Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the non-disclosure of the details of a meeting between Lord Brownlow of Shurlock Row and Oliver Dowden on the grounds that releasing the information would not be in the public interest, what are the criteria for deciding whether or not something meets the public interest test; who is responsible for that decision; and who took the decision not to release the information in this particular case.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s Freedom of Information team assess requests and undertake the relevant public interest test on a case-by-case basis, aligned to the guidance set out by the Information Commissioner’s Office. This request was withheld under Section 36 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, and therefore requires a “qualified person” to provide their “reasonable opinion” on its publication. In this instance, the qualified person was the Secretary of State. Whilst the Secretary of State as the qualified person must give the required opinion, in line with the ICO guidance, DCMS civil servants carried out the preparatory work leading up to this decision.
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make targeted hypothecated funds available to keep heated public swimming pools open.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
We recognise the importance of ensuring public access to indoor and outdoor pools and that swimming is a great way for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy. The responsibility of providing this access lies at local authority level, and Her Majesty’s Government continues to encourage local authorities to invest in good swimming facilities.
We also recognise the impact rising energy prices will have on businesses of all sizes. Ofgem and Her Majesty’s Government are in regular contact with business groups and suppliers to understand the challenges they face and explore ways to protect consumers and businesses.
Sport England has invested £25,027,478 in swimming and diving projects since January 2017, which includes £15,724,500 to Swim England. This is in addition to the £100 million National Leisure Recovery Fund which supported the reopening of local authority swimming pools throughout the country after the pandemic, with 1,176 separate pools supported across 701 sites.
Asked by: Lord Lee of Trafford (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to encourage the creation of new charitable trusts focussed on supporting local and regional charitable community activities and initiatives.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
The government does not have specific plans to encourage the creation of new charitable trusts to support local community initiatives. Local and regional charities play a vital role in strengthening communities and increasing social cohesion and are best placed to understand the needs of their communities. The voluntary and community sectors are independent from government and rely on the hard work of staff and volunteers, as well as funding from individuals, businesses, trusts and foundations.
The Charity Commission for England and Wales produces a range of resources to support individuals who wish to set up a new charity. This guidance is available online here: https://www.gov.uk/set-up-a-charity
The government acts as a steward for these sectors and meets regularly with charities and social enterprises at both ministerial and official level to discuss sector challenges and opportunities. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, this has included distributing the £750 million civil society sector support package announced by the Chancellor on 8 April 2020 and ensuring that fundraising and volunteering can take place safely where it is possible to do so. Over many years the government has worked in partnership with a range of local community foundations and trusts. Most recently this has included the Community Match Challenge and the Big Night In to distribute funding to small local charities as quickly as possible.