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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential of local parish churches to be tourist attractions.

Parish churches are an integral and unique part of our national heritage. They can be and often are significant attractions for both domestic and international visitors, especially where there is an additional historic connection, such as at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon, the most visited parish church in England.

While the Department has not conducted a specific national assessment on this matter, we work closely with our arm's-length bodies to support these vital historic buildings. DCMS also directly funds listed places of worship through the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, with a budget of £23 million for the current financial year. In addition, Historic England, as the Government’s statutory heritage advisor, provides grants, expertise, and guidance to help care for our most significant historic places of worship.

Furthermore, we encourage local areas to consider all their unique heritage assets, including parish churches, as part of their strategic tourism planning through the network of Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs).