Asked by: John Whitby (Labour - Derbyshire Dales)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help support ex-footballers with neurodegenerative diseases.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
My department is taking important steps to ensure that former football players with neurodegenerative diseases, and their families, receive the support they need.
The Secretary of State and I have met with affected family members and ex-footballers, including individuals associated with the Football Families for Justice organisation, to discuss player safety and welfare for those suffering from neurodegenerative diseases.
Our immediate priority is to push the football authorities for greater clarity on the funding available through the Brain Health Fund, and ensure that there is a clear and publicly available articulation of the scope of this funding and process for accessing it. Further to this, we are actively discussing with relevant stakeholders to explore whether funding can be expanded to involve other footballing organisations.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure children, especially from lower-income families, have access to regular, free community sports activities.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, including children and young people, have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.
The Government provides the majority of support for community sport through Sport England, our Arm’s Length Body for grassroots sport, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery Funding. Sport England’s work focuses on increasing participation in grassroots sport, including providing more opportunities for children and young people from all backgrounds to be active.
As examples of the support they provide, Sport England’s online resource, Buddle, offers free online guidance to support sports clubs offering sport and physical activity opportunities for everyone, including children and young people. They also encourage the sport sector to prioritise young people's perspectives through their free online Youth Voice Innovation Storybook.
Sport England also use campaigns to encourage young people to get active.The Studio You partnership for PE teachers is powered by their This Girl Can campaign and funded by The National Lottery, and is a digital exercise platform for teenage girls across England, which teaches a variety of non-competitive activities to ensure no girl is left behind in PE. The Play Their Way campaign for sports coaches empowers coaches to adopt a child-first approach to coaching so children and young people have the best experience possible when developing their interest in sport.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure stable, long-term funding for free community sports activities.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, including children and young people, have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.
The Government provides the majority of support for community sport through Sport England, our Arm’s Length Body for grassroots sport, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery Funding. Sport England’s work focuses on increasing participation in grassroots sport, including providing more opportunities for children and young people from all backgrounds to be active.
As examples of the support they provide, Sport England’s online resource, Buddle, offers free online guidance to support sports clubs offering sport and physical activity opportunities for everyone, including children and young people. They also encourage the sport sector to prioritise young people's perspectives through their free online Youth Voice Innovation Storybook.
Sport England also use campaigns to encourage young people to get active.The Studio You partnership for PE teachers is powered by their This Girl Can campaign and funded by The National Lottery, and is a digital exercise platform for teenage girls across England, which teaches a variety of non-competitive activities to ensure no girl is left behind in PE. The Play Their Way campaign for sports coaches empowers coaches to adopt a child-first approach to coaching so children and young people have the best experience possible when developing their interest in sport.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she will publish her Local Media Strategy.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Supporting local media across the country is a particular concern for this Government and we are working across Government and with stakeholders to develop a Local Media Strategy. DCMS ministers held a roundtable discussion with local news editors last year to discuss the planned approach and collaboration with industry on the Strategy. An industry working group has been meeting regularly since June 2025 to consider the issues in more detail. The Strategy will be published in the coming months.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the role of commercial laundries in the resilience of the hospitality supply chain, including the extent to which hotels and the wider hospitality sector depend on them for the supply of linen.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS recognises that commercial laundries provide an essential service that supports the daily operations of the UK’s hospitality and tourism industries.
DCMS has not made a formal assessment of the role of commercial laundries in the resilience of the hospitality supply chain. However, officials maintain regular engagement with a wide range of business stakeholders and trade associations to monitor the health of the hospitality supply chain and to understand the interdependencies between service providers and the wider economy.
The Government remains committed to ensuring a resilient business environment and continues to keep the challenges facing these interconnected sectors under review.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help ensure that people that do not use TV or radio services do not receive incorrect correspondence about TV licensing.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The BBC is responsible for collection and enforcement of the licence fee. The Government is therefore not involved in TV Licensing operations.
However, the Government expects the BBC to collect the licence fee in an efficient and proportionate manner. Through the BBC Charter Review we are looking at how collection and enforcement of the licence fee can be made fairer.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with counterparts in EU Member States on simplifying CITES‑related processes for UK musicians travelling by train to perform in Europe.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The UK Government remains in constructive dialogue with the EU on tackling the challenges facing UK musicians when touring, and on CITES‑related processes for UK musicians. Our aim is to identify practical solutions to ensure that UK artists can continue to perform across Europe with minimal barriers while respecting the regulatory frameworks on both sides.
The Government has consulted on reforms to the UK’s CITES framework, including Musical Instrument Certificates, to ensure the system is clear and effective. This consultation provided the opportunity for the music sector to make its voice heard directly on the proposals for fees, charges, and processes, ensuring the unique needs of touring artists are fully reflected in the outcome. The consultation closed on 23 October 2025, and responses are currently being analysed by Defra. The outcome of the consultation, and associated amendments, will be discussed and reviewed across Government. DCMS will continue working closely with Defra and other partners, including the EU, to ensure the impacts on the music sector are properly understood and considered.
In the UK, there are currently 21 sea ports (including one land crossing) and 14 airports designated as official points of entry and exit for CITES-listed species. There are also 2 postal hubs designated for mail imports.
There are currently no plans to make any Eurostar stations, including St Pancras, a CITES designated port following a review by the UK Border Force that concluded it does not currently have the necessary capacity and infrastructure to undertake CITES checks. This will of course be kept under review.
More broadly, we are engaging with the EU and EU Member States, and exploring how best to improve arrangements for touring across the European continent without seeing a return to free movement. Our priority remains ensuring that UK artists can continue to thrive on the global stage.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to help ensure that the enrichment entitlement is received by young people in Gosport.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people across England can access a variety of enrichment opportunities at school as part of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity.
To support delivery of the core enrichment offer set out in the government’s response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, we are developing a new Enrichment Framework for publication in early 2026. Developed with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), alongside a sector working group, the framework will set out benchmarks to help schools and colleges plan high-quality enrichment more intentionally and strategically and will include case studies and signpost to tools and resources.
Alongside this, we are working with DCMS on the design of a £22.5 million programme to create a tailored enrichment offer in up to 400 schools over three years. We are also working closely with the Ministry of Defence to support cadet opportunities, including their commitment to expand cadet forces across schools and communities by 30% by 2030, supported by £70 million of new funding.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the dismissal of the executive medical director at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, what oversight they are exercising to ensure that there is not a culture of suppressing clinical concerns regarding patient safety and staffing pressures.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have noted the findings of the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) inspection report of 28 March 2024 into the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which rated the trust overall as ‘Requires Improvement’, with specific concerns identified in areas such as freedom to speak up. National Health Service staff should have the confidence to speak out and come forward if they have concerns. There is support in place for staff who wish to raise concerns, including a network of more than 1,200 local Freedom to Speak Up Guardians across healthcare in England, whose role is to help and support NHS workers.
On the question of oversight, the CQC has maintained close and sustained regulatory oversight of the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in light of ongoing concerns about service quality and safety. This has included targeted inspections, staff engagement work, and structured monitoring activity. In response to identified risks within urgent and emergency care at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, the CQC undertook an assessment in December 2025, followed by a further inspection on 6 January 2026. Significant risks were identified during this period, and the CQC subsequently issued a Letter of Intent to the trust. The CQC has continued to work collaboratively with NHS England, participating in monthly quality improvement meetings to monitor the trust’s progress against its action plans.
The CQC will continue to use its statutory powers to ensure that services meet the required standards of quality and safety.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has had recent discussions with the Church of England on taking steps to help ensure that senior appointments within the Church uphold (a) accountability and (b) safeguarding culture.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Senior appointments within the Church are undertaken under the Standing Orders of the Church of England laid down by the Church’s elected body, the General Synod, which govern the Crown Nominations Commission, the committee which nominates Archbishops and diocesan Bishops. Safeguarding ability is an essential requirement for all senior positions, necessitating enhanced DBS checks and specialist training as well as being assessed as part of the application paperwork and at interview.