Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
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 3 February 2026 to Question 109187 and Question 109186 on Religious Buildings: Wales, what additional funding was agreed with the Treasury to support the Places of Worship Renewal Fund; and what amount of proportional funding was made available to the Welsh Government.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
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. Decisions on the allocation of this funding are then for the Devolved Governments to take. We are not therefore able to provide Barnett numbers relating to specific policy measures.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
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 impact of recently announced changes to capital funding for places of worship on places of worship in Wales.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Places of Worship Renewal Fund is focused solely on England because heritage policy is devolved. Future capital funding for Wales is supported through Barnett allocations, which provide proportional funding to the Welsh Government. As these funds are not ring-fenced, it is for the devolved administrations to determine how this funding is allocated and spent according to their priorities. Therefore, we do not plan to assess the impact of this capital funding for places of worship in Wales.
This contrasts with the previous Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme (LPWGS), which operated UK-wide as a VAT-rebate scheme. Tax policy is not devolved.
To ensure continued support across the UK, we are working closely with sector funders to maximise opportunities for all nations. The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) remains a vital resource, offering grants across the UK and investing £100 million over three years in places of worship. This includes a strategic initiative designed to provide targeted support and build capacity, ensuring that places of worship in Wales have access to investment.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
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 secure adequate funding opportunities for places of worship in Wales.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Places of Worship Renewal Fund is focused solely on England because heritage policy is devolved. Future capital funding for Wales is supported through Barnett allocations, which provide proportional funding to the Welsh Government. As these funds are not ring-fenced, it is for the devolved administrations to determine how this funding is allocated and spent according to their priorities. Therefore, we do not plan to assess the impact of this capital funding for places of worship in Wales.
This contrasts with the previous Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme (LPWGS), which operated UK-wide as a VAT-rebate scheme. Tax policy is not devolved.
To ensure continued support across the UK, we are working closely with sector funders to maximise opportunities for all nations. The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) remains a vital resource, offering grants across the UK and investing £100 million over three years in places of worship. This includes a strategic initiative designed to provide targeted support and build capacity, ensuring that places of worship in Wales have access to investment.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
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 Lawn Tennis Association on the provision of funding for (a) tennis and (b) padel facilities.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed at least £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the nation following the Spending Review.
We will now work closely with sporting bodies - including the Lawn Tennis Association - and local leaders to establish what each community needs and then set out further plans.
The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England - which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. Sport England provides long term investment to the LTA, which receives up to £10.2 million for 5 years from 2022 to invest in tennis and padel initiatives that will benefit as many people as possible.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
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 27 March 2025 to Question 40390 on Data, Statistics and Research on Sex and Gender Independent Review, what steps her Department is taking to implement the recommendations of the Sullivan Review.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The government has now published the independent review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender commissioned by the previous government. We are considering the findings in light of ongoing policy work in this area.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent progress her Department has made in ensuring women and girls have access to (a) safe and (b) fair play in gender-affected sports at all levels.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We want to break down the barriers that prevent women and girls from being active, including but not limited to kit, facilities, time and cost. As a government, we are investing £123 million in inclusive grassroots sport facilities that will support more women and girls to take part in the sports that they love.
Sporting bodies have a responsibility to protect the integrity and fairness of women's sport and the safety of all participants, particularly when it is not possible to balance those factors with inclusion.
National Governing Bodies set their own policies for who can participate in their sports in domestic competitions. Our UK sports councils have produced guidance to help domestic sports bodies determine the right position for their sport.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the England and Wales Cricket Board on the England Cricket team's participation in the championship trophy match with Afghanistan.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The UK Government condemns the appalling erosion of women and girls’ rights in Afghanistan. Sport operates independently of government, and participation in the ICC Champion’s Trophy match is a matter for the England and Wales Cricket Board and the International Cricket Council.
My officials are in contact with the England and Wales Cricket Board on the wider issue of the Afghanistan women’s cricket team. We welcome the fact that the ECB are making strong representations to the ICC on this issue and what support can be given.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
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 implications for her policies of the report by the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls entitled Violence against women and girls in sports, published on 27 August 2024.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We note the UN Special Rapporteurs's report and support the aim of promoting safe sporting environments for women and girls. We are dedicated to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, have access to high quality sport.
The Government has been clear that sporting bodies have a responsibility to protect the integrity and fairness of women's sport and the safety of all participants, particularly when it is not possible to balance those factors with inclusion.
With respect to eligibility, National Governing Bodies set their own policies for who can participate in their sports in domestic competitions, and rules for international competitions are set by International Federations. To help, in the UK, our Sports Councils have produced guidance, which is clear that inclusion, fairness and safety cannot be balanced in gender-affected sport.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
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 adequacy of the (a) Independent Press Standards Organisation and (b) Royal Charter on press self-regulation.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Independent and effective self-regulation of the press empowers the public to have trust in what is reported, which is vital to a strong and functioning democracy.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
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 a statutory gambling levy on funds available to charities who operate a charity lottery.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We are in the early stages of the new Government and are still considering the full range of gambling and lotteries policy.