Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport

The Government has noted the BBC report on Socioeconomic Impact of BBC Children’s and Education, published on 3 March 2026, and strongly supports the BBC providing high quality children’s and educational content.

The BBC’s Royal Charter sets out its Mission and Public Purposes, including to inform, educate and entertain; support learning of people at all ages, including children and teenagers. The BBC is a significant provider of original UK children’s programmes, and in 2024, accounted for 88% of all first-run UK-originated children’s programming by Public Service Broadcasters. The volume of informal learning content on BBC iPlayer has also grown by 60% since 2021.

The Government published a Green Paper on BBC Charter Review last year, which also sets out our ambition for the BBC to support ‘at risk’ content, including children’s and educational content. We also want the BBC to build on its work helping people of all ages build digital skills and confidence - through services like BBC Bitesize - to ensure that everyone can continue to benefit from its services.

The BBC is a cornerstone of our world-leading creative economy because of its reach and impact - nurturing home-grown talent, driving technological change, and encouraging investment into the UK creative sector. The Charter Review is a vital way we can support this ecosystem and will focus on ensuring the BBC is able to continue playing a central role in the growth of the UK’s creative economy, including entering into mutually beneficial partnerships.

The Government recognises the importance of children’s programming and the positive impact it can have on a child’s development. This can be supported not only through educational programming, but through high-quality narratives and storytelling, building their understanding of the world around them. We are committed to supporting high quality, culturally relevant, UK-made children’s content and the considerable benefits it brings.

The Government provides generous tax reliefs at a rate of 39% of UK production costs for children’s TV and for animation (equivalent to 29.25% net after tax), with no cap on the total funds available. Additionally, as part of the Creative Industries Sector Plan, we are investing in the future of film and TV - including through a £75 million Screen Growth Package over three years, aimed at making the UK the premier global hub for screen content production.

The Government continues to engage with creators, producers, broadcasters, and video-sharing platforms to see how they can work more closely together to surface UK-made, high quality content. We welcome the Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s inquiry into children’s TV and video content, and look forward to its conclusions.

More broadly, we recognise that news media plays a vital role particularly at local level in aiding social cohesion and civic engagement, and acting as a key source of trustworthy information to help counter mis and disinformation. We are developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of local journalism. One pillar of the Strategy will focus on helping local media over the longer term to adapt to changing online audience habits, including by promoting the value of journalism to young people, who are the most likely segment of the population to use alternative sources of news and information. More will be announced on the Strategy in due course.

The Government recognises the importance of children’s programming and the positive impact it can have on a child’s development. This can be supported not only through educational programming, but through high-quality narratives and storytelling, building their understanding of the world around them. We are committed to supporting high quality, culturally relevant, UK-made children’s content and the considerable benefits it brings.

The Government provides generous tax reliefs at a rate of 39% of UK production costs for children’s TV and for animation (equivalent to 29.25% net after tax), with no cap on the total funds available. Additionally, as part of the Creative Industries Sector Plan, we are investing in the future of film and TV - including through a £75 million Screen Growth Package over three years, aimed at making the UK the premier global hub for screen content production.

The Government continues to engage with creators, producers, broadcasters, and video-sharing platforms to see how they can work more closely together to surface UK-made, high quality content. We welcome the Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s inquiry into children’s TV and video content, and look forward to its conclusions.

More broadly, we recognise that news media plays a vital role particularly at local level in aiding social cohesion and civic engagement, and acting as a key source of trustworthy information to help counter mis and disinformation. We are developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of local journalism. One pillar of the Strategy will focus on helping local media over the longer term to adapt to changing online audience habits, including by promoting the value of journalism to young people, who are the most likely segment of the population to use alternative sources of news and information. More will be announced on the Strategy in due course.

The Government recognises the importance of children’s programming and the positive impact it can have on a child’s development. This can be supported not only through educational programming, but through high-quality narratives and storytelling, building their understanding of the world around them. We are committed to supporting high quality, culturally relevant, UK-made children’s content and the considerable benefits it brings.

The Government provides generous tax reliefs at a rate of 39% of UK production costs for children’s TV and for animation (equivalent to 29.25% net after tax), with no cap on the total funds available. Additionally, as part of the Creative Industries Sector Plan, we are investing in the future of film and TV - including through a £75 million Screen Growth Package over three years, aimed at making the UK the premier global hub for screen content production.

The Government continues to engage with creators, producers, broadcasters, and video-sharing platforms to see how they can work more closely together to surface UK-made, high quality content. We welcome the Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s inquiry into children’s TV and video content, and look forward to its conclusions.

More broadly, we recognise that news media plays a vital role particularly at local level in aiding social cohesion and civic engagement, and acting as a key source of trustworthy information to help counter mis and disinformation. We are developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of local journalism. One pillar of the Strategy will focus on helping local media over the longer term to adapt to changing online audience habits, including by promoting the value of journalism to young people, who are the most likely segment of the population to use alternative sources of news and information. More will be announced on the Strategy in due course.

The Government recognises the importance of children’s programming and the positive impact it can have on a child’s development. This can be supported not only through educational programming, but through high-quality narratives and storytelling, building their understanding of the world around them. We are committed to supporting high quality, culturally relevant, UK-made children’s content and the considerable benefits it brings.

The Government provides generous tax reliefs at a rate of 39% of UK production costs for children’s TV and for animation (equivalent to 29.25% net after tax), with no cap on the total funds available. Additionally, as part of the Creative Industries Sector Plan, we are investing in the future of film and TV - including through a £75 million Screen Growth Package over three years, aimed at making the UK the premier global hub for screen content production.

The Government continues to engage with creators, producers, broadcasters, and video-sharing platforms to see how they can work more closely together to surface UK-made, high quality content. We welcome the Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s inquiry into children’s TV and video content, and look forward to its conclusions.

More broadly, we recognise that news media plays a vital role particularly at local level in aiding social cohesion and civic engagement, and acting as a key source of trustworthy information to help counter mis and disinformation. We are developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of local journalism. One pillar of the Strategy will focus on helping local media over the longer term to adapt to changing online audience habits, including by promoting the value of journalism to young people, who are the most likely segment of the population to use alternative sources of news and information. More will be announced on the Strategy in due course.

The Government recognises the importance of children’s programming and the positive impact it can have on a child’s development. This can be supported not only through educational programming, but through high-quality narratives and storytelling, building their understanding of the world around them. We are committed to supporting high quality, culturally relevant, UK-made children’s content and the considerable benefits it brings.

The Government provides generous tax reliefs at a rate of 39% of UK production costs for children’s TV and for animation (equivalent to 29.25% net after tax), with no cap on the total funds available. Additionally, as part of the Creative Industries Sector Plan, we are investing in the future of film and TV - including through a £75 million Screen Growth Package over three years, aimed at making the UK the premier global hub for screen content production.

The Government continues to engage with creators, producers, broadcasters, and video-sharing platforms to see how they can work more closely together to surface UK-made, high quality content. We welcome the Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s inquiry into children’s TV and video content, and look forward to its conclusions.

More broadly, we recognise that news media plays a vital role particularly at local level in aiding social cohesion and civic engagement, and acting as a key source of trustworthy information to help counter mis and disinformation. We are developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of local journalism. One pillar of the Strategy will focus on helping local media over the longer term to adapt to changing online audience habits, including by promoting the value of journalism to young people, who are the most likely segment of the population to use alternative sources of news and information. More will be announced on the Strategy in due course.

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

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 sports facilities, including public leisure, across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We are working closely with the public leisure sector, sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated.

We are working closely with the sport sector stakeholders and local leaders to develop plans for funding for a range of sports across the country based on what each community needs. We will keep stakeholders and the wider sport sector updated as this work progresses, and we will announce plans once they have been fully developed.

Alongside the Government’s announcement of £85 million of investment via the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme (MSGF) in 2026/27, we set out that an additional £15 million will be invested into innovative facilities in England, to allow more people to participate in sports they wish to. This builds on £98 million delivered through the MSGF in 2025/26, which has benefitted nearly 1000 community grassroots sport projects.

Our programme delivery partner for the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme, the Football Foundation, makes decisions on which projects they fund based on a variety of factors, including how a project demonstrates an ability to satisfy programme objectives linked to multi-sport provision, investment into areas of need, and increased participation for women and girls.

We are working closely with the sport sector stakeholders and local leaders to develop plans for funding for a range of sports across the country based on what each community needs. We will keep stakeholders and the wider sport sector updated as this work progresses, and we will announce plans once they have been fully developed.

Alongside the Government’s announcement of £85 million of investment via the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme (MSGF) in 2026/27, we set out that an additional £15 million will be invested into innovative facilities in England, to allow more people to participate in sports they wish to. This builds on £98 million delivered through the MSGF in 2025/26, which has benefitted nearly 1000 community grassroots sport projects.

Our programme delivery partner for the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme, the Football Foundation, makes decisions on which projects they fund based on a variety of factors, including how a project demonstrates an ability to satisfy programme objectives linked to multi-sport provision, investment into areas of need, and increased participation for women and girls.

DCMS engaged extensively with HM Treasury in the run up to the Autumn Budget 2025 and provided evidence to HM Treasury on the anticipated impact to the sport and leisure sector.

The Government has announced a support package worth £4.3 billion to protect against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in their business rates bills because of the revaluation.

In addition, the Government is introducing new permanently lower multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties, which are worth nearly £1 billion per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties.

As a result, over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down, next year. This also means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

While DCMS has not made a specific assessment of the potential for these initiatives to lead to a national renewal of the historic Grand Tour of England, we continue to encourage creative proposals that celebrate England’s cultural heritage and landscapes and contribute to economic development across communities.

DCMS encourages innovative partnerships and thematic product development, such as proposals to revive the Grand Tour linking Shropshire and Essex, to create a powerful thematic draw for both domestic and international visitors. To support this, VisitEngland is working with the VisitBritain international network and events programme to ensure regional offerings are integrated into the global travel trade and bookable by international travel trade.

DCMS welcomes Shropshire’s consultation on their Destination Management Plan (DMP) 2026–2029, which references the potential of working with Essex on the Grand Tour concept as a strong example of the partnership working. The DMP provides a strategic framework for enhancing the visitor economy in Shropshire, home to world-class attractions including the UNESCO-listed Ironbridge Gorge, the medieval Ludlow Castle and the scenic Shropshire Hills AONB.

The Government recognises the valuable contribution that providers of minority language broadcasting have in our society and the preservation of our national heritage.

The Media Act 2024 makes clear in legislation the importance of programmes broadcast in the UK’s indigenous and minority languages - including Scottish Gaelic - by including it in the modernised public service remit for television in the UK.

The Public Service Broadcasters, as well as MG ALBA, are operationally and editorially independent from Government, and specific decisions regarding content are a matter for them. MG ALBA committed in its 2024/25 annual plan to explicitly consider international reach and opportunities.

The Government launched the BBC Charter Review last year, which will consider how the BBC can best support minority language broadcasting, including Welsh and Scottish Gaelic. The Green paper also sets out that we are considering what further obligations the BBC should have to ensure a broad range of public service content is promoted within the BBC’s own platforms.

On funding, we will consider options for providing MG ALBA with more certainty over its partnership arrangements with the BBC and its funding as part of the Charter Review.

The Government recognises the valuable contribution that providers of minority language broadcasting have in our society and the preservation of our national heritage.

The Media Act 2024 makes clear in legislation the importance of programmes broadcast in the UK’s indigenous and minority languages - including Scottish Gaelic - by including it in the modernised public service remit for television in the UK.

The Public Service Broadcasters, as well as MG ALBA, are operationally and editorially independent from Government, and specific decisions regarding content are a matter for them. MG ALBA committed in its 2024/25 annual plan to explicitly consider international reach and opportunities.

The Government launched the BBC Charter Review last year, which will consider how the BBC can best support minority language broadcasting, including Welsh and Scottish Gaelic. The Green paper also sets out that we are considering what further obligations the BBC should have to ensure a broad range of public service content is promoted within the BBC’s own platforms.

On funding, we will consider options for providing MG ALBA with more certainty over its partnership arrangements with the BBC and its funding as part of the Charter Review.

The Government recognises the valuable contribution that providers of minority language broadcasting have in our society and the preservation of our national heritage.

The Media Act 2024 makes clear in legislation the importance of programmes broadcast in the UK’s indigenous and minority languages - including Scottish Gaelic - by including it in the modernised public service remit for television in the UK.

The Public Service Broadcasters, as well as MG ALBA, are operationally and editorially independent from Government, and specific decisions regarding content are a matter for them. MG ALBA committed in its 2024/25 annual plan to explicitly consider international reach and opportunities.

The Government launched the BBC Charter Review last year, which will consider how the BBC can best support minority language broadcasting, including Welsh and Scottish Gaelic. The Green paper also sets out that we are considering what further obligations the BBC should have to ensure a broad range of public service content is promoted within the BBC’s own platforms.

On funding, we will consider options for providing MG ALBA with more certainty over its partnership arrangements with the BBC and its funding as part of the Charter Review.

As set out in the National Youth Strategy, we will explore reviewing the current local authorities’ statutory duty for youth services and how to empower local authorities to better deliver on their responsibilities for youth services.

DCMS recognises the importance of ensuring that Local Authorities are appropriately supported to deliver safe and effective youth provision. DCMS has committed £70 million over the next three years to support local authorities to rebuild a high-quality offer for young people and create a network of 50 Young Futures Hubs.

Independent cinemas play an important role in our communities, providing an accessible form of culture for people across the UK. Independent cinemas can apply for various public funding schemes through DCMS's Arm's Length Bodies if they meet the eligibility criteria. For example, through the British Film Institute, cinemas can access support for audience-facing projects through the BFI National Lottery Audience Projects Fund; and can join the BFI Film Audience Network and apply for funding to support projects that bring audiences together for screenings of UK independent and international films. Cinemas based in not-for-profit mixed arts venues in England may also meet the eligibility criteria for Arts Council England's Creative Foundations Fund; we estimate this applies to approximately 13% of the 218 full-time independent cinemas in the UK. This sector will also benefit from permanently lower business rates multipliers for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure venues, starting this year.

As of 1 April 2026, the annual cost of the colour TV licence will increase by £5.50, in line with CPI inflation. This uplift will provide the BBC with a stable financial footing to continue delivering for audiences and supporting the wider creative industries.

Under the 2022 Licence Fee Settlement, the cost of the licence fee was frozen for two years and then required to increase annually in line with CPI inflation until the end of the current Charter Period (2027). The Culture Secretary committed to increasing the licence fee in line with CPI annually for the remainder of this Charter Period in a Written Ministerial Statement in 2024.

As part of the Charter Review, the government is looking at a range of options to ensure the BBC’s funding model is sustainable while also being fair and affordable for households.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport engaged extensively with video-on-demand services and disability advocacy groups throughout the passage of the Media Act 2024 and its implementation. This included organisations such as the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) and the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). The Act sets minimum requirements for accessibility features, including that Tier 1 services must ensure that 80% of their total catalogue is subtitled, 10% is audio-described, and 5% is signed. These requirements mirror the existing access service requirements in place for commercial broadcasters and will be kept under review. The Government is also clear that these are minimum requirements, and fully expect services to go beyond this where feasible.

Ofcom will shortly consult on and draft a new accessibility code, which will be an opportunity for the public and providers to share their views on the new rules. Once implemented, where Tier 1 services do not meet the requirements set out in the new accessibility code, Ofcom has powers to issue statutory sanctions, including financial penalties, where appropriate. These sanctions can be applied to both UK and non-UK Tier 1 services. Further information, including a draft of the regulations, can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/statement-on-designation-of-tier-1-video-on-demand-vod-services.

Ofcom reports annually on the access services provided by UK-regulated video-on-demand services. The most recent report covers 2024, and is available here: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/accessibility/television-and-on-demand-programme-services-access-services-report--january-to-december-2024.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport engaged extensively with video-on-demand services and disability advocacy groups throughout the passage of the Media Act 2024 and its implementation. This included organisations such as the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) and the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). The Act sets minimum requirements for accessibility features, including that Tier 1 services must ensure that 80% of their total catalogue is subtitled, 10% is audio-described, and 5% is signed. These requirements mirror the existing access service requirements in place for commercial broadcasters and will be kept under review. The Government is also clear that these are minimum requirements, and fully expect services to go beyond this where feasible.

Ofcom will shortly consult on and draft a new accessibility code, which will be an opportunity for the public and providers to share their views on the new rules. Once implemented, where Tier 1 services do not meet the requirements set out in the new accessibility code, Ofcom has powers to issue statutory sanctions, including financial penalties, where appropriate. These sanctions can be applied to both UK and non-UK Tier 1 services. Further information, including a draft of the regulations, can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/statement-on-designation-of-tier-1-video-on-demand-vod-services.

Ofcom reports annually on the access services provided by UK-regulated video-on-demand services. The most recent report covers 2024, and is available here: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/accessibility/television-and-on-demand-programme-services-access-services-report--january-to-december-2024.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport engaged extensively with video-on-demand services and disability advocacy groups throughout the passage of the Media Act 2024 and its implementation. This included organisations such as the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) and the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). The Act sets minimum requirements for accessibility features, including that Tier 1 services must ensure that 80% of their total catalogue is subtitled, 10% is audio-described, and 5% is signed. These requirements mirror the existing access service requirements in place for commercial broadcasters and will be kept under review. The Government is also clear that these are minimum requirements, and fully expect services to go beyond this where feasible.

Ofcom will shortly consult on and draft a new accessibility code, which will be an opportunity for the public and providers to share their views on the new rules. Once implemented, where Tier 1 services do not meet the requirements set out in the new accessibility code, Ofcom has powers to issue statutory sanctions, including financial penalties, where appropriate. These sanctions can be applied to both UK and non-UK Tier 1 services. Further information, including a draft of the regulations, can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/statement-on-designation-of-tier-1-video-on-demand-vod-services.

Ofcom reports annually on the access services provided by UK-regulated video-on-demand services. The most recent report covers 2024, and is available here: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/accessibility/television-and-on-demand-programme-services-access-services-report--january-to-december-2024.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport engaged extensively with video-on-demand services and disability advocacy groups throughout the passage of the Media Act 2024 and its implementation. This included organisations such as the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) and the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). The Act sets minimum requirements for accessibility features, including that Tier 1 services must ensure that 80% of their total catalogue is subtitled, 10% is audio-described, and 5% is signed. These requirements mirror the existing access service requirements in place for commercial broadcasters and will be kept under review. The Government is also clear that these are minimum requirements, and fully expect services to go beyond this where feasible.

Ofcom will shortly consult on and draft a new accessibility code, which will be an opportunity for the public and providers to share their views on the new rules. Once implemented, where Tier 1 services do not meet the requirements set out in the new accessibility code, Ofcom has powers to issue statutory sanctions, including financial penalties, where appropriate. These sanctions can be applied to both UK and non-UK Tier 1 services. Further information, including a draft of the regulations, can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/statement-on-designation-of-tier-1-video-on-demand-vod-services.

Ofcom reports annually on the access services provided by UK-regulated video-on-demand services. The most recent report covers 2024, and is available here: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/accessibility/television-and-on-demand-programme-services-access-services-report--january-to-december-2024.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport engaged extensively with video-on-demand services and disability advocacy groups throughout the passage of the Media Act 2024 and its implementation. This included organisations such as the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) and the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). The Act sets minimum requirements for accessibility features, including that Tier 1 services must ensure that 80% of their total catalogue is subtitled, 10% is audio-described, and 5% is signed. These requirements mirror the existing access service requirements in place for commercial broadcasters and will be kept under review. The Government is also clear that these are minimum requirements, and fully expect services to go beyond this where feasible.

Ofcom will shortly consult on and draft a new accessibility code, which will be an opportunity for the public and providers to share their views on the new rules. Once implemented, where Tier 1 services do not meet the requirements set out in the new accessibility code, Ofcom has powers to issue statutory sanctions, including financial penalties, where appropriate. These sanctions can be applied to both UK and non-UK Tier 1 services. Further information, including a draft of the regulations, can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/statement-on-designation-of-tier-1-video-on-demand-vod-services.

Ofcom reports annually on the access services provided by UK-regulated video-on-demand services. The most recent report covers 2024, and is available here: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/accessibility/television-and-on-demand-programme-services-access-services-report--january-to-december-2024.

The Government will shortly lay the On-demand Programme Services (Tier 1 Services) Regulations 2026. These regulations will designate video-on-demand services with more than 500,000 average monthly users in the UK as Tier 1 services, bringing them under enhanced regulation by Ofcom. Under the Media Act 2024, YouTube channels that commercial public service broadcasters use to fulfil their public service remit will also be Tier 1 services. Other channels hosted on video-sharing platforms, such as YouTube, are exempt from the regulations. However, these channels may still have other legal obligations, for example under the Online Safety Act 2023. Further information, including a draft of the regulations, can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/statement-on-designation-of-tier-1-video-on-demand-vod-services.

The DCMS employee benefits package is directly shaped by employee demand. At present, joining a credit union is not included in our provision as we haven’t seen a significant appetite or interest. There is no requirement for DCMS to provide a facility for payroll deductions for employees who wish to join a credit union.

The tables in the attached PDF set out Arts Council England grants which support a) opera and b) brass bands for the years 2022/2023, 2023/2024, and 2024/2025. Please note that the distinction between Primary and Non-Primary Subclassifiers is important. It clarifies the difference between organisations primarily focused on opera or brass bands, and those for whom the disciplines form only part of their wider work.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is the independent regulator for advertising in the UK and enforces the ‘CAP Code’ and ‘BCAP Code’, which set the standards for non-broadcast and broadcast advertising, respectively. These codes include specific rules intended to protect consumers from misleading marketing communications. If advertising includes the omission, exaggeration, or ambiguous presentation of information, it can be considered misleading. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has also set guidance about how companies advertise broadband speeds. The ASA recommends that companies show the average speed that at least 50% of their customers receive at the network’s busiest time (8-10pm) to not be considered misleading.

If an advertisement is found to be in breach of the codes, the ASA will instruct that it be withdrawn or amended, and in some cases may escalate to the appropriate statutory backstop.

We have set out our expectation that all duty bearers, including Departments and their arm’s-length bodies, follow the law as clarified by the Supreme Court ruling and seek specialist legal advice where necessary. The Prime Minister has underlined this recently.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has submitted a draft Code of Practice on services, public functions and associations to Ministers, and we are reviewing it with the care it deserves. This will provide further guidance to duty bearers.

Last year the government announced new consumer protection measures in the ticketing market. A strong consumer protection regime is essential for protecting consumers from harmful practices and stimulating competition to drive down prices. It is also good for businesses – helping to create a level playing field by penalising unscrupulous competitors and giving consumers greater confidence to engage in markets.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) already has powers to investigate and take action against businesses that breach competition law, including by abusing a dominant position in a market. The CMA is currently investigating two secondary ticketing sites for potential breaches of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, under which traders are prohibited from showing consumers an initial headline price for a product and then introducing additional mandatory charges as consumers proceed with a purchase or transaction.

To drive the long-term growth of the UK music sector, the government’s Creative Industries Sector Plan announced a Music Growth Package of up to £30m over three years, launching this spring and designed to boost domestic and international activity in our music sector and encourage private investment. We have also encouraged widespread adoption of a voluntary industry ticket levy on arena and stadium gigs to reverse the decline in grassroots venues and enable more artists to tour internationally.

We do not hold this information, as it is difficult to calculate the exact number of people who use unlicensed operators. British consumers using these sites do so using a virtual private network which affects web traffic data.

However, the Government remains committed to tackling the illegal market and the threats it poses to British consumers. Last year, the Gambling Commission published a series of research reports on the illegal market and is working to further improve its evidence base. We also invite further information on the use of unlicensed operators through the consultation process.

On 2 March DCMS announced £150,000 for public libraries to support the National Year of Reading. Funding will be delivered by The Reading Agency in support of the Go All In campaign to reconnect people with reading for pleasure.

The £150,000 fund is expected to support projects across 72 library authority areas which are disadvantaged by high deprivation, weak social infrastructure and low library engagement with the aim of encouraging greater library use and new members.

Public libraries are central to the success of the National Year of Reading’s campaign to engage people of all ages with reading across the UK. The Reading Agency has been appointed to work with sector partners to deliver and support public library engagement. The Summer Reading Challenge in 2026, and World Book Night, the annual celebration of reading for adults on 23 April 2026, will be key moments for libraries during the National Year of Reading 2026. Throughout the year, The Reading Agency will provide public libraries with resources, toolkits, and print and digital materials to support their work and boost engagement.

On 2 March DCMS announced £150,000 for public libraries to support the National Year of Reading. Funding will be delivered by The Reading Agency in support of the Go All In campaign to reconnect people with reading for pleasure.

The £150,000 fund is expected to support projects across 72 library authority areas which are disadvantaged by high deprivation, weak social infrastructure and low library engagement with the aim of encouraging greater library use and new members.

Public libraries are central to the success of the National Year of Reading’s campaign to engage people of all ages with reading across the UK. The Reading Agency has been appointed to work with sector partners to deliver and support public library engagement. The Summer Reading Challenge in 2026, and World Book Night, the annual celebration of reading for adults on 23 April 2026, will be key moments for libraries during the National Year of Reading 2026. Throughout the year, The Reading Agency will provide public libraries with resources, toolkits, and print and digital materials to support their work and boost engagement.

This year the statutory levy has raised just under £120 million, which will be ringfenced solely for the use of tackling gambling-related harm. Details on how this has been allocated are available in this Written Ministerial Statement.

DCMS will publish an Annual Report setting out each year how levy funds have been spent. We expect the first Annual Report to be published this summer.

Arts and culture in Scotland is a devolved matter.

The UK Government provides the Scottish Government with a settlement through the Barnett Formula which they can spend on cultural activities and priorities across Scotland. The Scottish Government also has substantial revenue raising capability. Support for the National Galleries Scotland’s project The Art Works in North Edinburgh is best directed to the Scottish Government who make the decisions about how to prioritise cultural funding.

DCMS does not hold data on the number of visitors to sites owned by Historic England. The National Heritage Collection, operated by English Heritage Trust, comprises more than 400 historic sites and monuments, and the majority of these are free to enter. As some of these sites are not staffed on a day-to-day basis, English Heritage are unable to collect complete data on visitors to these sites by age group.

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. Barnett consequentials were confirmed taking into account the overall DCMS allocation, which includes funding for the Places of Worship Renewal fund. Decisions on the allocation of this funding are then for the Devolved Governments to take.

The Government introduced a statutory gambling levy, a mandatory charge on licensed gambling operators, in April 2025. Funds collected from the levy will be used exclusively for the research, prevention and treatment of gambling harm across Great Britain. The levy has raised just under £120 million in its first year.

20% of these funds will be allocated to research, 30% to prevention and 50% to treatment. Scotland and Wales will receive their appropriate share, to ensure prevention, treatment and support are available across Great Britain.

Officials are in frequent contact with officials in the Scottish and Welsh Governments, ensuring a stable transition to the statutory system. Additionally, both Welsh and Scottish officials sit on the Levy Delivery Group and the Levy Programme Board, each meeting quarterly. Terms of reference and membership of these groups can be found here.

While the UK Government and Scottish and Welsh Governments are coordinating closely on levy implementation, health policy is a devolved matter.

We cannot provide the number of HR Directors or details of their professional qualifications. Disclosing this information would breach the Data Protection Act and risk identifying individual staff members because the data concerns five or fewer employees and relates to individuals other than the data subjects. We do not hold data on the qualifications held by employees of DCMS Arms Length Bodies.

Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register, last published on 6 November 2025, identified 4,891 heritage assets at risk in England. The register identifies designated sites that are most at risk of being lost as a result of neglect, decay or inappropriate development. More information can be found on Historic England’s website: https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/heritage-at-risk/buildings-at-risk/.

While no assessment has been made of the adequacy of apprenticeship and training provisions to support the repair and conservation of heritage, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working with the heritage sector to utilise the government’s investment in skills education to grow the workforce. We are engaging with the Department for Education and Skills England to ensure heritage skills are recognised and developed. Through the fully funded SME apprenticeships for under-25s, we are giving smaller heritage organisations the opportunity to deliver flexible, affordable apprenticeships in heritage skills and conservation.

Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire received Million Hours Funding, to enable local youth services to deliver more positive activities in anti-social behaviour hotspots, giving young people a place to go and reducing young people's involvement in crime.

In December 2025, we launched Youth Matters: Your National Youth Strategy’ a 10 year plan to ensure every young person across the country has somewhere to go, someone who cares for them and a community they feel part of.

This is backed by over £500 million of new youth funding over the next 3 years from DCMS, which complements a range of funding committed by other departments. The majority of the funding underpinning the first steps of the Strategy will be available from next the financial year 2026/27. We will share more information as our plans develop, including details on the eligible areas for funding.

I am responding as the Minister for Sport, Tourism, Civil Society and Youth with responsibility for DCMS youth enrichment policy.

On 10th December 2025, we published ‘Youth Matters’, the first cross-government Strategy for young people in England in 15 years. Backed by £500m of DCMS funding over the next 3 years, the Strategy will ensure every young person has somewhere to go, someone who cares for them and a community they feel part of. We are working closely with Other Government Departments to ensure the successful delivery and accountability of the National Youth Strategy, including the implementation of enriching activities for young people. This involves establishing a cross-government reporting and governance process to ensure successful delivery.

I am responding as the Minister for Sport, Tourism, Civil Society and Youth with responsibility for DCMS youth enrichment policy.

On 10th December 2025, we published ‘Youth Matters’, the first cross-government Strategy for young people in England in 15 years. Backed by £500m of DCMS funding over the next 3 years, the Strategy will ensure every young person has somewhere to go, someone who cares for them and a community they feel part of. We are working closely with Other Government Departments to ensure the successful delivery and accountability of the National Youth Strategy, including the implementation of enriching activities for young people. This involves establishing a cross-government reporting and governance process to ensure successful delivery.

DCMS operates a ‘hybrid’ approach led by business needs, and as a result many employees will work both from home and in the workplace on an informal basis. DCMS staff agree to a contracted office location at the time of their appointment, with hybrid working as the default working pattern. Therefore staff are categorised as either office-based or remote-working (homeworking).

Fewer than five employees (less than 1% of the workforce) are designated as contractual homeworkers.

DCMS remains committed to flexible working and the business benefits that it offers, including supporting the Civil Service priority of ensuring continued, effective and productive delivery of the work carried out by civil servants across the full range of services.

We consider a wide range of evidence when making policy and regulatory decisions. This includes consideration of Sheffield University’s recent report on World Cup advertising and its impact on gambling behaviour.

All operators advertising in the UK must comply with robust advertising codes. These codes are regularly reviewed and updated. In this context, those include a ban on gambling advertisements during pre-watershed live sports broadcasts lasting from 5 minutes before to 5 minutes after the event itself.

The Government recognises that exposure to gambling advertising is an important issue. We continue to consider a wide range of evidence in this space and will work closely with relevant stakeholders to further strengthen protections. This includes our recent announcement of an intention to consult on banning sports sponsorship by unlicensed gambling operators.

The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 requires all local authorities in England to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. Each local authority is responsible for assessing the needs of their local communities and designing a library service to meet those needs within their available resources.

Library service provision, including the number and location of static libraries, should take account of factors such as the rurality of the area and the availability and cost of public transport links. The statutory library provision in Nottinghamshire is delivered from 58 static libraries, as well as a mobile library service, consisting of three library vehicles, and a home library service.

The Libraries Improvement Fund which enables library services to upgrade buildings and technology so they are better placed to respond to the changing ways people are using them, has, since June 2021, provided nearly £400,000 to support various projects in Nottinghamshire libraries, including self-service technology in Huthwaite.