Asked by: Robin Swann (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
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 the Irish Government on the €14million Shared Island Media initiative.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Shared Island Media Initiative is led and funded by the Government of Ireland. While from a UK perspective, only Northern Ireland will be able to benefit from the initiative, DCMS officials have had some initial conversations with Ireland’s Department of Culture, Communications and Media to learn about it. I have not been directly involved in these discussions, but my officials remain interested in how this initiative advances the UK's and Ireland's shared priorities.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
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 the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on ensuring greater prominence of TG4 on Freeview.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Following representations made by TG4 and by Irish Ministers, we are considering whether to extend prominence for TG4 services broadcasting in Northern Ireland.
We are discussing the request with the Northern Ireland Office and other Cabinet colleagues and will make a statement on this early in the new year.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
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 protect UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the UK from potential environmental threats.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
DCMS provides support and advice to all World Heritage Sites across the UK and Overseas Territories that are grappling with environmental threats in our capacity as State Party of the World Heritage Convention.
DCMS works closely with environmental agencies across the UK, including the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Natural England, NatureScot, Natural Resources Wales and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, as well as Historic England as our expert advisers on World Heritage. We also consult with individual site managers and local authorities to monitor potential and known threats to our sites and to consider which issues require notification to, and assistance from, UNESCO.
In addition, DCMS funded the project ‘Climate Change & UNESCO Heritage’ which ran from February 2024 - October 2025 and was delivered by the UK National Commission for UNESCO. This project developed open-source tools that support UNESCO heritage sites to address climate challenges.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
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 resilience of local journalism; and what plans she has to provide support to help sustain local news providers.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Resilience of local journalism across the country is an area of particular concern for this Government, including in Stockton West and more broadly across County Durham. The Government understands the important work that local news providers do across the UK, including outlets such as The Darlington and Stockton Times and The Northern Echo. We are developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of sustaining this vital sector. Our vision is a thriving local media that can continue to play an invaluable role as a key channel of trustworthy information at local level, reporting on the issues that matter to communities, reflecting their contributions and perspectives, and helping to foster a self-confident nation in which everyone feels that their contribution is part of an inclusive national story.
We are working across Government and with other stakeholders as the Strategy develops. DCMS ministers held a roundtable discussion with local news editors in the spring to discuss the planned approach and collaboration with industry on the Strategy. An industry working group has since been set up to consider the issues in more detail and has been meeting regularly since June. More will be announced on the Strategy in the coming months.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the net expenditure of her Department was on projects related to cultural diplomacy in the last financial year.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
DCMS works with a range of partners and ALBs to deliver on the Government’s cultural diplomacy and soft power objectives, including the FCDO, British Council, and GREAT Britain & Northern Ireland campaign. As such, the department’s direct spending on cultural diplomacy is limited to a small number of cultural diplomacy-related projects each year, including those delivered through the Government Art Collection. Net expenditure for the last financial year on projects related to cultural diplomacy stood at £66,329.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to promote Northern Ireland’s economic and cultural interests through UK embassies overseas.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is committed to ensuring the Devolved Governments' economic and cultural interests are promoted internationally. Invest Northern Ireland officials are co-located in a number of FCDO overseas posts, and across the world our missions work to promote Northern Ireland, and the UK as a whole. This includes supporting Northern Ireland Ministers when they travel overseas.
As part of a series of new Heads of Mission Roadshows to UK countries and regions, our High Commissioner to Singapore visited Northern Ireland in September 2025 to advance opportunities for Singaporean foreign direct investment in Northern Ireland. The most recent Soft Power Council Meeting was also held in Belfast in October. This was a key forum for the FCDO, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Devolved Governments and stakeholders in Northern Ireland to come together and create a unified strategy that can leverage the UK's cultural offer internationally.
I was delighted to host representatives of Northern Ireland creative industries at the recent Western Balkans summit at Hillsborough Castle, and to showcase the best of Northern Ireland to visiting Foreign Ministers and officials.
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, what steps she is taking to support the Northern Ireland film industry.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
While culture is a devolved policy area, the department works closely with its Arm’s Length Body, the British Film Institute (BFI), and the devolved governments on a range of funding and initiatives for the film industry - including in Northern Ireland. This includes the UK-wide screen sector tax reliefs, as well as the £75 million Screen Growth Package announced in the Creatives Industries Sector Plan.
DCMS will continue to work with the Northern Ireland Executive to support culture and creativity in Northern Ireland - particularly through the Belfast Cluster as an anchor location creating opportunities for businesses and talent. This includes continued annual funding from the UK government to NI Screen to support the Irish Language and Ulster-Scots Broadcast Funds.
Through their National Lottery programmes, the BFI will also continue to support the screen sector in Northern Ireland - particularly through the dedicated Northern Ireland Screen fund. The British Film Commission (BFC), a national body supported by funding from DCMS, also supports and promotes UK-wide film and high-end television production and works in close partnership with the national and regional screen agencies.
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, what recent discussions she has had with the Natural History Museum on taking steps to enable sales to customers living in Northern Ireland to take place.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
My officials have been in talks with the Natural History Museum on this issue. The Museum hopes to resume sales to Northern Ireland during 2026.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many hours of Gaelic (a) television and (b) radio programmes were broadcast each year under the Multiplex Licence (Broadcasting of Programmes in Gaelic) Order 1996 in each of the last five years.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Multiplex Licence (Broadcasting of Programmes in Gaelic) Order 1996 was repealed in 2011. As a result, Gaelic language broadcasting generally, and services currently broadcast wholly or mainly in Cornwall, are no longer required to meet the criteria of the Multiplex Licence (Broadcasting of Programmes in Gaelic) Order 1996.
Regarding Cornish and Gaelic programming, the Media Act 2024 once commenced, will for the first time make clear in legislation the importance of the provision of these indigenous regional and minority languages as part of the modernised public service remit for television. It will be for Ofcom, the independent regulator, to monitor compliance.
In terms of the provision of the broadcasting of television programming in Scottish Gaelic in Scotland, the 1996 Order was replaced with the current arrangement between the BBC and MG ALBA for the carriage of BBC Alba. The BBC report on its provision of Scottish Gaelic programming in its annual report, and Ofcom annually reports on the amount of first run hours of Gaelic television programming aired on BBC Alba.
Additionally, the BBC has a broader obligation under its Royal Charter to reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all the UK’s nations and regions, including support for Minority Language Broadcasting across its services.
Meanwhile, support for Irish Gaelic programming is facilitated through support from the Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund (ILBF) and the Nimux programme which extends the coverage of TG4, the Irish Gaelic public service channel, across Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether any services currently broadcast wholly or mainly in Cornwall meet the criteria set out in The Multiplex Licence (Broadcasting of Programmes in Gaelic) Order 1996.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Multiplex Licence (Broadcasting of Programmes in Gaelic) Order 1996 was repealed in 2011. As a result, Gaelic language broadcasting generally, and services currently broadcast wholly or mainly in Cornwall, are no longer required to meet the criteria of the Multiplex Licence (Broadcasting of Programmes in Gaelic) Order 1996.
Regarding Cornish and Gaelic programming, the Media Act 2024 once commenced, will for the first time make clear in legislation the importance of the provision of these indigenous regional and minority languages as part of the modernised public service remit for television. It will be for Ofcom, the independent regulator, to monitor compliance.
In terms of the provision of the broadcasting of television programming in Scottish Gaelic in Scotland, the 1996 Order was replaced with the current arrangement between the BBC and MG ALBA for the carriage of BBC Alba. The BBC report on its provision of Scottish Gaelic programming in its annual report, and Ofcom annually reports on the amount of first run hours of Gaelic television programming aired on BBC Alba.
Additionally, the BBC has a broader obligation under its Royal Charter to reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all the UK’s nations and regions, including support for Minority Language Broadcasting across its services.
Meanwhile, support for Irish Gaelic programming is facilitated through support from the Northern Ireland Screen’s Irish Language Broadcast Fund (ILBF) and the Nimux programme which extends the coverage of TG4, the Irish Gaelic public service channel, across Northern Ireland.