Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
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 support the museum sector.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
In January, the DCMS Secretary of State announced a historic £1.5 billion funding package for culture, to save more than 1000 arts venues, museums, libraries and heritage buildings across England from closure. £160 million of this funding is earmarked for local museums. Many museums face financial challenges, and we take their concerns seriously: this year alone (2025/26), we have delivered £20 million through the new Museum Renewal Fund, supporting 75 museum organisations across England to keep sites open, and allocated £25.5 million towards essential infrastructure projects via the Museum Estate and Development Fund. This investment doubles the £44 million that Arts Council England invests annually in museums through their core funding programmes, including core funding for over 200 National Portfolio museum sites.
In the coming weeks, DCMS and ACE will set out how museums can apply for new funding programmes available from next financial year. As the National Development Agency for museums, ACE also provides critical support for smaller museum sites via the Museum Development Network. Museums also benefit from further support, via the VAT Refund Scheme and Exhibitions Tax Relief. DCMS-sponsored national museums receive annual funding to support their operations and for critical infrastructure works.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to take steps to implement the recommendations of the Leveson inquiry.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Leveson Inquiry led to changes in the regulatory system of the press, which included the creation of the Press Recognition Panel, by Royal Charter and two new press regulators, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) and the Independent Monitor of the Press (Impress). This is a self-regulatory system, which was established to be independent from Government and protect press freedom. We are also clear, however, that with this freedom comes responsibility. Publishers must operate within the bounds of the law and set and uphold high professional and ethical standards.
The news landscape has changed substantially over the past decade, and looking ahead, we want to maintain press freedom, whilst being clear the public must be protected from the harm caused by clear instances of intrusion and harassment. The Government is carefully considering next steps to determine the best route forward to ensure public trust and accountability in our evolving news media.
Ministers and officials working in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport regularly engage with stakeholders on a range of press-related issues. Details of ministerial meetings are published on a quarterly basis on Gov.uk. The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has previously met with families who have experienced press intrusion. She remains committed to considering the issues they have raised.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with British Youth Council on its closure.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
I was sorry to learn about the closure of the British Youth Council and want to express gratitude for its work over the years.
Government is committed to the delivery of the UK Youth Parliament and intends to use funding allocated to BYC in 2024/25 to support the programme. We are working alongside previous UKYP delivery partners from English regions and the devolved administrations, to understand the implications of BYCs closure for programme delivery. We have been working at pace to identify a suitable organisation which can hold overall grant management responsibility for the UKYP 24/25. I will update the house as soon as next steps have been formalised. In parallel, we have been engaging with young people and key stakeholders to plan for the longer-term future of the UKYP.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with local authorities on the (a) affordability and (b) condition of swimming pools in England.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Responsibility for public access to and maintenance of swimming pools lies at local authority level.
In recognition of the benefits of physical activity, including swimming, and the challenges facing the sector, we are providing over £60 million of support for swimming pools. This will help ease cost pressures facing public swimming pool providers and help make facilities sustainable in the long-term through investment in energy efficiency measures. The funding is being delivered in partnership with Sport England and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, following extensive consultation with local authorities and the sector.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) the BBC and (b) Ofcom on the potential impact of the proposals set out in the paper by the BBC entitled The BBC Across the UK, published on 18 March 2021, on local news providers.
Answered by John Whittingdale
I refer the Hon. Member to the reply given to the Hon. Member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr on 6 July 2023, PQ UIN 192065.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the English National Opera on the funding decisions made by Arts Council England.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The Secretary of State and Ministers regularly meet stakeholders from across the sector and across the country to discuss a range of topics. This includes the English National Opera.
The decisions made by Arts Council England about which institutions to fund, and by how much, in its 2023–26 Investment Programme were taken at arm's length from HM Government. This is in accordance with the well established process, which is published on the Arts Council’s website and made clear in the guidance for applicants. As such, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) does not, nor should it, review individual decisions.
We are pleased that both Arts Council England and the English National Opera are working together on possibilities for the future. Arts Council England has set a provisional budget of up to £24 million to support the English National Opera, subject to successful application, for 2024–26. This is in addition to the £11.46 million of funding already awarded to the ENO for the period April 2023 to March 2024 while it develops its future plans. Further detail was published in the joint statement on 12 April 2023 and can be accessed online. DCMS officials are helping to convene relevant parties and support finding a way forward.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with Arts Council England on the potential impact of reductions in funding for English National Opera.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The Secretary of State and Ministers regularly meet Arts Council England, as an arm’s length body of the Department, to discuss a number of topics.
The decisions made by Arts Council England about which institutions to fund, and by how much, in its 2023–26 Investment Programme were taken at arm's length from HM Government. This is in accordance with the well established process, which is published on the Arts Council’s website and made clear in the guidance for applicants. As such, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) does not, nor should it, review individual decisions.
We are pleased that both Arts Council England and the English National Opera are working together on possibilities for the future of the organisation. Arts Council England has set a provisional budget of up to £24 million to support the English National Opera, subject to successful application, for 2024–26. This is in addition to the £11.46 million of funding already awarded to the ENO for the period April 2023 to March 2024 while it develops its future plans. Further detail was published in the joint statement on 12 April 2023 and can be accessed online. DCMS officials are helping to convene relevant parties and support finding a way forward.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 31 January 2022 to Question 132433 on Leisure and Swimming Pools, what steps the Government is taking as a result of the roundtable discussion on Tuesday 24 January to discuss the issues affecting the leisure and physical activity sector.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
We recognise the importance of ensuring public access to swimming pools, as swimming is a great way for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy. The responsibility of providing this access lies at Local Authority level, and the Government continues to encourage Local Authorities to support swimming facilities.
Last month I chaired a roundtable discussion with representatives from the public and private leisure sector including organisations such as Ukactive, Sport England, Swim England and the Local Government Association (LGA).
During this session, we discussed the current challenges facing the sector and how we could work together and across government in order to resolve them. Officials remain in contact with representatives from across the sector and are working collaboratively on potential avenues for further support.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) public and (b) private leisure centre and swimming pool operators on the support required by that sector.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
I hosted a roundtable on Tuesday 24 January to hear directly from leisure and swimming pool operators in the public and private sector on how the challenges they face. This was attended by a range of organisations, National Governing Bodies and local authority representations. I have regularly met with the National Sector Partner Group, and their membership organisations, to discuss issues affecting the leisure and physical activity sector.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish the membership of her Department's working group for key partners in the leisure centre and swimming pools industry.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
I hosted a roundtable on Tuesday 24 January to hear directly from leisure and swimming pool operators in the public and private sector on how the challenges they face. This was attended by a range of organisations, National Governing Bodies and local authority representations. I have regularly met with the National Sector Partner Group, and their membership organisations, to discuss issues affecting the leisure and physical activity sector.