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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to paragraphs 7.16 and 7.17 of the Ministerial Code, on how many occasions have Ministers in her department informed the Law Officers that they are the defendants in a libel action in (a) their personal capacity, (b) their official position and (c) both since 19 December 2019.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

DCMS has no record of the information requested.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many public appointments she has made since her appointment.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

From 7 February 2023 to 12 March 2024 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has announced 53 new regulated appointments and 48 regulated reappointments; of these 41 new appointments and 32 reappointments were made by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport as appointing authority.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled Installing chess tables in parks and public spaces: prospectus, published on 1 September 2023, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding to local authorities for chess pieces to accompany the chess tables.

Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

85 local authorities that received Levelling Up Parks Fund funding were invited to apply for the chess tables funding. In total, 55 local authorities applied for the funding. We have provided funding to those 55 local authorities to install 99 chess tables across England.

We have asked local authorities to consider how the location they choose creates new opportunities, helps to strengthen relationships, builds local social cohesion and provides opportunities for people to come together in a joint activity.

Prior to the announcement of funding, we engaged stakeholders across Government, as well as local authorities and the English Chess Federation.

Local authorities know their communities best and are best placed to manage the use and assess the effects of the chess tables locally, if they choose to do so.

Any decisions to provide chess sets are for local authorities to take.

Further announcements will be set out in the usual way.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to ensure that newly-installed chess tables funded by his Department are used for their intended purpose.

Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

85 local authorities that received Levelling Up Parks Fund funding were invited to apply for the chess tables funding. In total, 55 local authorities applied for the funding. We have provided funding to those 55 local authorities to install 99 chess tables across England.

We have asked local authorities to consider how the location they choose creates new opportunities, helps to strengthen relationships, builds local social cohesion and provides opportunities for people to come together in a joint activity.

Prior to the announcement of funding, we engaged stakeholders across Government, as well as local authorities and the English Chess Federation.

Local authorities know their communities best and are best placed to manage the use and assess the effects of the chess tables locally, if they choose to do so.

Any decisions to provide chess sets are for local authorities to take.

Further announcements will be set out in the usual way.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much and what proportion of Levelling Up funding was provided to cultural activities in the 2022-23 financial year; and how much and what proportion of planned funding for cultural activities was unallocated in the same period.

Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

The Culture Top Slice of the Levelling Up Fund has now been allocated. Details were set out at Budget. Further announcements will be set out in the usual way.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Major investment to transform future of English chess announced, published on 22 August 2023, whether he plans to assess the impact of funding chess tables on (a) levels of loneliness and (b) people's problem solving skills.

Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

85 local authorities that received Levelling Up Parks Fund funding were invited to apply for the chess tables funding. In total, 55 local authorities applied for the funding. We have provided funding to those 55 local authorities to install 99 chess tables across England.

We have asked local authorities to consider how the location they choose creates new opportunities, helps to strengthen relationships, builds local social cohesion and provides opportunities for people to come together in a joint activity.

Prior to the announcement of funding, we engaged stakeholders across Government, as well as local authorities and the English Chess Federation.

Local authorities know their communities best and are best placed to manage the use and assess the effects of the chess tables locally, if they choose to do so.

Any decisions to provide chess sets are for local authorities to take.

Further announcements will be set out in the usual way.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department held discussions with relevant stakeholders prior to the announcement of funding for local authorities to install chess tables in public spaces.

Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

85 local authorities that received Levelling Up Parks Fund funding were invited to apply for the chess tables funding. In total, 55 local authorities applied for the funding. We have provided funding to those 55 local authorities to install 99 chess tables across England.

We have asked local authorities to consider how the location they choose creates new opportunities, helps to strengthen relationships, builds local social cohesion and provides opportunities for people to come together in a joint activity.

Prior to the announcement of funding, we engaged stakeholders across Government, as well as local authorities and the English Chess Federation.

Local authorities know their communities best and are best placed to manage the use and assess the effects of the chess tables locally, if they choose to do so.

Any decisions to provide chess sets are for local authorities to take.

Further announcements will be set out in the usual way.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many local authorities submitted bids for funding for new chess tables.

Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

85 local authorities that received Levelling Up Parks Fund funding were invited to apply for the chess tables funding. In total, 55 local authorities applied for the funding. We have provided funding to those 55 local authorities to install 99 chess tables across England.

We have asked local authorities to consider how the location they choose creates new opportunities, helps to strengthen relationships, builds local social cohesion and provides opportunities for people to come together in a joint activity.

Prior to the announcement of funding, we engaged stakeholders across Government, as well as local authorities and the English Chess Federation.

Local authorities know their communities best and are best placed to manage the use and assess the effects of the chess tables locally, if they choose to do so.

Any decisions to provide chess sets are for local authorities to take.

Further announcements will be set out in the usual way.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of the public appointments for which her Department is responsible are (a) women and (b) people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

As of 31 March 2023, 43% of DCMS regulated appointment roles were held by women and 12% were held by individuals from an ethnic minority background.

Found: ] Sir John Benger (Former Clerk of the House of Commons) [Member from 17/10/22 until 30/09/23] Thangam

Found: ] Sir John Benger (Former Clerk of the House of Commons) [Member from 17/10/22 until 30/09/23] Thangam

Found: ] Sir John Benger (Former Clerk of the House of Commons) [Member from 17/10/22 until 30/09/23] Thangam