targeting towards high freight crime areas is subject to the Spending Review.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the the merits of extending the HGV parking and driver welfare grant scheme beyond the current funding period.

Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

This Government understands the significant and damaging impact freight crime can have on businesses and drivers. Through our Safer Streets Mission and wider reforms, we are tackling crime and restoring public confidence in policing and the wider criminal justice system.

Alongside the Home Office Minister of State for Policing and Crime Reduction, I met Rachel Taylor MP, Chair of the APPG for Freight and Logistics on 26 March to discuss the impact of freight crime.

The Home Office continues to work closely with the police and the wider automotive industry to ensure our response to vehicle crime, including freight crime, is as strong as it can be.

The Department for Transport’s HGV parking and driver welfare grant scheme is providing up to £43.5 million of joint investment with industry to upgrade HGV parking and driver welfare facilities across England. This investment has been allocated and is supporting operators across 30 counties in England to improve security, toilets, showers and refreshment facilities and increase lorry parking spaces.

This is on top of up to £26 million joint investment by National Highways and industry in lorry parking facilities, including Motorway Service Areas, along the strategic roads network.

Future funding for financial years beyond 25/26 and its potential targeting towards high freight crime areas is subject to the Spending Review.

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