Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the press notice entitled Thousands of new homes to be built as government unlocks brownfield sites, published on 15 October 2024, which local authorities will receive funding to prepare brownfield land for housing.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The third and final round of the Brownfield Land Release Fund 2 allocated £68 million to 54 councils. We will publish the full list of those authorities who received awards on gov.uk in due course.

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 October 2024 to Question 5439 on Arts: Tax Allowances, what grants are available to businesses in the creative industries; and what steps she is taking to help support businesses to access information about these grants.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The creative industries have access to a range of cross-economy business support mechanisms, as well as a number of industry-specific grants. Creative industry funding opportunities include the £30 million+ Creative Catalyst programme, designed to support business innovation and growth, the £100m BridgeAI programme, which accelerates AI adoption and productivity for sectors including the creative industries, and the Create Growth Programme (CGP) which offers grants to creative businesses in 12 English regions outside London alongside support to scale-up and become investment ready.

Other programmes that offer grant funding to creative businesses include the UK Games Fund, UK Global Screen Fund, and Music Export Growth Scheme. The UK Games Fund supports independent games studios across the UK with £13.4m for grant making and talent development programmes. £21 million has been committed for the UK Global Screen Fund to promote independent UK screen content in international markets (2022-2025). The Music Export Growth Scheme issues grants (worth £3.2m from 2022-2025) to support UK artists to break into new international markets.

The government engages closely with sectors, trade bodies and businesses, and makes all information on all grant schemes available online.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the potential impact of prohibiting outdoor smoking and vaping on the hospitality sector.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government will soon introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill which stands to be the most significant public health intervention in a generation. The bill will put us on track to a smoke-free United Kingdom, helping to reduce 80,000 preventable deaths, reduce the burden on the National Health Service, and reduce the burden on the taxpayer.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has had a range of discussions with ministers from other Government departments on the contents of the bill, including with my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business and Trade. Officials have also been in regular contact with counterparts across the Government during the development of the bill. More details will be set out soon.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) Police and Crime Commissioners on updating the funding formula for police forces.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government continues to have ongoing discussions representatives from the policing sector, including Police and Crime Commissioners on a range of topics.

This engagement will continue through the current and future Spending Review processes, including discussions on allocation of funding.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that the current level of funding for sports programmes in schools is protected.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

This government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity to enable every child to achieve and thrive, including through expanding access to sport and physical activity. This will support our cross-government missions and help to raise the healthiest and happiest generation of children ever.

Funding beyond 31 March 2025 is subject to the next government Spending Review taking place this autumn. The outcome of the review will be communicated in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to support University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust in the context of that Trust declaring a critical incident on 9 October 2024 and standing down that critical incident on 10 October 2024; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the review of the New Hospital Programme on support for that Trust.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government recognises the pressures that the National Health Service is facing, as made clear in the recent independent report undertaken by Lord Darzi. The report, published on 12 September 2024, will inform the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan to reform the health service and ensure the NHS is fit for the future.

The NHS’s operational pressures escalation levels (OPEL) framework provides a standardised approach to support an effective, integrated, and coordinated response to acute trust operational pressures. This includes the actions locally, regionally, and nationally that support the depressurising of services, and ensure patient safety. Further information about the OPEL framework is published by NHS England, and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/PRN00551-OPEL-Framework-2023.24-V2.0.pdf

The new hospital scheme for this trust is included in a review of the New Hospital Programme. This review will ensure the scheme is put on a sustainable footing, including a realistic timetable for delivery, and clarity on the funding required.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of levels of funding for (a) women's cricket and (b) grassroots cricket infrastructure.

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

The Government is committed to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, have access to high quality sport.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding.

This includes long term investment to the England and Wales Cricket Board, the National Governing Body for cricket, which receives up to £11.6 million for five years to invest in community cricket initiatives that will benefit everyone, including disabled people, women and girls and older people. Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign has also inspired millions of women and girls to get active, including through cricket.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the levels of funding for grassroots sports.

Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Government funding is being considered in the usual way as part of the Spending Review. The outcome of this review will be communicated in due course.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made on the potential impact of reductions in funding for sports on (a) access to physical activity for children and young people and (b) public health.

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

The Government’s new mission-led objectives puts health and children and young people at the heart of our priorities. The Government aims to provide opportunities for all children to access high-quality sport and physical activity, especially those who are less likely to be active. We must capitalise on the important role that being active can have in preventing, and helping to treat and manage, a wide range of health conditions.

The Government is acting to support more people to get active wherever they live through the delivery of £123 million UK-wide through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme in 2024/25. Further spending decisions will be made at the Spending Review later this month.

Supporting business growth in Leicestershire

Found: John Cooper Gregory Stafford Katie Lam Gareth Bacon Dame Caroline Dinenage Harriet Cross Shivani

Found: John Cooper Gregory Stafford Katie Lam Gareth Bacon Dame Caroline Dinenage Harriet Cross Shivani

Found: John Cooper Gregory Stafford Katie Lam Gareth Bacon Dame Caroline Dinenage Harriet Cross Shivani

Found: John Cooper Gregory Stafford Katie Lam Gareth Bacon Dame Caroline Dinenage Harriet Cross Shivani

Found: John Cooper Gregory Stafford Katie Lam Gareth Bacon Dame Caroline Dinenage Harriet Cross Shivani