Asked by: Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland about ending the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme; and whether the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund will be subject to the Barnett formula.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I wrote to Angus Robertson MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, regarding the closure of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. DCMS officials have also met with counterparts in the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland to discuss the closure and confirm Barnett consequentials were applied as a proportion of overall departmental settlements.
At the Spending Review 2025, HM Treasury agreed budgets for Departments for a three-year period for Resource DEL, and a four-year period for Capital DEL. The Department then completed a Business Planning process to allocate this funding to programmes. This included £92 million (£23 million per year) for the Places of Worship Renewal Fund.
At Spending Reviews, the Devolved Governments generally receive Barnett consequentials as a proportion of overall departmental settlements, not specific funding lines or programmes. Barnett consequentials were confirmed taking into account the overall DCMS allocation, which includes funding for the Places of Worship Renewal fund. Decisions on the allocation of this funding are then for the Devolved Governments to take.
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 5 February 2026 to Question 109971 on Science Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum: Northern Ireland, what indicative dates for re-commencing online sales to Northern Ireland residents were discussed.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Victoria and Albert Museum have indicated that they are aiming to resume online sales to Northern Ireland by the end of the financial year 2026/27. The Science Museum Group has not yet shared a target date, but is exploring options to re-open ecommerce sales in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of the Government estate is managed by the Government Property Agency; which departments, arm’s-length bodies or property portfolios lie within its direct management responsibilities; and what the Government Property Agency’s total expenditure was in 2024–25 on measuring, collecting, reporting or validating greenhouse gas emissions in respect of the parts of the estate for which it is responsible.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Fifty-three per cent (2023/24 53 per cent) of the central government office portfolio, covering c.1,100,000 sqm has been transferred to the Government Property Agency. The Agency provides portfolio services to the following Government departments:
Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service
Attorney General’s Office
Cabinet Office
Care Quality Commission
Companies House
Crown Commercial Service
Crown Prosecution Service
Department for Business & Trade
Department for Education
Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero
Department for Culture Media and Sport
Department of Health & Social Care
Government Actuary’s Department
Ministry of Housing Communities & Local Government
Disclosure & Barring Services
Northern Ireland Office
The Insolvency Service
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
HM Land Registry
HM Treasury
Food Standards Agency
Great British Nuclear
Ministry of Justice
National Savings & Investments
Office of the Public Guardian
OfQual
The GPA calculates greenhouse gas emissions for office space occupied by GPA staff and provides utility consumption data for departments occupying other buildings within its managed estate. As this activity is performed by staff as part of their wider duties, the exact amount of time allocated to this specific activity is not centrally recorded.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is having discussions with the Chancellor on a cross-departmental approach to raising literacy rates among children and young people.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is working with other government departments, including the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), as well as the Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish devolved governments, to promote the National Year of Reading 2026. This aims to address long term declines in reading enjoyment through engaging new audiences, reshaping public attitudes and building the systems needed to embed lasting, meaningful change.
Cross sector support is vital in tackling the downward trend in reading for pleasure, which is why the Year is operating as a collective impact campaign allowing multiple agencies and partners to participate, including publishers, booksellers, brands, retailers and charities.
The National Year of Reading 2026 will involve activities and events across the UK. You can find more information about the campaign in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and in Wales here: https://goallin.org.uk/
The campaign aims for lasting impact. For example, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £5 million for secondary schools to purchase books and reading material to encourage reading for pleasure. The government has also committed over £10 million in funding to guarantee a library for every primary school by the end of this parliament, which will be delivered by DCMS.
Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what review mechanisms are in place in respect of long term sealing of archived documents; for how long documents in respect of Kincora in Northern Ireland will be sealed; and for what reason this length of time has been chosen.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Records held by The National Archives in respect of Kincora are predominantly available to the public. They do however contain some extracts that have been closed for various lengths of time as they contain personal data. A list of these records and their opening dates can be found via this link to The National Archives’ online catalogue, Discovery. Members of the public may submit Freedom of Information requests in relation to information that has been withheld and they will then be re-reviewed to check if any further content can be released.
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, if she will hold discussions with the (a) Science Museum and (b) Victoria and Albert Museum on making items available online for residents in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
DCMS officials are in touch with the Science Museum Group and the Victoria and Albert Museum to discuss the ongoing steps they are taking to resume online sales to Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing charities lotteries to operate UK-wide.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Large-scale society lotteries in Great Britain are legislated through the Gambling Act 2005, which does not extend to Northern Ireland.
Gambling is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland, and therefore the operation of large-scale society lotteries is a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2025, to Question, 90238, on Government Communications Service: Staff, if he will publish the number of (a) headcount and (b) FTE Government Communication Service staff in each government department, central public body and Arm’s Length Body, including NHS, according to information collated in the most recent Government Communications Service audit; and what are the aggregate figures.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Please see the table below that contains the full-time equivalent figures for departments. These figures incorporate the ALBs, which are grouped under their respective sponsoring organisations.
Sponsor Org | FTE |
Attorney General's Office | 97.72 |
Cabinet Office | 406.85 |
Department for Business & Trade | 348.06 |
Department for Culture, Media & Sport | 451.20 |
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs | 389.94 |
Department for Energy Security & Net Zero | 294.24 |
Department for Education | 285.90 |
Department for Transport | 630.47 |
Department of Health & Social Care | 772.76 |
Department for Science, Innovation & Technology | 333.67 |
Department for Work & Pensions | 239.39 |
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office | 149.12 |
HM Revenue & Customs | 294.10 |
HM Treasury | 84.35 |
Home Office | 197.44 |
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government | 124.15 |
Ministry of Defence | 501.54 |
Ministry of Justice | 285.96 |
Northern Ireland Office | 17.00 |
Supreme Court of the United Kingdom | ≤5.00 |
Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland | 16.00 |
UK Export Finance | 20.90 |
Office of the Secretary of State for Wales | 7.80 |
Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
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 9 December to Question 97452 on Gambling Taxation, whether remote gambling licence holders are permitted under legislation to advertise in Northern Ireland; and what plans she has to allocate Northern Ireland a share of the Statutory Gambling Levy funds raised from remote licence holders.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Section 5 of the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014 makes it an offence to advertise unlicensed remote gambling services in Northern Ireland. Any online operator who wishes to advertise their services in Northern Ireland must hold a licence from the Gambling Commission.
Wider gambling regulation is devolved in Northern Ireland and, as such, developing the most appropriate approach to tackle gambling-related harm to help residents in Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive. The Gambling Levy Regulations are subject to the jurisdiction of the Gambling Act 2005 and so profits levied in Great Britain will provide funding for projects and services in Great Britain only. However, it is likely that there will be some indirect benefits of levy funding for citizens in Northern Ireland.
DCMS officials have recently met with officials in Northern Ireland to discuss a wide range of issues. The Department stands ready to support the Northern Ireland Executive in their plans to strengthen gambling regulations.
Asked by: Daniel Francis (Labour - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
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 help ensure an effective legacy from hosting UEFA Euro 2028.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Football reaches communities like nothing else, and my department is working with partners to ensure the impact of hosting EURO 2028 is felt far beyond the tournament itself. As part of the tournament launch in November 2025, I chaired a meeting attended by Ministerial representatives from the Government of Ireland, Northern Ireland Executive, Scottish Government and Welsh Government, as well as UEFA, where we discussed how we can work as one team to ensure the tournament delivers an effective legacy and we maximise the benefits of hosting.
In order to ensure an effective legacy from hosting the tournament, EURO 2028 will feature the largest-ever Community Programme to be delivered for a UEFA EURO. This will be backed by a social impact fund of around £45 million. Plans for these are still in development and we will have more to share in due course.