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, whether she plans to charge non-UK nationals to visit free museums.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
No.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to bring forward legislation on short term lets licensing.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 is already in place. This will enable us to reap the benefits of a thriving visitor economy whilst protecting the spirit and fabric of communities, including by giving local authorities valuable data on short-term lets in their area to help address possible housing impacts. We will set out further detail on how the scheme will work as soon as practicable.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
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 celebrate the 150th anniversary of Captain Matthew Webb swimming the English Channel.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As the first person recorded to swim unaided across the Channel, Captain Matthew Webb’s achievement has no doubt inspired many people to undertake record breaking challenges of endurance. My department is not planning to commemorate the anniversary. Parliamentarians may choose to mark the occasion in other ways, for example by tabling a debate or an Early Day Motion to mark the achievement.
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 much her Department spent on communications in the last year for which data is available.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Communications supports the government in delivering for the public, ensuring information is shared widely and effectively, informed by data and using a broad range of channels. In DCMS, an in-house team delivers communications with a limited supporting budget, used for example to help deliver campaigns that reach members of the public who don’t frequently engage with traditional media. In addition, internal communications ensures staff are informed and engaged - a proven driver of productivity - in support of delivering government and departmental priorities.
Spend on communications for the Department for Culture, Media & Sport during the 2023/24 financial year was £552,010.27 as outlined below:
Communications spending for FY 2023/24 | |
Media monitoring and services | £242,753.55 |
Campaigns | £156,121.22 |
Research & Evaluation | £107,775.00 |
Digital services & equipment | £20,510.50 |
Internal Communications | £24,850.00 |
To note, the figures for 2023/24 are still being audited and so could be subject to change. The Annual Report and Accounts to be published in November 2024 post audit.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish the (a) revenue and (b) capital funding provided by each government department for youth work in England and Wales in each financial year since2010-11.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the vital role that youth services and activities play in improving the life chances and wellbeing of young people. In England, since 2010, DCMS has directly provided over £1.5 billion to the youth sector - mainly through three large programmes: MyPlace (capital); National Citizen Service (revenue) and the Youth Investment Fund (capital and revenue).
Over the current Spending Review Period, DCMS is investing £500 million of revenue and capital funding in youth services to deliver the National Youth Guarantee. This is in addition to revenue funding provided through DCMS Public Bodies, such as Sport England, Arts Council England and the National Lottery Community Fund, and other government departments. We do not hold the breakdown of youth work funding from other government departments.
As set out in section 507B of the Education Act 1996, Local Authorities have a statutory duty to ‘secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient provision of educational and recreational leisure-time activities for young people’. Details of all Local Authorities’ annual spending on youth services in England can be found in Section 251 data published on gov.uk.
The devolved administration of Wales is responsible for their own youth services and we do not hold the data requested.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to alter the membership of the Expert Panel for her Department's BBC Funding Model Review.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to the licence fee for the remainder of the current Charter period. The Government will keep an open mind about the future of the licence fee, and will engage with the BBC and other relevant stakeholders before deciding on next steps.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
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 with Cabinet colleagues to help improve the quality of sporting facilities in (a) Bedfordshire and (b) Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard constituency.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
This Government recognises that sport facilities are at the beating heart of communities up and down the country. High-quality, inclusive facilities help clubs to get more people active and by backing these clubs, the Government will support more people participating wherever they live.
We will continue to support grassroots sport including through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme that will invest £123 million across the UK this year.
The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through our Arms Length Body, Sport England - which invests an average of £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year.
Over the last five years Bedfordshire has received over £8.8 million and Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard constituency has received over £192,000 from Sport England to support projects which facilitate participation in grassroots sport.
Additionally, Bedfordshire received £5,305,046.28 in funding across 51 facilities through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme, Park Tennis Court Programme and the Swimming Pool Support Fund. Of this amount, £1,798,441 was awarded across six facilities in Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard, including £1,032,533 for a new artificial grass pitch and changing pavilion at Tithe Farm Road Recreation Ground. Full breakdowns of the facilities funded through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme and through the Park Tennis Court Programme are available on gov.uk, and a breakdown of facilities funded through the Swimming Pool Support Fund is available on the Sport England website.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
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 the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on (a) legislation to govern artificial intelligence models and (b) the impact of that legislation on the creative industries.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Discussions between and within the two departments have been ongoing since the General Election, based on the Government’s belief in both human-centred creativity and the potential of technology to open up new creative frontiers. The whole government is committed to ensuring AI development supports, rather than undermines the power of human creativity, innovation and the provision of trustworthy information.
The Secretary of State also intends to meet with counterparts across government to discuss a range of issues to ensure the continued growth of our world-leading creative industries. This will include artificial intelligence models and their impact on the creative industries, which will require close collaboration between the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Intellectual Property Office.
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 her Department's policy is on ministerial clearance of contracts relating to external equality, diversity and inclusion providers.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Ministerial approval is currently sought for all contracts relating to external EDI providers within scope of the EDI Expenditure Guidance published on 14th May. The guidance allows for Ministers to delegate this responsibility to the Permanent Secretary, which DCMS Ministers may choose to do in the future.
Asked by: Jon Pearce (Labour - High Peak)
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 (a) football clubs remain community assets and (b) fans get a greater say in how they are run.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
This Government wants to make this country the best place in the world to be a football fan. That is why the King’s Speech set out our plans for legislation to establish an independent football regulator.
The new regulator will protect and promote the sustainability of English football. The Bill will provide greater protections to club heritage and give fans more of a voice in how their club is run. It will ensure responsible owners for these community assets, by creating a new owners’ and directors’ test. It will also ensure that clubs can’t be syphoned off from the English football pyramid to set up closed-shop and breakaway leagues.
We will introduce this legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows.