Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she has taken to ensure that all government buildings (a) are aware of and (b) comply with the guidance on designated days for flying the Union Flag.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Each year, DCMS publishes an annually-reviewed list of the designated days for flying the Union Flag on gov.uk. Government departments are also regularly reminded of flag-flying requirements on occasions such as this year’s VE and VJ Day anniversaries, alongside the encouragement to fly the Union Flag every other day if possible.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 the Million Hours Fund on organisations in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Million Hours Fund provides youth organisations with funding to deliver over a million additional hours of positive activities for young people in areas where they may be at risk of anti-social behaviour.
DCMS and The National Lottery Community Fund launched Phase 3 of the Million Hours Fund on 30th July 2025. This is a £19 million joint investment (£12 million from DCMS and £7 million from The National Lottery Community Fund). The Fund will run until 31 March 2027 and is now closed to applications. The list of wards eligible for funding in Fylde and Lancashire can be found here: https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/funding-programmes/million-hours-fund-2025-to-2027/eligible-ward-areas.
Nine organisations based in the constituencies of Fylde and Lancashire are receiving up to £406,541 worth of funding as part of previous phases of the Million Hours Fund.
An evaluation of the Million Hours Fund is being conducted, which will assess the impact of the Fund on organisations and young people.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to review the future funding model of the BBC.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
To ensure the BBC is on a stable financial footing, the Government has committed to the current licence fee model for the remainder of the current Charter period.
The licence fee will increase annually in line with CPI inflation until the end of this Charter period, as required by the Licence Fee Settlement agreed by the last Government in 2022.
Looking ahead, the Secretary of State is a strong supporter of the BBC and has been clear that it must be funded by a model that is sustainable. The Government is keeping an open mind about the future of the licence fee, and the forthcoming Charter Review will provide an opportunity to consider the best possible funding model to set the BBC up for success long into the future.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 councils to improve the availability of activities for young people during (a) evenings, (b) weekends and (c) school holidays.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
In 2025/26, DCMS is investing £28 million to increase young people’s access to more and better enriching activities. This includes programmes such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and Uniformed Youth Fund. As part of the Uniformed Youth Fund, DCMS funded the Volunteer Police Cadets to increase its capacity and reach a greater number of young people in Fylde.
DCMS is also investing £8 million to support local authorities through the Local Youth Transformation Pilot, which aims to rebuild a high-quality offer for young people across England.
Additionally, the Department for Education has confirmed over £600 million for the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme for the next three financial years (from 2026/27), delivered by local authorities to provide healthy meals, enriching activities, and free childcare places to children from low-income families during school holiday periods.
In Autumn, we will publish the National Youth Strategy, which we have co-produced with young people and the sector. The Strategy will outline a long-term vision for young people and an action plan for delivering this.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 availability of activities for young people during (a) evenings, (b) weekends and (c) school holidays.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
In 2025/26, DCMS is investing £28 million to increase young people’s access to more and better enriching activities. This includes programmes such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and Uniformed Youth Fund. As part of the Uniformed Youth Fund, DCMS funded the Volunteer Police Cadets to increase its capacity and reach a greater number of young people in Fylde.
DCMS is also investing £8 million to support local authorities through the Local Youth Transformation Pilot, which aims to rebuild a high-quality offer for young people across England.
Additionally, the Department for Education has confirmed over £600 million for the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme for the next three financial years (from 2026/27), delivered by local authorities to provide healthy meals, enriching activities, and free childcare places to children from low-income families during school holiday periods.
In Autumn, we will publish the National Youth Strategy, which we have co-produced with young people and the sector. The Strategy will outline a long-term vision for young people and an action plan for delivering this.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Independent Football Regulator will be required to publish an annual report detailing the number of (a) individuals and (b) entities it assessed under the ownership and directorship tests.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Section 14 of the Football Governance Act requires the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) to publish an annual report, to include a summary of activities undertaken that year. The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport can direct the IFR to include specific information.
Details of the exact content of the IFR’s annual report are being considered by the organisation and are not yet finalised.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Independent Football Regulator will have the power to retrospectively investigate incumbent owners or directors in instances where new information comes to light after their appointment.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Independent Football Regulator (IFR) will have the ability to test incumbent owners and officers where it has grounds for concern over their suitability. If an incumbent owner or officer is found to be unsuitable, the IFR has a strong suite of powers to remove them. This approach reduces unnecessary burdens on suitable owners and proportionately targets testing where there is a risk of harm to clubs.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made provision for the ability of the Independent Football Regulator to require an owner to divest from a club to be subject to (a) Ministerial oversight and (b) parliamentary scrutiny.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Football Governance Act establishes an operationally independent regulator. The Act does not provide for any ongoing ministerial or parliamentary role in the IFR’s ownership tests. This is to stop undue political interference in football.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 the Independent Football Regulator’s ownership rules on (a) smaller and (b) community-owned football clubs.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the different levels of resources and the different ownership models of smaller and community-owned football clubs. That is why the Football Governance Act has designed the owners’ and directors’ tests to be applied by the Independent Football Regulator in a proportionate way in line with its regulatory principles. For example, the Regulator will recognise that an owner’s financial plans and resources required for a smaller club will understandably be very different to that of a Premier League club.
The Act also accounts for community-owned football clubs in its definition of an owner, ensuring that the tests will be applied appropriately.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to help ensure that funding provided for The Dome in Farrington will affect wider Lancashire.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The indoor cricket dome in Farington will form part of a new high-quality professional and community cricket facility which benefits the local area and offers the opportunity to connect elite cricket with grassroots cricket, expanding opportunities for players in Lancashire.
As home to the Lancashire Women’s first team and Lancashire Disability team, the facility will become a Women’s Centre of Excellence for the North-West of England, as well as a hub for disability cricket, meaning increased access for more players to participate. The facility will help the Lancashire Cricket Foundation to deliver a number of their nationwide cricket programmes such as All Stars Cricket and the Dynamos Cricket programmes for young people and Super 1s programme for young people with a disability. The all-weather nature of the facility means more playing opportunities are available all year round.
Work with the England and Wales Cricket Board is ongoing to monitor the impact and effectiveness of these sites and we’re keen that they benefit as wide a local area as possible.