Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether science and discovery centres fall within the remit of her Department.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Science and discovery centres are vital assets across local communities nationwide. Given the breadth of their mission, they do not fall under the exclusive purview of a single government department. Their work contributes significantly to the objectives of several departments, including the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
While their full scope extends beyond DCMS's direct remit, key aspects align closely with DCMS policy areas, such as the visitor economy, youth, and museums. For these areas, DCMS takes ownership over their respective policy domain, while collaborating closely with other government departments to support these institutions.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether cultural access to science falls within the remit of her Department, in the context of the UK's obligations under (a) Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and (b) Article 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The UK's obligations under Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights concern cultural participation, science, and intellectual property, and are the responsibility of a number of Government departments. Obligations relating to science fall within the remit of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the swing bridge is eligible for repair funding from the National Lottery.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The twelve National Lottery distributor bodies provide good cause funding to organisations independently of Government.
Any specific questions on eligibility for projects should be directed to the relevant distributor.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many and what proportion of full-time equivalent staff in her Department work on the (a) promotion and (b) preservation of industrial heritage; whether industrial heritage sites are eligible to apply for funding through Historic England; what criteria are used to assess such applications; and what proportion of the (i) £15 million allocated to the Heritage at Risk Fund and the (ii) £4.85 million allocated to the Heritage Revival Fund in 2025–26 will be directed towards industrial heritage projects.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Within the Department for Culture, Media & Sport there is a small team that oversees Historic England, a team delivering heritage policy, and a team leading on the designation of listed buildings and monuments. Whilst it does not have dedicated staff dealing specifically with industrial heritage, it is part of a wider workstream.
Historic England, the government's statutory adviser on the historic environment, is responsible for managing and protecting heritage, including industrial heritage.
The £15 million Heritage at Risk Capital Fund and the £4.85 million Heritage Revival Fund do not have a pre-allocated proportion for industrial heritage. Funding decisions are based on criteria including Heritage Significance, Level of Risk, Community Benefit, Financial Need, Project Viability.
Industrial heritage sites can apply for Historic England funding, with sites such as Woodhorn’s Iconic Mining Heritage which received £997,265 Heritage at Risk Capital Funding and the Pump House, Ellesmere Port, which received £252,282 Heritage at Risk Capital Funding.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many full-time equivalent staff in her Department are working on (a) promoting and (b) preserving Britain's industrial heritage; and if she will make it her policy to publish a strategy on the restoration of industrial heritage.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Historic England, the government's statutory adviser on the historic environment, is responsible for managing and protecting heritage, including industrial heritage, across the country. As well as funding Historic England, the government announced new, additional funding for heritage in 2025/26 - £15m for the Heritage At Risk fund and £4.85m for the Heritage Revival Fund.
Within the Department for Culture Media and Sport, there is a small team that oversees Historic England, a team delivering heritage policy, and the designation of listed buildings and monuments. There are no current plans to publish a strategy on the restoration of industrial heritage but for all these workstands, industrial heritage is an important part of what they do and we will look at what more we can do to preserve and restore significant sites and structures.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
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 importance of industrial heritage to the culture of historically industrial (a) cities and (b) towns.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
DCMS has not made a formal assessment of the importance of industrial heritage to the culture of historically industrial cities and towns. However, this government is dedicated to supporting Britain's industrial heritage. Historic England, the government's statutory adviser on the historic environment is funded by DCMS and is actively engaged in the protection, conservation, reuse and public presentation of England’s industrial heritage.
As an example, many of Historic England's High Street Heritage Action Zones, funded by DCMS in 2019 -2024 has revitalised 67 historic high streets across England, and focused on industrial heritage, including the 200 year celebration of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Historic England’s Mills of the North project looks to promote textile mill reuse to provide much needed new homes, accommodate businesses and mixed uses playing a positive role in wider regeneration.
Historic England recently acquired Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, a key Industrial Revolution site, and is undergoing a £28.4 million conservation project to bring it back into public use.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
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 Britain's industrial heritage.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
DCMS has not made a formal assessment of the importance of industrial heritage to the culture of historically industrial cities and towns. However, this government is dedicated to supporting Britain's industrial heritage. Historic England, the government's statutory adviser on the historic environment is funded by DCMS and is actively engaged in the protection, conservation, reuse and public presentation of England’s industrial heritage.
As an example, many of Historic England's High Street Heritage Action Zones, funded by DCMS in 2019 -2024 has revitalised 67 historic high streets across England, and focused on industrial heritage, including the 200 year celebration of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Historic England’s Mills of the North project looks to promote textile mill reuse to provide much needed new homes, accommodate businesses and mixed uses playing a positive role in wider regeneration.
Historic England recently acquired Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, a key Industrial Revolution site, and is undergoing a £28.4 million conservation project to bring it back into public use.