Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
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 help increase participation in sport for athletes with disabilities in (a) Surrey Heath constituency and (b) Surrey.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone should have access to, and benefit from, quality sport and physical activity opportunities, regardless of who they are.
In England, the Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sports through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million.
Sport England's ten-year Uniting the Movement strategy reinforces its commitment to increasing participation in sport and physical activity for those from under-represented groups, including disabled people. Sport England has ensured that each of their programmes impact directly on disabled people and those with a long-term health condition, with initiatives like the 'We are Undefeatable' campaign and partnerships with Disability Rights UK, Activity Alliance, Aspire, and Sense.
The Government is also committed to supporting a wide range of grassroots sports. This is why we are taking a place-based approach to increasing sport participation that ensures communities can participate in the sports they enjoy and get active in ways that work for them.
To support this, in June, we announced that following the Spending Review at least £400 million is going to be invested into new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities in communities right across the UK. As part of this funding, 40% of projects across the UK will be required to benefit a sport other than football, including netball, basketball and rugby league. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
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 to support grassroots music venues in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government’s Creative Industries Sector Plan, published in June, announced our Music Growth Package of up to £30m over three years from 2026. This package will strengthen grassroots infrastructure (including grassroots music venues), support emerging artists and music professionals, and boost exports, breaking down barriers to success at home and abroad.
In advance of this, the Government is also providing £2.5m of continued funding for the Arts Council England’s (ACE) Supporting Grassroots Music Fund (SGMF) for 2025-26. This enables grassroots music venues, recording studios, promoters and festivals to apply for grants of up to £40,000 to develop new revenue streams, make repairs and improvements, and enhance the live music experience for fans.
ACE has made a number of SGMF awards within the wider county of Surrey, including to the Phoenix Cultural Centre, which has received two SGMF awards and three rounds of Cultural Recovery Funding, and the Guildford Jazz Community.
To further support grassroots music venues, the Government and the live music industry are working together to drive progress on an industry-led levy on tickets for stadium and arena shows. We welcome commitments by artists and the wider industry to implement the ticket levy, and steps taken by industry to set up a charitable trust to distribute funds from the levy.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
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 increase access to (a) arts and (b) culture in (i) Surrey Heath constituency and (ii) Surrey.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Arts Council England (ACE) has provided over £11.5 million of funding between 2024 and 2025 to arts and cultural organisations and projects in Surrey. This includes support for projects like The Surrey Youth Arts & Culture Festival, a Surrey County Council partnership led project based in Camberley Library and Camberley Theatre which aims to raise aspirations and break down barriers to engagement for young people accessing creative skills development.
In addition, organisations, such as Farnham Maltings in Surrey are in receipt of over £1.9 million per annum as part of ACE’s National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) programme. This NPO offers a wide range of inclusive events, including theatre, dance, crafts, and workshops to people of all ages and backgrounds across the area.
In February, the Secretary of State announced a new £270 million Arts Everywhere Fund. This includes support to museums, arts and music venues across the country and is a critical step that this Government is taking to help create jobs, boost local economies, and expand access to arts and culture for communities.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of removing the requirement for local authorities to publish statutory public notices in local newspapers on (a) local transparency and (b) democratic accountability in Surrey.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is concerned about the sustainability of local journalism and DCMS is developing a Local Media Strategy in recognition of the importance of this vital sector. We also recognise that local press continues to play a vital role in informing local communities, and that public notices can be important in helping inform the public of decisions made by their council which may affect their quality of life, local services or amenities, or their property.
However, we are also aware of concerns from some sectors about the audience reach of these notices and the desire for greater digitalisation. In this context, the sector’s Public Notice Portal is a welcome innovation, taking advantage of print publishers’ growing digital audiences and providing a centralised resource for all types of public notice. We also welcome the Portal's current expansion to include archive and consultation functions to help public bodies and commercial entities engage with the public more effectively.
DCMS is monitoring the progress of the Portal, and the effect that it has on the audience reach of public notices. This type of industry innovation and collaboration is integral to securing the sector’s future. It will be taken into account in our planned review of public notices as part of the Local Media Strategy, which will more broadly consider the merits of making changes to existing requirements to place public notices in print local newspapers, including the impact this has on local transparency and democratic accountability across the country, including in Surrey. More will be announced on the Strategy and the review in the coming months.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
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 to support council-led initiatives aimed at reducing gambling-related harm in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government recognises that harmful gambling can wreck the lives of individuals, families and communities. Working with the Gambling Commission, we are committed to strengthening protections for those at risk through a range of new safer gambling requirements. We will continue to consider the best available evidence and work with all stakeholders to ensure there are robust protections in place to protect those at risk.
Those experiencing gambling-related harm in England can access specialist treatment through NHS Gambling Clinics available in every region of the country, including the Southern Gambling Service. There is also a range of support available through the National Gambling Support Network.
The Government has introduced a statutory levy on gambling operators to improve and expand the research, prevention and treatment of gambling harms. The levy will raise around £100 million in funding every year to deliver priority projects and services across research, prevention and treatment, including local authority-led initiatives, which together aim to reduce gambling-related harms across Great Britain. The statutory gambling levy is now in force, and funding will start flowing later this year.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of gambling-related harm on vulnerable people in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government recognises that harmful gambling can wreck the lives of individuals, families and communities. Working with the Gambling Commission, we are committed to strengthening protections for those at risk through a range of new safer gambling requirements. We will continue to consider the best available evidence and work with all stakeholders to ensure there are robust protections in place to protect those at risk.
Those experiencing gambling-related harm in England can access specialist treatment through NHS Gambling Clinics available in every region of the country, including the Southern Gambling Service. There is also a range of support available through the National Gambling Support Network.
The Government has introduced a statutory levy on gambling operators to improve and expand the research, prevention and treatment of gambling harms. The levy will raise around £100 million in funding every year to deliver priority projects and services across research, prevention and treatment, including local authority-led initiatives, which together aim to reduce gambling-related harms across Great Britain. The statutory gambling levy is now in force, and funding will start flowing later this year.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
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 help tackle undisclosed advertising on social media platforms.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is the independent regulator for advertising in the UK and enforces the Advertising Codes. The Codes require that paid advertising content must be recognisable as such. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Act 2024 also prohibits unfair commercial practices involving misleading actions or misleading omissions within advertisements. Influencers are required to disclose when they are advertising under both the CAP code and consumer law.
The Influencer Marketing Code of Conduct, co-owned by the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA) and the Influencer Marketing Trade Body (IMBT), was launched in 2021 to improve standards in this area of advertising. The Code contains requirements for brands working with influencers, the agencies who represent them, and the influencers themselves, and includes a dedicated section on disclosure. An Influencer Marketing Working Group, established as part of the Government’s Online Advertising Taskforce, has helped provide new standards to be incorporated into the fourth iteration of the Code. This was launched in November 2024, and the group is working to encourage further take-up.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
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 support deaf athletes in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is dedicated to making sport across the country accessible and inclusive for everyone, including d/Deaf people.
Our Arm's Length Body, Sport England, has committed £1.2 million between 2022 and 2027 to support deaf sport at the grassroots level, build wider participation, and develop strong governance within UK Deaf Sport.
Sport England are also exploring a series of small-scale talent pilots for d/Deaf athletes. These pilots will see Sport England, National Governing Bodies, and UK Deaf Sport working together to explore issues around accessibility and suggest potential solutions. Sport England has also awarded UK Deaf Sport £150,000 to fund a specialist Talent Inclusion post to further the work of the pilots.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
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 to improve the (a) availability and (b) accessibility of SEND sports camps in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is dedicated to making sport in this country accessible and inclusive for everyone. The holiday activities and food programme provides healthy meals, enriching activities, and free childcare places to children from low-income families, benefiting their health, wellbeing and learning. The holiday activities and food programme funding is primarily for school aged children from reception to year 11 (inclusive) who receive benefits-related free school meals. Local authorities have discretion to use up to 15% of their funding to provide free or subsidised holiday club places for children, who are not in receipt of benefits-related free school meals, but who the local authority believe could benefit from holiday activities and food programme provision.
The Department for Education encourages local authorities to engage with local and national organisations, including special schools with expertise in working with children with SEND or additional needs. Local authorities are obligated to include the numbers of children with SEND or additional needs who have participated in their programme in their post provision reporting to the department.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
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 to promote (a) youth arts and (b) cultural festivals in Surrey Heath Constituency.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The government promotes and supports the arts predominantly through Arts Council England (ACE).
ACE’s open funding programme, National Lottery Project Grants, is currently accessible to organisations and individuals across the country, including those in Surrey Heath. This programme provides over £100 million of support annually to individuals and organisations. Since 2019, ACE has allocated over £280,000 of funding to individuals and arts organisations based in the Surrey Heath constituency. Last November, Surrey Youth Arts and Culture Festival received £13,311 of funding. The festival, based at Camberley Library and Camberley Theatre was a Surrey County Council partnership led project which aimed to raise aspirations and break down barriers to engagement for young people accessing creative skills development pathways in Surrey.
In addition, Local Authorities remain one of the largest supporters of arts and culture in England, and DCMS will continue to advocate and help local decision-makers understand and recognise the benefits that the arts can bring for young people.