Found: Correspondence from CO, DBIST and DCMS, re Machinery of government changes, 14 October 2026 HC 648 Correspondence

Found: people were employed in the gambling sector (both online and land-based) according to the latest DCMS

Found: The Planning Premium: The Value of Well-made Places 27 DCMS (2025).

Found: Funding, March 2025, p. 28. 34 DCMS, Better Futures Fund, January 2026. 35 The Co-Operative Group, In

Found: Sport 1st Floor 100 Parliament Street London SW1A 2BQ E: [email protected] www.gov.uk/dcms

Found: FOGB0022 - The future of Gaelic Broadcasting Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether the AI Opportunities Unit established in the former Department for Science, Innovation and Technology continues to exist.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)

Responsibility for realising AI opportunities is now shared across government, with BIST leading on AI policy, data infrastructure including AI Growth Zones, AI research, innovation, hardware and compute, economy-wide AI adoption and workforce upskilling. DCMS leads on opportunities linked to wider digital infrastructure, delivery of digital and technology skills and public service foundations needed to support AI, such as data and public sector delivery via the Government Digital Service and incubator for AI (i.AI). We have established the new Cabinet Office AI Taskforce to direct the Government’s strategy on AI, including maximising public sector adoption opportunities. Other Government Departments are pursuing AI opportunities within their areas of policy and delivery responsibility.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the contribution that National Lottery funding has made and will make toward delivery of targets under the Environment Act 2021, the Environmental Improvement Plan, and the Global Biodiversity Framework.

Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Environmental Improvement Plan is a cross-government plan. We will be working with DCMS/National Lottery to capture their contributions.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support collaboration between youth services, employers, skills providers and local authorities to help improve outcomes for young people at risk of becoming not in education, employment or training.

Answered by Vicky Foxcroft - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

Youth Matters outlines an ambitious plan to support young people to learn and get into good jobs, and is backed by over £500 million of funding from DCMS for fun things to do outside of school, support when and where young people need it, more safe spaces and access to trusted adults. This investment in youth services will help young people develop soft skills such as peer connections, relationships, personal development and increase their confidence, and can help young people access the right opportunities for them.

We have committed to launch 50 Young Futures Hubs by the end of this Parliament, bringing mental health and wellbeing support, careers guidance and positive activities into one place to prevent young people from becoming NEET (not in employment, education or training). We have worked closely with the Department for Work and Pensions to develop this programme and link to Youth Hubs services where appropriate, and this complements the broader Youth Guarantee to give every young person the chance to earn or learn.

£10 million also will be invested to expand the access young people have to trusted adults and help young people build the confidence, skills and experience to be ready for work, delivered in partnership with the King’s Trust (subject to a business case), and our Enrichment Expansion Programme will support up to 400 schools to provide a youth-voice led, tailored enrichment offer supporting their development and essential life skills. We will also provide support for the training and employment of 1000 new youth workers to help reduce the risk of unemployment.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her department has considered legislating or amending the Online Safety Act (Section 162) so that Ofcom could require music streaming services and music video services to provide to independent researchers with information about how their algorithms select music for users and to assess whether it provides a level playing field.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

DCMS has no current plans to amend Section 162 of the Online Safety Act (OSA). DCMS has committed to consult to establish the framework for researchers to access data held by digital platforms under section 154A. The Act sets out that the data be for the purposes of ‘independent research into online safety matters’, which is defined as anything relating to Ofcom’s online safety functions. This does not include algorithms to select music for users.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Enrichment Expansion programme area list published on 25 September 2026, if her Department will publish the scores and rankings used to assess (a) Walsall, (b) Birmingham and (c) Sandwell for inclusion in the programme; and for what reasons Walsall was not selected.

Answered by Vicky Foxcroft - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

DCMS is committed to making a difference in the places that need it the most, through investing to build social and community cohesion and to enhance opportunity where outcomes are poorest.

Evidence points clearly to economic and social outcomes being systematically worse in places where both deprivation and community need is highest; places experiencing ‘double disadvantage’. For this reason, across our programmes that aim to improve social and community outcomes, we will look to implement a tailored focus on targeting these ‘double disadvantage’ places – to ensure that our funding is concentrated in the communities where we can make the biggest difference. DCMS’ approach to place targeting is publicly available.

The Enrichment Expansion Programme (EEP), a DCMS-funded programme delivered in strategic partnership with DfE, will invest £22.5 million across 3 years to support up to 400 secondary schools to provide a youth led, tailored enrichment offer and help them meet the Enrichment Framework benchmarks.

In order to select local authorities to participate in the programme, lower-layer super output areas (LSOAs) were identified as being in the most deprived 20% nationally on both the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) and the Community Needs Index (CNI). In this instance IDACI serves a similar purpose to the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) used in the DCMS wide approach but focuses in particular on deprivation impacting young people. LSOAs meeting both criteria were classified as experiencing double disadvantage. The proportion of double-disadvantaged LSOAs within each lower-tier local authority was then calculated, and local authorities were ranked on this basis, with a minimum number of three areas represented across all nine regions.

Additionally, areas were included to align with DfE’s Mission North East and Mission Coastal. The Place Missions will bring expert support into classrooms and new opportunities beyond the school gates for children in the North East, Hastings and Scarborough.

To ensure each school within the programme receives tailored support from the programme, we intend to group schools into clusters of 5-8 according to geographic proximity. Resultantly, we selected 54 clusters across 59 areas to accommodate 400 schools. Walsall did not rank highly enough to be selected as eligible for the programme. It was also not in scope for clustering given the number of eligible schools within neighbouring eligible areas.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of financial support available to small and medium-sized arts organisations seeking to undertake international touring activity.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

This Government is committed to supporting UK artists and cultural organisations to reach international audiences and take advantage of opportunities overseas. We recognise the challenges faced by small and medium-sized arts organisations undertaking international touring, including regulatory complexity, administrative burdens, and transport costs.

The Government primarily supports arts and culture through its Arm’s Length Body Arts Council England (ACE), which provides funding to a range of organisations up and down the country. International working is one of four priorities for ACE’s Touring Fund, enabling UK arts organisations and artists to reach audiences overseas and develop international partnerships. Recent examples of tours supported by ACE include Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Black Sabbath, The Ballet tour to the Netherlands, Germany and the US; and Performance Infinity’s tour of five UK theatre companies to four locations in China. International touring is also supported through ACE’s Incentivising Touring Repayable Grants, which supports touring in England, but can include tours with international performances, such as Rambert’s upcoming It’s A Sin.

We recognise that organisations face wider challenges beyond funding when undertaking international touring, particularly barriers arising from the UK’s exit from the EU. To improve our understanding of these issues, DCMS recently commissioned independent research into the impact of EU Exit on UK touring and we continue to engage with industry stakeholders and European partners on opportunities to support cultural exchange and international touring across the continent.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the current average waiting time is between a data protection complaint being lodged with the Information Commissioner's Office and a case officer being assigned; and what steps are being taken to address complaints that have significantly exceeded this average.

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

The Information Commissioner's Office transitioned to become the Information Commission on 30 September 2026. While DCMS is its sponsor department, the Information Commission remains independent and accountable to Parliament.

The Information Commission assesses each complaint against its Data Protection Complaints Framework. The Information Commission advises that complaints are typically triaged within two and a half months of submission, and those not requiring further investigation are on average resolved within 5 days from being triaged/allocated. Those requiring further investigation are currently assigned to a case officer approximately 10 months after submission. The Information Commission is prioritising the most serious cases and exploring process and technology improvements to reduce waiting times.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help preserve historic buildings in East Grinstead and Uckfield constituency.

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

Support for historic preservation across England is primarily delivered through Historic England, funded by DCMS, and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

In East Grinstead and Uckfield, Historic England has focused preservation efforts on advisory casework, local listing recommendations, and monitoring five sites currently on the Heritage at Risk Register. The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded over £8 million to 45 projects in the constituency since 1994, including more than £5.6 million across eight awards for the Bluebell Railway.

East Sussex has received direct investment through the High Street Heritage Action Zone in Hastings (now completed), supported by £1,625,000 from Historic England alongside £7,514,000 in match funding to facilitate projects like the repair and reuse of the Observer Building. Furthermore, grant funding has recently been awarded to support major conservation and regeneration efforts at Brighton Pavilion Gardens and Madeira Terrace in Brighton and Hove, as well as repair work at the Grade II* listed Mint House in Pevensey. Since 1994, the National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded more than £138 million to 749 projects in East Sussex, including a 2023 grant of over £5.3 million supporting the restoration of the gardens of Brighton's Royal Pavilion.

Support in West Sussex from Historic England is primarily delivered through targeted specialist advice, council partnerships, and risk monitoring. Historic England tracks 43 heritage assets currently listed on the region's Heritage at Risk Register, while dedicating strategic support to key preservation initiatives, such as advising the Blake Cottage Trust on thatch conservation and partnering with local authorities on heritage-led regeneration in Worthing. The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded over £76 million to 524 projects across West Sussex since 1994, including a 2022 grant of more than £2 million supporting the Woodland Trust's Lost Woods of the Low Weald and Downs project.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help preserve historic buildings in East Sussex.

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

Support for historic preservation across England is primarily delivered through Historic England, funded by DCMS, and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

In East Grinstead and Uckfield, Historic England has focused preservation efforts on advisory casework, local listing recommendations, and monitoring five sites currently on the Heritage at Risk Register. The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded over £8 million to 45 projects in the constituency since 1994, including more than £5.6 million across eight awards for the Bluebell Railway.

East Sussex has received direct investment through the High Street Heritage Action Zone in Hastings (now completed), supported by £1,625,000 from Historic England alongside £7,514,000 in match funding to facilitate projects like the repair and reuse of the Observer Building. Furthermore, grant funding has recently been awarded to support major conservation and regeneration efforts at Brighton Pavilion Gardens and Madeira Terrace in Brighton and Hove, as well as repair work at the Grade II* listed Mint House in Pevensey. Since 1994, the National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded more than £138 million to 749 projects in East Sussex, including a 2023 grant of over £5.3 million supporting the restoration of the gardens of Brighton's Royal Pavilion.

Support in West Sussex from Historic England is primarily delivered through targeted specialist advice, council partnerships, and risk monitoring. Historic England tracks 43 heritage assets currently listed on the region's Heritage at Risk Register, while dedicating strategic support to key preservation initiatives, such as advising the Blake Cottage Trust on thatch conservation and partnering with local authorities on heritage-led regeneration in Worthing. The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded over £76 million to 524 projects across West Sussex since 1994, including a 2022 grant of more than £2 million supporting the Woodland Trust's Lost Woods of the Low Weald and Downs project.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help preserve historic buildings in West Sussex.

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

Support for historic preservation across England is primarily delivered through Historic England, funded by DCMS, and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

In East Grinstead and Uckfield, Historic England has focused preservation efforts on advisory casework, local listing recommendations, and monitoring five sites currently on the Heritage at Risk Register. The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded over £8 million to 45 projects in the constituency since 1994, including more than £5.6 million across eight awards for the Bluebell Railway.

East Sussex has received direct investment through the High Street Heritage Action Zone in Hastings (now completed), supported by £1,625,000 from Historic England alongside £7,514,000 in match funding to facilitate projects like the repair and reuse of the Observer Building. Furthermore, grant funding has recently been awarded to support major conservation and regeneration efforts at Brighton Pavilion Gardens and Madeira Terrace in Brighton and Hove, as well as repair work at the Grade II* listed Mint House in Pevensey. Since 1994, the National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded more than £138 million to 749 projects in East Sussex, including a 2023 grant of over £5.3 million supporting the restoration of the gardens of Brighton's Royal Pavilion.

Support in West Sussex from Historic England is primarily delivered through targeted specialist advice, council partnerships, and risk monitoring. Historic England tracks 43 heritage assets currently listed on the region's Heritage at Risk Register, while dedicating strategic support to key preservation initiatives, such as advising the Blake Cottage Trust on thatch conservation and partnering with local authorities on heritage-led regeneration in Worthing. The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded over £76 million to 524 projects across West Sussex since 1994, including a 2022 grant of more than £2 million supporting the Woodland Trust's Lost Woods of the Low Weald and Downs project.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 17 July 2026, to Question 16029, on Darlington Economic Campus: Remote Working, how many staff in her Department are assigned to Darlington Feethams House; and what is the expectation of the percentage rate of office attendance for staff at that office.

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

There are currently 9 Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport staff assigned to Feethams House, with a further 36 in the process of transferring into DCMS as a result of the recent Machinery of Government change. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has an attendance requirement of 60%. This is applied across all of the Department’s offices regardless of location.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2026 to Question 18049, on Government Departments: Greater Manchester, and to the Answer of 14 July 2026 to Question 14979, on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Darlington, what the average percentage attendance rate of assigned DCMS staff was at Bloc 17 Marble St in Manchester in the most recent working week for which figures are available, expressed as a percentage of assigned staff attending the workplace and in absolute terms.

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

We do not hold the information to enable us to answer the average percentage attendance rate of assigned DCMS staff at Bloc 17 Marble Street in Manchester. In the most recent working week for which figures are available, there were on average 96 staff visits per day from a total assigned workforce of 320 colleagues based in Manchester.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 11 September 2026, to Question 21138, on Media: Regulation, on what date the roundtables took place that the Centre for Countering Digital Hate participated in, and what was the topic and title of each.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (now DCMS) met the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) on 5 September 2024 to discuss how the online environment may have contributed to the post-Southport disorder.

The department also met CCDH on 23 February 2026, to discuss the monetisation of harmful content online.

DCMS continues to engage with a range of civil society organisations to support the development of online harms policy.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps her Department has taken to support the tourism industry in East Grinstead and Uckfield constituency.

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

DCMS is committed to ensuring tourism drives growth and jobs across the country, including the constituency of East Grinstead and Uckfield alongside both East and West Sussex. DCMS works closely with the British Tourist Authority (BTA) and the Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) network, including the Sussex and Brighton LVEP, to drive investment and promote the region as a premier destination to visit, live, work, and invest.

Sussex’s coastal destinations were recently spotlighted as part of VisitEngland’s nationwide coastal marketing campaign which rallied local tourism voices to share short videos highlighting their coastlines. Content on VisitEngland’s domestic channels included local food-focused content featuring Worthing and a South East beaches reel highlighting Eastbourne, Cuckmere Haven, and Camber Sands.

Building on this momentum, VisitEngland launched its £2 million "All on England’s Coast" campaign in September. Running through early 2027, the initiative aims to boost coastal tourism during the shoulder season. Beyond coastal activity, Sussex destinations have also featured across wider domestic social activity, including through recent Winnie-the-Pooh-inspired woodland walks content featuring Ashdown Forest.

To drive international tourism, VisitBritain promotes the Bluebell Railway as part of its Kent and Sussex film and TV itinerary, linking the region to its Starring GREAT Britain campaign. This campaign uses the hook of Britain’s rich film and television history to encourage more international visitors to explore across Britain, including many rural and coastal destinations.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps her Department has taken to support the tourism industry in West Sussex.

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

DCMS is committed to ensuring tourism drives growth and jobs across the country, including the constituency of East Grinstead and Uckfield alongside both East and West Sussex. DCMS works closely with the British Tourist Authority (BTA) and the Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) network, including the Sussex and Brighton LVEP, to drive investment and promote the region as a premier destination to visit, live, work, and invest.

Sussex’s coastal destinations were recently spotlighted as part of VisitEngland’s nationwide coastal marketing campaign which rallied local tourism voices to share short videos highlighting their coastlines. Content on VisitEngland’s domestic channels included local food-focused content featuring Worthing and a South East beaches reel highlighting Eastbourne, Cuckmere Haven, and Camber Sands.

Building on this momentum, VisitEngland launched its £2 million "All on England’s Coast" campaign in September. Running through early 2027, the initiative aims to boost coastal tourism during the shoulder season. Beyond coastal activity, Sussex destinations have also featured across wider domestic social activity, including through recent Winnie-the-Pooh-inspired woodland walks content featuring Ashdown Forest.

To drive international tourism, VisitBritain promotes the Bluebell Railway as part of its Kent and Sussex film and TV itinerary, linking the region to its Starring GREAT Britain campaign. This campaign uses the hook of Britain’s rich film and television history to encourage more international visitors to explore across Britain, including many rural and coastal destinations.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps her Department has taken to support the tourism industry in East Sussex.

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

DCMS is committed to ensuring tourism drives growth and jobs across the country, including the constituency of East Grinstead and Uckfield alongside both East and West Sussex. DCMS works closely with the British Tourist Authority (BTA) and the Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) network, including the Sussex and Brighton LVEP, to drive investment and promote the region as a premier destination to visit, live, work, and invest.

Sussex’s coastal destinations were recently spotlighted as part of VisitEngland’s nationwide coastal marketing campaign which rallied local tourism voices to share short videos highlighting their coastlines. Content on VisitEngland’s domestic channels included local food-focused content featuring Worthing and a South East beaches reel highlighting Eastbourne, Cuckmere Haven, and Camber Sands.

Building on this momentum, VisitEngland launched its £2 million "All on England’s Coast" campaign in September. Running through early 2027, the initiative aims to boost coastal tourism during the shoulder season. Beyond coastal activity, Sussex destinations have also featured across wider domestic social activity, including through recent Winnie-the-Pooh-inspired woodland walks content featuring Ashdown Forest.

To drive international tourism, VisitBritain promotes the Bluebell Railway as part of its Kent and Sussex film and TV itinerary, linking the region to its Starring GREAT Britain campaign. This campaign uses the hook of Britain’s rich film and television history to encourage more international visitors to explore across Britain, including many rural and coastal destinations.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the capacity of schools to deliver the nature, outdoor and adventure enrichment benchmark across all regions of England.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department has published a new enrichment framework with benchmarks to provide a clear structure against which schools can evaluate and make considered improvements to their offer, including nature, outdoors and adventure provision. Baroness Grey-Thompson has been appointed as Nature, Outdoors and Adventure Ambassador, to highlight effective enrichment practice, and help develop and expand opportunities for young people.

The £22.5 million Enrichment Expansion Programme, which the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the department are working in partnership to deliver, will work with over 400 schools to support them to meet the benchmarks set out in the enrichment framework. The programme will support connections between providers and organisations (including, for example, zoos), and schools, enabling pupils to take advantage of the expertise, capacity and experiences available.

This is alongside a variety of governmental programmes which can support schools with enrichment, for example National Education Nature Parks. DCMS’s Every Child Can programme will deliver £132.5 million for new activities programmes structured around the 5 enrichment categories within the framework, delivered through schools, community programmes, weekend activities and holiday provision.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to work with zoos and other outdoor learning providers to support delivery of the nature, outdoor and adventure enrichment benchmark.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department has published a new enrichment framework with benchmarks to provide a clear structure against which schools can evaluate and make considered improvements to their offer, including nature, outdoors and adventure provision. Baroness Grey-Thompson has been appointed as Nature, Outdoors and Adventure Ambassador, to highlight effective enrichment practice, and help develop and expand opportunities for young people.

The £22.5 million Enrichment Expansion Programme, which the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the department are working in partnership to deliver, will work with over 400 schools to support them to meet the benchmarks set out in the enrichment framework. The programme will support connections between providers and organisations (including, for example, zoos), and schools, enabling pupils to take advantage of the expertise, capacity and experiences available.

This is alongside a variety of governmental programmes which can support schools with enrichment, for example National Education Nature Parks. DCMS’s Every Child Can programme will deliver £132.5 million for new activities programmes structured around the 5 enrichment categories within the framework, delivered through schools, community programmes, weekend activities and holiday provision.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help support schools to deliver the nature, outdoor and adventure enrichment benchmark, including through sufficient funding.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department has published a new enrichment framework with benchmarks to provide a clear structure against which schools can evaluate and make considered improvements to their offer, including nature, outdoors and adventure provision. Baroness Grey-Thompson has been appointed as Nature, Outdoors and Adventure Ambassador, to highlight effective enrichment practice, and help develop and expand opportunities for young people.

The £22.5 million Enrichment Expansion Programme, which the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the department are working in partnership to deliver, will work with over 400 schools to support them to meet the benchmarks set out in the enrichment framework. The programme will support connections between providers and organisations (including, for example, zoos), and schools, enabling pupils to take advantage of the expertise, capacity and experiences available.

This is alongside a variety of governmental programmes which can support schools with enrichment, for example National Education Nature Parks. DCMS’s Every Child Can programme will deliver £132.5 million for new activities programmes structured around the 5 enrichment categories within the framework, delivered through schools, community programmes, weekend activities and holiday provision.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what involvement or assistance her ministers, officials and special advisers had in the meeting between Manchester City Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the 14 September 2026; and if she will publish all relevant correspondence and minutes.

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

DCMS were not involved in this meeting.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 28 August 2026, to Question 11834, on DCMS: International Cooperation, how her Departments collates details of its international obligations with foreign governments and organisations.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Treaties section of the UK Parliament’s website lists international agreements which are subject to parliamentary scrutiny under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. An official record of the UK's treaty obligations under international law is also available via the UK Treaties Online resource.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support the use of vacant commercial properties by businesses and organisations in the creative industries.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The government agrees that unused buildings can play an important role in supporting cultural, community and economic activity, including where appropriate through temporary use as live and electronic music spaces.

We are already providing local authorities and communities with new tools to support this. Through the new £10 million funding for High Street Rental Auctions (HSRA), we gave local authorities the power to auction the lease of long-term vacant commercial properties, putting tools in local hands to take action on empty properties.

Through MHCLG’s £5.8 billion Pride in Place Programme, local authorities and independent Neighbourhood Boards can use targeted funding to bring vacant premises back into use and support community stewardship. And the government has announced a £210m package to reinvent high streets with new shops, public services, and community spaces.

DCMS has provided £150 million to six priority Mayoral Strategic Authorities to deliver initiatives to drive growth in their areas, as part of the Creative Places Growth Fund. Initiatives include refurbishing underused spaces for the creative sector, such as the West of England Creative Workspace Fund.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support the regulated gambling sector in East Grinstead and Uckfield constituency.

Answered by Vicky Foxcroft - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Department believes a well-regulated gambling sector is essential if customers are going to gamble with licensed operators and not unregulated ones, where appropriate protections are not present.

Sussex is home to a range of retail gambling operators, as well as online operators, and horse and greyhound racing venues. These provide many specialised jobs and play an important role in local communities. While most gambling policies are not place-specific, the Department recognises that there are regional differences across the gambling landscape and we believe that the people closest to where impacts are experienced can be best-placed to make decisions. In the summer the Prime Minister announced plans to give local authorities more powers over individual licensing decisions by revoking the ‘aim to permit’ principle, and DCMS will publish a consultation in this area in due course. We also recognise the importance of amusement piers and arcades in providing low-risk leisure venues for families, and in supporting the local economies of seaside towns such as those found in Sussex. To support the Family Entertainment sector, DCMS has consulted on the stakes and prizes for the Category D gaming machines found in these venues. A response to the consultation will be published in due course.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support the regulated gambling sector in East Sussex.

Answered by Vicky Foxcroft - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Department believes a well-regulated gambling sector is essential if customers are going to gamble with licensed operators and not unregulated ones, where appropriate protections are not present.

Sussex is home to a range of retail gambling operators, as well as online operators, and horse and greyhound racing venues. These provide many specialised jobs and play an important role in local communities. While most gambling policies are not place-specific, the Department recognises that there are regional differences across the gambling landscape and we believe that the people closest to where impacts are experienced can be best-placed to make decisions. In the summer the Prime Minister announced plans to give local authorities more powers over individual licensing decisions by revoking the ‘aim to permit’ principle, and DCMS will publish a consultation in this area in due course. We also recognise the importance of amusement piers and arcades in providing low-risk leisure venues for families, and in supporting the local economies of seaside towns such as those found in Sussex. To support the Family Entertainment sector, DCMS has consulted on the stakes and prizes for the Category D gaming machines found in these venues. A response to the consultation will be published in due course.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support the regulated gambling sector in West Sussex.

Answered by Vicky Foxcroft - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Department believes a well-regulated gambling sector is essential if customers are going to gamble with licensed operators and not unregulated ones, where appropriate protections are not present.

Sussex is home to a range of retail gambling operators, as well as online operators, and horse and greyhound racing venues. These provide many specialised jobs and play an important role in local communities. While most gambling policies are not place-specific, the Department recognises that there are regional differences across the gambling landscape and we believe that the people closest to where impacts are experienced can be best-placed to make decisions. In the summer the Prime Minister announced plans to give local authorities more powers over individual licensing decisions by revoking the ‘aim to permit’ principle, and DCMS will publish a consultation in this area in due course. We also recognise the importance of amusement piers and arcades in providing low-risk leisure venues for families, and in supporting the local economies of seaside towns such as those found in Sussex. To support the Family Entertainment sector, DCMS has consulted on the stakes and prizes for the Category D gaming machines found in these venues. A response to the consultation will be published in due course.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on how her Department will measure how the Enrichment Expansion Programme delivers against the Enrichment Framework and the government’s ambition to halve the enrichment gap.

Answered by Vicky Foxcroft - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Enrichment Expansion Programme (EEP), a DCMS-funded programme delivered in strategic partnership with DfE, will invest £22.5 million across 3 years to support up to 400 secondary schools to provide a youth led, tailored enrichment offer and help them meet the Enrichment Framework benchmarks. The Enrichment Framework is non-statutory guidance and will support education settings to plan a high-quality enrichment offer more strategically and intentionally with the aim of increasing the quality of and access to enrichment opportunities.

DCMS has commissioned an independent evaluator to conduct a process, impact and value for money evaluation of the EEP. The evaluation will consider how successfully the programme has delivered against its strategic objectives, which includes evaluating how successfully the programme has supported participating schools to meet the Framework benchmarks. This will include taking a baseline assessment of each school’s provision and pupil participation at the start of the programme to compare progress against by the end of the programme.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the financial sustainability of local theatre, opera and performing arts organisations in the context of rising production and venue costs; and what steps the Government is taking to support such organisations, including those providing arts education opportunities for children and young people.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government strongly welcomes Baroness Hodge’s Independent Review of Arts Council England (ACE) and has agreed a roadmap for implementation with ACE.

We are working closely with ACE to implement the Review’s recommendations. Already, ACE has published a strategic framework to replace Let’s Create and published revised guidance for the National Portfolio Investment Programme in September.

On Recommendation 3.1 regarding Theatre Tax Relief, the Government recognises the value of cultural tax reliefs to the sector. DCMS will be providing evidence to HM Treasury to support consideration of these proposals. Any changes to tax policy are made by the Chancellor at fiscal events, in the context of the wider public finances.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress has been made on implementing the recommendations of the independent review of Arts Council England by Baroness Margaret Hodge, published December 2025; and what progress has been made on recommendation 3.1 relating to amendments to Theatre Tax Relief to include additional costs of touring.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government strongly welcomes Baroness Hodge’s Independent Review of Arts Council England (ACE) and has a roadmap for implementation with ACE

We are working closely with ACE to implement the Review’s recommendations. Already, ACE has published a strategic framework to replace Let’s Create and published revised guidance for the National Portfolio Investment Programme in September.

On Recommendation 3.1 regarding Theatre Tax Relief, the Government recognises the value of cultural tax reliefs to the sector. DCMS will be providing evidence to HM Treasury to support consideration of these proposals. Any changes to tax policy are made by the Chancellor at fiscal events, in the context of the wider public finances.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that funding for Young Futures Hubs does not result in reductions in funding for other existing youth services.

Answered by Vicky Foxcroft - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

Young Futures Hubs form part of a £500 million investment over the next few years from DCMS for youth services to provide support when and where young people need it, more safe spaces, and access to trusted adults.

Government is committed to ensuring Young Futures Hubs complement and enhance existing youth provision, not replace it. The programme supports local authorities to take a strategic, evidence-led approach to identifying and addressing gaps in support for young people, building on existing youth services, community assets and voluntary and community sector provision.

In addition to funding for their Young Futures Hub, local authorities will receive £500,000 through the Local Youth Transformation Programme to strengthen the local capability, partnerships and infrastructure needed to deliver this approach.

DCMS grant agreements and monitoring will ensure this funding remains strictly additional to existing provision, supported by national evaluation to assess the programme’s impact.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 119943 on Journalism: Protection, what assessment her Department has been made of the potential impact of private investigators intimidating journalists on the level of press freedom.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government is committed to defending the invaluable role of a free and independent media. Harassment and intimidation of journalists is unacceptable and incompatible with a healthy and functioning democracy.

Through the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists, which brings DCMS together with the Home Office, criminal justice partners, civil society and media organisations, we work to ensure journalists can carry out their work free from threats, intimidation and violence. The Committee's National Action Plan supports efforts to improve the safety of journalists operating in the UK.

The Department also engages regularly with media organisations on current threats facing journalists and developments affecting the media landscape, including allegations of intimidation. Issues shared by the industry help to inform the work of the National Committee.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the implementation of the Media Act 2024.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The effective implementation of the Media Act 2024 remains a priority for both the Department and Ofcom, who share responsibility for overall implementation.

We have now fully implemented the provisions of the Act which modernises the public service broadcasting framework and listed events regime, and those provisions which relate to updates regarding S4C and Channel 4.

We are now seeking to complete implementation of the remaining parts of the Act, which relate to the new regulatory regimes, as swiftly as possible. The Act delegates certain powers to the Secretary of State to designate in-scope services, which she has now delivered for the new prominence and video-on-demand regimes.

Under the Act Ofcom also has responsibility for developing relevant Codes and guidance which must be completed before commencement. DCMS and Ofcom continue to engage regularly to monitor delivery.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June 2026 to Question 3763 and with reference to the Answer of of 19 January 2026 to Question 104195 on Government Communication Service: Staff, how many headcount staff in the (a) Department and (b) each of its Arm’s Length Bodies are (i) members of the Government Communication Network and (ii) embedded communicators who are not counted as members of the Government Communication Network.

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

The headcount for staff working in the Communications profession in DCMS as at 31 March 2026 can be found at table 8 in the statistical tables published on gov.uk as part of the Civil Service Statistics 2026:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2026

This data covers the Department for Culture, Media and Sport before the Machinery of Government changes. We do not hold records of the number of GCS members employed by our ALBs.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the letter from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism, Civil Society and Youth to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, dated 24 June 2026, which grants for the business events growth programme and related funds were allocated to BTA for the purpose of growing business events in the last five years.

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

DCMS recognises the economic contribution of business events, which facilitate trade and investment, support jobs and generate visitor spending across the UK. The UK’s business event sector is thriving and receives support from a number of national and local sources.

DCMS provides the British Tourist Authority (BTA) with funding each year to deliver an agreed set of objectives which the BTA allocates across a range of priority areas where it can most add value. Funding is also provided from the GREAT programme for international marketing.

From 2021/22 to 2025/26, BTA allocated approximately £1.25m of funding annually to support business events. In 2026/27, BTA reprioritised funding to avoid duplication with VisitScotland and VisitWales and to support smaller businesses to attend international trade shows. MeetEngland’s budget this year of £300,000 accounts for around 20% of VisitEngland’s core operational budget for 26/27.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the letter from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism, Civil Society and Youth to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, dated 24 June 2026, what funding was (a) allocated for and (b) provided to the British Tourism Authority's Business Events Growth Programme in the last five financial years.

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

DCMS recognises the economic contribution of business events, which facilitate trade and investment, support jobs and generate visitor spending across the UK. The UK’s business event sector is thriving and receives support from a number of national and local sources.

DCMS provides the British Tourist Authority (BTA) with funding each year to deliver an agreed set of objectives which the BTA allocates across a range of priority areas where it can most add value. Funding is also provided from the GREAT programme for international marketing.

From 2021/22 to 2025/26, BTA allocated approximately £1.25m of funding annually to support business events. In 2026/27, BTA reprioritised funding to avoid duplication with VisitScotland and VisitWales and to support smaller businesses to attend international trade shows. MeetEngland’s budget this year of £300,000 accounts for around 20% of VisitEngland’s core operational budget for 26/27.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many departmental Senior Civil Service away days have taken place in calendar year 2026 to date; in what specific venues; at what cost; and if there was any associated social or team-building activity at public expense.

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

Between 1 January 2026 and 1 October 2026, DCMS held two Senior Civil Service (SCS) away days, each for half a day.

An SCS away day took place at the British Museum on 18 March 2026. No costs were involved for hiring the venue. The cost involved was £1,996.80.

On 14 July 2026, an SCS away day took place at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. No costs were involved for hiring the venue. We have not yet received an invoice for any other costs but expect one for refreshments.

UK Youth Parliament has been instrumental in giving young people across the country a voice since 2000. Reports suggest that DCMS may cease providing further funding to UKYP. This petition calls for the government to explore all available options to sustain the programme long into the future.

Found: Reports suggest that DCMS may cease providing further funding to UKYP.

Found: government, including to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science & Trade, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport

Found: Cocos Islands 893 Republic of Keeling Islands 894 Norfolk Island 895 France 895 French Overseas Depts (DCMS

Found: Minister for Youth, Gambling, Digital Inclusion, Civil Society & Loneliness), Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport

Found: London English National Ballet London E14 0SY Arts and media Committed London Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport

Found: Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST), the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS

Found: inactivity • £400 million of investment by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS

Found: Building on this, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), with support from the

Found: Building on this, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), with support from the

Found: DEFRA 9.4% 54 379 DBT 3.5% 23 41 HMT 3.4% 12 1 CO 14.8% 61 62 FCDO 4.7% 64 36 MHCLG 15.7% 7 588 DCMS

Found: DEFRA 9.4% 54 379 DBT 3.5% 23 41 HMT 3.4% 12 1 CO 14.8% 61 62 FCDO 4.7% 64 36 MHCLG 15.7% 7 588 DCMS

Found: Thriving (covering SEND reform, pupil engagement, enrichment and home-school partnerships); the DCMS

Found: This comes as DCMS publishes the Digital and Technologies Jobs Plan, setting a target of 20,000 entry

Found: Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Code of Practice for Public Authorities Sharing Information

Found: Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Code of Practice for Public Authorities Sharing Information

Found: Notes to Editors DCMS has around 400 regulated Public Appointment roles across 44 Public Bodies including

Found: Notes to Editors DCMS has around 400 regulated Public Appointment roles across 44 Public Bodies including

Found: Notes to Editors DCMS has around 460 regulated Public Appointment roles across 44 Public Bodies including

Found: agreement with RedBird IMI as lender, which comprises two tranches: 9 RBC and IMI’s letter to DCMS

Found: of TMG. 10 2.27 Towards the end of our process, we also received supplementary information from DCMS

Found: of TMG. 10 2.29 Towards the end of our process, we also received supplementary information from DCMS

Found: The Target Companies’ response to s.109 Notice dated 12 February 2024. 10 RBC and IMI’s letter to DCMS

Found: available at Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament; 13 DCMS

Found: Thriving (covering SEND reform, pupil engagement, enrichment and home-school partnerships); the DCMS

Found: Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (DBIST) and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS