Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the maximum value of (a) prizes and (b) stakes in arcades in line with inflation.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government intends to consult on changes to maximum stakes and prizes for Category D gaming machines, to understand if this would be an appropriate way to support the family entertainment centre sector while maintaining protections for children and young people. Category D machines include seaside arcade staples, such as crane grabs and coin pushers. The consultation will seek evidence and feedback from a range of stakeholders on maximum stakes and prizes for these machines. We intend to launch the consultation this year.
The Government does not have plans to review stakes and prizes for other categories of gaming machines at this time.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to update regulations on payment methods for amusement machines.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Direct use of debit cards and credit cards is currently prohibited on all gaming machines in Great Britain. The previous Government’s 2023 gambling white paper proposed removing the prohibition on the direct use of debit cards on gaming machines, subject to the introduction of certain player protections. While this proposal was not implemented under the previous administration, this government is considering the best available evidence from a wide range of stakeholders to inform any decisions on this proposal, which would require new legislation to implement.
In addition, the Gambling Commission recently consulted on proposals to introduce a number of new player protections for gaming machines in Great Britain, designed to support and empower customers to use gaming machines safely. The Government will take account of the progress and outcome of this consultation when considering regulations on payment methods for gaming machines.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
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 reforming (a) stake and (b) prize limits for Category D machines on the economies of coastal towns.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Government recognises the important contributions family entertainment centres make to local communities, particularly seaside towns. However, this sector has seen a number of closures in recent years. We intend to consult on changes to stakes and prizes for Category D machines to understand if this would be an appropriate way to support the sector while maintaining protections for children and young people. These machines include seaside arcade staples, such as crane grabs and coin pushers.
The government will continue to engage with a range of stakeholders throughout the consultation process, to best understand the potential impacts of adjusting stake and prize limits for Category D machines. We intend to launch a consultation this year, and we will welcome responses from coastal communities.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has considered the potential merits of introducing transparency obligations on generative AI companies to facilitate the appropriate (a) licensing and (b) enforcement of music rights; and whether her Department has considered the potential merits of requiring the clear labelling of content solely generated by AI.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government held a consultation earlier this year to consider how the copyright framework should apply in the context of generative AI, including the merits of transparency obligations and labelling AI generated content. That consultation received a wide range of responses from stakeholders across the creative industries, technology sectors and academia. We are now carefully reviewing that evidence and establishing stakeholder working groups to inform the development of policy on copyright and AI.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
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 3 April 2025 to Question 42101 on Holiday Accommodation: Licensing, what her planned timetable is for her Department’s publication of the short-term rental registration scheme.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government has commenced the second phase of digital development for the short-term lets registration scheme legislated for in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023. During this phase, DCMS will test the user interface with a small number of users to ensure our systems and processes are effective, with public testing planned to start within the next 9 months.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
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 support British musicians touring in the EU.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We are working closely with the music industry to tackle the challenges facing UK musicians and their support staff when touring in the EU. We remain in open and constructive dialogue with the EU, with a view to improve arrangements across the European continent without seeing a return to free movement. Most recently, on 7 April, I attended the Informal Meeting for EU Culture Ministers in Warsaw as a guest of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. This is the first time a UK minister has been invited since Brexit. Our aim is to identify practical solutions to ensure that UK artists can continue to perform across Europe with minimal barriers while respecting the regulatory frameworks on both sides.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to launch the next Cities of Culture prospectus.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government’s approach to a future City of Culture competition will be announced in due course.
The current application guidance for the UK City of Culture competition already allows towns to enter. We keep under review our competition criteria feeding in lessons from previous rounds to provide the best support to each bidding place.
Towns have great potential to benefit from culture driven development.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the competition for the UK City of Culture enables all participants to enhance their cultural offer.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government’s approach to a future City of Culture competition will be announced in due course.
The current application guidance for the UK City of Culture competition already allows towns to enter. We keep under review our competition criteria feeding in lessons from previous rounds to provide the best support to each bidding place.
Towns have great potential to benefit from culture driven development.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if her Department will consider changing the terms of reference for the UK City of Culture competition to allow towns to participate.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government’s approach to a future City of Culture competition will be announced in due course.
The current application guidance for the UK City of Culture competition already allows towns to enter. We keep under review our competition criteria feeding in lessons from previous rounds to provide the best support to each bidding place.
Towns have great potential to benefit from culture driven development.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
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 ticket vendors on the potential impact of the use of apps for purchasing tickets for events on (a) all digitally-excluded people, (b) people with disabilities and (c) people without access to smartphones.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Provided consumers are not misled and are able to make informed decisions, firms should be free to offer their products and services under conditions of their choosing. To support digital inclusion the Government encourages businesses to provide alternatives to digital purchases, where possible, for consumers who do not have access to a mobile phone.
It is important that consumers experience openness and transparency when buying tickets. The Government has launched a call for evidence on pricing practices in the live events sector, which closes on 4 April 2025. We are seeking evidence on the impact of current pricing practices on consumers and businesses and whether the current legal framework provides sufficient protection. The Government wants to ensure access and fairness for fans purchasing tickets for events, and we welcome responses to the call for evidence on these issues. We are engaging with ticketing platforms on issues covered in the call for evidence.