Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much and what proportion of the Arts Everywhere funding is due to be allocated to (a) South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency and (b) Essex.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Over the course of this parliament £1.5 billion will be invested across arts, cultural and heritage providing support to arts venues, museums, libraries and heritage buildings across England. It aims to keep venues open, finance urgent repairs and infrastructure projects, bolster long-term resilience, and widen access to arts and culture in communities that have faced under-investment. The funding is made up of:
£600 million infrastructure funding, which will support national museums and DCMS sponsored cultural organisations, and £160 million to our local and regional museums.
£425 million Creative Foundations Fund which will support approximately 300 capital projects in arts venues across the country.
£230 million for heritage, which includes:
£75 million for at risk heritage which provides grants towards repairs and conservation of historic buildings;
£46 million for the Heritage Revival Fund; and
a new £92 million fund called the Places of Worship Renewal Fund
£27.5 million for the Libraries Improvement Fund.
£80 million capital funding over four years to benefit National Portfolio organisations that receive regular investment from Arts Council England, part of a 5% uplift next year for these organisations. This is the biggest uplift for an existing National Portfolio in decades and will directly support NPOs in your constituency, such as the Mercury Theatre and the Colchester Arts Centre.
The £600 million for DCMS sponsored cultural bodies is allocated through the Public Bodies Infrastructure Fund (PBIF) which is delivered directly by DCMS and allocated to eligible organisations.
The grant recipients for the £425 million Creative Foundations Fund, the £160 million investment for local and regional museums, and £27.5m Libraries Improvement Fund will be determined through competitive application processes, which will be administered by Arts Council England (ACE). The £230 million investment in heritage will be administered by Historic England and the Architectural Heritage Fund.
We are clear that this investment package will particularly support organisations in underserved areas. ACE currently prioritises funding to underserved places via their priority places strategy. Historic England has been using a place-based approach, with the current Heritage At Risk Capital Fund having a clear emphasis on delivering funding to the places that need it most. They will continue this approach with the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund.
The detailed criteria for individual funds will be announced in due course and we encourage arts and cultural organisations in the South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency and Essex to apply for the competitive funds.
ACE and DCMS regularly assess the adequacy of national cultural infrastructure within England and identify places with higher need for cultural investment. As part of their Delivery Plan for 2021-24, ACE identified 54 places across England in which investment and engagement is too low, and opportunity for ACE to effectively increase investment and engagement is high. As part of this exercise Tendring and Basildon were prioritised for additional support and funding.
DCMS will monitor the impact of Arts Everywhere Funding via a series of independent evaluations of each funding programme. The department will procure these evaluations over the next year to assess the funding's impact on cultural organisations in England. Since the impacts of these capital programmes will only be measurable after this parliament ends, the department will work with contractors to develop interim monitoring measures for project completion.
Support for arts and culture in England depends upon a successful mixed funding model, in which external funding from individuals and business, trusts and foundations, plays a crucial role alongside earned income and public investment. This significant investment will help cultural organisations, up and down the country, fix long term issues and renovate their spaces allowing them to continue their creative programming attracting increased ticket sales and donations. It will help alleviate financial difficulties, supporting organisations to reach their communities, including children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
This funding will also support community-led initiatives by maintaining and improving buildings, ensuring affordable spaces and improved facilities while enabling community arts groups to create, collaborate, and engage local audiences more widely. In addition, following the recent ACE Review, we are committed to ensuring that a repurposed Arts Council will be shaped around communities and local areas. DCMS is now working through these recommendations in detail with relevant departments, as well as ACE.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the financial stability of councils will be a criteria for the allocation of Arts Everywhere funding.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Over the course of this parliament £1.5 billion will be invested across arts, cultural and heritage providing support to arts venues, museums, libraries and heritage buildings across England. It aims to keep venues open, finance urgent repairs and infrastructure projects, bolster long-term resilience, and widen access to arts and culture in communities that have faced under-investment. The funding is made up of:
£600 million infrastructure funding, which will support national museums and DCMS sponsored cultural organisations, and £160 million to our local and regional museums.
£425 million Creative Foundations Fund which will support approximately 300 capital projects in arts venues across the country.
£230 million for heritage, which includes:
£75 million for at risk heritage which provides grants towards repairs and conservation of historic buildings;
£46 million for the Heritage Revival Fund; and
a new £92 million fund called the Places of Worship Renewal Fund
£27.5 million for the Libraries Improvement Fund.
£80 million capital funding over four years to benefit National Portfolio organisations that receive regular investment from Arts Council England, part of a 5% uplift next year for these organisations. This is the biggest uplift for an existing National Portfolio in decades and will directly support NPOs in your constituency, such as the Mercury Theatre and the Colchester Arts Centre.
The £600 million for DCMS sponsored cultural bodies is allocated through the Public Bodies Infrastructure Fund (PBIF) which is delivered directly by DCMS and allocated to eligible organisations.
The grant recipients for the £425 million Creative Foundations Fund, the £160 million investment for local and regional museums, and £27.5m Libraries Improvement Fund will be determined through competitive application processes, which will be administered by Arts Council England (ACE). The £230 million investment in heritage will be administered by Historic England and the Architectural Heritage Fund.
We are clear that this investment package will particularly support organisations in underserved areas. ACE currently prioritises funding to underserved places via their priority places strategy. Historic England has been using a place-based approach, with the current Heritage At Risk Capital Fund having a clear emphasis on delivering funding to the places that need it most. They will continue this approach with the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund.
The detailed criteria for individual funds will be announced in due course and we encourage arts and cultural organisations in the South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency and Essex to apply for the competitive funds.
ACE and DCMS regularly assess the adequacy of national cultural infrastructure within England and identify places with higher need for cultural investment. As part of their Delivery Plan for 2021-24, ACE identified 54 places across England in which investment and engagement is too low, and opportunity for ACE to effectively increase investment and engagement is high. As part of this exercise Tendring and Basildon were prioritised for additional support and funding.
DCMS will monitor the impact of Arts Everywhere Funding via a series of independent evaluations of each funding programme. The department will procure these evaluations over the next year to assess the funding's impact on cultural organisations in England. Since the impacts of these capital programmes will only be measurable after this parliament ends, the department will work with contractors to develop interim monitoring measures for project completion.
Support for arts and culture in England depends upon a successful mixed funding model, in which external funding from individuals and business, trusts and foundations, plays a crucial role alongside earned income and public investment. This significant investment will help cultural organisations, up and down the country, fix long term issues and renovate their spaces allowing them to continue their creative programming attracting increased ticket sales and donations. It will help alleviate financial difficulties, supporting organisations to reach their communities, including children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
This funding will also support community-led initiatives by maintaining and improving buildings, ensuring affordable spaces and improved facilities while enabling community arts groups to create, collaborate, and engage local audiences more widely. In addition, following the recent ACE Review, we are committed to ensuring that a repurposed Arts Council will be shaped around communities and local areas. DCMS is now working through these recommendations in detail with relevant departments, as well as ACE.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how her Department plans to ensure that the Arts Everywhere programme delivers long‑term improvements not dependent upon continued external funding.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Over the course of this parliament £1.5 billion will be invested across arts, cultural and heritage providing support to arts venues, museums, libraries and heritage buildings across England. It aims to keep venues open, finance urgent repairs and infrastructure projects, bolster long-term resilience, and widen access to arts and culture in communities that have faced under-investment. The funding is made up of:
£600 million infrastructure funding, which will support national museums and DCMS sponsored cultural organisations, and £160 million to our local and regional museums.
£425 million Creative Foundations Fund which will support approximately 300 capital projects in arts venues across the country.
£230 million for heritage, which includes:
£75 million for at risk heritage which provides grants towards repairs and conservation of historic buildings;
£46 million for the Heritage Revival Fund; and
a new £92 million fund called the Places of Worship Renewal Fund
£27.5 million for the Libraries Improvement Fund.
£80 million capital funding over four years to benefit National Portfolio organisations that receive regular investment from Arts Council England, part of a 5% uplift next year for these organisations. This is the biggest uplift for an existing National Portfolio in decades and will directly support NPOs in your constituency, such as the Mercury Theatre and the Colchester Arts Centre.
The £600 million for DCMS sponsored cultural bodies is allocated through the Public Bodies Infrastructure Fund (PBIF) which is delivered directly by DCMS and allocated to eligible organisations.
The grant recipients for the £425 million Creative Foundations Fund, the £160 million investment for local and regional museums, and £27.5m Libraries Improvement Fund will be determined through competitive application processes, which will be administered by Arts Council England (ACE). The £230 million investment in heritage will be administered by Historic England and the Architectural Heritage Fund.
We are clear that this investment package will particularly support organisations in underserved areas. ACE currently prioritises funding to underserved places via their priority places strategy. Historic England has been using a place-based approach, with the current Heritage At Risk Capital Fund having a clear emphasis on delivering funding to the places that need it most. They will continue this approach with the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund.
The detailed criteria for individual funds will be announced in due course and we encourage arts and cultural organisations in the South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency and Essex to apply for the competitive funds.
ACE and DCMS regularly assess the adequacy of national cultural infrastructure within England and identify places with higher need for cultural investment. As part of their Delivery Plan for 2021-24, ACE identified 54 places across England in which investment and engagement is too low, and opportunity for ACE to effectively increase investment and engagement is high. As part of this exercise Tendring and Basildon were prioritised for additional support and funding.
DCMS will monitor the impact of Arts Everywhere Funding via a series of independent evaluations of each funding programme. The department will procure these evaluations over the next year to assess the funding's impact on cultural organisations in England. Since the impacts of these capital programmes will only be measurable after this parliament ends, the department will work with contractors to develop interim monitoring measures for project completion.
Support for arts and culture in England depends upon a successful mixed funding model, in which external funding from individuals and business, trusts and foundations, plays a crucial role alongside earned income and public investment. This significant investment will help cultural organisations, up and down the country, fix long term issues and renovate their spaces allowing them to continue their creative programming attracting increased ticket sales and donations. It will help alleviate financial difficulties, supporting organisations to reach their communities, including children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
This funding will also support community-led initiatives by maintaining and improving buildings, ensuring affordable spaces and improved facilities while enabling community arts groups to create, collaborate, and engage local audiences more widely. In addition, following the recent ACE Review, we are committed to ensuring that a repurposed Arts Council will be shaped around communities and local areas. DCMS is now working through these recommendations in detail with relevant departments, as well as ACE.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Arts Everywhere programme will include funding for community‑led initiatives.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Over the course of this parliament £1.5 billion will be invested across arts, cultural and heritage providing support to arts venues, museums, libraries and heritage buildings across England. It aims to keep venues open, finance urgent repairs and infrastructure projects, bolster long-term resilience, and widen access to arts and culture in communities that have faced under-investment. The funding is made up of:
£600 million infrastructure funding, which will support national museums and DCMS sponsored cultural organisations, and £160 million to our local and regional museums.
£425 million Creative Foundations Fund which will support approximately 300 capital projects in arts venues across the country.
£230 million for heritage, which includes:
£75 million for at risk heritage which provides grants towards repairs and conservation of historic buildings;
£46 million for the Heritage Revival Fund; and
a new £92 million fund called the Places of Worship Renewal Fund
£27.5 million for the Libraries Improvement Fund.
£80 million capital funding over four years to benefit National Portfolio organisations that receive regular investment from Arts Council England, part of a 5% uplift next year for these organisations. This is the biggest uplift for an existing National Portfolio in decades and will directly support NPOs in your constituency, such as the Mercury Theatre and the Colchester Arts Centre.
The £600 million for DCMS sponsored cultural bodies is allocated through the Public Bodies Infrastructure Fund (PBIF) which is delivered directly by DCMS and allocated to eligible organisations.
The grant recipients for the £425 million Creative Foundations Fund, the £160 million investment for local and regional museums, and £27.5m Libraries Improvement Fund will be determined through competitive application processes, which will be administered by Arts Council England (ACE). The £230 million investment in heritage will be administered by Historic England and the Architectural Heritage Fund.
We are clear that this investment package will particularly support organisations in underserved areas. ACE currently prioritises funding to underserved places via their priority places strategy. Historic England has been using a place-based approach, with the current Heritage At Risk Capital Fund having a clear emphasis on delivering funding to the places that need it most. They will continue this approach with the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund.
The detailed criteria for individual funds will be announced in due course and we encourage arts and cultural organisations in the South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency and Essex to apply for the competitive funds.
ACE and DCMS regularly assess the adequacy of national cultural infrastructure within England and identify places with higher need for cultural investment. As part of their Delivery Plan for 2021-24, ACE identified 54 places across England in which investment and engagement is too low, and opportunity for ACE to effectively increase investment and engagement is high. As part of this exercise Tendring and Basildon were prioritised for additional support and funding.
DCMS will monitor the impact of Arts Everywhere Funding via a series of independent evaluations of each funding programme. The department will procure these evaluations over the next year to assess the funding's impact on cultural organisations in England. Since the impacts of these capital programmes will only be measurable after this parliament ends, the department will work with contractors to develop interim monitoring measures for project completion.
Support for arts and culture in England depends upon a successful mixed funding model, in which external funding from individuals and business, trusts and foundations, plays a crucial role alongside earned income and public investment. This significant investment will help cultural organisations, up and down the country, fix long term issues and renovate their spaces allowing them to continue their creative programming attracting increased ticket sales and donations. It will help alleviate financial difficulties, supporting organisations to reach their communities, including children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
This funding will also support community-led initiatives by maintaining and improving buildings, ensuring affordable spaces and improved facilities while enabling community arts groups to create, collaborate, and engage local audiences more widely. In addition, following the recent ACE Review, we are committed to ensuring that a repurposed Arts Council will be shaped around communities and local areas. DCMS is now working through these recommendations in detail with relevant departments, as well as ACE.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent progress she has made on establishing a programme to guarantee a library space in every primary school.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We have allocated £12.5 million from the Dormant Assets Scheme to ensure every primary school has a library space by the end of this Parliament. The National Lottery Community Fund is working to develop more of the programme details, including which schools will receive funding.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will place in the Library a copy of the Freedom of Information Act disclosure, reference FOI2025/05106, of 8 July 2025.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
I will deposit a copy of FOI2025/05106 in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing funding for a Best Start centre in York.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The government is committed to giving every child the best start in life. We will fund Best Start Family Hubs (BSFH) in every local authority to ensure all children and families who need support the most can access it. Backed by over £500 million, the rollout will deliver up to 1,000 BSFH nationwide by the end of 2028, reaching an estimated additional 500,000 children.
These Hubs will be key to our vision for joined-up services in the community, bringing together professionals from health and education, and will work with nurseries, childminders, schools, health services, libraries and local voluntary and community groups.
BSFH will be open to all families, but we know they are particularly important for families who are disadvantaged or have additional needs or vulnerabilities. That is why we have set an ambition that 70% of Hubs should be in the 30% most deprived areas nationally. It is for the local authority to decide where a Hub should be located to best meet the needs of the area.
Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life. Our landmark Child Poverty Strategy will lift 550,000 children out of poverty by 2030. The department will prioritise funding the continuation of existing Healthy Babies (formerly Start for Life) services that support babies to have the healthiest start in life, including perinatal mental health, parent infant relationships and infant feeding.
In addition, we raised the early years pupil premium by 45% in April 2025 to support improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged children and break the cycle of poverty.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how is she supporting (a) babies growing up in poverty and (b) ensuring that early inequalities are addressed.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The government is committed to giving every child the best start in life. We will fund Best Start Family Hubs (BSFH) in every local authority to ensure all children and families who need support the most can access it. Backed by over £500 million, the rollout will deliver up to 1,000 BSFH nationwide by the end of 2028, reaching an estimated additional 500,000 children.
These Hubs will be key to our vision for joined-up services in the community, bringing together professionals from health and education, and will work with nurseries, childminders, schools, health services, libraries and local voluntary and community groups.
BSFH will be open to all families, but we know they are particularly important for families who are disadvantaged or have additional needs or vulnerabilities. That is why we have set an ambition that 70% of Hubs should be in the 30% most deprived areas nationally. It is for the local authority to decide where a Hub should be located to best meet the needs of the area.
Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life. Our landmark Child Poverty Strategy will lift 550,000 children out of poverty by 2030. The department will prioritise funding the continuation of existing Healthy Babies (formerly Start for Life) services that support babies to have the healthiest start in life, including perinatal mental health, parent infant relationships and infant feeding.
In addition, we raised the early years pupil premium by 45% in April 2025 to support improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged children and break the cycle of poverty.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the letter from Chief Constable Craig Guildford to the Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, published on14 January 2026, in relation to his appearances before the Committee on the 1 December 2025 and 6 January 2026.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) reported on 14 January 2026 on its inspection into West Midlands Police’s match assessment and the advice provided to Birmingham City Council’s Safety Advisory Group ahead of the Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv UEFA Europa League match played on 6 November 2025. The report referenced West Midlands Police’s use of AI in generating fictitious data used within their intelligence documents.
The Home Secretary made an oral statement to Parliament on 14 January, setting out the government’s response to HMICFRS’s findings. HMICFRS’s findings have been shared with the Home Affairs Select Committee, with copies placed in the libraries of both Houses. They have also been published in full: Inspection of police forces’ contributions to safety advisory groups: West Midlands Police
We know that AI can be a powerful tool to support investigations and to free up officer time to get them back on our streets. But of course, any use of AI must be used responsibly and ethically, and its output should be thoroughly sense checked by officers before use. Responsible use of AI will be an important part of our upcoming Police Reform White Paper.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of redundancies to be made in the Prison Education Service as a result of the reduction in funding.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
The Ministry of Justice is committed to supporting prisoners’ rehabilitation through educational activities. The national funding for prison education has not been reduced; it increased by 3% this financial year. However, inflationary pressures across education services have affected the proportion of the overall budget that can be directed to Core Education contracts. This has resulted in a national reduction of around 20-25% in Core Education delivery. This reduction is not uniform across the estate, and variation is due to an updated education funding formula, which ensures prison allocations more accurately reflect prison function, capacity and learner need.
Governors continue to have flexibility to commission the education that best meets the needs of their population, and the wider educational offer, such as vocational training in industries settings, further and higher education, libraries, and Careers, Information, Advice and Guidance remain in place. We are also working closely with Governors to maximise attendance at education to ensure best value for money and the best outcomes for prisoners. We will monitor delivery and outcomes through contract management and a full evaluation of the new Prisoner Education Service.
Suppliers as part of their mobilisation activities have reviewed their organisational structures to ensure that these are responsive to the commissioned delivery requirements, which unfortunately has led to some redundancies. Suppliers are working to support their employees through this period of change. Specific figures relating to the number of redundancies are held by suppliers, rather than the Ministry of Justice.