Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Spring Statement of 26 March 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to her Department's planned budget for the 2025-26 financial year on the provision of youth services.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
This Government fully recognises the importance of youth services to help young people live safe and healthy lives, and we remain committed to giving all young people the chance to reach their full potential. That is why we are developing a National Youth Strategy to set out a new vision for young people and an action plan for delivering this.
In 2025/26, has committed to funding over £85 million of capital funding to create fit-for-purpose spaces in places where it is most needed, which includes £26 million for youth clubs to buy new equipment and do renovations under the Better Youth Spaces Fund. Further funding allocations for specific youth programmes will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
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 the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the effectiveness of proposed exemptions to cooling-off rights within the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 subscription regime for preventing consumers from accessing digital content for free.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
My Department regularly engages with the Department for Business and Trade on a range of issues relating to the implementation of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act 2024.
The Department for Business and Trade’s consultation on the implementation of these measures closed on 10 February 2025, and they are currently analysing responses.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
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 the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the potential impact of the subscriptions regime in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 on the level of investment in the video on-demand sector.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
My Department regularly engages with the Department for Business and Trade on a range of issues relating to the implementation of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act 2024.
The Department for Business and Trade’s consultation on the implementation of these measures closed on 10 February 2025, and they are currently analysing responses.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she is taking steps with Ofcom on implementing fair terms of carriage for public service broadcasters on streaming platforms under the Media Act 2024.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
My Department is working closely with Ofcom to progress implementation of the Media Act 2024. The Act delegates certain powers to the Secretary of State and to Ofcom in terms of designating ‘in-scope’ services and developing relevant guidance.
The new online prominence regime, under the Act, seeks to support effective negotiations between public service broadcasters and TV platforms for the carriage of designated PSB services (referred to in the Act as “internet programme services”). It does so via a set of “agreement objectives” which both parties must act consistently with, as well as Ofcom guidance, which they are required to consult on.
Further information on Media Act implementation can be found on Ofcom’s website: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/Media-Act-Implementation/.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with Ofcom on the implementation of the Media Act 2024.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
My Department is working closely with Ofcom to progress implementation of the Media Act 2024. The Act delegates certain powers to the Secretary of State and to Ofcom in terms of designating ‘in-scope’ services and developing relevant guidance.
The new online prominence regime, under the Act, seeks to support effective negotiations between public service broadcasters and TV platforms for the carriage of designated PSB services (referred to in the Act as “internet programme services”). It does so via a set of “agreement objectives” which both parties must act consistently with, as well as Ofcom guidance, which they are required to consult on.
Further information on Media Act implementation can be found on Ofcom’s website: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/Media-Act-Implementation/.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Spring Statement of 26 March 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to her Department's planned budget for the 2025-26 financial year on support for charities.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
At the recent Spring Statement, we reiterated the fiscal rules that would guide this Government. The government has taken a number of difficult but necessary decisions on tax, welfare, and spending to fix the foundations of the public finances, fund public services, and restore economic stability.
However, we recognise the vital role that charities play up and down the country, by providing crucial support to different groups and communities.
DCMS continues to support charities in several ways. This includes delivery of a number of grant schemes, such as the £25.5 million Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Energy Efficiency Scheme, which is supporting frontline organisations across England to improve their energy efficiency and sustainability.
Support for charities is also available through social investment which provides access to grants, repayable finance and a blend of the two. This government is continuing to look at how dormant assets can be used to support the availability of finance to facilitate VCSEs becoming more entrepreneurial and financially resilient. An estimated £350 million will flow into the Dormant Assets Scheme between 2024-28, with details on how this money will be distributed to be provided in due course.
Within the tax system, we provide support to charities through a range of reliefs and exemptions, including reliefs for charitable giving. The tax reliefs available to charities are a vital element in supporting charitable causes across the UK, with more than £6 billion in charitable reliefs provided to charities. The biggest individual reliefs provided are Gift Aid at £1.6 billion and business rates relief at nearly £2.4 billion.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
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 Written Ministerial Statement on Local Government Finance on 24 February 2025, HCWS461, whether her Department plans to take steps to prevent local authorities from disposing of community and heritage assets.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government is clear that public ownership of locally significant assets should be protected to ensure residents can continue to benefit from them. In February, government set out an expectation to councils in receipt of Exceptional Financial Support that, where a council is considering funding this support through asset sales, they should avoid the disposal of community heritage assets where possible. It is for a local authority to ensure they satisfy this expectation in the context of their overall financial position.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposals on cooling-off rights in the consultation on the implementation of the new subscription contracts regime, published on 18 November 2024, on (a) the heritage sector and (b) visitor attractions.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Consultation on the implementation of the new subscriptions contract regime closed on 10 February 2025. We are analysing the responses, including submissions from the heritage and visitor attraction sectors. Officials have also met with relevant representatives and individual organisations in those sectors to hear their views.
The impact assessment for the subscriptions chapter in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act can be found here: Subscription traps: annex 2 impact assessment. Together the subscription measures are anticipated to provide £400m of consumer benefits per year and the estimated net cost to businesses is £171m per year.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
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 Government response to the proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system consultation, last updated on 27 February 2025, whether she plans to provide local authorities with powers to charge a fee for Listed Building Consent planning applications.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Planning fees in England are set by the Secretary of State. Local planning authorities cannot charge a fee for listed building consent applications.
Under the government’s proposals for localised fee setting in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, government may continue to prescribe where a fee should not be charged for a particular type of application.
The government intends to consult on the details of localised fee setting later this year.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will make an estimate of the number of mobile infrastructure litigation cases that have been processed via the Upper Tribunal Lands Chamber following changes to the Electronic Communications Code 2017; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact on caseloads of changes to be introduced via the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The information relating to the number of mobile infrastructure litigation cases that have been processed via the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) is not centrally recorded and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
We continue to monitor and review demand and work closely with the judiciary and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology in respect of the impact of caseloads under the Product Security and telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022.