Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) advertising codes require all gambling operators to take all reasonable steps to ensure that children are not targeted by gambling advertisements. This includes a requirement for all operators to ensure that targeting is used responsibly, through utilising tools available on platforms to exclude under-18s from exposure wherever possible.

In 2025 the ASA strengthened its guidance to ensure that personalities or influencers with social media followings totalling at least 100,000 under-18s, across all platforms, are unable to advertise gambling.

The Government continues to work with a wide range of stakeholders to increase protections online. This includes ongoing work to tackle the illegal market.

In order to operate in Great Britain, any prediction market would require a licence from the Gambling Commission, the independent regulator for gambling. If approved, they would be classified as a ‘Betting Intermediary’ and subject to regulation under the Gambling Act 2005. We will monitor the potential impacts of prediction markets on all consumers including young men and consider further action if needed.

It is for the Gambling Commission to decide whether to implement Financial Risk Assessments. DCMS supports the policy intent behind Financial Risk Assessments, and has had regular engagement with the Gambling Commission on this issue.

The Gambling Commission has confirmed that its Board met at the end of May and the agenda included consideration of the extensive evidence base connected with financial risk assessments. The Commission Board has not yet fully completed its assessment of that evidence. The Commission has confirmed that it will communicate further in due course.

AI chatbots covered by the Online Safety Act must protect all users from illegal content. We work with a wide range of stakeholders including technology companies to ensure these rules keep pace with technology and will not hesitate to go further if there is evidence to do so.

More broadly, the Government is committed to tackling illegal gambling through the Illegal Gambling Taskforce. We will therefore consider examples of chatbots promoting illegal sites to children, in conjunction with other issues, when deciding on the best next steps to increase protections against illegal gambling.

AI chatbots covered by the Online Safety Act must protect all users from illegal content. We work with a wide range of stakeholders including technology companies to ensure these rules keep pace with technology and will not hesitate to go further if there is evidence to do so.

More broadly, the Government is committed to tackling illegal gambling through the Illegal Gambling Taskforce. We will therefore consider examples of chatbots promoting illegal sites to children, in conjunction with other issues, when deciding on the best next steps to increase protections against illegal gambling.

The Secretary of State meets regularly with the BBC to discuss a wide range of issues.

The BBC is operationally and editorially independent of the government. The BBC’s Principles of Operation for the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) set out that the core purpose of the LDRS is to provide impartial coverage of the regular business and workings of local authorities in the UK, and other relevant democratic institutions. These Principles also make clear that Local Democracy Reporters report to the contract holder, not to the BBC or any other partner, and their reporting should be undertaken according to common editorial standards. The full set of principles is available at https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/lnp/LDRS_operation_principles.pdf.

The Charter Review, launched on 16 December 2025, will ensure the BBC continues to deliver the high standards of reporting that the public expect of a national broadcaster and that it is suitably transparent to the public and to Parliament. The Green Paper discussed how the next Charter could guarantee local news of democratic importance is provided into the future, through initiatives such as the LDRS. In doing so we are evaluating what, if any, changes are necessary to ensure the LDRS operates as effectively as possible.

The Secretary of State meets regularly with the BBC to discuss a wide range of issues.

The BBC is operationally and editorially independent of the government. The BBC’s Principles of Operation for the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) set out that the core purpose of the LDRS is to provide impartial coverage of the regular business and workings of local authorities in the UK, and other relevant democratic institutions. These Principles also make clear that Local Democracy Reporters report to the contract holder, not to the BBC or any other partner, and their reporting should be undertaken according to common editorial standards. The full set of principles is available at https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/lnp/LDRS_operation_principles.pdf.

The Charter Review, launched on 16 December 2025, will ensure the BBC continues to deliver the high standards of reporting that the public expect of a national broadcaster and that it is suitably transparent to the public and to Parliament. The Green Paper discussed how the next Charter could guarantee local news of democratic importance is provided into the future, through initiatives such as the LDRS. In doing so we are evaluating what, if any, changes are necessary to ensure the LDRS operates as effectively as possible.

The Secretary of State meets regularly with the BBC to discuss a wide range of issues.

The BBC is operationally and editorially independent of the government. The BBC’s Principles of Operation for the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) set out that the core purpose of the LDRS is to provide impartial coverage of the regular business and workings of local authorities in the UK, and other relevant democratic institutions. These Principles also make clear that Local Democracy Reporters report to the contract holder, not to the BBC or any other partner, and their reporting should be undertaken according to common editorial standards. The full set of principles is available at https://downloads.bbc.co.uk/lnp/LDRS_operation_principles.pdf.

The Charter Review, launched on 16 December 2025, will ensure the BBC continues to deliver the high standards of reporting that the public expect of a national broadcaster and that it is suitably transparent to the public and to Parliament. The Green Paper discussed how the next Charter could guarantee local news of democratic importance is provided into the future, through initiatives such as the LDRS. In doing so we are evaluating what, if any, changes are necessary to ensure the LDRS operates as effectively as possible.

The content produced by Local Democracy Reporting Service journalists is made freely available to the BBC and partners to the BBC’s Local News Partnerships scheme. The BBC is operationally independent of the government and the process for determining Partnership eligibility is therefore a matter for the BBC itself.

The Local Democracy Reporting Scheme currently provides 165 journalists in local news rooms across the country.

The BBC publishes a full list of the allocated LDRS contracts and reporters which is available at https://www.bbc.co.uk/lnp/documents/reporter_contract_distribution_2025_v3.pdf. 83 reporters were allocated to Reach in the most recent round of contract awards last year.

DCMS supports the policy intent behind Financial Risk Assessments, as set out in the white paper. We have taken note of the Gambling Commission’s pilot and its published findings, and have had regular engagement with the Commission on this issue.

DCMS believes that the pilot indicates Financial Risk Assessments should be a useful tool in efforts to tackle gambling-related harm, should the Commission decide to implement them. Findings from the pilot suggest that they target and identify customers who are both experiencing high losses and are in financial difficulties. We also believe that Financial Risk Assessments will not be intrusive. The white paper estimated that only 3% of active gambling accounts would be expected to undergo an assessment; and the pilot indicated that 97% of those assessments would be completed frictionlessly, within seconds and conducting a check would not interrupt the customer experience.

It is for the Gambling Commission to decide whether to implement Financial Risk Assessments. The Commission has committed to ongoing review, evaluation and adaptation over time if Financial Risk Assessments are introduced.

It is for the Gambling Commission to decide whether to implement Financial Risk Assessments. DCMS supports the policy intent behind Financial Risk Assessments, and has had regular engagement with the Gambling Commission on this issue.

The pilot has provided evidence of financial risk for consumers that is not currently being captured through existing policy measures. Consideration of impact is part of the Commission’s decision making. The Commission has also committed to ongoing review, evaluation and adaptation over time if Financial Risk Assessments are introduced.

The Gambling Commission has recently published an updated blog on its pilot findings. It plans to publish further pilot data results, where that data is not commercially sensitive, along with its consultation response following a decision.

Gambling Impact Assessments (GIAs) have now been introduced in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act, delivering on a commitment made in the 2023 gambling white paper. The gambling white paper followed a public call for evidence which received over 15,000 responses.

GIAs, formerly referred to as Cumulative Impact Assessments, will allow local authorities to create a presumption against granting new gambling premises licences in a specific area, where there is evidence that additional premises would undermine the gambling licensing objectives. The legislation requires that before publishing a GIA, licensing authorities must consult the persons mentioned in Section 349(3) of the Gambling Act 2005. This includes persons who represent the interests of those likely to be affected by the exercise of the authority’s functions, and persons who represent the interests of gambling businesses in the area.

The Government recognises the challenges that cultural, arts and media organisations face, including pressures arising from increased operating costs resulting from ongoing global instability.

While not specifically in response to global uncertainty, the Department is investing significant sums in cultural and creative sectors. For example, through the Arts Everywhere Fund, we are investing up to £1.5 billion over this Parliament to support our arts and cultural sectors across England. This includes funding for infrastructure, heritage protection, local museums, libraries and additional support for Arts Council England’s National Portfolio Organisations. This investment will help keep venues open, safeguard jobs, address urgent capital needs and ensure communities across the country can continue to access and benefit from culture.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport continues to engage regularly with sectors across the arts, culture and media, and keeps the needs of these organisations under review.

We recognise the vital contribution that freelancers provide to the cultural ecosystem of this country. That is why we committed in the Creative Industries Sector Plan to appoint a Freelance Champion, who will advocate for the creative sector’s freelancers within government.

The Government is focused on growth and good jobs across the creative industries, as set out in our Creative Industries Sector Plan. Freelancers will benefit from programmes including the £150m Creative Places Growth Fund, with funding devolved directly to 6 MSAs to support regional priorities in their regional creative clusters, and the sub-sector growth packages. Arts Council England also provides funding and support for individual artists and creatives through two programmes: Developing Your Creative Practice, which offers £2,000–£12,000 for career development, mentoring, research and training; and National Lottery Project Grants, which provide £1,000–£100,000 for creative projects and R&D.

We are delighted by the interest and excitement there has been in the UK Town of Culture competition. The competition has now closed and there has been strong interest from many places right across the UK.

Local authority participation is important as it will be critical for delivery. That is why published criteria stated ‘We expect bids to be from a partnership for your bidding place and include the relevant local authorities.’

The Government is committed to harnessing the benefits of artificial intelligence to improve the productivity of the Civil Service and the quality of public services.

Departments provide officials, Ministers and special advisers with access to secure, enterprise-grade generative AI tools that have been assured to the appropriate security standards and approved for official use. Ministers, special advisers and officials may only use generative AI tools that their department has approved for official use. The use of publicly available or consumer versions of generative AI tools, including those named in the Question, for official business is not permitted unless a department has specifically assured and approved that tool.

Approved enterprise tools are configured so that departmental data is held securely and is not used to train publicly-available AI models. The use of generative AI across government is governed by the AI Playbook for the UK Government, which set out the principles for the safe, responsible and effective use of these tools.

DCMS currently permits the use of a secure enterprise instance of Google Gemini for all official duties.

Advertising on television is co-regulated by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and Ofcom, independently of the Government. The Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP), an organisation independent of government and a sister organisation to the ASA, sets the standards for advertising on TV through the UK Code of Broadcast Advertising (‘BCAP Code’).

While the Advertising Codes do not contain specific provisions prohibiting a TV ad from featuring a firearm being fired in the context of the armed forces, they do contain rules regarding depictions of weapons and violence. Advertisers should ensure that their ads are prepared with a sense of responsibility to consumers and to society, and should not contain anything that encourages or condones anti-social behaviour or violence. Advertisers should also be aware that images of weapons and implied violence are likely to offend some consumers.

The Leveson Inquiry led to changes in the regulatory system of the press, which included the creation of the Press Recognition Panel, by Royal Charter, and two new press regulators, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) and the Independent Monitor of the Press (Impress). This is a self-regulatory system, which was established to be independent from Government and protect press freedom. A free and fair press is vital to ensure the public has access to accurate and trustworthy information from a range of different sources. We are also clear that with this freedom comes responsibility, and newspapers must operate within the bounds of the law.

Given the substantial changes to the news landscape over the past decade, the Government remains of the view that beginning the second part of the Leveson Inquiry is not the right way forward. As a government we are closely following trends in media consumption and are carefully considering the best route forward to safeguard public trust in our news media.

While the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not held specific discussions with social media companies on this matter, the Government takes public water safety extremely seriously. Water safety is a cross-government priority, with lead responsibilities sitting with departments including the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Health and Safety Executive. These departments and their partner agencies routinely utilise social media platforms to amplify vital water safety awareness campaigns and ensure these messages reach the public.

The Government believes that opportunities to play sport and get physically active should be available to everyone.

Our arm’s length body, Sport England, is providing long-term investment of £16.9 million to the Rugby Football Football Union (RFU) between 2022 and 2029 to support men’s and women’s grassroots rugby union participation. The RFU, as the National Governing Body for rugby union, is responsible for decisions on how and where to target that investment into rugby union clubs.

Grassroots participation issues were discussed with the RFU at a recent event to celebrate grassroots sport held at Number 10, and the Government continues to engage with key stakeholders such as the RFU to ensure that everyone, regardless of background or where they live, has the opportunity to play sport and get physically active.

The Government believes that opportunities to play sport and get physically active should be available to everyone.

Our arm’s length body, Sport England, is providing long-term investment of £16.9 million to the Rugby Football Football Union (RFU) between 2022 and 2029 to support men’s and women’s grassroots rugby union participation. The RFU, as the National Governing Body for rugby union, is responsible for decisions on how and where to target that investment into rugby union clubs.

Grassroots participation issues were discussed with the RFU at a recent event to celebrate grassroots sport held at Number 10, and the Government continues to engage with key stakeholders such as the RFU to ensure that everyone, regardless of background or where they live, has the opportunity to play sport and get physically active.

The Government believes that opportunities to play sport and get physically active should be available to everyone.

Our arm’s length body, Sport England, is providing long-term investment of £16.9 million to the Rugby Football Football Union (RFU) between 2022 and 2029 to support men’s and women’s grassroots rugby union participation. The RFU, as the National Governing Body for rugby union, is responsible for decisions on how and where to target that investment into rugby union clubs.

Grassroots participation issues were discussed with the RFU at a recent event to celebrate grassroots sport held at Number 10, and the Government continues to engage with key stakeholders such as the RFU to ensure that everyone, regardless of background or where they live, has the opportunity to play sport and get physically active.

The Government believes that opportunities to play sport and get physically active should be available to everyone.

Our arm’s length body, Sport England, is providing long-term investment of £16.9 million to the Rugby Football Football Union (RFU) between 2022 and 2029 to support men’s and women’s grassroots rugby union participation. The RFU, as the National Governing Body for rugby union, is responsible for decisions on how and where to target that investment into rugby union clubs.

Grassroots participation issues were discussed with the RFU at a recent event to celebrate grassroots sport held at Number 10, and the Government continues to engage with key stakeholders such as the RFU to ensure that everyone, regardless of background or where they live, has the opportunity to play sport and get physically active.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to swimming and leisure facilities.

Sport England, our Arm’s Length Body for grassroots sport, monitors facilities stock through their Active Places dataset. As of March 2026, 308 local authority swimming pools have closed since 2015 and 272 have opened. A yearly breakdown of closures is below:

The Government remains committed to delivering major international sporting events with pride - building upon the UK’s global reputation for excellence in event delivery - and seeking new opportunities to do so.

Regarding the cyclo-cross event - in May I ensured a contact for British Cycling, who are in charge of bidding for these events, was shared with your office.

The Government is developing a cross-government National Plan for Physical Activity, fulfilling the recommendation of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee and referenced in the NHS 10-Year Health Plan.

Working jointly with the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education, this Plan will tackle physical inactivity by embedding sport into local communities. It will align major cross-departmental investments to maximize impact, including DCMS facilities funding, Sport England reform, and Active Travel funding.

The Government is developing a cross-government National Plan for Physical Activity, fulfilling the recommendation of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee and referenced in the NHS 10-Year Health Plan.

Working jointly with the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education, this Plan will tackle physical inactivity by embedding sport into local communities. It will align major cross-departmental investments to maximize impact, including DCMS facilities funding, Sport England reform, and Active Travel funding.

The Government is developing a cross-government National Plan for Physical Activity, fulfilling the recommendation of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee and referenced in the NHS 10-Year Health Plan.

Working jointly with the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education, this Plan will tackle physical inactivity by embedding sport into local communities. It will align major cross-departmental investments to maximize impact, including DCMS facilities funding, Sport England reform, and Active Travel funding.

We know that our national heritage remains a core attraction for international and domestic visitors, and I am pleased Dunfermline is exploring how its heritage assets and visitor attractions can work together to boost footfall as well as benefit the local community.

Heritage and Tourism are devolved matters, and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has had no discussions with the Secretary of State for Scotland, or with Fife Council, on the Heart of Dunfermline feasibility study for the city. We welcome, however, the engagement of the National Lottery Heritage Fund in discussions on the plans.

We know that our national heritage remains a core attraction for international and domestic visitors, and I am pleased Dunfermline is exploring how its heritage assets and visitor attractions can work together to boost footfall as well as benefit the local community.

Heritage and Tourism are devolved matters, and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has had no discussions with the Secretary of State for Scotland, or with Fife Council, on the Heart of Dunfermline feasibility study for the city. We welcome, however, the engagement of the National Lottery Heritage Fund in discussions on the plans.

The BBC is a vital national institution, and as such, Ministers and Senior Officials regularly meet with BBC leadership to discuss a range of issues. The Secretary of State had an introductory meeting with Matt Brittin on 15 April 2026 where they discussed a range of issues regarding the future success of the BBC.

The Charter Review, officially launched on 16 December 2025, will ensure the BBC continues to deliver the high standards of reporting that the public expect of a national broadcaster and that it is suitably transparent to the public and to Parliament.

We are delighted by the energy and enthusiasm the UK Town of Culture competition has generated amongst towns. We previously told applicants that we would announce the shortlist in Spring. As a result of the exceptional response we have received, the expert advisory panel require additional time to assess all of the bids. We will now announce the shortlisted towns by the end of July.

This government welcomes the fact that our charity sector is diverse and varied, respecting and reflecting a broad range of public views.

Some organisations which promote creationism are registered as charities under the advancement of religion, which remains an important and relevant charitable purpose in modern society. The legal test for charitable status is set out in the Charities Act 2011, and requires charities to have wholly charitable purposes that are for the public benefit. Any detriment or harm that results from the charity pursuing its charitable purpose must not outweigh the benefit it provides.

There are no plans to reassess or change the advancement of religion as a charitable purpose as set out in the Charities Act 2011.

Government and the Charity Commission are alive to the risks of state threats to the charity sector. The Charity Commission works with other agencies to protect the sector from the risks of being exploited, and also has guidance on protecting charities from abuse for extremist purposes.

The Government works closely with a range of partners to tackle foreign interference in our society. Where there is clear evidence of unacceptable activity, the Government will respond accordingly. In July 2025, the Government launched the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS), which is designed to enable transparency of foreign influence and strengthen the resilience of the UK political system, as well as providing greater assurance around the activities of certain foreign powers or entities in the UK. In addition, as set out by the Security Minister in Parliament on 4 March, under the counter-political interference and espionage plan, officials are developing a programme of work to engage with the UK’s think-tanks and non-profit sector to discuss the threats that they face from foreign interference.

Greater transparency is to be encouraged as a matter of good practice, but it is not a legal requirement for charities to publicly disclose the identity of individual donors or grant-makers. Donor anonymity is an important consideration in ensuring people have the confidence to donate to charitable causes they care about.

Government and the Charity Commission are alive to the risks of state threats to the charity sector. The Charity Commission works with other agencies to protect the sector from the risks of being exploited, and also has guidance on protecting charities from abuse for extremist purposes.

The Government works closely with a range of partners to tackle foreign interference in our society. Where there is clear evidence of unacceptable activity, the Government will respond accordingly. In July 2025, the Government launched the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS), which is designed to enable transparency of foreign influence and strengthen the resilience of the UK political system, as well as providing greater assurance around the activities of certain foreign powers or entities in the UK. In addition, as set out by the Security Minister in Parliament on 4 March, under the counter-political interference and espionage plan, officials are developing a programme of work to engage with the UK’s think-tanks and non-profit sector to discuss the threats that they face from foreign interference.

Greater transparency is to be encouraged as a matter of good practice, but it is not a legal requirement for charities to publicly disclose the identity of individual donors or grant-makers. Donor anonymity is an important consideration in ensuring people have the confidence to donate to charitable causes they care about.

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That’s why the Government is investing £85 million throughout 2026/27 through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme to build and upgrade pitches and facilities UK wide.

Since FY 24/25, DCMS has distributed £12,713 to support the improvement of grassroots footballing facilities in Chatham and Aylesford: supporting investment in floodlights at Wouldham All-Saints CEP School and goalposts at Lordswood Sports and Social Club, Larkfield Sports Club and Swingate Primary School.

We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what grassroots sports facilities each community needs to inform future investment.

Parliament legislated for a national registration scheme for short-term lets in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023. The government remains committed to implementing this registration scheme.

The Government takes the issue of children being directed to illegal gambling sites very seriously.

AI chatbots covered by the Online Safety Act must protect all users from illegal content. We continue to work with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure these rules keep pace with technology and will not hesitate to go further if there is evidence to do so.

The Government is committed to tackling illegal gambling through the Illegal Gambling Taskforce. We will therefore consider examples of chatbots promoting illegal sites to children, in conjunction with other issues, when deciding on the best next steps to increase protections against illegal gambling.

Parliament legislated for a national registration scheme for short-term lets in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023. The government remains committed to implementing this registration scheme as soon as practicable to support sustainable tourism and local communities.

The scheme will provide local authorities and government departments with data on short-term lets in their area for the first time. This information will help local authorities analyse the impact of short term let accommodation on housing and manage local services effectively, supporting a more sustainable visitor economy.

The data may also be used to support business cases for example to boost investment in the UK’s accommodation sector, or when making bids to host cultural and sporting events.

We are working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to create a balanced, thriving accommodation market that supports local economic growth and ensure communities can benefit from both tourism opportunities and sustainable housing options, enabling local areas to maximise their economic potential.

Gambling advertising on social media must adhere to the same standards set for other mediums. Advertising codes require operators to ensure targeting is used responsibly, utilising tools available on platforms to exclude under-18s and other vulnerable groups from exposure wherever possible.

The Government engages with a number of stakeholders, including online platforms, regarding the effectiveness of age restrictions.

The Government is committed to prioritising protections for children and young people.

Operators must comply with the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP Code) when advertising online, including when utilising content marketing. This Code is enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) who are independent of Government, and contains a number of rules to ensure that adverts are not of strong appeal to under-18s, and are not targeted at children and young people.

The ASA has power to take action when advertising is in breach of the Code, and can also refer operators to the Gambling Commission for possible regulatory action. ASA ruling outcomes are published online.

Heritage funding is devolved. The Places of Worship Renewal Fund is an England-only scheme starting in 2026/27 with a £23m annual budget. The Northern Irish Government received Barnett consequentials through the Spending Review.

We work with other funders to maximise UK-wide opportunities. Between 2024 and 2027, the National Lottery Heritage Fund expects to invest around £100m in places of worship, including £30m a year via their National Lottery Heritage Grants open programme.

The new Places of Worship Renewal Fund is a capital grant scheme which will operate in England only as Heritage is a devolved matter. Where capital grants have been awarded, VAT on eligible works and costs will be rebated where it is not otherwise reclaimable.