Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2025 to Question 55487 on Tourism: National Landscapes, if she will make an estimate of the economic contribution of tourism to areas with a protected landscape in each of the next five years.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
National Parks are vital assets for tourism, attracting millions of domestic and international visitors each year and supporting local economies through recreation, hospitality, and cultural heritage. While there are no plans to make an estimate of the economic contribution of tourism to areas with a protected landscape, DCMS recognises the importance of protected landscapes to the UK’s tourism offering.
DCMS continues to work with VisitBritain to champion visits to the British countryside to a worldwide audience. VisitBritain’s new GREAT-funded international marketing campaign, ‘Starring GREAT Britain’, uses the hook of Britain’s rich film and television history to encourage more international visitors to explore across Britain, including many rural destinations, landmarks and National Parks.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to help improve access to public transport for disabled patients at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board recognises that accessible transport is a key enabler for patients to attend hospital appointments independently and safely. To that end, the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust works closely with local transport providers and system partners to manage transport accessibility for disabled patients.
Hospital car parks are the responsibility of individual National Health Service trusts, with no central Government involvement. Where it is possible to accommodate parking, local trusts are responsible for determining the ratio of car parking for patients, hospital users, and staff.
We know access to hospital car parking is important for all patients, including disabled patients. All NHS trusts that charge for car parking provide free hospital car parking in England for those most in need. This includes Blue Badge holders, frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight in hospital, and NHS staff working night shifts. The Department has issued guidance to NHS trusts on the implementation of this commitment. Further information about this policy can be found at the following link:
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of disabled parking at hospitals.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board recognises that accessible transport is a key enabler for patients to attend hospital appointments independently and safely. To that end, the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust works closely with local transport providers and system partners to manage transport accessibility for disabled patients.
Hospital car parks are the responsibility of individual National Health Service trusts, with no central Government involvement. Where it is possible to accommodate parking, local trusts are responsible for determining the ratio of car parking for patients, hospital users, and staff.
We know access to hospital car parking is important for all patients, including disabled patients. All NHS trusts that charge for car parking provide free hospital car parking in England for those most in need. This includes Blue Badge holders, frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight in hospital, and NHS staff working night shifts. The Department has issued guidance to NHS trusts on the implementation of this commitment. Further information about this policy can be found at the following link:
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 27 October (HL Deb col 1192), whether the aim to "sort out Hillside" referred to the consequences of the decision of the Supreme Court in Hillside Parks Ltd v Snowdonia National Park Authority [2022] UKSC 30 or the planning status of the hillside location in Aberdyfi; and when they expect the Hillside issue to be resolved.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
My remarks to the House set out the Government’s proposed approach to handling the broader implications of the Supreme Court judgement on the use of drop in permissions for the development sector in England, not the specific case in Wales subject to the judgement.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the extent to which the functions of (a) national parks, (b) Natural England, (c) the Environment Agency and (d) Forestry England are (i) clearly delineated, (ii) complementary and (iii) overlapping; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the number of these bodies.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is conducting a full review of all Arm’s Length Bodies. This review is ongoing, and the outcomes will be published in due course.
However, as National Parks are not classified as Arm’s Length Bodies, they are not included in the review.
Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will ensure that section 245 of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 is not amended to reduce the level of protection for National (a) Parks and (b) Landscapes.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Protected Landscapes Duty, at section 245 of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, will play a key role in achieving government’s commitment to enable Protected Landscapes organisations, including National Parks and National Landscapes, to make land greener, wilder and more accessible to all.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 76809 on Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Public Bodies, how many appointments have been made to each of the respective Boards of her Department's public bodies since July 2024.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Since 10 July 2024, 121 regulated appointments and reappointments have been made to the Boards of the Department for Culture, Media & Sport’s public bodies. This data only includes regulated appointments made to relevant boards as listed in the Public Appointments Order in Council 2019.
Board Name | Number | Board Name | Number |
Advisory Council on National Records and Archives | 8 | National Citizenship Service | 2 |
Arts Council England | 4 | Royal Armouries | 1 |
British Museum | 12 | Royal Museums Greenwich | 3 |
British Tourist Authority | 4 | S4C | 6 |
Charity Commission | 4 | Sport England | 4 |
Departmental Non-Executive Directors | 2 | Sports Ground Safety Authority | 1 |
Historic England | 3 | Tate | 7 |
Historic Royal Palaces | 3 | The National Archives | 3 |
Horniman Museum and Gardens | 3 | The National Lottery Community Fund | 4 |
Horserace Betting Levy Board | 1 | The Royal Parks | 3 |
Imperial War Museum | 4 | Theatres Trust | 4 |
Independent Football Regulator | 3 | Treasure Valuation Committee | 5 |
Museum of the Home | 4 | UK Anti-Doping | 3 |
National Gallery | 4 | UK Sport | 2 |
National Museums Liverpool | 1 | Victoria & Albert Museum | 7 |
National Portrait Gallery | 1 | Visit England Advisory Board | 3 |
Natural History Museum | 2 |
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Asked by: Richard Foord (Liberal Democrat - Honiton and Sidmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to section 245 of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, what steps she is taking to ensure compliance with the protected landscapes duty.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is working with a range of partners to consider the impact of the Protected Landscapes Duty. We have received and considered many letters on this matter, including one Campaign for National Parks wrote on behalf of over 170 organisations.
The duty is intended to facilitate better outcomes for England’s Protected Landscapes, which are in line with their statutory purposes.
The Government has published guidance on the Protected Landscapes duty to ensure public bodies operating in these areas, including water companies, deliver better environmental outcomes working together with Protected Landscape organisations.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) amending the Protected Landscapes duty under section 245 of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, (b) publishing supporting regulations and (c) updating guidance.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are working with a range of partners to consider the impact of the Protected Landscapes Duty. The duty is intended to facilitate better outcomes for England’s Protected Landscapes, which are in line with their statutory purposes.
In December, Government published guidance on the Protected Landscapes duty to ensure public bodies operating in these areas, including water companies, deliver better environmental outcomes working together with Protected Landscape organisations.
Asked by: Sarah Hall (Labour (Co-op) - Warrington South)
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 protect at-risk heritage assets.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to protecting heritage at risk and supporting communities to care for their local heritage assets.
This year we announced almost £20 million new funding for local heritage. The £15m Heritage at Risk Capital Fund enables individuals and organisations in the most deprived neighbourhoods in England to rescue and repair at-risk historic sites and buildings that bring people together, like shops, pubs, parks and town halls. In August 2025, funding was announced for 37 much-loved historic buildings and sites, many of which are located on high streets and in town centres.
Alongside this, the £4.85m Heritage Revival Fund has a particular emphasis on town centres and helps to rescue and repurpose neglected historic buildings in England, enabling community organisations, charities and social enterprises to take ownership and repurpose sites such as theatres, department stores and former banks.
We have also continued the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, with a budget of £23 million, providing grants of up to £25,000 towards VAT on eligible repairs.
This is in addition to the £330 million distributed each year through the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
In October, we announced the 75 museum groups across the country who will receive a share of our new, £20 million Museum Renewal Fund, with outcomes for our £25 million Museum Estate and Development Fund due in the New Year.