Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport

Ministers and officials regularly engage with counterparts in HM Treasury about gambling duties. DCMS has shared information with HM Treasury relating to the wider regulatory context for the gambling industry, including recent regulatory changes resulting from the white paper.

High-quality, inclusive facilities help people get active. Everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, should have access to them and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity. That is why, in June, we committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. This funding will be invested in new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities that promote health and wellbeing and remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.

High-quality, inclusive facilities help people get active. Everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, should have access to them and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity. That is why, in June, we committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. This funding will be invested in new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities that promote health and wellbeing and remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to leisure facilities, including swimming pools, which are vital spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and which play an important role within communities across the country.

The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.

In June, we committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We will ensure that this funding promotes health, wellbeing and community cohesion and helps to remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.

Responsibility for the cross-Government Young Futures Hubs programme transferred from the Department for Education to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 1st September.

On Tuesday 15th July, the Prime Minister set out plans to open 50 hubs over the next four years. Up to £2m is being made available for 8 Early Adopters Local Authorities, in areas of high-knife crime and/or antisocial behaviour, so that the first Young Futures Hubs will be operational later this financial year. Early Adopters will select the precise location of their Young Futures Hub based on local needs. More information will be shared in due course.

The design and implementation of the programme in future years will be informed by our work with early adopters.

Responsibility for the cross-Government Young Futures Hubs programme transferred from the Department for Education to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 1st September.

On Tuesday 15th July, the Prime Minister set out plans to open 50 hubs over the next four years. Up to £2m is being made available for 8 Early Adopters Local Authorities, in areas of high-knife crime and/or antisocial behaviour, so that the first Young Futures Hubs will be operational later this financial year. Early Adopters will select the precise location of their Young Futures Hub based on local needs. More information will be shared in due course.

The design and implementation of the programme in future years will be informed by our work with early adopters.

Section 14 of the Football Governance Act requires the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) to publish an annual report, to include a summary of activities undertaken that year. The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport can direct the IFR to include specific information.

Details of the exact content of the IFR’s annual report are being considered by the organisation and are not yet finalised.

The Independent Football Regulator (IFR) will have the ability to test incumbent owners and officers where it has grounds for concern over their suitability. If an incumbent owner or officer is found to be unsuitable, the IFR has a strong suite of powers to remove them. This approach reduces unnecessary burdens on suitable owners and proportionately targets testing where there is a risk of harm to clubs.

The department does not centrally record data on staff who do not meet our 60% office attendance expectation, this is managed locally by line managers.

Failure to meet a reasonable request from a line manager can result in a sanction under our disciplinary procedure for failing to follow a reasonable management request.

The Football Governance Act establishes an operationally independent regulator. The Act does not provide for any ongoing ministerial or parliamentary role in the IFR’s ownership tests. This is to stop undue political interference in football.

DCMS has made no such assessment. Overall responsibility for consumer regulation, including Package Travel Regulations, sits with the Department for Business and Trade.

The Union Flag has flown every day from a flagpole on the 1 Horse Guards Road side of DCMS’ main site at Government Offices Great George Street throughout 2024 and to date in 2025.

DCMS closely monitors factors that may influence inbound tourism, including the cost of electronic travel authorisations (ETAs). We recognise the importance of balancing secure and efficient border processes with the need to remain competitive as a global tourism destination.

DCMS continues to engage with the Home Office to ensure that any changes to the cost of ETAs are proportionate and informed by robust evidence on their potential impact on our 50m inbound target. Supporting the UK's tourism industry remains a priority, and we will continue to review any challenges to its growth.

21% of staff in DCMS have a flexible working arrangement - which represents 275 individuals. Of these, 138 (50%) work compressed hours.

Future proposals on Gambling Duties are a matter for HMT, should legislative changes come about following this consultation, we expect them to be accompanied by tax and impact notes from HMT, as is standard practice.

Government recognises the important contributions family entertainment centres make to local communities, particularly seaside towns. However, this sector has seen a number of closures in recent years. We intend to consult on changes to stakes and prizes for Category D machines to understand if this would be an appropriate way to support the sector while maintaining protections for children and young people. These machines include seaside arcade staples, such as crane grabs and coin pushers.

The government will continue to engage with a range of stakeholders throughout the consultation process, to best understand the potential impacts of adjusting stake and prize limits for Category D machines. We intend to launch a consultation this year, and we will welcome responses from coastal communities.

The Department does not attach provisions on mentoring and role modelling in its funding of UK sports bodies. All DCMS funds to sports bodies go through UK Sport and Sport England.

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed another £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 (LTA) - 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.

The Government does not allocate funding to the staffing of professional sport.

UK Sport does fund the performance programmes of Olympic and Paralympic sport, but does not allocate specific funding for paternity or maternity leave. Funding is delegated to National Governing Bodies (NGBs) to manage in line with the needs of their programmes.

The Department has not engaged the Sport, Leisure and Culture Consultancy (SLC) as an external provider.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to leisure centres and swimming pools, which are vital spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and which play an important role within communities across the country.

The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.

In June, we committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We will ensure that this funding promotes health, wellbeing and community cohesion and helps to remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to leisure facilities, including swimming pools, which are vital spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and which play an important role within communities across the country.

The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.

In June, we committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We will ensure that this funding promotes health, wellbeing and community cohesion and helps to remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.

The Creative Industries Sector Plan was announced in June and contains ambitious proposals to bolster growth in the creative industries across the UK. The Sector Plan highlights Belfast & Derry/Londonderry as a high potential cluster for creative industries growth and recognises their unique investment offer.

UK wide activity outlined in the Sector Plan includes increased funding to the UKRI Creative Industries Clusters Programme, increased access to support from the British Business Bank and increased exporting support from UK Export Finance. DCMS is committed to working with the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure creative businesses benefit from this activity.

Northern Ireland has a thriving screen sector. DCMS will continue to work with the Northern Ireland Executive to support this sector, including continued annual funding from the UK Government, through the British Film Institute, to Northern Ireland Screen to support the Irish Language and Ulster-Scots Broadcast Funds.

The Government recognises the significant contribution that business events make to the UK economy, supporting jobs, driving regional growth, and showcasing the UK’s strengths on the global stage. Officials in DCMS continue to engage regularly with industry stakeholders to ensure that government policy reflects the needs of the sector.

The Department keeps its resourcing under review to ensure it can deliver against its priorities effectively, but there are no current plans to change the number or grade of civil servants specifically allocated to supporting the business events sector.

No such discussions have taken place. Car parking charges for publicly-owned car parks are primarily a matter for local authorities.

The Independent Review announced by the previous Government and conducted by Malcom Sheehan KC made a number of recommendations for the Gambling Commission and Financial Conduct Authority, both of which are independent of Government. All recommendations of the report have since been implemented.

Under its current Charter, the BBC has an obligation to ‘reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all of the United Kingdom’s nations and regions’. Ofcom sets specific obligations for the BBC on programme making in the nations and regions including requiring that at least 50% of network TV programme hours and production spend must be made outside the M25, and 30% of relevant radio spend outside the M25. The BBC is operationally and editorially independent of the Government in determining how it meets its obligations, and it is subsequently for the independent regulator Ofcom to hold the BBC to account in meeting those obligations. BBC reporting shows it is consistently meeting or exceeding these quotas.

The Secretary of State does not have specific plans to discuss this issue with the Director General. However, as part of the next Charter Review, the Government will engage with the BBC and others to consider how to ensure the BBC truly represents and delivers for every person in this country including to be more ambitious in growing our world-leading TV sector outside of London and the South East, and to commission content in every part of the country.

The BBC is operationally and editorially independent from the Government, and the Government cannot intervene in the BBC’s day-to-day operations. The decision on transmissions and distribution of BBC radio services, including for how much longer the BBC maintains Radio 4 long wave, is wholly a matter for the BBC.

The Government understands how important it is that citizens can access information in times of national emergency. Radio plays an important role in providing such access in a range of different emergency scenarios, including scenarios where other communications may be disrupted. The BBC has specific requirements under its Framework Agreement in relation to broadcast security and resilience, and works closely with DCMS in ensuring its networks are able to support emergency communications.

The UK's obligations under Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights concern cultural participation, science, and intellectual property, and are the responsibility of a number of Government departments. Obligations relating to science fall within the remit of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

The twelve National Lottery distributor bodies provide good cause funding to organisations independently of Government.

Any specific questions on eligibility for projects should be directed to the relevant distributor.

The Government believes that opportunities to play sport and get physically active should be available to everyone, including children and young people. Everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity.

Every bit of physical activity counts and the greatest public health benefit is enabling people, currently less active, to move more and lead more active lives. This can help to reduce the risk of a range of chronic diseases, in line with the Government’s aims to prevent ill health as set out in the recent NHS 10 Year Plan.

The Secretary of State and I engage regularly with the leadership of Sport England, including at quarterly meetings with the Chairs and CEOs of all DCMS public bodies.

A large part of Sport England’s work focuses on bringing the health and sports sectors together at community level, including their place partnerships work which is working in a targeted way with local areas to understand and overcome the specific barriers in their communities. Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire is one of Sport England’s place partnerships.

The Government believes that opportunities to play sport and get physically active should be available to everyone, including children and young people. Everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity.

Every bit of physical activity counts and the greatest public health benefit is enabling people, currently less active, to move more and lead more active lives. This can help to reduce the risk of a range of chronic diseases, in line with the Government’s aims to prevent ill health as set out in the recent NHS 10 Year Plan.

The Secretary of State and I engage regularly with the leadership of Sport England, including at quarterly meetings with the Chairs and CEOs of all DCMS public bodies.

A large part of Sport England’s work focuses on bringing the health and sports sectors together at community level, including their place partnerships work which is working in a targeted way with local areas to understand and overcome the specific barriers in their communities. Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire is one of Sport England’s place partnerships.

The Government believes that opportunities to play sport and get physically active should be available to everyone, including children and young people. Everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity.

Every bit of physical activity counts and the greatest public health benefit is enabling people, currently less active, to move more and lead more active lives. This can help to reduce the risk of a range of chronic diseases, in line with the Government’s aims to prevent ill health as set out in the recent NHS 10 Year Plan.

The Secretary of State and I engage regularly with the leadership of Sport England, including at quarterly meetings with the Chairs and CEOs of all DCMS public bodies.

A large part of Sport England’s work focuses on bringing the health and sports sectors together at community level, including their place partnerships work which is working in a targeted way with local areas to understand and overcome the specific barriers in their communities. Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire is one of Sport England’s place partnerships.

This Government fully recognises the importance of youth services to help young people live safe and healthy lives, and we are committed to giving all young people the chance to reach their full potential. We are co-producing a new National Youth Strategy with young people and the sector to better target support and provide opportunities to young people, no matter who they are or where they live.

In 2025/26, DCMS is investing over £145 million in youth funding. This investment will provide stability to the youth sector and ensure young people can access opportunities, as we transition to the National Youth Strategy.

Additionally, the government announced that £132.5 million of dormant assets funding will be allocated to support the provision of services, facilities or opportunities to meet the needs of young people. This will increase disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in the arts, culture, sports and wider youth services, aimed at improving wellbeing and employability.

The Government recognises the different levels of resources and the different ownership models of smaller and community-owned football clubs. That is why the Football Governance Act has designed the owners’ and directors’ tests to be applied by the Independent Football Regulator in a proportionate way in line with its regulatory principles. For example, the Regulator will recognise that an owner’s financial plans and resources required for a smaller club will understandably be very different to that of a Premier League club.

The Act also accounts for community-owned football clubs in its definition of an owner, ensuring that the tests will be applied appropriately.

I met with senior RFU figures while supporting England at the opening fixture of the Women's Rugby World Cup. There I discussed the delivery of the tournament as well as other policy issues, including the demand for women’s sport, government support for women’s sport and the RFU’s legacy programme for the tournament: Impact 25. The Secretary of State and I also attended the Women’s Rugby World Cup 100 ‘Days to go’ launch event in May 2025, where we discussed tournament delivery with senior RFU figures and other stakeholders.

I met with Premiership Rugby in November 2024 to discuss the long-term financial sustainability of professional rugby union. Since then, my officials have engaged with Premiership Rugby regularly.

I will continue to discuss how the planning system can contribute to the provision of local sporting facilities with my ministerial colleagues at the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, helps local authorities assess likely increases in demand for sports facilities, and advises on how Section 106 agreements with developers can be used to secure the necessary improvements or creation of these facilities to benefit the community.

The Government is committed to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, are able to participate in sport and physical activity.

Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign has inspired millions of women and girls to get active and anticipates that 1.6 million women will be active as a result of the campaign by 2028.

Sport England have awarded the Rugby Football Union £13,859,000 as one of their long-term system partners for the period 2022-27 to support grassroots men’s and women’s rugby union.

DCMS has provided £17.98 million of investment to support England hosting the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, including £6.77m legacy funding.

This tournament can be the springboard for women's rugby, just as the women's EUROs in 2022 was for women’s football. A record-breaking 400,000 tickets have been sold and 43,500 women and girls are now playing rugby. The legacy programme, Impact 25, is pivotal in cementing rugby as a game for all- improving facilities, reaching 850 clubs up and down the country, and supporting greater opportunities for women and girls of all ages to get involved.

We’re also launching the Women’s Sport Taskforce at the Rugby World Cup to tackle challenges and barriers facing women and girls in sport, including rugby, from grassroots to elite. Meeting actions will be published on gov.uk.

The Government is committed to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, are able to participate in sport and physical activity.

Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign has inspired millions of women and girls to get active and anticipates that 1.6 million women will be active as a result of the campaign by 2028.

Sport England have awarded the Rugby Football Union £13,859,000 as one of their long-term system partners for the period 2022-27 to support grassroots men’s and women’s rugby union.

DCMS has provided £17.98 million of investment to support England hosting the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, including £6.77m legacy funding.

This tournament can be the springboard for women's rugby, just as the women's EUROs in 2022 was for women’s football. A record-breaking 400,000 tickets have been sold and 43,500 women and girls are now playing rugby. The legacy programme, Impact 25, is pivotal in cementing rugby as a game for all- improving facilities, reaching 850 clubs up and down the country, and supporting greater opportunities for women and girls of all ages to get involved.

We’re also launching the Women’s Sport Taskforce at the Rugby World Cup to tackle challenges and barriers facing women and girls in sport, including rugby, from grassroots to elite. Meeting actions will be published on gov.uk.

Based on a sample of 400 cases, the average time between Historic England receiving an application for listing and the notification of a decision to interested parties was between 36 and 37 weeks between April 2024 and April 2025, which is the latest period for which figures are available. For a given case, this time frame is likely to incorporate stages including desk-based research, a site visit and a period of consultation before Historic England’s advice is submitted to DCMS Ministers for decision.

DCMS works with Arm's-Length Bodies, such as Historic England, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and other partner organisations to support owners of listed buildings in a range of ways including through advice, guidance, and supporting heritage skills which are required to make some repairs.

The owners of heritage buildings are ultimately responsible for the condition of their property, but there are wider schemes available in certain cases, particularly where there are wider public benefits:

Historic England’s Repair Grants for Heritage at Risk Scheme which provides grants for the repair and conservation of listed buildings, scheduled monuments, and registered parks and gardens. This funding is specifically aimed at sites on the Heritage at Risk Register, focusing on urgent repairs to prevent the loss or damage of important features.

• The National Lottery Heritage Fund offers grants between £10,000 and £10 million to projects that connect people and communities to the UK’s heritage. This could include covering repair work as part of a wider project.

• The up to £23 million Listed Places of Worship Grant scheme gives grants of up to £25,000 covering the VAT on repairs to listed buildings used as places of worship.

• The Museum Estate and Development Fund is funded by DCMS and delivered through Arts Council England. This provides funding towards urgent infrastructure and maintenance needs which are beyond the scope of day-to-day budgets. The fund is for accredited museums in England, many of which are in landmark, listed buildings. Round 5 of the fund is currently in progress, with £25m of funding available.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) works closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on ensuring heritage delivers on this Government's core missions including planning reform. Ministers and officials have regular engagement with MHCLG on topics such as the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, the Government’s review of Statutory Consultees, and wider planning reform.

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has had no recent engagement with the National Army Museum, an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body and sponsored by the Ministry of Defence. Officials meet regularly with the three service museums to share wider museum sector updates, and this includes the Director of the National Army Museum as well as officials from the Ministry of Defence.

There are creative industries clusters and micro clusters in every part of the UK and they , all of which are equally crucial to the delivery of our Growth Mission. We are keen to ensure that there are no cultural not-spots in the country and that everyone has an equal chance to pursue a career in the creative industries whether they live in a major metropolitan area or not.

The new 10-year Creative Industries Sector Plan seeks to tackles barriers to growth and maximises opportunities across the Creative Industries sector throughout the UK. As part of this, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Greater Manchester Combined Authority will also receive shares of the £150million Creative Places Growth Fund which can be used to support the Creative Industries in local towns in the North West.

Arts Council England (ACE) supports organisations through their National Portfolio (NPOs) programme which provides funding of over £450 million a year to arts organisations across the country, many of which provide programmes in local community settings. Between 2023 and 2026 almost £50 million per annum will be invested into organisations in the North West through the NPO programme, including in areas outside major city hubs.

The British Film Institute (BFI) works with a network of partners across the country, including the North West, both to administer funding and to deliver activity under their ten-year strategy, Screen Culture 2033. For example, through the BFI’s National Lottery Screen Clusters Fund, Screen Manchester and Liverpool Film Office, as partners in Screen Alliance North, have received funding to support below-the-line skills and training activity across the North. This includes workshops with industry professionals for students at Warrington Vale Royal, helping to connect them with local employment opportunities.