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 assessment they have made of the impact of the Football Governance Bill and independent football regulator on the governance structures and processes in football clubs and leagues.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Football Governance Bill, introduced to the House of Commons on 19 March, will establish an Independent Football Regulator. In consultation with interested parties and experts, the new regulator will publish a ‘Football Club Corporate Governance Code’. Clubs will be required to report on corporate governance, setting out how they apply the Code in their individual circumstances. This approach has been designed to be proportionate, and to increase transparency, scrutiny and accountability with regard to how football clubs are run.
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 address the risks posed by the use of artificial intelligence in the gambling industry, particularly (1) problem gambling, (2) addiction, and (3) mental health issues.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Gambling Commission, Great Britain’s statutory regulator, continues to monitor industry developments in artificial intelligence, informed by the expertise of its Digital Advisory Panel. This includes the exploration and consideration of the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning by gambling operators, and engagement with the industry better to understand their uses of AI. The Gambling Commission will continue to increase its capacity and capability to deploy data science in its regulation through the formation of a new Data Innovation Hub.
All gambling operators which provide gambling services to customers in Great Britain must be licensed by the Gambling Commission, and must comply with its codes of practice. The social responsibility code requires them to have and to put into effect policies and procedures to promote socially responsible gambling. These should reduce the risk of, and seek to identify those struggling with, problem gambling. The Gambling Commission has the power to remove an operating licence where a gambling business is deploying AI in a manner that undermines the statutory licensing objectives and duties.
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 increase (1) racial, and (2) gender, diversity in senior management positions in public service broadcasters other than the BBC.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
His Majesty’s Government remains committed to ensuring that the broadcasting sector – including our public service broadcasters – is representative of the country in which we live, and offers equality of opportunity to people of all backgrounds.
Under the Communications Act 2003, Ofcom has a duty to promote equality of opportunity in relation to employment in the broadcasting sector.
Responsibility for the appointment of senior managers sits with individual broadcasters. HM Government welcomes the work being done by them and other industry participants to improve diversity at senior levels.
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 local charities and food banks during the increased cost of living.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
His Majesty’s Government understands that the cost of living is affecting many civil society organisations, which are seeing increased demand as well as higher running costs. That is why, in the Budget this Spring, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a package of over £100 million for charities and community organisations across England.
This funding is split into two strands and is supporting organisations in need right now. The £76 million Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund has closed for applications, and is awarding funding to frontline organisations supporting vulnerable people and households.
The second strand, the £25.5 million Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise Energy Efficiency Scheme, is now open for applications. Eligible frontline organisations can first apply for an independent energy assessment, and can then apply for a capital grant of between £2,000 and £150,000 to install capital energy measures. Applications for assessments are now open, and applications for capital funding will be open from January 2024. More information can be found at www.groundwork.org.uk/vcseenergyefficiency.
HM Government is also supporting all organisations, including civil society ones, with their energy bills until March 2024 through the Energy Bills Discount Scheme.
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 whether they have any plans to carry out a statistical analysis of the economic contribution of football clubs to the UK economy.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Football clubs make a significant contribution to the UK economy and the communities in which they operate. Ernst & Young have estimated that the Premier League contributed £7.6 billion to the UK economy in the 2019/20 season.
As well as being economic powerhouses, football clubs are also important local assets which deliver significant benefits to the communities of which they are a key part. Impact analysis conducted by the English Football League indicates that clubs and their Club Community Organisations created over £865 million of social value across England and Wales in the 2021/22 season.
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 assessment they have made of impact of the increased cost of living on arts and music festivals in the UK in 2023.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Festivals are a vital part of the British cultural landscape, with the sector delivering highly valued cultural and economic activity across the UK. The UK’s festival sector is a world leader with festivals such as Glastonbury, Reading, and the Hay Festival of Literature and Arts all globally renowned.
We recognise that there are issues facing the festival sector, in common with other sectors, as a result of rising inflation and energy prices. We work closely with the sector and across Government to improve its economic resilience, as we did through the pandemic, and with the recent £18 billion Energy Bills Support Scheme.
We are pleased that the sector has reported a huge increase in availability and uptake of payment plans to festivals, with audiences able to pay by instalments each month. Festivals have also increased the number of months over which payment plans operate, helping to stretch out and reduce monthly amounts in order to maximise uptake.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport continues to engage regularly with representatives of the live music sector, including organisations representing festivals, to understand the impact of the rising cost of living and other pressures. In March, for example, the Secretary of State held a round-table meeting with representatives from across the live music sector to hear their concerns directly, to inform the Department's future work.
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 assessment they have made of the impact of digital poverty on young people and their households.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
HM Government recognises that digital skills and digital access are increasingly required to participate in many aspects of society.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport works with third-sector organisations across the UK to understand the challenges facing people in digital poverty. The Digital Poverty Alliance, one of our partners, has recently published an evidence review which made an assessment of the impact of digital poverty on young people and their households. This has found that 30 per cent of young people aged 8–25 (2.1 million people) are at risk of becoming ‘digital castaways’ and that 42 per cent of young people (6 million people) do not have either home broadband or a laptop/desktop computer. Young people who are digitally excluded are less likely to be in well-paying jobs, have worse health outcomes, and have an overall lower quality of life.
We also work across Government and with the private sector to ensure that the needs of digitally excluded people are considered. For example, DCMS has negotiated a range of high-quality, low-cost social tariffs for households in receipt of Universal Credit and other means-tested benefits, including Pension Credit. These are available across 99 per cent of the UK.
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 assessment they have made of the resources available to local authorities to process short-term lets licensing and applications.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
On 7 December 2022, His Majesty’s Government amended the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill to create a power to establish a registration scheme for short-term lets. Further details on how the scheme will operate, including how it will be administered, will be explored through a public consultation which will be published at the earliest opportunity this year.
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 plans they have to develop community enterprises and entrepreneurship that are based around (1) local, and (2) circular, economies within town centres.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
His Majesty’s Government recognises the positive contribution of social and community enterprises to society and the economy, including their vital role supporting local areas.
DCMS has launched the £4.1 million Social Enterprise Boost Fund to provide targeted support for early-stage social enterprises in disadvantaged places. This new fund will provide capacity-building such as business support, training, networking, one-to-one support and peer learning, and includes £1.5 million of grants for entrepreneurs to kick-start their social enterprises.
In addition to the Social Enterprise Boost Fund, DCMS supports the sector through the £900,000 Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Contract Readiness Fund, developed to increase social and community enterprise participation in public service delivery.
BEIS provides support through The Start Up Loans Company, a subsidiary of the British Business Bank, providing loans between £500 and £25,000 and pre- and post-application support to new entrepreneurs across the UK, including a year of free business mentoring for successful applicants.
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 help small charities with increases in (1) rent, and (2) utility, bills.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
His Majesty’s Government is supporting small charities with their energy bills until March 2023, through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme. His Majesty’s Treasury and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy are currently undertaking a review to determine what support will be available for organisations from April 2023.
Charities and community amateur sports clubs can also apply for charitable rate relief of up to 80% if a property is used for charitable purposes (https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-business-rate-relief/charitable-rate-relief).
With Government support, small charities have shown significant resilience over the past few years, and will again be crucial in supporting communities and households through the winter. My Department will keep engaging constructively across the sector, and with colleagues across Government, to monitor the impact of rising costs.