Baroness Debbonaire
Labour - Bristol West
Joined House of Lords: 7th February 2025
Thangam Debbonaire was elected as an MP between 2015 and 2024. She served as Opposition Whip (Commons) between 2016 and 2020 and as Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport between 2023 and 2024.
18 Former APPG Officer Positions
Autism, Breast Cancer, Children, Teenagers, and Young Adults with Cancer, Complex Needs and Dual Diagnosis, Disability, Domestic Abuse, Domestic Violence, Domestic Violence and Abuse, Eritrea, Food Waste, Friends of Syria, Parkrun, Performers' Alliance, Prostitution and the Global Sex Trade, Refugees, Somaliland, Vegetarianism and Veganism, White Ribbon Campaign UKDivision Voting information
Debates during the 2024 Parliament
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
Sparring Partners
Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
(3 debate interactions)
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
(2 debate interactions)
Department Debates
(5 debate contributions)
(1 debate contributions)
(1 debate contributions)
(1 debate contributions)
Legislation Debates
(746 words contributed)
(743 words contributed)
Lords initiatives
These initiatives were driven by Baroness Debbonaire, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
Baroness Debbonaire has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
1 Bill co-sponsored by Baroness Debbonaire
Planning (Agent of Change) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Lord Spellar (Lab)
Latest 4 Written Questions
(View all written questions)2 Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Questions
(View all Baroness Debbonaire's DCMS questions)The BBC continues to hold a uniquely important role as a cornerstone of the whole of the UK’s creative economy, including playing an important role in the provision of music.
As part of the Charter Review process, the Government is looking at how the BBC can best use its significant public funding to act differently to other broadcasters and prioritise genres and activities that would otherwise be underserved by the market. We are considering options to ensure that the BBC drives opportunities and good jobs across the UK, including in the creative sector and the arts.
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The BBC continues to hold a uniquely important role as a cornerstone of the whole of the UK’s creative economy, including playing an important role in the provision of music.
As part of the Charter Review process, the Government is looking at how the BBC can best use its significant public funding to act differently to other broadcasters and prioritise genres and activities that would otherwise be underserved by the market. We are considering options to ensure that the BBC drives opportunities and good jobs across the UK, including in the creative sector and the arts.
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Participation in the arts brings a range of benefits for children and young people. In addition to the value of arts engagement in and of itself, the Education Endowment Fund’s teaching and learning toolkit, for example, reports positive impacts on academic outcomes in other curriculum areas, as well as benefits to children’s wellbeing and attitudes to learning.
There is a range of support available to schools from external organisations to help them provide arts and cultural activities. The government will be publishing a new enrichment framework this academic year, which will encourage partnership working and signpost to organisations, such as Arts Council England.
We are also committed to revitalising arts as part of the reformed national curriculum and qualifications, with high-quality support for teachers of these subjects through the new National Centre for Music and Arts, and our music hubs network.
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
1 Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Questions
(View all Baroness Debbonaire's FCDO questions)This Government is providing a non-Official Development Assistance (ODA) uplift of £40 million across the Spending Review period (2026/27 to 2028/29) to the British Council. This supports our objective of a financially sustainable British Council for the long-term.
Minister of State (Development)