Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
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.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
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.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
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.
Asked by: Margaret Mullane (Labour - Dagenham and Rainham)
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.
Asked by: Margaret Mullane (Labour - Dagenham and Rainham)
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.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
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.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
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.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
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.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
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.