Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Reform UK - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many public pools closed in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Since 2015, 279 swimming pools on sites owned by Local Authorities have closed. At the same time, 248 swimming pools have opened. Facilities may close for a number of reasons: this can include the rationalisation of multiple older facilities into a modern, better located facility.
The breakdown for closures per year is as follows:
2015: 40
2016: 36
2017: 31
2018: 23
2019: 31
2020: 40
2021: 27
2022: 27
2023: 20
2024 (as of end of August) : 4
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Reform UK - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which (a) sporting, (b) cultural and (c) other events were attended by staff in her Department in each of the last five years by financial value.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Gifts and hospitality data for Ministers, Senior Officials and Special Advisors is published quarterly, details of which can be found on the gov.uk website. Here is the most recent publication of Ministers gifts and hospitality, covering the period of Q4 2023/24 (January 2024 - March 2024).
Cabinet Office are yet to confirm when the data covering the periods Q1 and Q2 2024/25 will be published. In future, the Cabinet Office intends to publish a monthly Central Register beginning in December 2024. This will cover all ministers’ gifts and hospitality for November 2024 onwards.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Reform UK - Great Yarmouth)
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 the participation of transgender athletes in women's sport on women; and if she will meet with women impacted by transgender participation in sport.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Sporting bodies have a responsibility to protect the integrity and fairness of women's sport and the safety of all participants, particularly when it is not possible to balance those factors with inclusion.
National Governing Bodies set their own policies for who can participate in their sports in domestic competitions. Our UK sports councils have produced guidance to help domestic sports bodies determine the right position for their sport.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Reform UK - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many people were prosecuted for the non-payment of a TV licence fee in each of the last three years.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Ministry of Justice currently publishes the annual number of prosecutions, convictions, and sentencing outcomes for non-payment of the TV licence fee as part of their criminal justice quarterly publications. The publications can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Reform UK - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many positions in her Department included (a) diversity, (b) inclusion, (c) equity and (d) equality in their job title in each of the last five years; and what the total cost of the salaries of each such job was in each of those years.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not routinely collate information on specific words and collating this information would come at a disproportionate cost.
Information on spending and staffing can be found in the department’s annual report & accounts.