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, which central funding pathways are available for places of worship in the devolved regions.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Heritage funding is devolved. The Places of Worship Renewal Fund is an England-only scheme starting in 2026/27 with a £23m annual budget. The Northern Irish Government received Barnett consequentials through the Spending Review.
We work with other funders to maximise UK-wide opportunities. Between 2024 and 2027, the National Lottery Heritage Fund expects to invest around £100m in places of worship, including £30m a year via their National Lottery Heritage Grants open programme.
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 steps she is taking to ensure that the potential benefits of a potential Olympic bid in the north of England are distributed equitably across the region.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
London 2012 had a major socio-economic impact and left a lasting legacy for future generations, showing what hosting an Olympic and Paralympic Games can do for our country.
The North of England deserves the same level of ambition. It is central to the UK’s growth agenda and has the scale and economic assets to compete internationally. That is exactly why we want to explore what a Northern Olympics could mean, as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to drive transformational regeneration, job creation and infrastructure investment across the region.
The Government has therefore commissioned our expert arm’s length body, UK Sport, to carry out an initial strategic assessment examining whether it would be feasible for the UK to host an Olympic and Paralympic Games in the North of England in the 2040s.
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 funding has been allocated in the current financial year to support regional museums.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Museums funding is fully devolved to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
In England, DCMS announced earlier this year that it would allocate £160 million to accredited local museums in England from 2026/27 to 2029/30. Funding programmes for the current financial year include:
£25.5 million of Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND) to support infrastructure projects across 28 regional museums in England.
£13.6 million will be invested in a Museum Transformation fund to support English museums in achieving a more sustainable business model.
£4 million will be allocated amongst the 24 recipients of the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund to help local and regional museums across England improve their displays and increase the accessibility of exhibitions.
Arts Council England also provides roughly £44m per year through their National Portfolio and Museum Development Programme to regional museums in England.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of British Council programs in Northern Ireland on that country; and whether she plans to support the continuation of those programs.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The British Council plays a crucial role supporting the UK's interests around the world, including in Northern Ireland, supported by its work in education, arts and culture, and promoting the English language. The British Council is operationally independent from the UK Government.
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 assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of access to sports facilities for people living in rural communities.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to ensure everyone, regardless of where they live, should have access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities.
That is why we provide the majority of support for grassroots sports through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. They invest in over 90 Place Partnerships in various locations across the country, including in rural areas, to promote sport and physical activity.
In addition, on 27 January, the Government announced that £85 million of the £400 million package for grassroots sport facilities will be invested in during 2026/27, funding the continuation of the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme. In Northern Ireland specifically, £2.775 million will be invested through the programme. This funding is designed to increase participation opportunities and benefit the areas most in need, with 50% investment going to the 30% most deprived areas in the UK.
Asked by: Patrick Hurley (Labour - Southport)
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 potential impact of the British Council’s restructuring plans, including changes to its global network, on the level of opportunities for cultural organisations in northern England to engage internationally.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The British Council plays a vital role in promoting the UK’s values, language, and culture around the world, and is central to projecting the UK's soft power. My Department values the British Council’s work supporting the UK’s cultural and creative industries, helping organisations and artists to build networks, collaborate and develop markets across the world.
As the international partner for Bradford UK City of Culture 2025, the British Council elevated the city’s global profile by spotlighting its vibrant cultural diversity, creative energy and warm, welcoming spirit. This included facilitating collaboration with partners from 11 countries and delegations from 23 nations across four continents.
British Council funding and structure are a matter for the FCDO as the British Council’s sponsoring Department. On 19 March 2026, as part of the FCDO’s allocation of Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding for the next three years, it was announced that ODA funding for the British Council would be protected at its current levels up to the end of 2028/29, while non-ODA funding will be increased by £40 million over the same period.
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 her Department is taking to help protect whistleblowers in small charities.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Charity workers in England and Wales have statutory protections and are able to make disclosures to the Charity Commission for England and Wales about their charity. Charity workers in Northern Ireland and Scotland also have statutory protections and are able to make disclosures to the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland and the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator respectively.
Volunteers, including charity trustees, do not have the same statutory whistleblowing protections as workers. However, the Charity Commission treats whistleblowing disclosures by volunteers and trustees in the same way as disclosures by workers. DCMS considers the current protections for those who make whistleblowing disclosures, regardless of their status, to be appropriate.
The Charity Commission for England and Wales publishes guidance for charities on a range of subjects, including reporting serious wrongdoing at a charity as a worker or volunteer.
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, how much funding has been allocated through the Places of Worship Renewal Fund to places of worship in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Places of Worship Renewal Fund is England only as Heritage is a devolved policy area. The Northern Ireland Government received Barnett consequentials at the Spending Review, taking into account any changes to DCMS’ overall settlement. It is for the Northern Ireland government to consider whether to set up new arrangements should they so wish.
We are working closely with other funders in the sector to ensure that opportunities for funding places of worship throughout the UK are maximised. The NLHF already offers grants for places of worship across all the UK and is currently investing £100m over 3 years through National Lottery Heritage Grants and a strategic initiative designed to provide targeted support to build capacity.
Asked by: Jerome Mayhew (Conservative - Broadland and Fakenham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what financial support her Department will give to listed churches in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland once the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme has ended.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Heritage funding is a devolved matter. However, listed places of worship in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have benefitted from VAT rebate grants from the UK-wide Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which ran from 2001 to 2026.
At Spending Reviews, the Devolved Governments receive Barnett consequentials as a proportion of overall departmental settlements, not specific funding lines or programmes. In last year’s Spending Review, Barnett consequentials were confirmed for Devolved Governments in the usual way, taking into account the overall DCMS allocation, which includes capital funding for the England only Places of Worship Renewal Fund. Decisions on how this funding is spent are for the Devolved Governments to take.
We are working closely with other funders in the sector to ensure that opportunities for funding places of worship throughout the UK are maximised. The NLHF already offers grants for places of worship across all the UK and is currently investing £100m over 3 years through National Lottery Heritage Grants and a strategic initiative designed to provide targeted support to build capacity.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had discussions with the Minister for Communities in the Northern Ireland Executive on Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann being held in Belfast.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and I have regular discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive, including the Communities Minister, on a range of priorities. Northern Ireland Office officials have engaged directly with Comhaltas on the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann in Belfast this summer.
The Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann will be a great opportunity for Northern Ireland. As one of only three UK cities with UNESCO City of Music status, I am delighted that Belfast will host the world's largest celebration of Irish music and culture. This event will attract global visitors, providing a chance for the city to showcase its rich and diverse cultural offering. The decision by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann to bring the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann back to Belfast in 2027 is also very welcome news.