Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with the Professional Footballers' Association on ensuring adequate support for former football players living with chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
I welcome the practical support being provided by sports and player associations to former players who develop neurodegenerative conditions such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Player associations such as the Professional Footballers’ Association play a valuable role in supporting players by providing short and long-term support to those affected by sporting injuries.
I have discussed the issue of dementia with the Professional Footballers' Association, specifically around the Football Brain Health Fund for players impacted by dementia, which was launched in September 2023. The fund aims to assist former players and their families who have been impacted by neurodegenerative conditions.
I wrote to the Professional Footballers' Association in April 2024 to further seek to understand the current workings of the fund and how they are engaging with former players.
The Government will continue to liaise with the football authorities and player associations to encourage ongoing funding for cross-game initiatives.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will have discussions with the Football Association (FA) on the potential impact of ending FA Cup replays on non-Premier League teams.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
David and Goliath fixtures are part of the magic of the FA Cup. They are also important for the finances of smaller clubs. While this is ultimately a matter for the football authorities, we expect the FA and Premier League to consult with the English Football League and other leagues further down the pyramid on moves such as this and reach agreements collectively.
It is now incumbent on the FA and Premier League to publicly explain this decision and what further support they can provide to affected clubs.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with the Football Association (FA) on consultation with the English Football League on FA Cup replays.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
David and Goliath fixtures are part of the magic of the FA Cup. They are also important for the finances of smaller clubs. While this is ultimately a matter for the football authorities, we expect the FA and Premier League to consult with the English Football League and other leagues further down the pyramid on moves such as this and reach agreements collectively.
It is now incumbent on the FA and Premier League to publicly explain this decision and what further support they can provide to affected clubs.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff have left the Horserace Betting Levy Board in each year since 2015.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS does not hold this information centrally.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff have left the Gambling Commission in each year since 2015.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS does not hold this information centrally.
Asked by: Caroline Nokes (Conservative - Romsey and Southampton North)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps their Department is taking to support the Disability Confident scheme; how many officials in their Department work directly on supporting that scheme; what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of that work in supporting the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of disabled people in their Department; and what further steps they are taking to support their Department’s recruitment and retention of disabled people.
Answered by Simon Hoare - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
DLUHC is a Disability Leader at Level 3 and we have ongoing work to detail and monitor our progress regarding Disability Confidence, this includes improving accessibility of recruitment, providing learning & development opportunities for disabled staff and building a more inclusive workplace culture for disabled staff.
We look at a range of data sets to assess the effectiveness of this work including recruitment and turnover data and People Survey responses. The staff who work on this initiative do so as part of their wider responsibilities.
Asked by: Caroline Nokes (Conservative - Romsey and Southampton North)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps their Department is taking to support the Disability Confident scheme; how many officials in their Department work directly on supporting that scheme; what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of that work in supporting the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of disabled people in their Department; and what further steps they are taking to support their Department’s recruitment and retention of disabled people.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is a committed Disability Confident employer and takes several steps to support this initiative. Not one single individual works solely on this area of work, with the remit spread across individuals within HR (including Recruitment, Health, Safety and Wellbeing, Talent, and Culture and Inclusion), as well as line managers and staff networks.
All recruiting managers are provided with information on applying the Disability Confident scheme during recruitment, and our dedicated recruitment team ensures compliance with Civil Service Recruitment Principles and centrally approved schemes like Disability Confident. We regularly monitor data to ensure the scheme's effective application and measure its impact. Prospective candidates are informed about reasonable adjustments available during the recruitment process, in line with our legal obligations, to ensure fairness and inclusivity.
DSIT achieved Disability Confident Leader (DCL) (Level 3) status in February 2024, validated by an independent organisation, and our efforts include making workplace adjustments, providing disability awareness training, and encouraging open discussions about disabilities. The effectiveness of our efforts is assessed through continuous monitoring and feedback, inclusive recruitment practices, and engagement with the Voluntary Reporting Framework. We will look to review the effectiveness of our efforts periodically following the achievement of DCL status.
Future steps involve enhancing policies and practices based on best practices and stakeholder feedback and strengthening our engagement with the Voluntary Reporting Framework to better monitor and report on disability inclusion, mental health, and wellbeing.
Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with public service broadcasters on commissioning (a) film and (b) TV products from media organisations within the UK.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Individual commissioning decisions are a matter for the public service broadcasters (PSBs) themselves, which are operationally and editorially independent of Government. In 2022, commissions by PSBs were worth more than £1.5 billion to the independent production sector in the UK.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the total cost to the public purse was of staff diversity networks in her Department in each of the last five years.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government has audited the cost-effectiveness of all equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) activities, through the review of EDI spending announced last June.
On 14th May the Minister without Portfolio made a written statement on the latest findings from the review.
In response to these findings, the Cabinet Office is publishing the Civil Service EDI Expenditure Guidance. This includes an end to all external spending on EDI activity, unless cleared and authorised by Ministers.
Further guidance on diversity staff networks is being developed, and we will seek to publish additional data on historic spending to assist transparency in this area.
Asked by: Ruth Edwards (Conservative - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme on access to sport for young people.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government’s clear ambition is for all children and young people to have the opportunity to get active in a way that suits them.
Between 2021 and 2025, the Government has committed over £325 million to multi-sport grassroots sites across the whole of the UK.
So far, almost 2,400 sites have been supported, with thousands more young people across the entire country now able to get active and gain from all the mental and physical benefits that brings.