Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to publish the National Youth Strategy.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We plan to publish the National Youth Strategy in the summer, with an interim report to come out in the spring.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
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 implications for her policies of the proposal by the Welsh government to enable local authorities to charge a visitor levy.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Tourism is a devolved policy matter and we work closely with the Devolved Administrations. My department will carefully monitor the proposal by the Welsh government. Tax policy is a matter for HM Treasury and there are currently no plans to introduce a similar tax in England.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with (a) the Guardian Media Group and (b) Tortoise Media on the proposed buyout of the Observer newspaper.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
It would be inappropriate to comment on any live merger case. As is clear under the Enterprise Act, this is a quasi-judicial process for the DCMS Secretary of State alone to exercise the statutory powers based on the evidence and following the established regulatory process. If there are any updates to report, Parliament will be informed in the usual way.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to ensure that Covid-19 loans to the (a) culture and (b) sports sectors are repaid in full.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Yes.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the (a) sports and (b) cultural sector on the repayment of Covid-19 loans by September 2025.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Loan financing was provided to organisations on favourable terms, tailored to meet the unique legal and financial circumstances of sporting and cultural organisations. The Government is clear that these loans must be repaid and, where necessary, steps will be taken to ensure the protection of taxpayer’s money.
DCMS remains in close contact with our loan agents, Sport England and Arts Council England, to ensure loans are repaid and borrowers comply with the terms of their loans. DCMS ministers regularly meet with stakeholders, and where appropriate we discuss loan repayments.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with representatives of the British Museum on the Elgin Marbles.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As the British Museum is a DCMS Arm’s Length Body, both the Secretary of State and I have recently met its Chair and Director. The sculptures were one of a number of issues
discussed.
Decisions relating to the care and management of its collection are a matter for the British Museum Trustees, acting within the law.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with her counterparts in the Greek Government on (a) loaning and (b) donating the Elgin Marbles to Greece.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
I met Greece’s Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni on 4 November for a meeting regarding tourism, when she raised the Parthenon Sculptures among many other matters.
Decisions relating to the care and management of the Parthenon Sculptures are a matter for the British Museum Trustees, acting within the law.
We have no plans to change the law that would permit a permanent move of the Parthenon Sculptures.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's press release entitled New ambition for 50 million annual visits to UK announced by Tourism Minister, published on 27 November 2024, what steps she plans to take to meet this target.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The new Visitor Economy Advisory Council will work closely with industry and government to develop a national strategy for growth in the sector to achieve this target. We believe it is important to set this ambitious target, because although the UK attracted 41 million visitors in 2019, it only managed 38 million last year under the previous government. We are clear that growth in the tourism industry beyond London will be at the heart of this strategy, and that will require VisitBritain/VisitEngland to champion visits to the British countryside and rural areas to a worldwide audience and expanding the number of Local Visitor Economy Partnerships —including in rural and coastal areas. This is part of our commitment to spreading tourism’s benefits and creating an inclusive, regional growth model.