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 the report by the Local News Commission entitled Regenerating Local News in the UK, published in March 2025, whether the recommendations of this report will be included in the Local Media Strategy.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Sustainability of the local media sector across the country is an area of particular concern for this Government. We are developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of this vital sector. Our vision is a thriving local media that can continue to play an invaluable role as a key channel of trustworthy information at local level, reporting on the issues that matter to communities, reflecting their contributions and perspectives, and helping to foster a self-confident nation in which everyone feels that their contribution is part of an inclusive national story.
Officials have met with the Public Interest News Foundation, founders of the Local News Commission, as part of our continued engagement with key external stakeholders. Government welcomes the publication of the Commission’s report and will consider its recommendations as part of our wider work on the Strategy. Our work is also being informed by the range of studies conducted into the state of local journalism in the UK in recent years.
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 implications for her regulatory policies of the use of category C gaming tablets by high street casinos, in the context of regulations on combined numbers of category B3 and C machines.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
No more than 20% of the total number of gaming machines made available for use in an adult gaming centre or licensed bingo premises are permitted to be Category B machines. The other gaming machines made available for use must be Category C machines or Category D machines. This rule is known as the ‘80/20 rule'. It does not apply to casinos or other land-based gambling venues.
The Gambling Commission provides guidance around the circumstances in which a machine is available for use, which sets out when a machine can count towards the 80/20 rule. The guidance notes that in relation to tablets, licensees should ensure that there is sufficient floorspace in the premises to permit counted tablets to be used simultaneously.
We are considering the best available evidence from a wide range of sources to inform our decisions on the proposals in the previous government’s 2023 gambling white paper, including proposed changes to the 80/20 rule.
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 UK Music’s blog post entitled UK Music & Tik Tok Party at Labour Conference 2024, published in 2024, whether her attendance at the UK Music and Tik Tok party will be declared in her Department’s Ministerial hospitality reporting.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
In accordance with the Ministers’ Transparency Guidance, Departments should not include hospitality received by ministers in their capacity as an MP in a constituency or party- political capacity in Ministers’ declarations.
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 many large technology firms she has met since her appointment; and how many times she has met (a) small companies and (b) groups representing small challenger technology firms.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Details of ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2024 to Question 18400 on 10 Downing Street: Government Art Collection and to the answer of 4 December 2024 to Question 16604 on 11 Downing Street: Art Works, if she will publish a list of each of the Government Art Collection works that have been removed from the 10 Downing Street estate since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
No. It is standard practice, as followed by the previous government of which he was a member, for new ministers to select works from the Government Art Collection for their ministerial offices. All such changes of displays of works from the Government Art Collection constitute 'business as usual' for the Collection. All artworks in the Government Art Collection are on the website and their present locations can readily be searched and identified. The Collection does not publish the history of the locations of artworks.
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 her policy is on which flags other than the Union flag should be flown on Government buildings to mark days of (a) national and (b) international significance; and if she will publish her Department's proposed schedule for which flags should be flown on which days in 2025.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
There is a standing encouragement for Government Buildings to fly the Union Flag every day, and the Ukrainian Flag on a second flagpole if they are able. Government Departments are generally free to fly whichever other flags they deem appropriate, provided they have the necessary consent from their local planning authority.
Regarding the flags flown by DCMS, a decision has not yet been taken on which non-Union flags will be flown in 2025. Over the last two years, this decision was finalised in February.
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, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2024 to Question 12252 on Charity Commission: Correspondence, if she will publish the regulatory advice and guidance issued by the Charity Commission to the Hope not Hate Charitable Trust.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Charity Commission is not subject to Ministerial or departmental direction or control. It is for the Charity Commission to decide whether to publish correspondence or statements about its work on specific regulatory cases. The Charity Commission does not usually publish statements about regulatory cases that are not statutory inquiries, unless there is significant public interest in doing so.
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, pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2024 to Question 12252 on Charity Commission: Correspondence, if she will publish that letter; and if the Charity Commission will issue a public statement on the contents of that letter.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Charity Commission is not subject to Ministerial or departmental direction or control. It is for the Charity Commission to decide whether to publish correspondence or statements about its work on specific regulatory cases. The Charity Commission does not usually publish statements about regulatory cases that are not statutory inquiries, unless there is significant public interest in doing so.
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, pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2024 to Question 15230 on 10 Downing Street: Government Art Collection, whether the Government Art Collection website shows what artworks have been removed from 10 Downing Street since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government Art Collection website has all artworks belonging to the Collection and their current location. You can also search for all artworks in a specific location.
The website does not have lists of works removed from a location.
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 discussions the Prime Minister has had with (a) representatives of the British Museum and (b) the Greek government on the Elgin Marbles.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Prime Minister met the Greek Prime Minister on 3rd December. I would refer the Rt Hon Member to the read-out of their meeting. Decisions relating to the care and management of the Parthenon Sculptures are a matter for the British Museum Trustees.