Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support (a) small and (b) independent hotels in West Dorset constituency during the off-peak season.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government is committed to supporting the hospitality sector as a valuable contributor to the UK economy and visitor offer. We are introducing permanently lower business rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure properties with a rateable value under £500,000, alongside a new Licensing Taskforce to cut red tape. Targeted initiatives include a £1.5 million Hospitality Support Scheme and the Zero Carbon Hospitality Trial, helping over 600 SMEs cut costs and emissions. Through ongoing collaboration with the Hospitality Sector Council, we are strengthening productivity and resilience across the sector.

DCMS works closely with VisitEngland, Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) and industry to support small and independent accommodation providers, including hotels in West Dorset. Targeted marketing campaigns encourage off-peak domestic breaks, while LVEPs like Visit Dorset improve local coordination and promote year-round tourism. These efforts, alongside the upcoming Visitor Economy Growth Strategy, help sustain the competitiveness of hotels and hospitality businesses throughout the year.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with the hospitality industry in West Dorset constituency on staffing levels in the hotel sector.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

DCMS regularly engages with representatives of the hospitality industry, both nationally and regionally, to understand current challenges and opportunities in the sector, including staffing levels.

While we have not had discussions specifically with businesses in the West Dorset constituency, we work closely with industry bodies such as UKHospitality, which represent employers across the country (including those in West Dorset). Through these forums, the Government has listened to concerns about recruitment and retention, and continues to respond through a range of measures.

We will also set out our vision and ambition for the sector in our forthcoming Visitor Economy Growth Strategy later this year.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of national landscapes on levels of tourism in (a) West Dorset constituency and (b) other rural constituencies.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government recognises that our National Landscapes, such as the Dorset National Landscape, are among our nation's greatest assets and are significant drivers of domestic and international tourism for rural communities.

No assessment has been made on the impact of national landscapes on levels of tourism. The Office for National Statistics has published data sets on business activity including tourism, Enterprises in National Landscapes, Trails and Parks, which can be found at Enterprises in National Landscapes, Trails and Parks 2023 - Office for National Statistics

Details of tourism and visitor management undertaken by Dorset National Landscape in the West Dorset constituency can be found at Tourism and Visitor Management | Dorset National Landscape

We continue to work with VisitEngland to promote rural and coastal destinations and support the work of Local Visitor Economy Partnerships, such as the Visit Dorset Business Support Hub, in developing and marketing their local visitor offer, in which National Landscapes play a crucial role.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when the Minister for Gambling plans to respond to the correspondence of 24 March 2025 from the hon. Member for Hazel Grove, Ref LS04145.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

DCMS did not receive the Hon Member’s letter until her office was contacted on 23 July, on receipt of this question. Baroness Twycross replied via return letter, with reference MC2025/07636/GT, on 26 August. We apologise for the delay.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what information they hold on the number of workdays that were completed remotely in their Department in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

We do not collect data on the number of workdays that were completed remotely.

Our London headquarters office occupancy is monitored via anonymised entry pass swipe data and is published on gov.uk on a monthly basis starting October 2024, and to date is as follows:

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of hotels in West Dorset constituency on the local tourism economy.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

DCMS works closely with VisitEngland and local authorities to understand the contribution of tourism assets across England, including accommodation providers such as hotels. While we have not carried out a constituency-specific economic assessment for West Dorset, DCMS recognises that hotels provide direct employment and support local supply chains, and they enable visitor spending across the local economy, including restaurants, attractions, shops, and transport.

In Dorset, hotels play an important role in supporting domestic and international tourism, particularly linked to coastal and countryside destinations such as the Jurassic Coast, which help to sustain year-round economic activity in local communities. DCMS, in partnership with VisitEngland, works with Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (such as Visit Dorset) to promote destinations and develop initiatives to maximise the economic impact of tourism throughout the county.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that the proposed short-term let registration scheme will ensure all properties are clean and safe.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The registration scheme will make short-term let providers aware of their legal responsibilities, particularly around safety, helping to raise standards of accommodation, build consumer confidence, and support fair competition.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps their Department is taking to implement the guidance entitled The government’s approach to rural proofing 2025, published on 15 May 2025.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government has made a commitment that all policy decision-making should be rural proofed. Rural proofing ensures that rural areas are not overlooked and that the intended outcomes are deliverable in rural areas.

Defra leads on rural proofing, but individual departments are responsible for ensuring that their policy decision-making is rural proofed.

Rural proofing is important because rural communities are an important part of the economy. Rural areas are home to around one-fifth of England’s population and half a million registered businesses.

Policy outcomes in rural areas can be affected by economies of scale, distance, sparsity and demography. That is why it is important that government policies consider how they can be delivered in rural areas. Rural proofing ensures that these areas receive fair and equitable policy outcomes.

Our department takes its obligation to rural proofing seriously. Through the Arts Council England, funding to Rural areas has increased to around £44 million a year to 110 organisations.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what grant funding is available to help support training in small and medium-sized enterprises in the video games development sector.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The UK Games Fund (UKGF) provides grant funding to small and medium-sized enterprises in the video games sector for development of new intellectual property, as well as development programmes for new graduate talent. As part of the recently published Creative Industries Sector Plan, the government announced the £30 million Games Growth Package, including an expansion of the UKGF over the next three years.

Since its inception in 2015, the UKGF has supported 440 companies with grant funding, and over 200 teams through talent development programmes Tranzfuser and DunDuv.

Small and medium-sized enterprises in the video games sector have also benefited from other support provided by DCMS and its arms-length bodies. This includes through the Create Growth Programme, which supports high-growth creative businesses to scale up and become investment ready.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many video games studios have been supported by the UK Games Fund.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The UK Games Fund (UKGF) provides grant funding to small and medium-sized enterprises in the video games sector for development of new intellectual property, as well as development programmes for new graduate talent. As part of the recently published Creative Industries Sector Plan, the government announced the £30 million Games Growth Package, including an expansion of the UKGF over the next three years.

Since its inception in 2015, the UKGF has supported 440 companies with grant funding, and over 200 teams through talent development programmes Tranzfuser and DunDuv.

Small and medium-sized enterprises in the video games sector have also benefited from other support provided by DCMS and its arms-length bodies. This includes through the Create Growth Programme, which supports high-growth creative businesses to scale up and become investment ready.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential impact of Video Games Expenditure Credit on levels of inward investment into the video games industry.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Video Games Expenditure Credit was introduced in 2024 to replace the Video Game Tax Relief, modernising the reliefs and ensuring they continue to work as intended to support the video games industry.

As set out in the Creative Industries Sector Plan, the Government is committed to supporting the growth of the UK’s video games sector. My department engages regularly with His Majesty’s Treasury on a range of issues to deliver this objective, including the Video Games Expenditure Credit.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding (a) her Department and (b) Sport England have allocated to support elite Deaf sportspeople to attend the Tokyo 2025 Summer Deaflympics.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government, through the UK Sport grant, supports Olympic and Paralympic success. Beyond this the Government does not provide additional funding to performance sport, in line with our approach to a great many other areas of individual sporting performance.

Sport England are exploring a series of small-scale talent pilots for d/Deaf athletes. These pilots will see Sport England, National Governing Bodies, and UK Deaf Sport working together to explore issues around accessibility and suggest potential solutions. Sport England has also awarded UK Deaf Sport £150,000 to fund a specialist Talent Inclusion post to further the work of the pilots.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if her Department will take steps to ensure that the design of new leisure facilities funded through the Levelling Up Programme reflects community preferences in changing arrangements.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Levelling Up Programme was run under the previous Government. Our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, provides resources to help in the design of new leisure facilities. Sport England works with local authorities as part of their place partnerships work to help them understand and meet community needs for sport and physical activity.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help improve access to sport for children from disadvantaged backgrounds in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Every child should have the opportunity to play sport and do regular physical activity including those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The Prime Minister recently announced a new School Sport Partnerships approach and a new Enrichment Framework for schools to ensure all young people have equal access to high-quality sport and extracurricular activity. The ongoing independent expert-led review of the curriculum will ensure that all children can engage with a broad range of subjects, including PE and sport.

On 20 June 2025, the Culture Secretary announced that following the Spending Review, at least £400 million is going to be invested into new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities in communities right across the UK, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what each community needs, including for children and young people, and will then set out further plans.

In the last financial year, 2024-25, Sport England, our Arm’s Length Body for community sport, invested £43,803 into South Holland and the Deepings constituency and £1,924,805 into Lincolnshire to improve access to sport and physical activity.

I met with Sir John Hayes and Deepings Leisure Centre Community Group in July this year to discuss grassroots sport and facilities provision in his constituency.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with Sport England on the (a) promotion and (b) development of (i) padel and (ii) pickleball as national sports.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Secretary of State and I have regular discussions with Sport England, on a range of topics including the promotion and development of the sporting offer across England. Whilst we haven’t discussed these sports specifically, DCMS officials have discussed the promotion and development padel and pickleball with Sport England.

It is positive to see the growth of many emerging sports such as padel and pickleball.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the press release entitled Prime Minister unveils new opportunities for young people to re-connect with their communities, published on 5 August 2025, how much additional funding will be available in Bedfordshire.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

DCMS and the National Lottery Community Fund launched Phase 3 of the Million Hours Fund, a £19 million joint investment, to provide youth organisations with funding to deliver additional hours of positive activities for young people in areas with higher levels of anti-social behaviour. Wards who were eligible for the Million Hours Fund in Bedfordshire can be found here.

Additionally, organisations in Bedfordshire are eligible to apply to the Adventures Away from Home Fund which will support organisations to deliver outdoor learning experiences for disadvantaged or vulnerable young people. Funding by area will be known once all awards have been made. Applications are open until Friday 26th Sept 2025 through the UK Youth website.

Bedfordshire is not eligible to apply for the Better Youth Spaces Fund nor a participant in the pilot phase of the Local Youth Transformation programme. However, local areas who were not selected this year may not be excluded from participating in any future rounds depending on geographical eligibility.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support councils to improve the availability of activities for young people during (a) evenings, (b) weekends and (c) school holidays.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

In 2025/26, DCMS is investing £28 million to increase young people’s access to more and better enriching activities. This includes programmes such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and Uniformed Youth Fund. As part of the Uniformed Youth Fund, DCMS funded the Volunteer Police Cadets to increase its capacity and reach a greater number of young people in Fylde.

DCMS is also investing £8 million to support local authorities through the Local Youth Transformation Pilot, which aims to rebuild a high-quality offer for young people across England.

Additionally, the Department for Education has confirmed over £600 million for the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme for the next three financial years (from 2026/27), delivered by local authorities to provide healthy meals, enriching activities, and free childcare places to children from low-income families during school holiday periods.

In Autumn, we will publish the National Youth Strategy, which we have co-produced with young people and the sector. The Strategy will outline a long-term vision for young people and an action plan for delivering this.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to improve the availability of activities for young people during (a) evenings, (b) weekends and (c) school holidays.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

In 2025/26, DCMS is investing £28 million to increase young people’s access to more and better enriching activities. This includes programmes such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and Uniformed Youth Fund. As part of the Uniformed Youth Fund, DCMS funded the Volunteer Police Cadets to increase its capacity and reach a greater number of young people in Fylde.

DCMS is also investing £8 million to support local authorities through the Local Youth Transformation Pilot, which aims to rebuild a high-quality offer for young people across England.

Additionally, the Department for Education has confirmed over £600 million for the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme for the next three financial years (from 2026/27), delivered by local authorities to provide healthy meals, enriching activities, and free childcare places to children from low-income families during school holiday periods.

In Autumn, we will publish the National Youth Strategy, which we have co-produced with young people and the sector. The Strategy will outline a long-term vision for young people and an action plan for delivering this.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) retaining, (b) reforming and (c) removing the requirement for (i) applicants to councils and (ii) councils to place statutory notices in local newspapers.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government is concerned about the sustainability of local journalism and DCMS is developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of this vital sector. We also recognise that local press continues to play a vital role in informing local communities, and that statutory notices can play an important role in helping inform the public of decisions made by their council which may affect their quality of life, local services or amenities, or their property.

However, we are also aware of concerns from some sectors about the audience reach of these notices and the desire for greater digitalisation. In this context, the sector’s Public Notice Portal is a welcome innovation, taking advantage of print publishers’ growing digital audiences and providing a centralised resource for all types of statutory notice. We also welcome the Portal's current expansion to include archive and consultation functions to help public bodies and commercial entities engage with the public more effectively.

DCMS is monitoring the progress of the Portal, and the effect that it has on the audience reach of statutory notices. This type of industry innovation and collaboration is integral to securing the sector’s future. It will be taken into account in our planned review of statutory notices as part of the Local Media Strategy, which will more broadly consider the merits of making changes to existing requirements to place statutory notices in print local newspapers. More will be announced on the Strategy in the coming months.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the introduction of an annual cap on grants to individual places of worship under the Listed Places of Worship Scheme on those places of worship.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

DCMS Ministers received advice on changes to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, including consideration of the potential impact on introducing an annual cap of £25,000 per place of worship for the 2025/26 financial year.

The changes to the scheme were necessary given the level of fiscal challenges we inherited and the pressures on other parts of the heritage and cultural sectors. Based on the Department’s analysis of previous data, 94% of applications will be unaffected by the change, as most claims are under £5,000.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to support to the charitable work of the Church of England.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

For millions of people in this country, their faith and belief identity is a crucial part of their lives, and our nation is enriched by our diverse tapestry of faiths and beliefs. This government celebrates the central role of faith, including the Christian faith, in our national life. Churches, such as the Church of England, contain many Christians whose faith guides their moral outlook and inspires them to public service and helping those in need.

This government is committed to harnessing the power of faith for national renewal, helping us to make progress against our missions. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is funding a number of cohesion and interfaith projects this financial year, including the Near Neighbours programme delivered by the Church Urban Fund, a charity affiliated with the Church of England.

Over the last year, my own department has been delivering the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Energy Efficiency Scheme, which is a £25.5 million fund to support VCSE organisations across England to save money on energy bills. The fund was designed to help groups with rising energy costs and was targeted at those delivering key frontline services. Recipients of the fund have included over 40 churches and faith-based organisations.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has considered introducing targeted funding or grants to help increase the facilities of charities that are experiencing significant demand for their services.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

This Government recognises the vital role that charities play up and down the country, by providing crucial targeted support to different groups and communities.

DCMS is promoting the availability of funding for smaller charities in several ways. This includes delivery of a number of grant schemes, such as the Know Your Neighbourhood Fund and the £25.5 million Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Energy Efficiency Scheme, which is supporting frontline organisations across England to improve their energy efficiency and sustainability.

The Youth Investment Fund is also funding over £300 million to over 250 projects in targeted areas to build, renovate and expand youth facilities in less advantaged areas of England. Alongside this, the £30.5 million Better Youth Spaces fund recently launched for smaller capital projects in youth facilities.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department attaches provisions on paternity and parental leave when allocating grants to organisations.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Department does not include clauses within grant offer letters requiring organisations to adopt specific policies related to paternity or other forms of parental leave as such a requirement would likely go beyond the obligations which can be enforced by the terms and conditions of a grant. Grants are an investment in a specific project which is being run by the grant recipient rather than for the wider operation of an organisation.

The Department also does not require organisations to have specific paternity or other forms of parental leave policies in place when bidding for grants.

In the event that it became apparent that a grant recipient was not operating within its legal obligations in regard to paternity or other forms of leave then the Department could consider terminating the relevant grant agreement under clause 54 of the standard grant agreement which includes illegal activity as an event of default and therefore a reason for grant termination.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the organisers of the Women's Rugby World Cup on the organisation of that event.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government is committed to delivering international events with pride, building upon the UK’s global reputation for excellence in staging major sporting events.

The Government holds regular discussions with the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and World Rugby, as joint venture partners, to ensure the successful delivery of the Women's Rugby World Cup (Women’s RWC) 2025. The Secretary of State and I attended the Women’s Rugby World Cup 100 ‘Days to go’ launch event in May 2025, where we discussed tournament delivery with senior RFU figures and other stakeholders.

I also met with senior RFU figures while supporting England at the opening fixture and semi final of the Women's Rugby World Cup and discussed the delivery of the tournament.

We are confident that the great collaboration which has taken place across all delivery partners will result in a landmark moment not just for women’s rugby but for women’s sport.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, for what purposes their Department has used artificial intelligence in the last year.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

DCMS follows the UK Government’s AI Playbook principles on safe, effective and responsible adoption of AI, and works closely with DSIT as the “Digital centre of government”.

Any use of third party AI tooling is subject to multidisciplinary assurance prior to any use, including Cyber security, Data Protection, Knowledge and Information Management, and Technology assurance.

DCMS is in its early days in terms of AI usage and measuring benefits to productivity. In the past year the Department has used AI for the following:

• Summarising large documents and emails

• Analysis of large documents, drawing out key information and drafting reports

• Drafting meeting notes

• Generating draft content

• Enhancing our departmental data science capability

• Proof of concept of using AI large language models (LLMs) to analyse free text responses to a public consultation

AI produced data or drafts are manually reviewed. No decisions are made by the Department based on AI outputs, without manual checks and manual intervention.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help support small and medium-sized charities, in the context of increased competition for limited grant funding.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

This government recognises the vital role that charities play in providing crucial support to different groups and communities. The Civil Society Covenant sets out the terms of a new relationship between government and civil society, and is a clear statement that government sees civil society as an indispensable partner in building a better Britain.

DCMS is promoting the availability of funding for smaller charities in several ways. This includes delivery of a number of grant schemes, such as the Know Your Neighbourhood Fund and the £25.5 million Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Energy Efficiency Scheme, which is supporting frontline organisations across England to improve their energy efficiency and sustainability.

Support for charities is also available through social investment which provides a range of tools – from grants to investments – to help charities and social enterprises grow their trading income, strengthen their resilience, and access financial support that works for them. The Dormant Assets Scheme Strategy, published in June 2025, announced that the Scheme is expected to release £440 million for England over 2024-28, with £87.5 million of this funding allocated towards social investment.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many people with disabilities were employed in her Department on 2 September 2025.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Information on the number of people declaring a disability by each government department are published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics 2025, an accredited official statistics publication. Latest published data are as at 31 March 2025 and can be found at Table 29 of the statistical tables at the following web address:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2025.

Information for 31 March 2026 is due for publication in July 2026.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many days were lost to sickness absence by civil servants in their Department (a) in total and (b) on average per employee between 5 July 2024 and 4 July 2025.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Sickness absence data for the Civil Service, including departmental breakdowns is published annually, and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence.

The next update will be for the year ending 31st March 2025.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has had discussions with British Paralympic Association on the selection process for Paralympians.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government has not had discussions with the British Paralympic Association on the selection process for Paralympians.

ParalympicsGB selections are made by the British Paralympic Association, working in collaboration with the relevant National Governing Bodies (NGBs) who know their athletes best. These processes remain fully independent from the Government.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to update regulations on payment methods for amusement machines.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Direct use of debit cards and credit cards is currently prohibited on all gaming machines in Great Britain. The previous Government’s 2023 gambling white paper proposed removing the prohibition on the direct use of debit cards on gaming machines, subject to the introduction of certain player protections. While this proposal was not implemented under the previous administration, this government is considering the best available evidence from a wide range of stakeholders to inform any decisions on this proposal, which would require new legislation to implement.

In addition, the Gambling Commission recently consulted on proposals to introduce a number of new player protections for gaming machines in Great Britain, designed to support and empower customers to use gaming machines safely. The Government will take account of the progress and outcome of this consultation when considering regulations on payment methods for gaming machines.

Found: efforts such as the Counter Disinformation Unit within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS

Found: February 2023, this industry-led programme, funded by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS

Found: In forums like the DCMS roundtable with Sir Chris Bryant MP, our sector has been communicating the need

Found: The creative industries are a UK success story, contributing £120.4bn to the UK economy in 2023 (DCMS

Found: passionate advocates for the value of dance and are a trusted source of information for both DfE and DCMS

Found: historically funded through the Department for Education though was awarded £1m for 2025/26 from DCMS

Found: that is different from how we would do it— Tim Davie: That is the discussion that sits with DSIT and DCMS

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the introduction of a cap of £25,000 on the amount of VAT that can be claimed back under the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government recognises the importance of supporting churches and other listed places of worship. That is why the decision was made to extend the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme until 31 March 2026, with a budget of £23m.

Against a tough fiscal picture, the difficult decision was taken by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to implement an annual limit of £25,000 per individual place of worship for the coming year. The changes to the scheme were necessary given the significant pressures on other parts of the heritage and cultural sectors.

Based on DCMS’s analysis of previous data, 94% of applications will be unaffected by the change, as most claims are under £5,000.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many days the Union Flag was flown on his Department's main buildings in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

The Scotland Office leases space in Dover House, London from the Government Property Agency (GPA) and Queen Elizabeth House, Edinburgh from HMRC. GPA and HMRC follow guidance issued by the Department for Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) regarding the flying of flags at these buildings.

Found: The Health Foundation, Map of healthy life expectancy at birth | The Health Foundation� 2025� 21 DCMS

Found: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is currently co-producing the National Youth Strategy

Found: class="govuk-table__cell">Dormant Assets Roundtable to discuss the Dormant Assets Scheme (joint with DCMS

Found: ; Reclaim Fund Limited Dormant Assets Roundtable to discuss the Dormant Assets Scheme (joint with DCMS

Found: class="govuk-table__cell">2025-05-01

Found: discuss building a Diverse Workforce to Drive Inclusive Growth Ceri Smith 2025-05-01 Roundtable - OfI/DCMS

Found: Analysis for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport. London: Simetrica Jacobs.

Found: Green Belt Guidance CD8: Other Documents CD8.1 Media Nations Report, Ofcom (July 2024) CD8.2 DCMS

Found: design of CyberASAP in collaboration with the then Department for Digital, Culture Media and Sport (DCMS

Found: changes moved responsibility for cyber security from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS

Found: Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) The International Cultural Heritage Protection

Found: DCMS has around 400 regulated Public Appointment roles across 42 Public Bodies including Arts Council

Found: Notes to Editors DCMS has around 400 regulated Public Appointment roles across 42 Public Bodies including

Found: history and development of the model can be found in the published documents referred to. 12 DHSC/DCMS

Found: million grant towards the £7.5 million project from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s (DCMS

Found: enquiries@culture.gsi.gov.uk This document is also available from our website at www.gov.uk/dcms

Found: Gambling 1st Floor 100 Parliament Street London SW1A 2BQ E: enquiries@dcms.gov.uk www.gov.uk/dcms

Found: framework document sets out the broad governance framework within which IWM and the DCMS

Found: Self-funded capital projects (HMT delegated limit for DCMS Freedom Bodies only). 2 Refer

Found: Commercial activities The following outlines in full the commercial requirements of DCMS

Found: Lorna Gibbs DCMS/IPED [Redacted-38(1)(b)] From: [Redacted-38(1)(b)]@gov.scot> Sent : 17 April

Found: publicopinionsandsocialtrendsgreatbritain/january2025. 128 Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS