Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
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 proposed loan of the Parthenon Sculptures to Greece on trends in the number of visitors to the (a) British Museum and (b) UK in the next five years.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
No such assessment has been made.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
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 increasing the tax rate paid by bookmakers to align it with the online gaming tax rate on Huntingdon Racecourse.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Future proposals on Gambling Duties are a matter for HMT, should legislative changes come about following this consultation, we expect them to be accompanied by tax and impact notes from HMT, as is standard practice.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
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 (a) financial and (b) other impacts of the proposed strike action on 10 September 2025 on the horseracing industry.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is aware of the postponement of racing on 10 September, with the four fixtures rescheduled between 8-15 September.
No internal analysis has been conducted of the financial implications of the industry’s decision to postpone racing, however we remain in close contact with the sporting authorities.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
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 indirect impact of duty harmonisation on the horseracing industry.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The tax treatment of remote gambling is a matter for HM Treasury. Following the conclusion of its recent consultation, we expect that any legislative changes made to gambling duty will be accompanied by a tax information and impact note from HM Treasury, as is standard practice.
The Government recognises the significant contribution horseracing makes to our regional economies and our country’s cultural life. DCMS will continue to meet with racing stakeholders to ensure a sustainable and prosperous future for the sport.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment has she made of the potential impact of affordability checks on online betting turnover on racing since its introduction.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Gambling Commission introduced financial vulnerability checks in August 2024. These checks use only publicly available data, such as bankruptcy orders, to assess risk of significant financial harm. Financial risk assessments, which will look at a more nuanced picture of financial risk, are being piloted by the Commission to ensure they can be introduced in a frictionless manner. Early findings show that 97% of assessments were frictionless, well above the 80% white paper estimate. The Commission is analysing pilot data and will take a decision on whether to introduce these checks in due course. New financial risk checks would replace current operator affordability checks and will be better for customers, operators and racing.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of potential barriers to access to UEFA coaching licence courses.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Access to UEFA coaching licences is crucial to developing high-quality coaches and ensuring players across all levels of English football receive excellent training.
The Football Association (FA) sets the criteria for course access and fees. It is important to strike the right balance between maintaining coaching standards and broadening access. The FA, supported by Sport England, offers initiatives such as the Partially Funded Places Programme, which provides up to 85% discounts for underrepresented groups, including women, disabled people, those from minority ethnic backgrounds, and individuals from disadvantaged communities.
In May 2024, the FA, in partnership with UEFA and the PFA, launched the first all-female UEFA A Licence course, fully funded to support 17 current and former women's professional players. This initiative reflects a long-term commitment to providing tailored, accessible coaching development opportunities for women in the professional game. The Government welcomes these efforts and encourages ongoing assessment to identify and address any remaining barriers to participation.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with UNESCO on the potential merits of recognising the (a) production and (b) serving of cask ale as an intangible cultural heritage.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
As part of the implementation of the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the UK Government is working closely with the Devolved Governments to create inventories for each of the four nations in the UK; these will combine into one inventory of Living Heritage (or Intangible Cultural Heritage) in the UK.
The inventories are a domestic process and do not require discussion with UNESCO. The potential merits of inclusion are outlined in the UK Government’s consultation response published in April.
We would welcome a submission from the cask ale community on the production and serving of cask ale when we open the call for submissions later this year.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
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 merits of increasing support for Twinning Associations.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS does not hold responsibility for this policy area and has therefore not conducted any such assessment.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her Department's policy is on the participation of trans women in elite-level women’s sport in the UK in events sanctioned by an international sporting body that allows trans women to compete in its competitions.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We have always been clear that, when it comes to women's sport, biology matters. We will continue to support sports to develop policies that protect fairness and safety, particularly when it is not possible to balance those factors with inclusion.
In terms of gender eligibility, National Governing Bodies set their own policies for who can participate in their sports in domestic competitions. It is for International Federations to determine the rules for their sports at the international level of competition.
Our Sports Councils produce guidance to provide domestic sports bodies with the framework and support to determine the right position for their sport. Our Sports Councils are consulting with legal experts to clarify how the Supreme Court ruling affects the guidance. The outcome of this will feed into their timescale for a planned wider review of the guidance.
Alongside this, sports need to come up with approaches to ensure everyone has the opportunity to take part somehow - and I know that sporting bodies will be considering this in light of the Supreme Court decision.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) phones, (b) laptops and (c) other electronic devices have been lost by their Department since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The following table includes the number of lost/stolen devices in the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) from 5 July 2024 to 24 April 2025
Breakdown of department-issued equipment type | Lost/Stolen |
Mobile phones | 30 |
Laptops | 10 |
Other electronic devices | 0 |
Lost and Stolen devices are not replaced on an individual basis, all assets are managed as part of a pooled resource model and replenished as part of their end to end lifecycle.
All departmental IT has device encryption enabled, at rest and is fully security encrypted, to prevent unauthorised access.
The departmental security unit, records and investigates each reported loss from the department. If appropriate, the police are invited to undertake further inquiries.
Any mobile device reported as lost is immediately deactivated and the contents deleted. The user account on any laptop reported as lost is immediately deactivated and remotely locked.
There has been no data loss or compromise resulting from these losses.