Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
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 review security measures for the 2028 European Championships in Birmingham.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The government is committed to ensuring the EURO 2028 football tournament is a safe, secure and enjoyable event for all. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working closely with the Home Office, policing partners, delivery bodies and a range of organisations to ensure comprehensive and proportionate security plans are in place at a national and local level.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the appointment of David Kogan as Independent Football Regulator Chair required the Prime Minister's approval.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
No. The Football Governance Act (2025) sets out in Schedule 2, Part 2, that in relation to the Board of the Independent Football Regulator “the non-executive members are to be appointed by the Secretary of State”. In this case the decision to appoint the Chair was delegated to the Minister for Sport.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support collaboration between artificial intelligence researchers and video game developers to increase innovation and high-skilled employment.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government recognises AI’s established role in the UK's video game sector, such as supporting content generation and character behaviours. As technology advances, AI has the potential to further enhance creativity, efficiency, and accessibility in games development.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has invested in the Centre for Doctoral Training in Intelligent Games and Game Intelligence (IGGI) since 2014. IGGI has produced over 60 PhD graduates at the intersection of AI, games, and human-computer interaction, focused on using games to drive innovation, improve well-being, and tackle societal challenges. Graduates have turned research into business value across the creative industries, including roles at Sony AI and Google DeepMind. The Government will continue engaging with the games industry to understand opportunities and challenges regarding responsible use of AI, to ensure the UK’s innovative games industry thrives in the age of AI.
Our Creative Industries Sector Plan, published in June, announced a number of measures that will support innovation across the creative industries. This includes a £100 million investment to support R&D creative clusters across the UK; and the UKRI will lead efforts to significantly increase public funding and leverage substantial industry investment to promote R&D and innovation in the Creative Industries.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many people have been employed by the (a) Charity Commission and (b) Gambling Commission in each year since 2005.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Information regarding employment levels at the Charity Commission and Gambling Commission is included in each public body’s annual report and accounts. These are published annually on GOV.UK.
The average number of employees in each year since 2005 is detailed in the following table:
Financial Year | Charity Commission Full-Time Equivalent | Gambling Commission Full-Time Equivalent |
2024-2025 | 440 | 416 |
2023-2024 | 471 | 373 |
2022-2023 | 471 | 336 |
2021-2022 | 464 | 310 |
2020-2021 | 418 | 335 |
2019-2020 | 373 | 340 |
2018-2019 | 332 | 342 |
2017-2018 | 301 | 322 |
2016-2017 | 312 | 307 |
2015-2016 | 310 | 290 |
2014-2015 | 319 | 268 |
2013-2014 | 310 | 224 |
2012-2013 | 320 | 211 |
2011-2012 | 375 | 211 |
2010-2011 | 442 | 220 |
2009-2010 | 483 | 230 |
2008-2009 | 488 | 238 |
2007-2008 | 493 | 222 |
2006-2007 | 514 | 175 |
2005-2006 | 540 | 102 |
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with stakeholders on the potential merits of extending the Listed Places of Worship Scheme beyond March 2026.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Minister for Heritage and her officials have had numerous conversations with stakeholders about the Listed Places of Worship scheme. The scheme is funded until March 2026 or when the budget is spent, whichever is earlier.
The future of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme after March 2026 will be announced when the outcome of the Spending Review and business planning processes have completed.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of non-regulated large-scale prize draws on (a) the National Lottery and (b) society lotteries.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This Government recognises that prize draws are a significant and growing market, and we want to ensure that people who participate in prize draws are confident that proportionate protections are in place.
Independent research was commissioned in 2023, which provided the Government with firm insights into the prize draws sector and included a section on the impact on the lottery industry. This led to the announcement earlier this year of the intention to introduce a Voluntary Code for prize draw operators which was published on 20 November 2025.
Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with UK governing bodies of sport about a one-time genetic test for the sex-determining region Y gene for all British athletes wishing to compete in the female category at international events; whether they have discussed with those governing bodies about when that test will be introduced for all Olympic and Paralympic athletes; and if so, when that test will be introduced.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We have always been clear that when it comes to women's sport, biology matters. We will continue to support sports to develop policies that protect fairness and safety, particularly when it is not possible to balance those factors with inclusion.
It is for each sport's National Governing Body to set their own policies for who can participate in domestic competitions, and it is for International Federations to determine the rules for their sports at the international level of competition.
This Government remains committed to working with UK Sport, the British Olympic Association, and the British Paralympic Association to ensure that UK athletes can compete under clear, fair, and legally robust international regulations.
Since a universal, one-time genetic test for all athletes in the female category across all Olympic and Paralympic sports is not yet set out or mandated, no estimate of the total cost has been made by the Government.
Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the accuracy and limitations of the sex-determining region Y test for determining the sex of British athletes; and whether they plan to commission further genetic and physiological data about the biological sex of British athletes.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We have always been clear that when it comes to women's sport, biology matters. We will continue to support sports to develop policies that protect fairness and safety, particularly when it is not possible to balance those factors with inclusion.
It is for each sport's National Governing Body to set their own policies for who can participate in domestic competitions, and it is for International Federations to determine the rules for their sports at the international level of competition.
This Government remains committed to working with UK Sport, the British Olympic Association, and the British Paralympic Association to ensure that UK athletes can compete under clear, fair, and legally robust international regulations.
Since a universal, one-time genetic test for all athletes in the female category across all Olympic and Paralympic sports is not yet set out or mandated, no estimate of the total cost has been made by the Government.
Asked by: Lord Moynihan (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether UK Sport plans to fund a one-time genetic test for Olympic and Paralympic athletes wishing to compete in a female category, and if so, what estimate they have made of the cost.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We have always been clear that when it comes to women's sport, biology matters. We will continue to support sports to develop policies that protect fairness and safety, particularly when it is not possible to balance those factors with inclusion.
It is for each sport's National Governing Body to set their own policies for who can participate in domestic competitions, and it is for International Federations to determine the rules for their sports at the international level of competition.
This Government remains committed to working with UK Sport, the British Olympic Association, and the British Paralympic Association to ensure that UK athletes can compete under clear, fair, and legally robust international regulations.
Since a universal, one-time genetic test for all athletes in the female category across all Olympic and Paralympic sports is not yet set out or mandated, no estimate of the total cost has been made by the Government.
Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the number of people (a) suffering problem gambling and (b) at risk of problem gambling in the most recent year for which data is available.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is acutely aware of the impact that harmful gambling can have on individuals and their families.
We recognise the importance of using impartial, accurate and up-to-date statistics, in the context of the wider evidence base, to inform policy and regulatory decisions. A number of studies have looked at this issue. This includes the Gambling Commission’s recent Gambling Survey for Great Britain (GSGB) 2024 annual report which highlighted how approximately 2.7% of adults in Great Britain had a score of 8+ on the Problem Gambling Severity Index.