Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will support making the agent of change principle statutory to safeguard grassroots music venues from the impact of new residential developments and ensure that developers take full responsibility for mitigating noise and other environmental conflicts at the planning stage.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Grassroots music venues are vital to the UK’s music culture, offering emerging artists a platform and supporting local economies and creative jobs.
This Government wants to enable new developments such as housing to co-exist with cultural infrastructure, including music venues. The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that new development should be integrated effectively with existing businesses and community facilities, such as music venues. Existing businesses and facilities should not have unreasonable restrictions placed on them as a result of development permitted after they were established.
MHCLG intends to consult on the National Planning Policy Framework, including the agent of change principle, this year. DCMS are working with MHCLG to consider how the agent of change can be implemented as effectively as possible as part of this review, to ensure the principle works well for music venues.
In August 2025, the joint industry and HM government licensing policy sprint taskforce recommended stronger guidance or a mandatory requirement for licensing authorities to ensure that the agent of change principle is considered when making licensing decisions. The Government is reviewing the findings of the taskforce and the recent call for evidence on licensing, to inform how the agent of change principle could be considered in licensing.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
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 Board on calls for the UK to withdraw from Eurovision coverage if the Israeli state broadcaster participates.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The BBC is operationally and editorially independent from the Government. Therefore, the Government cannot intervene in the BBC’s day-to-day operations including on editorial matters.
Decisions on who to include in international events and competitions are for the organisers to take, within the framework of their own rules and regulations. It is for the EBU, in consultation with its members, to decide which countries are allowed to participate in Eurovision.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to publish a sustainable tourism plan.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to supporting the growth of a more sustainable and resilient tourism sector. We are in the process of developing a Visitor Economy Growth Strategy with the Visitor Economy Advisory Council which will map out plans to support the growth of the tourism industry. This will address continuing to work with Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) to promote regenerative tourism practices and an approach where residents are involved in decision making and benefit directly from tourism.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with the Royal Collection Trust on the potential merits of publishing a list of items which are held in right of the Crown.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We have no plans to do so, nor are Ministers in discussions with the Royal Collection Trust, which is an independent charity, with control over its own collections, policies and management. The public can enjoy the Royal Collection across official royal residences, former royal residences, and through an extensive lending and touring exhibitions programme. Over 280,000 object records in the Collection can be accessed via the Royal Collection Trust website.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with the Royal Collection Trust on the ownership of the Royal Stamp Collection.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We have no plans to do so, nor are Ministers in discussions with the Royal Collection Trust, which is an independent charity, with control over its own collections, policies and management. The public can enjoy the Royal Collection across official royal residences, former royal residences, and through an extensive lending and touring exhibitions programme. Over 280,000 object records in the Collection can be accessed via the Royal Collection Trust website.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
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 22 November 2024 to Question 14270 on Press: Regulation, what work her Department is undertaking on this issue; which other Departments have participated; and if she will publish the work completed to date.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS works with a range of other Departments, including the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, and the Home Office, to support a free, plural, and financially sustainable press sector. This includes work to develop a Local Media Strategy and to deliver the National Action Plan for the Safety of Journalists.
We will update Parliament in the usual way on any policy developments in this area and work will be published as appropriate.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help support grassroots music venues.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government response to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee's report on grassroots music venues outlines our commitment to working across the live music sector to support grassroots music.
We urge the live music industry to introduce a voluntary ticket levy for stadium and arena shows, to support a sustainable grassroots music sector. I am writing to the major players in the industry to underline the importance of swift progress, and on the need to unblock any remaining barriers to an effective industry-led solution.
Following the Autumn Budget, we are continuing to support Arts Council England’s Supporting Grassroots Music Fund, which provides grants, including to music venues and festivals.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish a response to the recommendations of the report by the Press Recognition Panel entitled Press Intrusion and Regulation, published on 28 August 2024.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not have policy responsibility for the Press Recognition Panel in order to ensure that there is no Government interference in its independent work.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to protect people affected by (a) discrimination, (b) inaccuracy and (c) intrusion in the press.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government currently has no plans to bring forward legislative proposals to regulate the press.
It is vital that the public have access to accurate and trustworthy information from a range of different media, and we are working across Government to consider these issues in the round.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish the (a) revenue and (b) capital funding provided by each government department for youth work in England and Wales in each financial year since2010-11.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the vital role that youth services and activities play in improving the life chances and wellbeing of young people. In England, since 2010, DCMS has directly provided over £1.5 billion to the youth sector - mainly through three large programmes: MyPlace (capital); National Citizen Service (revenue) and the Youth Investment Fund (capital and revenue).
Over the current Spending Review Period, DCMS is investing £500 million of revenue and capital funding in youth services to deliver the National Youth Guarantee. This is in addition to revenue funding provided through DCMS Public Bodies, such as Sport England, Arts Council England and the National Lottery Community Fund, and other government departments. We do not hold the breakdown of youth work funding from other government departments.
As set out in section 507B of the Education Act 1996, Local Authorities have a statutory duty to ‘secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient provision of educational and recreational leisure-time activities for young people’. Details of all Local Authorities’ annual spending on youth services in England can be found in Section 251 data published on gov.uk.
The devolved administration of Wales is responsible for their own youth services and we do not hold the data requested.