Asked by: Gordon McKee (Labour - Glasgow South)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many central government websites and mobile applications do not currently meet the required public-sector accessibility standards; and what steps are being taken to remedy that.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The accessibility monitoring team in the Government Digital Service (GDS) has found that for central government websites that operate independently of GOV.UK - including those run by the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish governments - 61% met accessibility requirements at time of assessment. The GOV.UK website is regularly tested for accessibility and central government organisations are expected to use GOV.UK for their publishing.
In May 2026, GDS issued a survey to 10 central government departments to better understand barriers to compliance with government’s accessibility requirements. The survey has since closed and GDS is currently considering the responses.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many Expressions of Interest were received for the UK Town of Culture 2028 competition, broken down by (a) nation of the UK, (b) English region and (c) local authority area.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS received 398 Expression of Interests representing over 400 places from across the UK. I am delighted that so many towns wanted to celebrate their contribution to our national story and to use culture and creativity to tell their story and why they are proud of their community.
A breakdown by nation of the UK, English region and local authority area is set out below. Please note that the listed local authorities may not be the principal bidding partners; this list illustrates the geographical distribution of Expressions of Interest across local authority areas.
Annex a - Town of Culture EOI by nation of the UK and region of England
Region | Count |
England (East Midlands) | 41 |
England (East of England) | 34 |
England (North East) | 20 |
England (North West) | 39 |
England (South East) | 71 |
England (South West) | 59 |
England (West Midlands) | 35 |
England (Yorkshire and the Humber) | 37 |
Northern Ireland | 5 |
Scotland | 26 |
Wales | 31 |
Annex b - Town of Culture EOI by Local Authority Area
Local Authority | Count |
Kent County Council | 14 |
Lancashire County Council | 14 |
Devon County Council | 12 |
Hertfordshire County Council | 11 |
North Yorkshire Council | 11 |
Cornwall Council | 10 |
Derbyshire County Council | 11 |
Hampshire County Council | 9 |
Oxfordshire County Council | 9 |
Somerset Council | 9 |
Lincolnshire County Council | 8 |
Northumberland County Council | 8 |
Nottinghamshire County Council | 8 |
Warwickshire County Council | 8 |
Wiltshire Council | 8 |
East Sussex County Council | 7 |
Norfolk County Council | 7 |
Powys County Council | 7 |
Shropshire Council | 7 |
Suffolk County Council | 7 |
Dorset Council | 6 |
Durham County Council | 6 |
Essex County Council | 6 |
Gloucestershire County Council | 6 |
Leicestershire County Council | 6 |
Staffordshire County Council | 6 |
West Sussex County Council | 6 |
Westmorland and Furness Council | 6 |
Dumfries and Galloway Council | 5 |
Isle of Wight Council | 5 |
Kirklees Council | 5 |
North Northamptonshire Council | 5 |
Surrey County Council | 5 |
Buckinghamshire Council | 4 |
Cheshire East Council | 4 |
Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council | 4 |
East Riding of Yorkshire Council | 4 |
Leeds City Council | 4 |
South Gloucestershire Council | 4 |
Worcestershire County Council | 4 |
Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council | 3 |
East Lothian Council | 3 |
Gwynedd Council | 3 |
Herefordshire Council | 3 |
North Somerset Council | 3 |
Cambridgeshire County Council | 2 |
Ceredigion County Council | 2 |
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council | 2 |
Cumberland Council | 2 |
Flintshire County Council | 2 |
Midlothian Council | 2 |
Milton Keynes City Council | 2 |
Monmouthshire County Council | 2 |
Pembrokeshire County Council | 2 |
Perth and Kinross Council | 2 |
Rutland County Council | 2 |
Scottish Borders Council | 2 |
Torfaen County Borough Council | 2 |
Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council | 2 |
Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council | 1 |
Argyll and Bute Council | 1 |
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council | 1 |
Bedford Borough Council | 1 |
Birmingham City Council | 1 |
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council | 1 |
Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council | 1 |
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council | 1 |
Bury Metropolitan Borough Council | 1 |
Caerphilly County Borough Council | 1 |
Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council | 1 |
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council | 1 |
Central Bedfordshire Council | 1 |
Cheshire West and Chester Council | 1 |
City of Edinburgh Council | 1 |
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council) | 1 |
Denbighshire County Council | 1 |
Derry City and Strabane District Council | 1 |
East Ayrshire Council | 1 |
Fermanagh and Omagh District Council | 1 |
Fife Council | 1 |
Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council | 1 |
Halton Borough Council | 1 |
Hartlepool Borough Council | 1 |
Inverclyde Council | 1 |
Isle of Anglesey County Council | 1 |
Isle of Wight Council | 1 |
Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council | 1 |
Medway Council | 1 |
Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council | 1 |
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council | 1 |
Moray Council | 1 |
Neath Port Talbot Council | 1 |
Newport City Council | 1 |
North East Lincolnshire Council | 1 |
North Lanarkshire Council | 1 |
North Lincolnshire Council | 1 |
North Tyneside Council | 1 |
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council | 1 |
Renfrewshire Council | 1 |
Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council | 1 |
Rochdale Borough Council | 1 |
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council | 1 |
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council | 1 |
Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council | 1 |
Shetland Islands Council | 1 |
Slough Borough Council | 1 |
South Ayrshire Council | 1 |
South Tyneside Council | 1 |
Southend-on-Sea City Council | 1 |
St Helens Borough Council | 1 |
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council | 1 |
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council | 1 |
Stoke-on-Trent City Council | 1 |
Swansea Council | 1 |
Swindon Borough Council | 1 |
Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council | 1 |
Telford & Wrekin Council | 1 |
Thurrock Council | 1 |
Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council | 1 |
Vale of Glamorgan Council | 1 |
Wakefield Metropolitan District Council | 1 |
Warrington Borough Council | 1 |
West Berkshire Council | 1 |
West Lothian Council | 1 |
West Northamptonshire Council | 1 |
Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council | 1 |
Wokingham Borough Council | 1 |
Wolverhampton City Council | 1 |
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, who has been appointed to the Expert Advisory Panel for the UK Town of Culture 2028 competition.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Expert Advisory Panel provides critical and objective assessment of bids against published criteria set by DCMS, and makes recommendations to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport at each competition stage. The Panel is made up of a range of experts from various disciplines, and is chaired by Sir Phil Redmond. Panel members are listed below.
Sir Phil Redmond (Chair)
Ruth Hollis (Deputy Chair)
Ian Bancroft (Welsh Representative)
Kristel Miller (Northern Irish Representative)
Jim Tough (Scottish Representative)
Ian Warren (English Representative)
Paula Williams
Adipat Virdi
Katy Shaw
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 assessment she has made of the geographic distribution of Expressions of Interest received.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS received 398 Expression of Interests representing over 400 places from across the UK. I am delighted that so many towns wanted to celebrate their contribution to our national story and to use culture and creativity to tell their story and why they are proud of their community.
A breakdown by nation of the UK, English region and local authority area is set out below. Please note that the listed local authorities may not be the principal bidding partners; this list illustrates the geographical distribution of Expressions of Interest across local authority areas.
Annex a - Town of Culture EOI by nation of the UK and region of England
Region | Count |
England (East Midlands) | 41 |
England (East of England) | 34 |
England (North East) | 20 |
England (North West) | 39 |
England (South East) | 71 |
England (South West) | 59 |
England (West Midlands) | 35 |
England (Yorkshire and the Humber) | 37 |
Northern Ireland | 5 |
Scotland | 26 |
Wales | 31 |
Annex b - Town of Culture EOI by Local Authority Area
Local Authority | Count |
Kent County Council | 14 |
Lancashire County Council | 14 |
Devon County Council | 12 |
Hertfordshire County Council | 11 |
North Yorkshire Council | 11 |
Cornwall Council | 10 |
Derbyshire County Council | 11 |
Hampshire County Council | 9 |
Oxfordshire County Council | 9 |
Somerset Council | 9 |
Lincolnshire County Council | 8 |
Northumberland County Council | 8 |
Nottinghamshire County Council | 8 |
Warwickshire County Council | 8 |
Wiltshire Council | 8 |
East Sussex County Council | 7 |
Norfolk County Council | 7 |
Powys County Council | 7 |
Shropshire Council | 7 |
Suffolk County Council | 7 |
Dorset Council | 6 |
Durham County Council | 6 |
Essex County Council | 6 |
Gloucestershire County Council | 6 |
Leicestershire County Council | 6 |
Staffordshire County Council | 6 |
West Sussex County Council | 6 |
Westmorland and Furness Council | 6 |
Dumfries and Galloway Council | 5 |
Isle of Wight Council | 5 |
Kirklees Council | 5 |
North Northamptonshire Council | 5 |
Surrey County Council | 5 |
Buckinghamshire Council | 4 |
Cheshire East Council | 4 |
Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council | 4 |
East Riding of Yorkshire Council | 4 |
Leeds City Council | 4 |
South Gloucestershire Council | 4 |
Worcestershire County Council | 4 |
Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council | 3 |
East Lothian Council | 3 |
Gwynedd Council | 3 |
Herefordshire Council | 3 |
North Somerset Council | 3 |
Cambridgeshire County Council | 2 |
Ceredigion County Council | 2 |
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council | 2 |
Cumberland Council | 2 |
Flintshire County Council | 2 |
Midlothian Council | 2 |
Milton Keynes City Council | 2 |
Monmouthshire County Council | 2 |
Pembrokeshire County Council | 2 |
Perth and Kinross Council | 2 |
Rutland County Council | 2 |
Scottish Borders Council | 2 |
Torfaen County Borough Council | 2 |
Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council | 2 |
Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council | 1 |
Argyll and Bute Council | 1 |
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council | 1 |
Bedford Borough Council | 1 |
Birmingham City Council | 1 |
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council | 1 |
Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council | 1 |
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council | 1 |
Bury Metropolitan Borough Council | 1 |
Caerphilly County Borough Council | 1 |
Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council | 1 |
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council | 1 |
Central Bedfordshire Council | 1 |
Cheshire West and Chester Council | 1 |
City of Edinburgh Council | 1 |
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council) | 1 |
Denbighshire County Council | 1 |
Derry City and Strabane District Council | 1 |
East Ayrshire Council | 1 |
Fermanagh and Omagh District Council | 1 |
Fife Council | 1 |
Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council | 1 |
Halton Borough Council | 1 |
Hartlepool Borough Council | 1 |
Inverclyde Council | 1 |
Isle of Anglesey County Council | 1 |
Isle of Wight Council | 1 |
Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council | 1 |
Medway Council | 1 |
Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council | 1 |
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council | 1 |
Moray Council | 1 |
Neath Port Talbot Council | 1 |
Newport City Council | 1 |
North East Lincolnshire Council | 1 |
North Lanarkshire Council | 1 |
North Lincolnshire Council | 1 |
North Tyneside Council | 1 |
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council | 1 |
Renfrewshire Council | 1 |
Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council | 1 |
Rochdale Borough Council | 1 |
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council | 1 |
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council | 1 |
Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council | 1 |
Shetland Islands Council | 1 |
Slough Borough Council | 1 |
South Ayrshire Council | 1 |
South Tyneside Council | 1 |
Southend-on-Sea City Council | 1 |
St Helens Borough Council | 1 |
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council | 1 |
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council | 1 |
Stoke-on-Trent City Council | 1 |
Swansea Council | 1 |
Swindon Borough Council | 1 |
Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council | 1 |
Telford & Wrekin Council | 1 |
Thurrock Council | 1 |
Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council | 1 |
Vale of Glamorgan Council | 1 |
Wakefield Metropolitan District Council | 1 |
Warrington Borough Council | 1 |
West Berkshire Council | 1 |
West Lothian Council | 1 |
West Northamptonshire Council | 1 |
Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council | 1 |
Wokingham Borough Council | 1 |
Wolverhampton City Council | 1 |
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Note 8. Purchase of Goods, Services and Other Expenditure on page 114 of the Whole of Government Accounts 2024-5, if she can provide a breakdown of expenditure in the financial years in (a) 2024/5 and (b) 2023/4 for (i) the category entitled Other in the Central government section by government department and (ii) the category entitled Other in the Public Corporations section by relevant body.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The ‘Other’ category in both the Central Government section and Public Corporation section refer to other departments that have not been individually identified in the table, as they are smaller and less significant contributors to Note 8.
The information for both 2024/25 and 2023/24 is as follows:
2024-25 - Central Government | |
| £ Bn |
Cabinet Office | 0.6 |
Central Funds | 2.0 |
Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government | 0.5 |
Devolved Consolidated Funds | 0.2 |
Department for Culture Media and Sport | 0.7 |
Department for Work & Pensions | 2.3 |
Export Credits Guarantee Department | 0.0 |
Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs | 1.9 |
HM Treasury | 0.3 |
Northern Ireland Executive | 5.9 |
National Energy System Operator | 2.9 |
Total | 17.4 |
2023-24 - Central Government | |
| £ Bn |
Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government | 0.2 |
Devolved Consolidated Funds | 0.1 |
Department for Culture Media and Sport | 0.7 |
Department for Work & Pensions | 2.3 |
Export Credits Guarantee Department | 0.0 |
Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs | 1.7 |
HM Treasury | 0.3 |
Northern Ireland Executive | 5.6 |
Pensions | 0.0 |
Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office | 3.5 |
HM Revenue & Customs | 1.7 |
Total | 16.1 |
2024-25 - Public Corporations | |
Entity | £ Bn |
British Council | 0.7 |
British International Investment plc | 0.1 |
Channel Four Television Corporation | 0.9 |
Financial Conduct Authority | 0.2 |
Forest Enterprise Agency England | 0.1 |
Forestry and Land Scotland | 0.2 |
Northern Ireland Housing Executive | 0.3 |
International Nuclear Services | 0.1 |
Meteorological Office | 0.1 |
Navy, Army and Air Force Institute | 0.1 |
NHS Blood and Transplant | 0.2 |
Northern Ireland Water Ltd | 0.2 |
National Nuclear Laboratory Ltd | 0.1 |
National Physics Laboratory | 0.1 |
National Employment Savings Trust | 0.2 |
DFT Operator Limited | 2.2 |
Ordnance Survey | 0.1 |
Post Office Limited | 0.8 |
Pension Protection Fund (PPF) | 0.2 |
Royal Mint | 1.3 |
Scottish Water | 1.1 |
Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company | 0.3 |
Financial Services Compensation Scheme | 0.4 |
The Royal Parks Limited | 0.1 |
Total | 9.9 |
2024-25 - Public Corporations | |
Entity | £ Bn |
British Council | 0.6 |
British International Investment plc | 0.2 |
Channel Four Television Corporation | 1.0 |
Financial Conduct Authority | 0.2 |
Forest Enterprise Agency England | 0.1 |
Forestry and Land Scotland | 0.1 |
UK Hydrographic Office | 0.1 |
Northern Ireland Housing Executive | 0.2 |
International Nuclear Services | 0.1 |
Meteorological Office | 0.1 |
NHS Blood and Transplant | 0.2 |
Northern Ireland Water Ltd | 0.2 |
National Employment Savings Trust | 0.2 |
DFT Operator Limited | 2.0 |
Ordnance Survey | 0.1 |
Post Office Limited | 0.8 |
Pension Protection Fund (PPF) | 0.2 |
Scottish Water | 1.2 |
Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company | 0.3 |
Financial Services Compensation Scheme | 0.5 |
The Royal Parks Limited | 0.1 |
Total | 8.6 |
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 Northern Ireland Executive on the potential merits of extending schemes such as Young Futures Hubs to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
I am committed to ensuring we continue to work closely with devolved governments, including on youth. I have met counterparts from the Northern Ireland Executive and my officials meet regularly with officials in the devolved governments to share best practice on youth programmes.
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 he will hold discussions with representatives of the Science Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum on the timeline of resuming online sales to Northern Ireland residents .
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department continues to monitor the progress of the museums resuming online sales to Northern Ireland, and is supporting the institutions with this where necessary.
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, how many Trade Missions supporting Northern Ireland based businesses did VisitBritain and Tourism Ireland jointly fund in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
In 2024, VisitBritain and Tourism Ireland supported Northern Ireland by jointly funding three trade missions in Stockholm, Shanghai, and Frankfurt.
In 2025, VisitBritain and Tourism Ireland supported Northern Ireland by jointly funding six trade missions; five trade trips to China, and one to Spain.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact on local democratic engagement and accountability of reductions in dedicated regional news services in the north of Scotland.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
While the Government recognises STV’s operational independence, it is important that they continue to provide for all audiences in Northern and Central Scotland.
I have recently engaged with STV senior leadership to communicate my disappointment with this outcome and to emphasise the importance of audiences across STV’s licenced areas being able to see the new stories that matter to their local community reflected on screen.
Any changes to STV’s Channel 3 licences are a matter for Ofcom who determine and enforce these licences. As part of their statutory monitoring role, Ofcom has confirmed it plans to monitor the impact of their changes through STV’s annual Statement of Programme Policy and their overall assessment of the public service broadcasters’ delivery of their remit.
Asked by: Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
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 Ofcom on ensuring that changes to regional broadcasting licences do not lead to a disproportionate concentration of news production in central urban areas.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
While the Government recognises STV’s operational independence, it is important that they continue to provide for all audiences in Northern and Central Scotland.
I have recently engaged with STV senior leadership to communicate my disappointment with this outcome and to emphasise the importance of audiences across STV’s licenced areas being able to see the new stories that matter to their local community reflected on screen.
Any changes to STV’s Channel 3 licences are a matter for Ofcom who determine and enforce these licences. As part of their statutory monitoring role, Ofcom has confirmed it plans to monitor the impact of their changes through STV’s annual Statement of Programme Policy and their overall assessment of the public service broadcasters’ delivery of their remit.