Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport will focus on supporting culture, arts, media, sport, tourism and civil society across every part of England — recognising the UK’s world-leading position in these areas and the importance of these sectors in contributing so much to our economy, way of life and our reputation around the world.



Secretary of State

 Portrait

Lisa Nandy
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

Shadow Ministers / Spokeperson
Liberal Democrat
Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury (LD - Life peer)
Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Culture, Media and Sport)
Max Wilkinson (LD - Cheltenham)
Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Culture, Media and Sport)

Conservative
Stuart Andrew (Con - Daventry)
Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Junior Shadow Ministers / Deputy Spokesperson
Conservative
Saqib Bhatti (Con - Meriden and Solihull East)
Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con - Life peer)
Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
Junior Shadow Ministers / Deputy Spokesperson
Conservative
Louie French (Con - Old Bexley and Sidcup)
Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Culture, Media and Sport)
Ministers of State
Chris Bryant (Lab - Rhondda and Ogmore)
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State
Stephanie Peacock (Lab - Barnsley South)
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
There are no upcoming events identified
Debates
Tuesday 29th April 2025
Select Committee Inquiry
Thursday 19th December 2024
State of Play

The Culture, Media and Sport Committee wants to give everyone across the world of culture, media and sport the chance …

Written Answers
Wednesday 30th April 2025
Video Games: Skilled Workers
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that skilled video game developers and producers remain …
Secondary Legislation
Monday 16th January 2023
Public Lending Right Scheme 1982 (Commencement of Variation) Order 2023
This Order brings into force on 13th February 2023 a variation of the Public Lending Right Scheme 1982 (“the Scheme”) …
Bills
Monday 18th July 2022
Data Protection and Digital Information Bill 2022-23
A Bill to make provision for the regulation of the processing of information relating to identified or identifiable living individuals; …
Dept. Publications
Wednesday 30th April 2025
12:00

Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Commons Appearances

Oral Answers to Questions is a regularly scheduled appearance where the Secretary of State and junior minister will answer at the Dispatch Box questions from backbench MPs

Other Commons Chamber appearances can be:
  • Urgent Questions where the Speaker has selected a question to which a Minister must reply that day
  • Adjornment Debates a 30 minute debate attended by a Minister that concludes the day in Parliament.
  • Oral Statements informing the Commons of a significant development, where backbench MP's can then question the Minister making the statement.

Westminster Hall debates are performed in response to backbench MPs or e-petitions asking for a Minister to address a detailed issue

Written Statements are made when a current event is not sufficiently significant to require an Oral Statement, but the House is required to be informed.

Most Recent Commons Appearances by Category
Apr. 03
Oral Questions
Feb. 27
Urgent Questions
Apr. 29
Written Statements
Mar. 26
Westminster Hall
Feb. 27
Adjournment Debate
View All Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Commons Contibutions

Bills currently before Parliament

Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport does not have Bills currently before Parliament


Acts of Parliament created in the 2024 Parliament

Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport has not passed any Acts during the 2024 Parliament

Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport - Secondary Legislation

This Order brings into force on 13th February 2023 a variation of the Public Lending Right Scheme 1982 (“the Scheme”) made by the Secretary of State.
These Regulations limit the wholesale roaming rates chargeable to mobile phone service providers in certain countries or territories with which the United Kingdom has an international agreement.
View All Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Secondary Legislation

Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Trending Petitions
Petitions with most signatures
Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport has not participated in any petition debates
View All Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Petitions

Departmental Select Committee

Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Commons Select Committees are a formally established cross-party group of backbench MPs tasked with holding a Government department to account.

At any time there will be number of ongoing investigations into the work of the Department, or issues which fall within the oversight of the Department. Witnesses can be summoned from within the Government and outside to assist in these inquiries.

Select Committee findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website. The government then usually has 60 days to reply to the committee's recommendations.


11 Members of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Caroline Dinenage Portrait
Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Culture, Media and Sport Committee Member since 9th September 2024
Paul Waugh Portrait
Paul Waugh (Labour (Co-op) - Rochdale)
Culture, Media and Sport Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Tom Rutland Portrait
Tom Rutland (Labour - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Culture, Media and Sport Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Jo Platt Portrait
Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Culture, Media and Sport Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Natasha Irons Portrait
Natasha Irons (Labour - Croydon East)
Culture, Media and Sport Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Rupa Huq Portrait
Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Culture, Media and Sport Committee Member since 21st October 2024
James Frith Portrait
James Frith (Labour - Bury North)
Culture, Media and Sport Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Bayo Alaba Portrait
Bayo Alaba (Labour - Southend East and Rochford)
Culture, Media and Sport Committee Member since 21st October 2024
Liz Jarvis Portrait
Liz Jarvis (Liberal Democrat - Eastleigh)
Culture, Media and Sport Committee Member since 28th October 2024
Zöe Franklin Portrait
Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Culture, Media and Sport Committee Member since 28th October 2024
Damian Hinds Portrait
Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Culture, Media and Sport Committee Member since 9th December 2024
Culture, Media and Sport Committee: Upcoming Events
Culture, Media and Sport Committee - Oral evidence
The work of Ofcom
6 May 2025, 2 p.m.
At 2:30pm: Oral evidence
Dame Melanie Dawes DCB - Chief Executive at Ofcom
The Lord Grade of Yarmouth CBE - Chair at Ofcom

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Culture, Media and Sport Committee - Oral evidence
Pre-appointment hearing for the Chair of the Independent Football Regulator
7 May 2025, 9:30 a.m.
At 10:00am: Oral evidence
David Kogan OBE - Government’s preferred candidate for the Chair of the Independent Football Regulator

View calendar - Save to Calendar
Culture, Media and Sport Committee - Oral evidence
Pre-appointment hearing for the Chair of the Independent Football Regulator
7 May 2025, 9:45 a.m.
At 10:00am: Oral evidence
David Kogan OBE - Government’s preferred candidate for the Chair of the Independent Football Regulator

View calendar - Save to Calendar
Culture, Media and Sport Committee: Previous Inquiries
Impact of Covid-19 on the charity sector Impact of Covid-19 on DCMS sectors Combatting doping in sport inquiry Impact of Brexit on UK Creative industries, tourism and The Single Digital Market inquiry Channel 4 Annual Report 2016 inquiry Sport governance inquiry The work of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport inquiry BBC Annual Report and Accounts 2016-17 Disinformation and ‘fake news’ The work of Ofcom inquiry The work of the Charity Commission Live music inquiry The social impact of participation in culture and sport inquiry Appointment of the Chair of the Charity Commission Appointment of the Chair of Ofcom Wembley Stadium and the future of English football inquiry Immersive and addictive technologies inquiry Channel 4 Annual Report 2017 inquiry BBC Annual Report and Accounts 2017-18 inquiry The work of the Charity Commission inquiry BBC pay inquiry Channel 4 Annual Report 2018 inquiry Reality tv inquiry The future of English cricket inquiry BBC Annual Report 2018-19 and TV licences for over 75s inquiry The future of the National Lottery inquiry Administration of Football Clubs inquiry Garden tourism inquiry Lessons from the First World War Centenary inquiry Economics of music streaming Sport in our communities Connected tech: smart or sinister? Safety at major sporting events Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and the blockchain Women's sport Gambling regulation Current issues in rugby union Minority languages Appointment of Richard Sharp as Chair of the BBC The future of UK music festivals British Film and High-End Television Grassroots music venues British film and high-end television 2 BBC World Service Game On: Community and school sport Protecting built heritage State of Play The work of the Charity Commission Broadband and the road to 5G The future of public service broadcasting Concussion in sport Administration of Football Clubs The future of English cricket Disinformation and ‘fake news’ Garden tourism Immersive and addictive technologies Channel 4 Annual Report 2018 BBC Annual Report 2018-19 and TV licences for over 75s Live music The future of the National Lottery The work of Ofcom Reality tv The Social Impact of Participation in Culture and Sport The work of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Lessons from the First World War Centenary

50 most recent Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department

23rd Apr 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that skilled video game developers and producers remain in the United Kingdom.

The Government is committed to supporting the growth of the UK’s video games sector, which brings economic, cultural and social benefits across the UK.

The Video Games Expenditure Credit continues to make the UK one of the leading destinations in the world for making video games, offering companies credit equal to 34% of their qualifying expenditure.

The Government has also announced £5.5 million funding for the UK Games Fund (UKGF) for 2025/26, which will provide grants to early-stage studios across the UK to develop prototypes and new intellectual property, and run development programmes for new graduates.

Additionally, video games companies can benefit from the UK Global Screen Fund for international business development, and access support from the Create Growth Programme.

Baroness Twycross
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
22nd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the economic benefits of the (a) motorbike road racing season and (b) Ulster Superbike Championship in Northern Ireland.

The Government is committed to supporting economic growth in the sport sector, and ensuring this translates into tangible outcomes that span grassroots participation through to elite performance.

DCMS has not made an assessment of the economic benefits of the motorbike road racing season or the Ulster Superbike Championship in Northern Ireland specifically. However, the motorsport road racing season has an impact on the economy directly with live races, including at Brands Hatch, Silverstone, the North West 200 and others, as well as the indirect impact it makes via R&D advancements. These events are a highlight for many local communities, doing so much to make the UK the home of motorbike racing.

In September 2024, DCMS published the Sport Satellite Account. The results estimated that the sport sector as a whole contributed £53.6 billion directly to the UK economy in 2021 (equivalent to 2.6% of the total UK Gross Value Add in 2021).

The Sport Satellite Account estimated that the sport sector contributed £1.2 billion directly to the Northern Irish economy in 2021 (equivalent to 2.6% of the total Northern Irish Gross Value Add in 2021).

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
22nd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her Department's policy is on the participation of trans women in elite-level women’s sport in the UK in events sanctioned by an international sporting body that allows trans women to compete in its competitions.

We have always been clear that, when it comes to women's sport, biology matters. We will continue to support sports to develop policies that protect fairness and safety, particularly when it is not possible to balance those factors with inclusion.

In terms of gender eligibility, National Governing Bodies set their own policies for who can participate in their sports in domestic competitions. It is for International Federations to determine the rules for their sports at the international level of competition.

Our Sports Councils produce guidance to provide domestic sports bodies with the framework and support to determine the right position for their sport. Our Sports Councils are consulting with legal experts to clarify how the Supreme Court ruling affects the guidance. The outcome of this will feed into their timescale for a planned wider review of the guidance.

Alongside this, sports need to come up with approaches to ensure everyone has the opportunity to take part somehow - and I know that sporting bodies will be considering this in light of the Supreme Court decision.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
22nd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to publish guidance for sporting bodies on the eligibility criteria for women's sport.

We have always been clear that, when it comes to women's sport, biology matters. We will continue to support sports to develop policies that protect fairness and safety, particularly when it is not possible to balance those factors with inclusion.

In terms of gender eligibility, National Governing Bodies set their own policies for who can participate in their sports in domestic competitions. It is for International Federations to determine the rules for their sports at the international level of competition.

Our Sports Councils produce guidance to provide domestic sports bodies with the framework and support to determine the right position for their sport. Our Sports Councils are consulting with legal experts to clarify how the Supreme Court ruling affects the guidance. The outcome of this will feed into their timescale for a planned wider review of the guidance.

Alongside this, sports need to come up with approaches to ensure everyone has the opportunity to take part somehow - and I know that sporting bodies will be considering this in light of the Supreme Court decision.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
22nd Apr 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of fraud on the open display advertising market, and what action they plan to take to address it.

In 2022, DCMS consulted on the effectiveness of the self-regulatory framework for paid-for online advertising, with responses providing insight on a range of online advertising harms, including fraud. Alongside the consultation, research commissioned from independent digital media consultancy, Spark Ninety, analysed online advertising harms, the online advertising market and regulatory landscape. This included an overview of the open display advertising market and its associated supply chain and harms, including fraudulent advertising.

In addition to the fraudulent advertising duty in the Online Safety Act, the Online Advertising Taskforce, which brings together government and industry, was set up to help address these issues. The Taskforce aims to ensure the UK online advertising industry can grow sustainably while providing the necessary protections for consumers. It is working towards improving transparency, accountability and trust in the online advertising supply chain, continuing to build the evidence base and delivering a programme of work to help address fraudulent and other illegal advertising. It is also working to increase protections against children being served advertising for products and services that may not lawfully be sold to them.

In our manifesto the Government also committed to introducing an expanded Fraud Strategy, covering the continued and modern-day threats our society faces. Development of the strategy has begun and we are considering all harms, including fraudulent online advertising.

Baroness Twycross
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
22nd Apr 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to restrict future closures of Victoria Tower Gardens.

Access and usage of Victoria Tower Gardens is managed by the Royal Parks under its Contract for Services with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. We do not have any plans to restrict future closures of Victoria Tower Gardens.

Holocaust commemoration events have historically been held at the existing Holocaust Memorial in Hyde Park. Further to the previous agreement to use Victoria Tower Gardens for the Yom HaShoah commemorations in 2024, the Royal Parks sought the department’s views on the continued use of the Gardens on behalf of the event organisers. DCMS agreed to the continued use of Victoria Tower Gardens for commemoration of the 80th Anniversary National Holocaust Commemoration, Yom HaShoah, on 23rd April 2025.

Baroness Twycross
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
22nd Apr 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government on what authority The Royal Parks closed Victoria Tower Gardens on 23 April for the 80th Anniversary National Holocaust Commemoration.

Access and usage of Victoria Tower Gardens is managed by the Royal Parks under its Contract for Services with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. We do not have any plans to restrict future closures of Victoria Tower Gardens.

Holocaust commemoration events have historically been held at the existing Holocaust Memorial in Hyde Park. Further to the previous agreement to use Victoria Tower Gardens for the Yom HaShoah commemorations in 2024, the Royal Parks sought the department’s views on the continued use of the Gardens on behalf of the event organisers. DCMS agreed to the continued use of Victoria Tower Gardens for commemoration of the 80th Anniversary National Holocaust Commemoration, Yom HaShoah, on 23rd April 2025.

Baroness Twycross
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
22nd Apr 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the soft skills children and adults can develop through playing video games, and whether these can improve employment prospects.

The government is committed to supporting the growth of the UK’s video games sector, and this includes considering the impact of the sector’s activities and the economic, cultural and social benefits it brings across the UK.

Research conducted by the National Literacy Trust shows that gaming can support the development of skills like creativity, communication and literacy. These skills are particularly important for employability and serve not only creative industries, but prepare people for jobs across the whole economy - in 2020, there were 1,297,000 people in creative occupations outside of the creative industries.

To support the sector to thrive and continue developing soft skills in individuals, the government has announced £5.5 million funding for the UK Games Fund (UKGF) for 2025/26. This will provide grants to early-stage studios across the UK to develop prototypes and new intellectual property, and run development programmes for new graduates. Additionally, video games companies benefit from the Video Games Expenditure Credit, UK Global Screen Fund, and access support from the Create Growth Programme.

Baroness Twycross
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
22nd Apr 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) public, and (2) community, libraries have been visited by the Minister of State for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism during his time as Minister for Libraries between July 2024 and April 2025.

The Minister contributed to the 25th anniversary of the Reading Agency’s Summer Reading Challenge, as well as The British Library’s National StartUp Day.

After a change in the ministerial portfolios within DCMS, from 1 April 2025, I have now taken up the role as Minister with responsibilities for libraries.

Baroness Twycross
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
22nd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will extend the Arts Everywhere Fund to include (a) nightclubs, (b) electronic music and (c) other core contemporary culture.

The Government is working closely with the music and nightclub sectors, to strengthen the sustainability of the entire music ecosystem. Cultural venues, like nightclubs and music venues, provide enjoyment to many thousands of people as the opportunity to hear live music up close is an essential part of our cultural life.

We are continuing to support Arts Council England’s (ACE’s) Supporting Grassroots Music Fund by providing £2.5 million funding in 2025-26. This provides grants to grassroots music organisations, including those that host or promote electronic music.

Earlier this year we announced the Arts Everywhere Fund, a £270 million investment for arts venues, museums, libraries and the heritage sector, including the £85m Creative Foundations Fund. This fund will support arts and cultural organisations across England to resolve urgent issues with their estates. Not-for-profit and grassroots music venues will be eligible, and Arts Council England will release more details in due course. We expect the fund may be over-subscribed, so are not intending to extend its scope.

Buildings that are nightclubs, music venues or other contemporary cultural spaces may already be considered for designation as Listed Buildings, where they meet eligibility criteria for special architectural or historic interest. For example, The Crown Hotel, Station Street, Birmingham was listed at grade II in 2024. The music venue has special historical interest for its importance in the 1960s folk music revival, and in the late 1960s as the venue where Black Sabbath created their sound which shaped a new internationally popular genre of music; heavy metal.

Applications for listing specific nightclubs, music venues or other contemporary cultural spaces can be made to the Secretary of State via Historic England.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
22nd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) listing, (b) National Portfolio programmes and (c) other (i) heritage and (ii) community protection schemes include (A) nightclubs, (B) music venues and (C) other contemporary cultural spaces.

The Government is working closely with the music and nightclub sectors, to strengthen the sustainability of the entire music ecosystem. Cultural venues, like nightclubs and music venues, provide enjoyment to many thousands of people as the opportunity to hear live music up close is an essential part of our cultural life.

We are continuing to support Arts Council England’s (ACE’s) Supporting Grassroots Music Fund by providing £2.5 million funding in 2025-26. This provides grants to grassroots music organisations, including those that host or promote electronic music.

Earlier this year we announced the Arts Everywhere Fund, a £270 million investment for arts venues, museums, libraries and the heritage sector, including the £85m Creative Foundations Fund. This fund will support arts and cultural organisations across England to resolve urgent issues with their estates. Not-for-profit and grassroots music venues will be eligible, and Arts Council England will release more details in due course. We expect the fund may be over-subscribed, so are not intending to extend its scope.

Buildings that are nightclubs, music venues or other contemporary cultural spaces may already be considered for designation as Listed Buildings, where they meet eligibility criteria for special architectural or historic interest. For example, The Crown Hotel, Station Street, Birmingham was listed at grade II in 2024. The music venue has special historical interest for its importance in the 1960s folk music revival, and in the late 1960s as the venue where Black Sabbath created their sound which shaped a new internationally popular genre of music; heavy metal.

Applications for listing specific nightclubs, music venues or other contemporary cultural spaces can be made to the Secretary of State via Historic England.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
22nd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of modernising (a) heritage and (b) community protection schemes to include (i) nightclubs and (ii) grassroots music venues.

The Government is working closely with the music and nightclub sectors, to strengthen the sustainability of the entire music ecosystem. Cultural venues, like nightclubs and music venues, provide enjoyment to many thousands of people as the opportunity to hear live music up close is an essential part of our cultural life.

We are continuing to support Arts Council England’s (ACE’s) Supporting Grassroots Music Fund by providing £2.5 million funding in 2025-26. This provides grants to grassroots music organisations, including those that host or promote electronic music.

Earlier this year we announced the Arts Everywhere Fund, a £270 million investment for arts venues, museums, libraries and the heritage sector, including the £85m Creative Foundations Fund. This fund will support arts and cultural organisations across England to resolve urgent issues with their estates. Not-for-profit and grassroots music venues will be eligible, and Arts Council England will release more details in due course. We expect the fund may be over-subscribed, so are not intending to extend its scope.

Buildings that are nightclubs, music venues or other contemporary cultural spaces may already be considered for designation as Listed Buildings, where they meet eligibility criteria for special architectural or historic interest. For example, The Crown Hotel, Station Street, Birmingham was listed at grade II in 2024. The music venue has special historical interest for its importance in the 1960s folk music revival, and in the late 1960s as the venue where Black Sabbath created their sound which shaped a new internationally popular genre of music; heavy metal.

Applications for listing specific nightclubs, music venues or other contemporary cultural spaces can be made to the Secretary of State via Historic England.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
22nd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including (a) nightclubs, (b) electronic music and (c) other contemporary night-time culture in (i) Cultural Sector Plans, (ii) Growth and Innovation Funds and (iii) other Government-funded schemes.

The Government is working closely with the music and nightclub sectors, to strengthen the sustainability of the entire music ecosystem. Cultural venues, like nightclubs and music venues, provide enjoyment to many thousands of people as the opportunity to hear live music up close is an essential part of our cultural life.

We are continuing to support Arts Council England’s (ACE’s) Supporting Grassroots Music Fund by providing £2.5 million funding in 2025-26. This provides grants to grassroots music organisations, including those that host or promote electronic music.

Earlier this year we announced the Arts Everywhere Fund, a £270 million investment for arts venues, museums, libraries and the heritage sector, including the £85m Creative Foundations Fund. This fund will support arts and cultural organisations across England to resolve urgent issues with their estates. Not-for-profit and grassroots music venues will be eligible, and Arts Council England will release more details in due course. We expect the fund may be over-subscribed, so are not intending to extend its scope.

Buildings that are nightclubs, music venues or other contemporary cultural spaces may already be considered for designation as Listed Buildings, where they meet eligibility criteria for special architectural or historic interest. For example, The Crown Hotel, Station Street, Birmingham was listed at grade II in 2024. The music venue has special historical interest for its importance in the 1960s folk music revival, and in the late 1960s as the venue where Black Sabbath created their sound which shaped a new internationally popular genre of music; heavy metal.

Applications for listing specific nightclubs, music venues or other contemporary cultural spaces can be made to the Secretary of State via Historic England.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
22nd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support the tourism sector in urban areas.

The government is committed to the tourism sector maintaining its competitiveness. VisitBritain launched its latest ‘Starring Great Britain’ campaign in January, which will harness the powerful draw of Film and TV to drive inbound tourism towards UK’s cities and regions.

DCMS has announced a new Visitor Economy Advisory Council that will see industry and government work together to work towards the creation of a Visitor Economy Growth Strategy, set to be launched in autumn, mapping out plans to support the growth of the tourism industry.

The Government is implementing the most significant overhaul of regional destination management in a generation, creating a portfolio of nationally supported, strategic and high-performing Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) in partnership with VisitEngland, including those in urban areas such as London and Manchester.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the need for longitudinal research into the impact of online gambling on children and young people.

The government would welcome new longitudinal research on this topic to further build our evidence base to inform our understanding of children and young people’s gambling behaviour and harm in Great Britain.

The statutory levy on licensed gambling operators came into force on 6 April and will raise around £100 million each year. We have committed up to £20m of levy funding for quality, independent research overseen by UK Research and Innovation. This could include further work on longitudinal studies.

We continue to monitor the best available evidence to assess the impact of online gambling on children and young people.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made on the potential impact of gambling advertising, promotion and sponsorship on the (a) mental health and (b) finances of (i) people with a gambling problem and (ii) people susceptible to a gambling problem.

This government recognises that while advertising is a legitimate advantage which licensed operators have over illegal gambling firms, increased exposure to gambling advertising can have an impact on gambling participation. Some forms of advertising can also have a disproportionate impact on particular groups, such as children and those who are already experiencing problems with their gambling.

There are existing robust rules in place to ensure that advertising and marketing, whenever it appears, is socially responsible, with a particular regard to the need to protect children, young persons and other vulnerable persons from being harmed and exploited. The Gambling Commission is also introducing new requirements for operators to allow customers to have greater control over the direct marketing they receive, and measures to ensure that incentives such as free bets are constructed in a socially responsible manner.

However, we recognise that more can be done to improve protections. We have set the gambling industry a clear task to raise standards and this work will be monitored closely.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle gambling harms (a) nationally and (b) in Southampton Test constituency.

Those experiencing gambling-related harm in England can access specialist treatment through specialist NHS Gambling Clinics available in every region of the country, including the Southern Gambling Service. There is also a range of support through the National Gambling Support Network.

The Government has introduced a statutory levy on gambling operators to improve and expand the research, prevention and treatment of gambling harms. This will include ringfenced funding overseen by NHS England and appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales to commission the full treatment pathway, from referral and triage through to aftercare. We will continue to work with NHS England in collaboration with the Scottish and Welsh governments, as well as third sector providers, to design and deliver our approach to treatment of gambling-related harms across Great Britain.

Licensing authorities are able to set conditions on premises to mitigate risks posed by anti-social behaviour and crime. This can include imposing enhanced security requirements which take into account risks from their local area profiles. Premises licence holders must also conduct a local area risk assessment for each of their premises which includes risk mitigation around crime and anti-social behaviour. The local area risk assessment is subject to inspection by the licensing authority. There are also schemes such as Betwatch, a community-based crime prevention scheme between the Gambling Commission, the police, local council, and gambling premises, which is designed to tackle localised anti-social and criminal behaviour in and around betting shops.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of gambling premises on (a) anti-social behaviour and (b) other crime.

Those experiencing gambling-related harm in England can access specialist treatment through specialist NHS Gambling Clinics available in every region of the country, including the Southern Gambling Service. There is also a range of support through the National Gambling Support Network.

The Government has introduced a statutory levy on gambling operators to improve and expand the research, prevention and treatment of gambling harms. This will include ringfenced funding overseen by NHS England and appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales to commission the full treatment pathway, from referral and triage through to aftercare. We will continue to work with NHS England in collaboration with the Scottish and Welsh governments, as well as third sector providers, to design and deliver our approach to treatment of gambling-related harms across Great Britain.

Licensing authorities are able to set conditions on premises to mitigate risks posed by anti-social behaviour and crime. This can include imposing enhanced security requirements which take into account risks from their local area profiles. Premises licence holders must also conduct a local area risk assessment for each of their premises which includes risk mitigation around crime and anti-social behaviour. The local area risk assessment is subject to inspection by the licensing authority. There are also schemes such as Betwatch, a community-based crime prevention scheme between the Gambling Commission, the police, local council, and gambling premises, which is designed to tackle localised anti-social and criminal behaviour in and around betting shops.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
22nd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help protect (a) children and (b) young people from online gambling harms.

Since 2020, children and young people have been taught about the risks relating to gambling as part of the statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum in England. 30% of statutory gambling levy funding will be allocated to prevention activity, including education and early intervention to help raise awareness of harmful gambling and the support available.

There are also a range of robust protections in place to ensure that gambling advertising, whenever it appears, is socially responsible, with a particular regard to the need to protect children, young persons and other vulnerable persons from being harmed and exploited.

We continue to monitor the best available evidence to inform how we reduce gambling harm amongst children and young people.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has considered providing funding for the creation of a Covid-19 memorial in Romford constituency.

The UK Commission on Covid Commemoration consulted on how to commemorate the COVID-19 pandemic and mark this distinctive period in our history at a national and community level. This Commission made a number of recommendations, including the importance of local memorials in commemorating the Covid-19 pandemic in providing a place to grieve and remember their loved ones. Since the publication of the Commission’s report, a number of COVID-19 memorials have been developed across the country by local Government, local businesses and community groups.

This government wants to carefully consider all the Commission's recommendations, working closely with Bereaved Family groups, wider stakeholders and the Devolved Governments to do justice to the hard work of the Commission, and will publish a response, including to the recommendation around the creation of new memorials, in due course.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
24th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to ensure that streaming services ensure their content is not in breach of UK law.

Ofcom regulates the content on UK-based streaming services through their on-demand programme services rules. Under regulations introduced through the Media Act 2024, the Government is giving Ofcom new powers to draft and enforce a Video-on-demand Code for designated services, which can include non-UK based streaming services. This will be similar to the Broadcasting Code, which sets appropriate standards for content on linear television, including rules on harmful and offensive material, accuracy, fairness, and privacy. In addition, the distribution of particular types of content can constitute a criminal offence.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
24th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to respond to Question 39494 on Veterans: Anniversaries, tabled on 19 March 2025.

Answers were provided to the Hon Member on 25th April. I apologise for the delay.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
24th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to respond to Question 39495 on Veterans: Anniversaries, tabled on 19 March 2025.

Answers were provided to the Hon Member on 25th April. I apologise for the delay.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
24th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to respond to Question 39496 on Veterans: Anniversaries, tabled on 19 March 2025.

Answers were provided to the Hon Member on 25th April. I apologise for the delay.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
24th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to respond to Question 39497 on Veterans: Anniversaries, tabled on 19 March 2025.

Answers were provided to the Hon Member on 25th April. I apologise for the delay.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
24th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with the organisers of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on requiring targeted hygiene protocols.

DCMS officials are in regular contact with the Glasgow 2026 Organising Company (OC).

The OC has confirmed it is developing health and medical plans for the Games as part of ongoing event planning, in line with statutory regulations. It has engaged with medical providers and public health agencies and is establishing a Medical and Public Health Working Group to develop this work with partners.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what (a) religious and (b) cultural holidays are observed by their Department.

The UK Civil Service only formally observes the government-set bank holidays.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what guidance her Department plans to provide to sports governing bodies on maintaining female-only categories for biological women following the Supreme Court ruling of the definition of sex in the Equality Act 2010.

We have always been clear that, when it comes to women's sport, biology matters. We will continue to support sports to develop policies that protect fairness and safety, particularly when it is not possible to balance those factors with inclusion.

In terms of gender eligibility, National Governing Bodies set their own policies for who can participate in their sports in domestic competitions. Our Sports Councils produce guidance to provide domestic sports bodies with the framework and support to determine the right position for their sport. Our Sports Councils are consulting with legal experts to clarify whether the Supreme Court ruling affects the guidance. The outcome of this will feed into their timescale for a planned wider review of the guidance.

Alongside this, sports need to come up with approaches to ensure everyone has the opportunity to take part somehow - and I know that sporting bodies will be considering this in light of the Supreme Court decision.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to review funding criteria for sports organisations that do not comply with the legal definition of sex as biological under the Equality Act 2010.

We have always been clear that, when it comes to women's sport, biology matters. We will continue to support sports to develop policies that protect fairness and safety, particularly when it is not possible to balance those factors with inclusion.

In terms of gender eligibility, National Governing Bodies set their own policies for who can participate in their sports in domestic competitions. Our Sports Councils produce guidance to provide domestic sports bodies with the framework and support to determine the right position for their sport. Our Sports Councils are consulting with legal experts to clarify whether the Supreme Court ruling affects the guidance. The outcome of this will feed into their timescale for a planned wider review of the guidance.

Alongside this, sports need to come up with approaches to ensure everyone has the opportunity to take part somehow - and I know that sporting bodies will be considering this in light of the Supreme Court decision.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she had made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of 3G football pitches on the environment.

The Government is aware of the potential impacts which 3G, or Artificial Grass Pitches (AGPs), have on the environment. The most prominent of these impacts relates to the spread of rubber infill (also known as ‘rubber crumb’) - which contains harmful microplastics - from 3G pitches, into the environment.

It is also important to note though that AGPs currently play a crucial role in getting more people active across the UK. They provide durable, safe, year-round playing surfaces which can sustain up to 80 hours of use per week - significantly more than grass pitches, helping more people to access the benefits of physical activity.

While, currently, there is no clear alternative to rubber crumb, DCMS continues to work closely with DEFRA and the wider sector to help identify a viable long-term solution. This includes the Sheffield Hub Test Site, where the Football Foundation are leading research to pilot a number of alternative infills which have a lower environmental impact, while still delivering safe, high-quality facilities for people to take part in physical activity.

Sport England is also committed to working with partners to mandate - through grant conditions - that Artificial Grass Pitches (AGPs) are recycled when reaching their end of life. To support this, Sport England continues to work with relevant industry partners to increase recycling capacity available to sports providers across the country.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to increase youth participation in (a) civil society and (b) sport.

DCMS is committed to the inclusion of young people in civil society, particularly through youth social action and youth voice. DCMS funds the direct youth participation programme #iwill, which supports young people to engage in social action in their communities. DCMS also encourages participation through other funded programmes such as the Duke of Edinburgh and the Uniformed Youth Fund. We are developing a National Youth Strategy and this is an opportunity to look afresh at youth participation in volunteering and civil society.

The Government is committed to breaking down barriers to opportunity for every child to access high-quality sport and physical activity, especially those who are less likely to be active. The majority of our funding for grassroots sport is through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England - which invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year to improve opportunities for local communities to access sport, including children and young people. The Government has also confirmed funding for the School Games Organisers network up to the end of the Financial Year 25/26, which provides over 2 million opportunities for school children to engage in local and inclusive sporting competitions across 40 different sports and activities.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many youth centres were closed in England between 2010 and 2024.

DCMS does not hold the data requested. Local Authorities have a statutory duty to ‘secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient provision of educational and recreational leisure-time activities for young people’. This is funded from the Local Government settlement, which is almost £69 billion this year (FY 25/26).

This government recognises the value of youth centres and youth services, and has committed to co-producing a new National Youth Strategy. This is an opportunity to move away from one-size-fits all approaches from central government, bringing power back to young people and their communities and rebuilding a thriving and sustainable sector. We plan to publish the strategy in the summer.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) phones, (b) laptops and (c) other electronic devices have been lost by their Department since 5 July 2024.

The following table includes the number of lost/stolen devices in the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) from 5 July 2024 to 24 April 2025

Breakdown of department-issued equipment type

Lost/Stolen

Mobile phones

30

Laptops

10

Other electronic devices

0

Lost and Stolen devices are not replaced on an individual basis, all assets are managed as part of a pooled resource model and replenished as part of their end to end lifecycle.

All departmental IT has device encryption enabled, at rest and is fully security encrypted, to prevent unauthorised access.

The departmental security unit, records and investigates each reported loss from the department. If appropriate, the police are invited to undertake further inquiries.

Any mobile device reported as lost is immediately deactivated and the contents deleted. The user account on any laptop reported as lost is immediately deactivated and remotely locked.

There has been no data loss or compromise resulting from these losses.

Stephanie Peacock
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
22nd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 April 2025 to Question 43101 on Tower of London, whether her Department has received correspondence from (a) ICOMOS and (b) UNESCO in relation to the potential impact of the proposals for a Chinese Embassy at the Royal Mint on the Tower of London World Heritage Site; and if she will place a copy of the paragraph 172 notification letter sent by her Department on 25 February 2025 in the Library.

No, the Department has not received any correspondence from ICOMOS or UNESCO regarding the potential impact of the proposals on the Tower of London World Heritage Site.

Yes, a copy of the paragraph 172 notification sent by the Department on 28 February 2025 will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
22nd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she considered including the West Somerset Opportunity Area in the South West region for the DCMS Create Growth Programme Competition 4.

The Create Growth Programme supports high-growth creative businesses and SMEs in twelve English regions outside London to scale up and become investment ready. This is delivered through three strands of support - bespoke business support, financial support and investor capacity building activities.

The financial support, including that offered through Competition 4, awards grants to support innovation projects to individual businesses who are registered or operational within one of the twelve participating regions. Participating regions were determined by a competitive application process to appoint local area partnerships.

The West of England and Cornwall local area partnership is a participating region in the programme. That partnership covers the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority area (ie Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Bath and North East Somerset), North Somerset, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, but does not include the West Somerset Opportunity Area. There are currently no plans to increase the number of participating regions.

We would encourage all interested businesses to contact Innovate UK to explore other suitable support or opportunities which are open to the whole of the UK.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
24th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many applications for export licences for objects of cultural interest were (a) received and (b) granted in each month of the past 5 years; and what was the total value of these items.

The Export Licensing Unit, run by Arts Council England, received a total number of 27,501 applications for export licenses for objects of cultural interest from May 2020-April 2025, a monthly average of 466. The total number of granted applications was 25,142.

A monthly breakdown is also available, see attached.

The total value of the items for which licenses were issued was £44,987,629,884.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department has taken to help reduce the number of museums awaiting accreditation.

Arts Council England publishes detailed Accreditation data at regular intervals, including a schedule of museums awaiting review of their Accredited status, and the list of museums working towards Accreditation with support from ACE: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/supporting-arts-museums-and-libraries/uk-museum-accreditation-scheme

The Accreditation scheme has been a mainstay of the museums sector for 35 years, inspiring similar models overseas. With support from the department, ACE has this year begun a redesign of Accreditation, to continue meeting diverse user needs in changing operating environments.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what information her Department holds on the average waiting time for museums to receive a review of their national professional museums standard accreditation in the latest period for which data is available.

Arts Council England publishes detailed Accreditation data at regular intervals, including a schedule of museums awaiting review of their Accredited status, and the list of museums working towards Accreditation with support from ACE: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/supporting-arts-museums-and-libraries/uk-museum-accreditation-scheme

The Accreditation scheme has been a mainstay of the museums sector for 35 years, inspiring similar models overseas. With support from the department, ACE has this year begun a redesign of Accreditation, to continue meeting diverse user needs in changing operating environments.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to celebrate the feast day of Saint George in 2025.

I refer the Hon member to my answer to PQ 38000 answered on the 26th March. In addition to the regular annual celebrations of St George’s Day, this year St George’s Day marked the 250th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Mallord William Turner, which has been celebrated in many museums and galleries up and down the country.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she has taken to celebrate the feast day of Saint Patrick in 2025.

I refer the Hon member to my answer to PQ 38000 answered on the 26th March. In addition to the regular annual celebrations of St George’s Day, this year St George’s Day marked the 250th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Mallord William Turner, which has been celebrated in many museums and galleries up and down the country.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she has taken to celebrate the feast day of Saint David in 2025.

I refer the Hon member to my answer to PQ 38000 answered on the 26th March. In addition to the regular annual celebrations of St George’s Day, this year St George’s Day marked the 250th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Mallord William Turner, which has been celebrated in many museums and galleries up and down the country.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she has taken to celebrate the feast day of Saint Andrew in 2025.

I refer the Hon member to my answer to PQ 38000 answered on the 26th March. In addition to the regular annual celebrations of St George’s Day, this year St George’s Day marked the 250th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Mallord William Turner, which has been celebrated in many museums and galleries up and down the country.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Arts Council is taking to support museums.

This Government supports museums nationwide through Arts Council England (ACE), as the national development agency for museums, offering funding and professional advice to museums of all sizes in England.

ACE typically invests over £44 million in museums annually, through the National Portfolio, the Museum Development Network, and National Lottery Project Grants. In addition, DCMS is funding ACE to deliver an additional £45 million of support for museums this financial year, through the new £20 million Museum Renewal Fund, and a new £25 million investment in the Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND).

ACE further supports (worth £70m a year), which provides an alternative to the cost of insurance for loans, without which many major exhibitions would not be possible. ACE also operates the Cultural Gifts and Acceptance in Lieu schemes, enabling important new acquisitions for museums (worth £45m in 2023/24), and other schemes such as the UK Museum Accreditation Standard, and Collection Designation.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department's planned national mandatory registration scheme will apply to (a) second homes and (b) second homes which are let occasionally.

The registration scheme for short-term lets legislated for in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 will apply to specified short-term rental properties in England. The detailed scope of the scheme, including how it will apply to second homes, and second homes which are let occasionally, is still being determined and details will be announced in due course.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the potential economic value of the business events sector; and how many civil services in her Department work on supporting and growing the sector.

DCMS recognises that the business events sector is a machine for economic growth and local prosperity. The business events sector is estimated to be worth £34 billion to the UK Economy and an additional £200 billion in trade established at Business Events.

The Business Events Growth Programme (BEGP), led by VisitBritain, forms part of the UK Government’s commitment to grow the business events sector across Britain. Every pound invested in the programme supported £33 of revenue being generated for the British economy through new events secured, or in additional delegate spend, during the five-year review period from 2018 to 2023.

Within DCMS, we have one civil servant who works full time on supporting the business events sector, plus a percentage of time from senior colleagues who provide oversight.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Answers of 1 March 2024 to Questions 15743 and 15744, how many staff in (a) her Department, (b) Arts Council England and (c) the National Lottery Community Fund have job titles which include the words (i) equality, (ii) diversity, (iii) inclusion, (iv) gender, (v) LGBT and (vi) race.

The requested figures are

DCMS

2

Arts Council England

11

National Lottery Community Fund

4

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
17th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the press release entitled Multi-billion-pound investment secured as Universal theme park and resort set to be built in Bedford, bringing thousands of jobs, published on 9 April 2025, whether (a) Government funding and (b) bespoke tax relief is being provided to (i) Universal Studios and (ii) the local council to support the deal.

Details of negotiations between private investors and the Government are currently confidential but will be set out in due course.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
7th Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support emerging artists in Lincolnshire.

The Secretary of State announced a new £270 million Arts Everywhere Fund on 20 February. This will include support to museums, arts and music venues across the country and is a critical step that this Government is taking to help create jobs, boost local economies, and expand access to arts and culture for communities.

This is in addition to steps already being taken to support arts and culture via Arts Council England (ACE) through various programmes, including its National Portfolio Organisation investment programme (NPO). In Lincolnshire, ACE has provided over £27 million of funding between 2021-2025 to local organisations such as the SO Festival (an NPO), a Combined Arts organisation receiving over £320,000 per annum, that brings international artists and performers to Mablethorpe and Skegness each year, increasing engagement and interest in the arts within local communities.

Zest Theatre (also a NPO) is a national touring theatre company that creates work with and for young people which receives £180,000 per annum. They are particularly well known for their outdoor immersive work, including ‘The Zone’ – a pop up creative space for young people aged 11-18 in Lincoln each summer – and installations that amplify the voices of young people in the region.

Within the South Holland and The Deepings constituency, ACE supports organisations such as Transported (£275,00 per annum), through its Creative People and Places programme, which is a strategic, community-focused programme which aims to get more people in Boston and South Holland enjoying and participating in arts activities.

Through the National Lottery Project Grants ACE has made nine awards, since 2021, across museums, visual arts and theatre, totalling more than £241,000. Also through its Developing Your Creative Practice programme, ACE has supported three individual artists with a total of £33,324 across visual arts and music since 2021.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
23rd Apr 2025
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what artworks owned by (a) the Government Art Collection and (b) her Department have been removed from public display from her Department's offices since 5 July 2024.

The Government Art Collection is a working collection, used across government buildings in the UK and the global estate, which means that artworks may change their display location from time to time in response to new display steers and requests.

Chris Bryant
Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)