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 streaming services on adopting the British Board of Film Classification's age and content classifications.

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

Ofcom, the independent regulator, has a new duty introduced through the Media Act 2024 to assess audience protection measures used by video-on-demand (VoD) services, such as age ratings, to ensure they are adequate to protect audiences from harm. The Government will in due course be designating mainstream VoD services, bringing them under enhanced regulation by Ofcom. Ofcom will then consult on a new Standards Code for these services, similar to the Broadcasting Code. This could include the use of age ratings, if Ofcom considers it appropriate.

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 streaming services on effective audience protection measures and age classifications.

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

Ofcom, the independent regulator, has a new duty introduced through the Media Act 2024 to assess audience protection measures used by video-on-demand (VoD) services, such as age ratings, to ensure they are adequate to protect audiences from harm. The Government will in due course be designating mainstream VoD services, bringing them under enhanced regulation by Ofcom. Ofcom will then consult on a new Standards Code for these services, similar to the Broadcasting Code. This could include the use of age ratings, if Ofcom considers it appropriate.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 26 November 2025 to question 92072, what framework, conditions and support she has agreed with the TV and film sector since July 2024 to ensure the inclusion of English regional dialects in productions.

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

Our priority is supporting a healthy and mixed screen ecology where public service broadcasters, alongside commercial broadcasters, can continue to deliver high-quality, culturally relevant content for audiences across England and the UK.

The Government has engaged extensively with industry and has consistently championed the commissioning and production of programming in all parts of the country, For example, the BBC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the West Midlands Combined Authority and Create Central, committing to increased output, skills investment, and a new production base in Digbeth.

In addition Part 1 of the Media Act 2024, once commenced, will for the first time make clear in legislation the importance of the provision of indigenous regional and minority languages in the modernised public service remit for television, and will require public service broadcasters to provide a sufficient quantity of audiovisual content that reflects the lives and concerns of different communities and cultural interests across the UK. It will be for Ofcom, the independent regulator, to monitor compliance.

Alongside this, and building on competitive fiscal incentives like the Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit, the Creative Industries Sector Plan published in June, also set out plans for how the Government will support television and film and television production across the nations and regions, tapping into the huge potential for growth across the country. Our £75 million Screen Growth Package specifically will support regional growth of Film & TV alongside wider measures - from our £150m Creative Places Growth Fund, to £100m for the Creative Industries Clusters programme - helping to create opportunities for all.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps is she taking to incorporate culture and community in national strategic ambition.

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

Culture and community are integral to our national strategic ambition, serving as powerful catalysts for economic growth: the Creative Industry sector contributes 2.4 million jobs and £124 billion GVA to the economy, and social cohesion: evidence shows that cultural participation can make communities feel safer and stronger.

As a department, we are working across government to ensure that national strategies - such as the National Youth Strategy, the Industrial Strategy, Pride in Place and Arts Everywhere - recognise the value of culture in bringing together communities and driving social cohesion. In line with the Pride in Place strategy, we are committed to supporting those communities most in need, working with communities to invest in the spaces and structures that bring people together and restore a sense of pride in the places we live.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department holds data on the number of recreational campsites in England.

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

DCMS recognises the significant value campsites and holiday parks provide in supporting our rural and coastal economies and their contribution to the wider visitor economy.

Whilst DCMS has not conducted a formal assessment of the number of recreational campsites in England the UK Caravan & Camping Club's (UKCCA) 2024 "Pitching the Value" report, states in 2023 there were 4,754 holiday parks and campsites in England, offering around 320,901 pitches.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the National Youth Strategy will join up youth worker training and parent support.

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

This Government recognises the vital role that youth workers play in the lives of young people. We are backing the first steps of the National Youth Strategy with over £500 million of DCMS funding to increase local access to enriching activities, trusted adults and welcoming spaces. This includes investing £15 million over 3 years in youth workers, volunteers and other trusted adults including helping organisations to recruit, train, and keep more individuals to support young people.

The National Youth Strategy will deliver better recognition for paid and volunteer youth workers as well as more fit-for-purpose training, qualifications, and employment routes into the youth sector. Through the Strategy, the Government will also work closely with parents to ensure they get the support they need to guide their children. The Best Start in Life Parent Hub website launched on 1 September, as the first step in developing the Best Start digital service to support parents.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the £400m announced by her Department for grassroots sports facilities will apply to Wales and whether Barnett Consequentials will be provided.

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

The Government’s announcement of £400m of investment into grassroots sports over the next four years will ensure that we continue to deliver high-quality multi-sport facilities in communities that need them across the UK, including Wales, in order to increase participation and allow people to be active.

We are working on our plans for future grassroots sports funding and we will continue to engage the Welsh Government and our local partners in Wales on this matter. We will provide an update soon.

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 help support the tourism industry in Lincolnshire.

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

DCMS is committed to ensuring that tourism contributes to growth and jobs across all parts of the country particularly in rural areas such as Lincolnshire, home to historic sites such as Lincoln Cathedral and Castle and family attractions including Lincolnshire Wildlife Park.

DCMS works with VisitBritain and VisitEngland to champion visits to the British countryside to a worldwide audience with the aim of ensuring that the economic benefits of tourism are felt by all regions and nations.

The Government is committed to supporting the sector through the forthcoming Visitor Economy Growth Plan, which will set out a long term plan to increase visitor flows across the UK, boost value, and deliver sustainable growth.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of business events on economic growth.

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

Business events can generate economic growth, create jobs, and boost the visitor economy across the country. In 2024, business events contributed a reported £33.6 billion to the UK economy as a whole according to data from UK Events.

The average business traveller spends more than double that of a leisure tourist (£209 v £101) and, with 38% taking place outside of London, business events are an example of how events can support economic growth across the UK

The British Tourist Authority also supports organisations in attracting international business events across UK cities via the Business Events Growth Programme. In the 2024-25 financial year, the programme financially supported 36 international events across Britain and generated an additional £27.5 million in expenditure. These events were aligned with key Government priority sectors including healthcare and life sciences, engineering and manufacturing, technology, renewable energy and creative industries.

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

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

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. The Government recognises the significant pressures facing the hospitality industry, including hotels, and is providing support through various measures to help ease these pressures.

The Government has introduced permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties with a ratable value under £500,000, worth nearly £900 million annually, benefitting over 750,000 properties. The new relief rates are permanent, giving businesses certainty and stability, and there will be no cap so all qualifying properties will benefit.

DCMS works closely with VisitEngland/VisitBritain, Local Visitor Economy Partnerships and industry to support accommodation providers, including hotels in the West Midlands. The West Midlands is a key participant in a Destination Development Partnership pilot led by VisitEngland. This programme tests a new model for destination management by encouraging collaboration between national and local tourism bodies. The focus is on making the region more accessible and highlighting its range of shops, restaurants, and hotels.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the (a) effectiveness of the role of BBC Radio 4 in national emergency communications and (b) the resilience of its transmission network to power loss.

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

The BBC has specific requirements under its Framework Agreement in relation to broadcast security and resilience, and works closely with DCMS in ensuring its networks are able to support emergency communications. DCMS has full oversight of these plans and works with Cabinet Office and other lead Government Departments to ensure BBC’s capabilities are integrated into wider resilience planning.

Detailed planning and preparations for a range of risks including power outages is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC has informed the Government that its plan for maintaining emergency communications to the public in an extended national power outage includes a detailed assessment of back up power generation capacity and capabilities at key BBC sites and transmitter sites operated by third-party providers. The plan for this risk is designed to maintain broadcasts of key BBC radio channels nationally to both urban and rural communities. The BBC regularly tests its plan and procedures including live tests of its broadcast systems.

The loss of broadcast coverage to a specific geographic area is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC collects and holds detailed information about the disruption of its radio services from individual transmitters.

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 at least one UK-wide emergency radio service remains accessible to the public during extended power outages.

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

The BBC has specific requirements under its Framework Agreement in relation to broadcast security and resilience, and works closely with DCMS in ensuring its networks are able to support emergency communications. DCMS has full oversight of these plans and works with Cabinet Office and other lead Government Departments to ensure BBC’s capabilities are integrated into wider resilience planning.

Detailed planning and preparations for a range of risks including power outages is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC has informed the Government that its plan for maintaining emergency communications to the public in an extended national power outage includes a detailed assessment of back up power generation capacity and capabilities at key BBC sites and transmitter sites operated by third-party providers. The plan for this risk is designed to maintain broadcasts of key BBC radio channels nationally to both urban and rural communities. The BBC regularly tests its plan and procedures including live tests of its broadcast systems.

The loss of broadcast coverage to a specific geographic area is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC collects and holds detailed information about the disruption of its radio services from individual transmitters.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what contingency arrangements exist if local radio transmission infrastructure becomes unavailable during a national emergency.

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

The BBC has specific requirements under its Framework Agreement in relation to broadcast security and resilience, and works closely with DCMS in ensuring its networks are able to support emergency communications. DCMS has full oversight of these plans and works with Cabinet Office and other lead Government Departments to ensure BBC’s capabilities are integrated into wider resilience planning.

Detailed planning and preparations for a range of risks including power outages is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC has informed the Government that its plan for maintaining emergency communications to the public in an extended national power outage includes a detailed assessment of back up power generation capacity and capabilities at key BBC sites and transmitter sites operated by third-party providers. The plan for this risk is designed to maintain broadcasts of key BBC radio channels nationally to both urban and rural communities. The BBC regularly tests its plan and procedures including live tests of its broadcast systems.

The loss of broadcast coverage to a specific geographic area is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC collects and holds detailed information about the disruption of its radio services from individual transmitters.

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 children’s educational content creators on online platforms.

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

The Government is committed to supporting high-quality, culturally relevant, UK-made children’s content, and the considerable benefits it brings. The popularity of online services, including video-sharing platforms, means there is now more choice than ever for young audiences. The Government is engaging with creators, producers, broadcasters, and video-sharing platforms to see how they can work more closely together to surface UK-made, high-quality content. We want to ensure children’s programming is easily accessible, and continues to inform, educate, and entertain young people into the future.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the availability and duration of backup power supplies for radio broadcast transmission sites during prolonged power outages.

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

The BBC has specific requirements under its Framework Agreement in relation to broadcast security and resilience, and works closely with DCMS in ensuring its networks are able to support emergency communications. DCMS has full oversight of these plans and works with Cabinet Office and other lead Government Departments to ensure BBC’s capabilities are integrated into wider resilience planning.

Detailed planning and preparations for a range of risks including power outages is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC has informed the Government that its plan for maintaining emergency communications to the public in an extended national power outage includes a detailed assessment of back up power generation capacity and capabilities at key BBC sites and transmitter sites operated by third-party providers. The plan for this risk is designed to maintain broadcasts of key BBC radio channels nationally to both urban and rural communities. The BBC regularly tests its plan and procedures including live tests of its broadcast systems.

The loss of broadcast coverage to a specific geographic area is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC collects and holds detailed information about the disruption of its radio services from individual transmitters.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of radio broadcast transmission masts are equipped with on-site backup power capable of operating for more than (a) 12 hours, (b) 24 hours and (c) 72 hours without mains electricity.

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

The BBC has specific requirements under its Framework Agreement in relation to broadcast security and resilience, and works closely with DCMS in ensuring its networks are able to support emergency communications. DCMS has full oversight of these plans and works with Cabinet Office and other lead Government Departments to ensure BBC’s capabilities are integrated into wider resilience planning.

Detailed planning and preparations for a range of risks including power outages is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC has informed the Government that its plan for maintaining emergency communications to the public in an extended national power outage includes a detailed assessment of back up power generation capacity and capabilities at key BBC sites and transmitter sites operated by third-party providers. The plan for this risk is designed to maintain broadcasts of key BBC radio channels nationally to both urban and rural communities. The BBC regularly tests its plan and procedures including live tests of its broadcast systems.

The loss of broadcast coverage to a specific geographic area is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC collects and holds detailed information about the disruption of its radio services from individual transmitters.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the level of difference in emergency radio broadcast resilience between urban areas and rural or remote communities.

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

The BBC has specific requirements under its Framework Agreement in relation to broadcast security and resilience, and works closely with DCMS in ensuring its networks are able to support emergency communications. DCMS has full oversight of these plans and works with Cabinet Office and other lead Government Departments to ensure BBC’s capabilities are integrated into wider resilience planning.

Detailed planning and preparations for a range of risks including power outages is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC has informed the Government that its plan for maintaining emergency communications to the public in an extended national power outage includes a detailed assessment of back up power generation capacity and capabilities at key BBC sites and transmitter sites operated by third-party providers. The plan for this risk is designed to maintain broadcasts of key BBC radio channels nationally to both urban and rural communities. The BBC regularly tests its plan and procedures including live tests of its broadcast systems.

The loss of broadcast coverage to a specific geographic area is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC collects and holds detailed information about the disruption of its radio services from individual transmitters.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent testing has been undertaken of emergency power systems at radio broadcast transmission sites; and what the results of that testing were.

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

The BBC has specific requirements under its Framework Agreement in relation to broadcast security and resilience, and works closely with DCMS in ensuring its networks are able to support emergency communications. DCMS has full oversight of these plans and works with Cabinet Office and other lead Government Departments to ensure BBC’s capabilities are integrated into wider resilience planning.

Detailed planning and preparations for a range of risks including power outages is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC has informed the Government that its plan for maintaining emergency communications to the public in an extended national power outage includes a detailed assessment of back up power generation capacity and capabilities at key BBC sites and transmitter sites operated by third-party providers. The plan for this risk is designed to maintain broadcasts of key BBC radio channels nationally to both urban and rural communities. The BBC regularly tests its plan and procedures including live tests of its broadcast systems.

The loss of broadcast coverage to a specific geographic area is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC collects and holds detailed information about the disruption of its radio services from individual transmitters.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department holds data on the loss of radio broadcast coverage during recent power outages in the Highlands and Islands.

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

The BBC has specific requirements under its Framework Agreement in relation to broadcast security and resilience, and works closely with DCMS in ensuring its networks are able to support emergency communications. DCMS has full oversight of these plans and works with Cabinet Office and other lead Government Departments to ensure BBC’s capabilities are integrated into wider resilience planning.

Detailed planning and preparations for a range of risks including power outages is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC has informed the Government that its plan for maintaining emergency communications to the public in an extended national power outage includes a detailed assessment of back up power generation capacity and capabilities at key BBC sites and transmitter sites operated by third-party providers. The plan for this risk is designed to maintain broadcasts of key BBC radio channels nationally to both urban and rural communities. The BBC regularly tests its plan and procedures including live tests of its broadcast systems.

The loss of broadcast coverage to a specific geographic area is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC collects and holds detailed information about the disruption of its radio services from individual transmitters.

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 ensure that online platforms offer children diversity of content.

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

The Government is committed to supporting high-quality, culturally relevant, UK-made children’s content, and the considerable benefits it brings. The popularity of online services, including video-sharing platforms, means there is now more choice than ever for young audiences. The Government is engaging with creators, producers, broadcasters, and video-sharing platforms to see how they can work more closely together to surface UK-made, high-quality content. We want to ensure children’s programming is easily accessible, and continues to inform, educate, and entertain young people into the future.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to develop a UK major events strategy.

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

The UK is a world-class host for major events, and the government is investing in a decade-long pipeline to drive economic growth and community impact.

Support for sporting events is already established through the Gold Framework. Additionally, DCMS will launch a new Visitor Economy Growth Strategy next year to strengthen the business events industry and enhance the UK's global competitiveness.

The Department welcomes the CMS Select Committee Inquiry into major events and continues to engage with industry to address challenges and identify further opportunities for collaboration and growth.

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 help protect UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the UK from potential environmental threats.

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

DCMS provides support and advice to all World Heritage Sites across the UK and Overseas Territories that are grappling with environmental threats in our capacity as State Party of the World Heritage Convention.

DCMS works closely with environmental agencies across the UK, including the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Natural England, NatureScot, Natural Resources Wales and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, as well as Historic England as our expert advisers on World Heritage. We also consult with individual site managers and local authorities to monitor potential and known threats to our sites and to consider which issues require notification to, and assistance from, UNESCO.

In addition, DCMS funded the project ‘Climate Change & UNESCO Heritage’ which ran from February 2024 - October 2025 and was delivered by the UK National Commission for UNESCO. This project developed open-source tools that support UNESCO heritage sites to address climate challenges.

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 and preserve UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the UK.

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

As State Party to the World Heritage Convention, DCMS has the primary responsibility for keeping UNESCO updated on the UK’s 35 World Heritage Sites, and responding to requests for information from UNESCO.

While heritage is a devolved policy area, DCMS works closely with cultural heritage and environmental agencies across the UK to provide support and advice regarding engagement with UNESCO. This includes engaging the World Heritage Centre; the World Heritage Committee and their Advisory Bodies; and ensures that both our cultural and natural (and mixed) sites retain their World Heritage status.

DCMS engages with site managers, steering groups and local authorities to provide advice, particularly where a site is under increased scrutiny from UNESCO. DCMS also advises sites on the UK’s Tentative List that have the potential to be inscribed as future World Heritage Sites to ensure the right protection and management arrangements are in place from the start.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the production of original UK content in film, television and radio.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government continues to incentivise the production of original content across film, television and radio. The Creative Industries is one of eight growth-driving sectors in our Industrial Strategy. Our ten-year Sector Plan, published in June, sets out over sixty commitments, with film and TV prioritised as a 'frontier industry' due to its high growth potential and strong connections across the wider economy.

The Sector Plan supports the screen sector, through a £75 million Screen Growth Package to fund original UK film and television content, helping independent British productions reach global audiences. This includes an £18 million per annum scale up of the UK Global Screen Fund supporting development, co-productions, and international distribution. We have also maintained a 40% reduction on business rates for eligible film studios in England until 2034, directly supporting world-class filming facilities across the country.

Our competitive tax reliefs across the audiovisual sector, including high-end TV, visual effects and independent British film, in addition to our generous support for studio infrastructure encourages production activity across the UK.

Our public service broadcasters, in particular, are all subject to original production quotas, which require them to make a minimum level (by hours) of original content, whether commissioned or produced, available on their respective services. Our reputation as a world-leader in film and television production coupled with the attractive fiscal incentives offered by the Government means we also continue to attract significant inward investment from global streaming services and studios.

The UK’s commercial radio sector has benefited from changes in the Media Act to reduce regulatory burdens on licensed stations and the introduction of new protections for the carriage of radio services on smart speaker platforms. We are exploring, as part of the Creative Industries Sector Plan, the scope to encourage further growth in the UK’s audio and podcast sector. We have recently commissioned a new study by Frontier Economics to assess the economic potential of the radio and podcasting sector. This research will be completed no later than summer 2026.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to estimate the number of people who access information about the activities of their local authorities from their local or regional newspapers.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Local press plays a vital role in scrutinising local authorities and supporting democratic engagement at local level, and there is a wealth of evidence relating to how audiences engage with this role. Ofcom’s most recent Local News and Media Survey found that nearly half of UK adults use local media to seek out local government information, such as local council updates or plans. The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism's most recent global survey of news audiences found that people consider local newspapers and other news media to be a better source of information on local politics and government than online platforms, to a greater degree than for any other type of local news or information.

Last year, DCMS commissioned research last year into the relationship between local news provision and local public service performance. That research has helped inform our plans for the Local Media Strategy to support local journalism. As part of the Strategy, we want to better empower local media to hold local public services to account, and we are exploring whether there is more that local authorities can do to support the vital role that local media plays, for example through increased openness in providing local journalists with access to information. We will also continue to monitor how audiences engage with this role. More detail will be announced on the Strategy and our commissioned research in the coming months.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on UK media plurality of a sale or merger involving US media companies.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Given the legal and commercial sensitivities involved, it would not be appropriate to comment on any potential or live media merger involving US media companies.

As set out in our Creative Industries Sector Plan, the Government is aware of the evolving nature of the TV and streaming landscape. Should any merger progress, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) would be responsible for examining implications for competition and consumers, provided that the relevant jurisdiction criteria are met. The Government has committed to asking the CMA, working with Ofcom, to set out how changes in the sector could be taken into account as part of any future assessment of the television and advertising markets.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to review the regulation of gambling sponsorship and marketing in grassroots football.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

We currently have no plans to review gambling sponsorship in grassroots football. However, the government is clear that wherever gambling advertising and sponsorship appears, it must be socially responsible.

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 effectiveness of the local authority statutory duty to provide youth services.

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

This Government is passionate in delivering for young people, that’s why this Government has set out the National Youth Strategy. This strategy clearly states that young people should have people who care, places to go and things to do, and to feel heard and seen.

As part of the National Youth Strategy we have committed to explore reviewing the current local authorities’ statutory duty for youth services as part of a wider review of local statutory duties. This will look at whether the current duty is working and at how to empower local authorities to better deliver on their responsibilities for youth services.

Local authorities currently play a key part in delivering youth services, reflected in their statutory duty to provide sufficient leisure-time activities and facilities in line with local needs. After years of funding cuts to Local Authority funding we know that some areas have faced challenges in meeting this duty. That’s why this Government is investing nearly £70 million over the next three financial years to better support local authorities' delivery for young people.

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 hardest to reach young people are supported by the National Youth Strategy.

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

The National Youth Strategy outlines our plan to increase young people’s access to enriching activities, safe spaces and support from trusted adults. A key ambition of the Strategy is to halve the participation gap in enriching activities between disadvantaged young people and their peers by 2035.

To help achieve this, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will increase place-based support in underserved places to increase impact. Some of the first funded steps to achieve this ambition include over £60 million for the Richer Young Lives Fund to provide local organisations with money to deliver high-quality youth work and fun activities.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what guidance the Government provides to membership-based charities to ensure compliance with charity law where benefits are restricted to members.

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

All charities in England and Wales must have wholly charitable purposes that are for the public benefit, in order to enjoy the advantages of charitable status. Unless the purpose is for the relief (and in some cases the prevention) of poverty, a charitable purpose cannot exist for the benefit of an organisation’s members only. The exception to this is if a sufficient section of the public can access those benefits by becoming members and the membership is a suitable way of carrying out the charity’s purpose for the public benefit.

The Charity Commission has published guidance which explains the public benefit requirement.

The honourable member may be aware that Membership-based Charity Organisations was debated on Wednesday 17th December in Westminster Hall.

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 growth within the creative industries in the West Midlands.

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

The Creative Industries Sector Plan is a new 10-year plan to tackle barriers to growth and maximise opportunities across the creative industries sector, with the aim of making the UK the number one destination for creativity and innovation by 2035.

The Creative Industries Sector Plan includes a universal offer to drive growth in the creative industries in any place in the UK, outlining new measures to break down barriers such as access to finance, supply of skills, and new support to kickstart innovation.

The £150 million Creative Places Growth Fund is a new approach to supporting Creative Industries - devolving funding and empowering local leaders to grow the sector in 6 high-growth potential Mayoral Strategic Authorities, including the West Midlands. This will provide £25m to West Midlands Combined Authority to distribute, according to local barriers and opportunities.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government how many people are employed in the UK's creative economy.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

In 2020, there were 3,518,000 filled jobs in the wider UK creative economy, which consists of 2,221,000 filled jobs in the creative industries, as well as 1,297,000 filled jobs in creative occupations in industries outside of the creative industries.

Following the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revision of Standard Occupation Classification (SOC) data, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is in the process of defining which SOC2020 codes should be included in the creative occupations. Creative economy estimates for 2021 onwards will be published once this work has concluded.

We have more recent official statistics on the number of filled jobs in the creative industries, without creative occupations in industries outside of the creative industries. The most recent annual statistics show that in 2024, there were 2,409,000 filled jobs in the creative industries in the UK (8.5% more than in 2020).

Found: Wes Streeting: That is a matter for my colleagues at DCMS.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential contribution of the domestic tourism sector on his net zero targets.

Answered by Katie White - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan, published in October, sets out how the UK will continue to reduce emissions across all sectors of the economy on the pathway to net zero.

The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero engages regularly on net zero with his colleagues in other departments.

Policy on domestic tourism is led by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. In 2023, tourism contributed £58.2bn GVA (2.5% of the UK economy) and directly employed 1.2 million people. DCMS works with VisitEngland, destinations, local visitor economy partnerships (LVEPs) and industry to support sustainable tourism practices. The government is committed to supporting the sector through the forthcoming Visitor Economy Growth Plan.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of funding British content creators through the taxation of online platforms.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

We support domestic film and TV production through the tax system and through funding.

The Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit (AVEC) provides companies with a generous tax credit worth 34 per cent of their UK production costs on a film or high-end TV programme, or 39 per cent of their production costs on an animation or children’s TV programme.

As of 1 April 2025, films with a UK lead writer or director and budgets of under £23.5 million are able to claim an enhanced 53 per cent rate of AVEC on up to £15m of core expenditure. This applies to expenditure incurred from 1 April 2024. This will support the next generation of independent films and help develop a pipeline of UK film talent.

Film and TV are priority sub-sectors for our Industrial Strategy, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) have committed to a new £75 million Screen Growth Package over three years to develop independent UK screen content, support inward investment, and showcase the best of UK and international film. This includes a scaled-up £18 million per year UK Global Screen Fund (2026–2029) to develop international business capabilities, enable co-productions and distribute independent UK screen content.

The Government wants to ensure that there is a balanced film and TV sector and welcomes international investment, including from subscription video-on-demand platforms. We therefore have no plans to introduce additional taxes or levies on these services. However, DCMS will continue to engage with major streaming services, with the independent production sector and with public service broadcasters on how best to ensure mutually beneficial conditions for all parties.

Found: A 2021 paper9 for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and a 2020 whitepaper10

Found: In total, DEC incorporates nine government departments, including HM Treasury, ONS, DCMS, DfE, the Ministry

Found: • However, in their analysis of the programme prior to EU exit, DCMS found that the programme provided

Found: [Redacted - Section 33(1)(b)] DCMS mentioned that EIBF had contacted them as well.