Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are giving to the development of women's football in England.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We are dedicated to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, are able to participate in sport and physical activity.
Karen Carney OBE’s Review of Women’s Football set out a route to lift minimum standards and deliver bold and sustainable growth. It included recommendations on meaningful access to facilities, player welfare and development of the talent pathway for women and girls across the country. The Minister for Sport recently convened all parties with recommendations in the review to press them for tangible progress.
The Football Foundation, the charity funded by the Government, the Football Association and the Premier League, has committed to implementing recommendations from a recent independent review to ensure new minimum standards for women and girls at funded sites. This includes guaranteeing a share of priority slots to women’s and girls’ teams, setting up a new small grants programme, specifically targeted at creating female-friendly facilities off the pitch, and ensuring refreshed Local Football Facility Plans reflect the growth in women and girls' football.
Sport England’s ‘Accessible and Inclusive Sports Facilities’ guidance also supports grassroots sporting venues to provide well designed spaces for female users.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to regional theatre in England.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government recognises the vital role that the arts, including theatre, play for people and communities in all parts of this country, and delivers funding to theatres primarily through Arts Council England (ACE).
Arts should not be the preserve of the privileged few. It is a priority for this government and ACE to support more people to access great theatre, via funding programmes such as Project Grants and the National Portfolio. ACE’s regional theatre National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs) are key to delivering this priority, with many of their funded venues delivering high quality productions every year.
Since 2022, the Arts Council has invested nearly £43 million into community theatres, supporting theatres like the award winning Little Bulb Theatre in Mendip, which receives £720,000 per annum which will help the theatre continue to engage with community groups close to its home base in rural Somerset; and the Royal & Derngate in Northampton, that received £300,000 towards costs and loss of income relating to RAAC (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) identified in the building and the mitigating actions it took in response.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are giving to developing brass bands in England.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government recognises the vital importance of culture and heritage in all parts of the country, particularly heritage in post-industrial towns where brass bands continue to play an important local role. We also remain fully committed to supporting music in all its forms and broadening people’s access to a diverse range of music genres.
Arts Council England, which is funded by taxpayers and National Lottery players, works with Brass Bands England who are a National Portfolio organisation in receipt of c.£406,000 of funding per annum to support the brass bands sector. A significant portion of their activity is focused on encouraging children and young people to participate in brass bands.
The Arts Council also funds The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (NYBBGB) via the National Portfolio with funding of c.£100,000 per annum. NYBBGB is the UK’s leading brass band charity for children and young people. They exist to give the brightest young brass and percussion musicians the opportunity to develop their musicianship and inspire others.
Between 2022 and 2024, Arts Council England will be investing over £4.5 million into organisations whose main focus is promoting Brass Bands.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what advice and support they are providing to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK works closely with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) as part of the UN's architecture in Africa. Through the UK's Office for National Statistics, we also have a long-running programme of support to the African Centre for Statistics in UNECA which includes embedding a strategic adviser to contribute to regional guidance and support member states on statistical modernisation.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to the African Union to increase the participation of women in positions of political leadership across the continent.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK supports the African Union's efforts to increase women's participation in political processes in Africa through their Conflict and Governance Programme. Through the programme, we support women's participation in election monitoring missions, transitional justice initiatives and the implementation of National Action Plans on Women, Peace and Security. The programme also provides direct support to 'FemWise,' the Network of African Women in Conflict Prevention and Mediation. This helps to underpin the inclusion of, and leadership from, women in political processes across Africa.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what advice and support they are providing to the African Union's Agenda 2063 programme in the field of education.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Improving education in Africa is a priority for the UK, and we provide support across a range of programmes. Whilst the UK does not provide direct financial support to the Africa Union (AU) Agenda 2063 programme in the field of education, we are a champion of AU efforts in this area. We participated in the Foundational Learning Conference, hosted by the African Union in Addis Ababa in September 2024, and will attend the Africa Education Conference, to be hosted in Mauritania in December 2024, as part of the AU's focus on education this year.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the human rights situation in Côte d’Ivoire.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
On 5 November, at Côte d'Ivoire's Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council, the UK pressed Côte d'Ivoire to improve rights of freedom of association, assembly and peaceful demonstration ahead of next year's Presidential elections. We also highlighted the need to protect civil society and the rights and physical safety of LGBT+ individuals who continue to face widespread discrimination. We do recognise however that Côte d'Ivoire has taken steps to improve its human rights situation in recent years, developing its legal and institutional framework for human rights and playing an active role on the UN's Human Rights Council. The UK Government is committed to work closely with local civil society, human rights defenders and the Government of Côte d'Ivoire on human rights.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the human rights situation in Zimbabwe.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We continue to monitor the human rights situation in Zimbabwe. The UK continues to engage with the Government of Zimbabwe on the importance of upholding the rule of law, including constitutional rights to assembly and association and to ensure due process for all Zimbabweans. We are committed to maintaining a constructive dialogue with the Government of Zimbabwe which will enable us to pursue shared interests, support Zimbabwe's most vulnerable people, deepen our strong people-to-people links and raise issues relating to human rights.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what advice and support they are providing to the African Union's Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is an active supporter of the African Union's Comprehensive Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP). We engage closely in the Development Partners Coordination Group and the Technical Working Group that support the CAADP agenda. UK funding for CAADP is channelled through various agricultural support programmes, including the Africa Food Trade and Resilience Programme. This UK support helps African partners to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty by supporting economic growth through agriculture-led development.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of car production in the UK and its contribution to the economy.
Answered by Lord Offord of Garvel
The Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders data shows 905,117 cars were produced in the UK in 2023, a 16.8% increase on 2022. It is positive to see that in January to March 2024 the UK produced 222,371 cars, 1.1% more than the same period in 2023.
The automotive sector directly supports 152,000 jobs and contributes £19.4 billion in gross value added to our economy (from a turnover of £85 billion). The Government continues to support the automotive sector, including through the Automotive Council.