Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the net zero targets for the Department and its arm’s-length bodies are; and what guidance has been issued on adopting net zero targets earlier than 2050.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Net Zero target in the Climate Change Act 2008, is a target for the whole of the UK, not individual departments or arms-length bodies.
Greening Government Commitments are the central framework setting out the actions UK government departments and their agencies will take to reduce their impacts on the environment, including setting targets to reduce emissions, during the framework period.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport committed to a 33% reduction in direct emissions and a 58% reduction in overall emissions by 2025.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is reviewing the Greening Government Commitments to ensure that they remain aligned with government priorities.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the BBC on managing conflicts of interest at BBC Wales.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Secretary of State meets with the BBC regularly and discusses a range of issues.
The BBC has duties under the Charter to be independent, to act in the public interest and provide impartial services. The BBC is operationally independent of the Government in delivering on those duties, and it is for Ofcom as the BBC’s independent regulator to hold the BBC accountable against these responsibilities. The Secretary of State has been clear that the Government supports a strong independent BBC. In an age of disinformation, the argument for robust and impartial BBC services are stronger than ever.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of non-regulated large-scale prize draws on (a) the National Lottery and (b) society lotteries.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This Government recognises that prize draws are a significant and growing market, and we want to ensure that people who participate in prize draws are confident that proportionate protections are in place.
Independent research was commissioned in 2023, which provided the Government with firm insights into the prize draws sector and included a section on the impact on the lottery industry. This led to the announcement earlier this year of the intention to introduce a Voluntary Code for prize draw operators which was published on 20 November 2025.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much (a) their Department and (b) its arm’s length bodies have spent on (i) installing electric vehicle charging facilities and (ii) purchasing electric vehicles since 4 July 2024; and what estimate their Department has made of the difference in capital cost between (A) the electric vehicles purchased by their Department and (B) comparable (1) petrol and (2) diesel models.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department has not incurred any expenditure on the installation of electric vehicle charging facilities since 4 July 2024. The Department has also not purchased any electric vehicles since 4 July 2024.
We are unable to provide data relating to the expenditure of arm’s length bodies on the installation of electric vehicle charging facilities or the purchase of electric vehicles as we do not collect such data centrally.
The Department has not made an estimate of the difference in capital cost between the electric vehicles purchased and comparable petrol or diesel models.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to ensure that large-scale commercial prize draws are subject to the same advertising regulations as other gambling products.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This Government recognises that prize draws are a significant and growing market, and we want to ensure that people who participate in prize draws are confident that proportionate protections are in place.
Independent research was commissioned in 2023, which provided the Government with firm insights into the prize draws sector. This led to the announcement earlier this year of the intention to introduce a Voluntary Code for prize draw operators.
DCMS officials are currently working closely with the sector to develop this code, with the work underpinned by the independent research. The Code will provide a uniform approach across the sector to strengthen player protections, increase transparency and improve accountability. This approach will enable the Government to take swift action collectively within the sector. The success of this Code will dictate whether the Government decides that greater regulation may be required.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to require large-scale commercial prize draws to return a statutory minimum percentage of proceeds to charitable causes.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This Government recognises that prize draws are a significant and growing market, and we want to ensure that people who participate in prize draws are confident that proportionate protections are in place.
Independent research was commissioned in 2023, which provided the Government with firm insights into the prize draws sector. This led to the announcement earlier this year of the intention to introduce a Voluntary Code for prize draw operators.
DCMS officials are currently working closely with the sector to develop this code, with the work underpinned by the independent research. The Code will provide a uniform approach across the sector to strengthen player protections, increase transparency and improve accountability. This approach will enable the Government to take swift action collectively within the sector. The success of this Code will dictate whether the Government decides that greater regulation may be required.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to prevent large-scale commercial prize draws from being able to accept credit card payments from participants.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This Government recognises that prize draws are a significant and growing market, and we want to ensure that people who participate in prize draws are confident that proportionate protections are in place.
Independent research was commissioned in 2023, which provided the Government with firm insights into the prize draws sector. This led to the announcement earlier this year of the intention to introduce a Voluntary Code for prize draw operators.
DCMS officials are currently working closely with the sector to develop this code, with the work underpinned by the independent research. The Code will provide a uniform approach across the sector to strengthen player protections, increase transparency and improve accountability. This approach will enable the Government to take swift action collectively within the sector. The success of this Code will dictate whether the Government decides that greater regulation may be required.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to p.17 of the report by NfP entitled An Unregulated Gamble, published in March 2025, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its policies that 12 per cent of those who took part in the study by NfP understood that (a) large-scale and (b) Omaze prize draws are unregulated.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This Government recognises that prize draws are a significant and growing market, and we want to ensure that people who participate in prize draws are confident that proportionate protections are in place.
Independent research was commissioned in 2023, which provided the Government with firm insights into the prize draws sector. This led to the announcement earlier this year of the intention to introduce a Voluntary Code for prize draw operators.
DCMS officials are currently working closely with the sector to develop this code, with the work underpinned by the independent research. The Code will provide a uniform approach across the sector to strengthen player protections, increase transparency and improve accountability. This approach will enable the Government to take swift action collectively within the sector. The success of this Code will dictate whether the Government decides that greater regulation may be required.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which Government Art Collection works have been (a) installed and (b) deinstalled from HM Treasury main offices since 4 July 2024 by (i) title, (ii) artist and (iii) reference number.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government Art Collection is a working collection, used across government buildings in the UK and the global estate, which means that artworks may change their display location from time to time in response to new display steers and requests.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the cancellation of the communications campaign entitled, Better Health - Every Mind Matters: Loneliness, on mental health outcomes.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Whilst the Better Health - Every Mind Matters: Loneliness campaign is no longer running, information, advice and signposts to organisations which can support people experiencing loneliness remains available on the Better Health – Every Mind Matters website. The website receives an average of over 150,000 visits per month. In the last full year, this figure exceeded two million visits. Indicative evidence demonstrates that Better Health-Every Mind Matters is improving the nation’s mental health and wellbeing; 2 in 3 of those who complete the Mind Plan email programme report measurably better wellbeing than when they started.
In addition, a campaign toolkit on loneliness for use by local authorities, NHS organisations and community groups is available on the Department of Health and Social Care’s Campaign Resource Centre. The toolkit includes key messages and social media assets that can be used in locally-run campaigns.