Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
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 potential impact of the proposed acquisition of Electronic Arts on the level of employment in the video games sector.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
As set out in the Creative Industries Sector Plan, the Government is committed to supporting the growth of the UK video games sector. In April this year we launched the £30 million Games Growth Package, doubling funding to invest in UK games businesses, create new opportunities and develop future talent.
Under competition law, responsibility for investigating the impact of mergers and acquisitions on competition falls to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s independent competition authority sponsored by the Department for Business and Trade. The Government has ensured that the CMA has significant powers and expertise to investigate the benefits and risks of mergers in relation to competition, including those that may impact the video games sector.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure the curriculum is encouraging young people to consider careers in the video games sector.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
To ensure that children and young people are equipped with the essential knowledge and skills required for the future, this government is taking decisive action to modernise digital education.
Following the final report of the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, we are reforming the computing curriculum to strengthen digital literacy and digital creativity, including the creation of digital media. The report is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-and-assessment-review-final-report-government-response.
Furthermore, we are considering where digital literacy can be incorporated within other relevant subjects such as Art and Design.
These reforms are intended to help ensure that more young people develop the capabilities needed for careers across the digital economy. There will be opportunity to provide views on draft proposals for curriculum and GCSE subject content (those in the first phase) during the public consultation this September.
The National Centre for Computing Education also facilitates industry-led events for pupils, to raise awareness of digital careers, including within the video game sector.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help expand access to work experience placements for young people interested in careers in the video games industry.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is working with industry to deliver a UK-wide £9 million creative careers initiative, to equip young people with the ambition and knowledge to work in the creative industries. This includes ‘Into Games’ workshops in schools led by trained industry professionals, and ‘Get into Games’ regional careers festivals.
The department funds the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) to support schools and colleges to deliver high-quality careers education, including work experience. The CEC supports the science, technology, engineering and mathematics sector to raise awareness of the opportunities and pathways available. This includes ‘Tech She Can’, which encourages girls and young women to explore gaming and wider technology careers through initiatives such as a Virtual Employability Week.
There are also local programmes across the CEC careers hub network, for example Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, which works with leading gaming employers to strengthen the talent pipeline and deliver the Mayor’s pledge to support this key growth industry.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure that careers guidance in schools promotes video‑games careers to girls and young women.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is working with industry to deliver a UK-wide £9 million creative careers initiative, to equip young people with the ambition and knowledge to work in the creative industries. This includes ‘Into Games’ workshops in schools led by trained industry professionals, and ‘Get into Games’ regional careers festivals.
The department funds the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) to support schools and colleges to deliver high-quality careers education, including work experience. The CEC supports the science, technology, engineering and mathematics sector to raise awareness of the opportunities and pathways available. This includes ‘Tech She Can’, which encourages girls and young women to explore gaming and wider technology careers through initiatives such as a Virtual Employability Week.
There are also local programmes across the CEC careers hub network, for example Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, which works with leading gaming employers to strengthen the talent pipeline and deliver the Mayor’s pledge to support this key growth industry.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the proportion of qualifying expenditure for Video Games Expenditure Credit (VGEC) from 80 per cent to 100 per cent.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the importance of the creative industries, including the contribution made by the UK’s video games sector to growth and innovation.
Video games companies already benefit from a generous Video Games Expenditure Credit (VGEC) of 34%. In 2023-24, £327 million of Corporation Tax was relieved through video game tax relief. This generous tax support sits alongside the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s new £30 million Games Growth package, designed to back the next generation of start‑up studios and talent and attract further inward investment.
The Government is not currently considering increasing either the rate of relief or the qualifying expenditure limits for VGEC.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the Video Games Expenditure Credit (VGEC) to 53%.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the importance of the creative industries, including the contribution made by the UK’s video games sector to growth and innovation.
Video games companies already benefit from a generous Video Games Expenditure Credit (VGEC) of 34%. In 2023-24, £327 million of Corporation Tax was relieved through video game tax relief. This generous tax support sits alongside the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s new £30 million Games Growth package, designed to back the next generation of start‑up studios and talent and attract further inward investment.
The Government is not currently considering increasing either the rate of relief or the qualifying expenditure limits for VGEC.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the levels of video games studio closures, and what steps she is taking to support the long‑term sustainability of the UK video games development sector.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
This Government has committed to supporting the video games sector as part of the Creative Industries Sector Plan, published last year, which sets out support for the industry in order to address the challenges it faces.
In April, we launched the £30 million Games Growth Package, which included a substantial uplift to the UK Games Fund to support growth of UK games studios and talent from all regions of the UK, as well as new funding for London Games Festival to promote inward investment into the sector. This was informed by previous positive evaluation findings on the UK Games Fund, and our work with industry to understand investment gaps and opportunities for growth.
As part of that expansion, the new ‘Entry Track’ is focused on newly formed games development studios and graduates with limited experience, providing grants of up to £20,000 to support development of their first title.
The UK also offers competitive tax relief via the Video Games Expenditure Credit, which continues to make the UK one of the leading destinations in the world for making video games.
Making creative careers accessible for everyone is a key priority for the Government, and we welcome the sector-led work to improve diversity through initiatives such as Women in Games. However, we understand that more work is needed to improve diversity and representation in the creative industries, so we are also encouraged by the creation of the UK Games Industry Shadow Council to oversee equality, diversity and inclusion in the industry until the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority expands its remit to cover the video games sector.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
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 hep support the establishment and growth of video games studios in South Norfolk.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
This Government has committed to supporting the video games sector as part of the Creative Industries Sector Plan, published last year, which sets out support for the industry in order to address the challenges it faces.
In April, we launched the £30 million Games Growth Package, which included a substantial uplift to the UK Games Fund to support growth of UK games studios and talent from all regions of the UK, as well as new funding for London Games Festival to promote inward investment into the sector. This was informed by previous positive evaluation findings on the UK Games Fund, and our work with industry to understand investment gaps and opportunities for growth.
As part of that expansion, the new ‘Entry Track’ is focused on newly formed games development studios and graduates with limited experience, providing grants of up to £20,000 to support development of their first title.
The UK also offers competitive tax relief via the Video Games Expenditure Credit, which continues to make the UK one of the leading destinations in the world for making video games.
Making creative careers accessible for everyone is a key priority for the Government, and we welcome the sector-led work to improve diversity through initiatives such as Women in Games. However, we understand that more work is needed to improve diversity and representation in the creative industries, so we are also encouraged by the creation of the UK Games Industry Shadow Council to oversee equality, diversity and inclusion in the industry until the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority expands its remit to cover the video games sector.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her department will review the effectiveness of the updated Standard Industrial Classification codes for the video games industry following their implementation.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The new 2026 UK Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) framework will introduce a new dedicated 4-digit code for video games development, alongside the existing 4-digit code for video games publishing and new activity such as esports.
My department will continue to work with the sector, including with the Video Games Council, to understand the impacts of these changes, and monitor data from official statistics published as part of our Sector Economic Estimates series.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
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 ensure the long-term presence of video game studios in a) the UK b) the East of England.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
This Government has committed to supporting the video games sector as part of the Creative Industries Sector Plan, published last year, which sets out support for the industry in order to address the challenges it faces.
In April, we launched the £30 million Games Growth Package, which included a substantial uplift to the UK Games Fund to support growth of UK games studios and talent from all regions of the UK, as well as new funding for London Games Festival to promote inward investment into the sector. This was informed by previous positive evaluation findings on the UK Games Fund, and our work with industry to understand investment gaps and opportunities for growth.
As part of that expansion, the new ‘Entry Track’ is focused on newly formed games development studios and graduates with limited experience, providing grants of up to £20,000 to support development of their first title.
The UK also offers competitive tax relief via the Video Games Expenditure Credit, which continues to make the UK one of the leading destinations in the world for making video games.
Making creative careers accessible for everyone is a key priority for the Government, and we welcome the sector-led work to improve diversity through initiatives such as Women in Games. However, we understand that more work is needed to improve diversity and representation in the creative industries, so we are also encouraged by the creation of the UK Games Industry Shadow Council to oversee equality, diversity and inclusion in the industry until the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority expands its remit to cover the video games sector.