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Written Question
Video Games: Degrees
Monday 22nd January 2024

Asked by: Justin Tomlinson (Conservative - North Swindon)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students took undergraduate degrees in Games and Animation in the academic year 2022-23.

Answered by Robert Halfon

The Higher Education Statistics Agency, which is now part of JISC, is responsible for collecting and publishing data about UK higher education. The latest statistics refer to the 2021/22 academic year.

The number of full person equivalents [1] studying at undergraduate level in the subject area ‘Games and Animation’ [2] in 2021/22 was 13,430, including 4,820 first year enrolments. To note, figures have been rounded to the nearest five. An additional 4,075 full person equivalents, including 1,420 first year enrolments, were recorded in the ‘animation’ category’ [3], which falls under ‘Cinematics and photography’ subjects, and includes other forms of animation, not gaming animation specifically.

More information is available via the following link: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/table-52.

Updates on the timing of statistics for the 2022/23 academic year are available here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/upcoming.

[1] Counts are on the basis of full-person-equivalents (FPE). Where a student is studying more than one subject, they are apportioned between the subjects that make up their course.

[2] Enrolments in Computer games and animation (code 11-01-06 of the Common Aggregation Hierarchy (CAH) tier 3). More information on CAH codes can be found at the following link: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/support/documentation/hecos/cah.

[3] Enrolments in Animation (code 100057 of the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS)). More information on HECoS codes can be found at the following link: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/support/documentation/hecos.


Written Question
Cabinet Office: Photography
Tuesday 16th January 2024

Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost of photography services to his Department provided by external contractors was in each year since 2010.

Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

Non-campaign photography tasks are undertaken by internal staff as part of their routine work and everyday roles and do not get billed separately. This service comes at no extra cost to the taxpayer.

The Cabinet Office does pay external organisations to provide photography and videography for our various cross-government communication campaigns. However isolated spend data on these specific services is not split out from wider campaign costs.


Written Question
Ministry of Defence: Photography
Tuesday 16th January 2024

Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost of photography services to his Department provided by external contractors was in each year since 2010.

Answered by Andrew Murrison

A full departmental response could only be provided at disproportionate cost as the information requested is not held centrally. The Department has in-house capability to provide photographic services for a wide range of tasks. External photograph services would only be used in exceptional circumstances where that in-house capability was not available for a specific task.


Written Question
Ministry of Defence: Photography and Video Recordings
Friday 8th December 2023

Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) photographers; and (b) videographers have been employed by his Department since 2010.

Answered by Andrew Murrison

This information is not held in the specific detail requested as there is no Grade or Job on HRMS and MyHR that can be used to determine if someone is a photographer or a videographer.

The below table is a count of individuals part of the core workforce who have been hired or moved into a position that indicates it was position associated with photography or videography at the point the individual moved into it between 1 January 2010 and 30 November 2023. Types of moves include External Hire, Hire from OGD, or Internal Hire or Post Rotation.

Year

Photographer

Videographer

Both

Grand Total

2010

3

0

0

3

2011

0

2

0

2

2012

1

0

0

1

2013

0

1

0

1

2014

2

0

0

2

2015

1

0

0

1

2016

0

0

0

0

2017

1

1

0

2

2018

2

0

0

2

2019

1

0

0

1

2020

2

0

0

2

2021

0

0

1

1

2022

0

0

1

1

2023

0

1

1

2

Grand Total

13

5

3

21


Written Question
Cabinet Office: Photography
Friday 8th December 2023

Asked by: John Healey (Labour - Rawmarsh and Conisbrough)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department spent on photography at Ministerial (a) events, (b) visits, and (c) meetings in each month since October 2022.

Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

These tasks are undertaken by internal staff as part of their routine work and everyday roles. They do not get billed separately. This service comes at no extra cost to the taxpayer.


Written Question
Arts: Employment
Wednesday 6th December 2023

Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

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

To ask His Majesty's Government, for each year since 2013, what number of people were working in each of the nine sub-sectors of the creative industries, and what contribution each sub-sector has made to the economy.

Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)

The UK’s creative industries are worth more than the life sciences, automotive manufacturing, aerospace, and oil and gas sectors put together, generating £126 billion annually and employing over 2.4 million people across the country.

As set out in the Government’s Creative Industries Sector Vision, our ambition is to grow this sector by a further £50 billion gross value added and to support one million more jobs by 2030, delivering a creative careers promise which builds a pipeline of talent.

Each sub-sector of the creative industries makes a distinct contribution to the UK economy. The information requested is shown in the following tables:

Number of people working in each creative industries sub-sector (000s):

Advertising and marketing

Architecture

Crafts

Design and designer fashion

Film, TV, radio and photography

IT, software and computer services

Publishing

Museums, Galleries and Libraries

Music, performing and visual arts

2013

155

94

8

124

232

574

198

85

244

2014

167

101

8

136

228

607

193

84

284

2015

182

90

7

132

231

640

200

97

286

2016

198

98

7

160

246

674

193

92

291

2017

190

104

10

160

261

712

192

96

283

2018

195

111

9

163

245

733

199

89

296

2019

190

112

9

171

239

775

196

95

315

2020

201

115

8

151

279

872

197

104

294

2021

226

106

7

160

290

963

199

94

294

2022

241

110

5

139

280

1,035

209

96

283

Source: Economic Estimates: Employment in DCMS sectors and Digital sector, January 2022 to December 2022. - GOV.UK

Contribution to economy of each creative industries sub-sector, as measured by gross value added (GVA) (£ billions):

Advertising and marketing

Architecture

Crafts

Design and designer fashion

Film, TV, radio and photography

IT, software and computer services

Publishing

Museums, Galleries and Libraries

Music, performing and visual arts

2013

13.2

2.6

0.2

2.3

18.2

29.9

11.4

1

9.7

2014

13.3

3

0.4

2.3

18.1

32.6

11.4

0.8

8.6

2015

17

3.4

0.4

2.6

19.4

33.5

11.1

0.9

9.6

2016

15.7

3.4

0.3

3

20

37.6

11.4

0.9

9.3

2017

16.8

3.7

0.3

2.7

19.7

38.2

10.6

1

9.6

2018

16.4

3.5

0.3

3.3

19.2

40

10.4

0.9

10.2

2019

15.8

3.4

0.4

3

20.2

41.3

10.7

1

10.1

2020

15.9

3.2

0.1

2.4

17.8

42.9

10.1

0.6

7.4

2021*

18.2

3.5

0.4

3.1

19.9

48.8

11.3

1

8.9

2022*

18.8

3.7

0.4

3.2

20.8

55.4

11.6

1

11.2

*Figures for 2021 and 2022 are summed monthly GVA estimates as annual GVA estimates are not yet available. These figures are subject to revision and not directly comparable to the annual GVA estimates for 2013-2020 due to being calculated via a different method.

Source: Economic Estimates: GVA for DCMS Sectors and the Digital Sector, 2020 - GOV.UK (Annual GVA 2013-2020); DCMS and Digital Economic Estimates: Monthly GVA (to Sept 2023) - GOV.UK (Summed monthly GVA 2021-2022)


Written Question
Home Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution
Tuesday 24th October 2023

Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to transaction number 1-COMMS - Communications Directorate-72389, how many times this equipment has been used; and if she will make an assessment of its (a) utility, (b) impact and (c) value for money.

Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary

The photography background was purchased to provide a professional multi-purpose backdrop to a broad range of video and photo communications for the Home Office including social media, departmental announcements, Ministerial pre-records, pool clips, other media moments and range of internal filming. The background is used on an almost weekly basis for all of the above.


Written Question
Department for Education: Photographs
Tuesday 26th September 2023

Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department employs in-house photographers to capture images of Ministers undertaking their official duties.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The Department’s communications team includes a Digital Engagement and Creative Content team who create content to help communicate key messages to the public via social media feeds belonging to the Department. This content includes: photos, videos, graphics and animations. In addition, this can include occasional photography for Education Ministers undertaking their official duties.

Information about separate digital image files in the Department per minister is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.


Written Question
Department for Education: Photographs
Tuesday 26th September 2023

Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many separate digital image files her Department holds per Minister in her Department undertaking official duties; and if she will make a statement.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The Department’s communications team includes a Digital Engagement and Creative Content team who create content to help communicate key messages to the public via social media feeds belonging to the Department. This content includes: photos, videos, graphics and animations. In addition, this can include occasional photography for Education Ministers undertaking their official duties.

Information about separate digital image files in the Department per minister is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.


Written Question
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Artificial Intelligence
Monday 24th July 2023

Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley South)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) algorithmic and (b) other automated decision making systems her Department uses; and for what purposes.

Answered by Mark Spencer

Defra is using algorithms for land use mapping at a national scale which include:

  • A Crop Map of England is produced annually to classify crop cover for England. The system uses algorithms to classify satellite data based on statistical and ground truthing information collected during the growing season.

  • Peatland map: Deep learning algorithms are used to detect moorland grips from aerial photography. The algorithms are applied to provide a ‘live’ map of grips in peatlands in England and insight into peatland restoration work.

To some extent automated processes are used to complete transactions. But decisions are still governed by the policy lead, budget holder (or other) approvals. There is no independent, algorithmic logic making choices without human approval. Predictive analytics is only used at aggregate level. Individuals are not profiled.