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Written Question
Listed Buildings: Energy
Tuesday 20th December 2022

Asked by: Dan Poulter (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help the owners of listed buildings improve home energy efficiency.

Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Making historic buildings more energy efficient is an important part of meeting Government ambitions with regard to Net Zero and energy efficiency. There are approximately 350,000 listed domestic properties, which make up 2% of our housing stock.

In the Government’s British Energy Security Strategy, published earlier this year, we committed to reviewing the practical planning barriers which households can face when installing energy efficiency measures, including in conservation areas and listed buildings. My Department has been working on the review jointly with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and will make an announcement on the outcomes in due course.

Historic England has recently updated its guidance for homeowners of historic buildings on how to adapt older buildings sympathetically to be more energy efficient. Historic England are making changes to their website that will make it easier for people to find detailed advice on how best to retro-fit their older homes.


Written Question
Listed Buildings: Energy
Tuesday 20th December 2022

Asked by: Dan Poulter (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help owners of listed homes improve energy efficiency.

Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Making historic buildings more energy efficient is an important part of meeting Government ambitions with regard to Net Zero and energy efficiency. There are approximately 350,000 listed domestic properties, which make up 2% of our housing stock.

In the Government’s British Energy Security Strategy, published earlier this year, we committed to reviewing the practical planning barriers which households can face when installing energy efficiency measures, including in conservation areas and listed buildings. My Department has been working on the review jointly with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy and will make an announcement on the outcomes in due course.

Historic England has recently updated its guidance for homeowners of historic buildings on how to adapt older buildings sympathetically to be more energy efficient. Historic England are making changes to their website that will make it easier for people to find detailed advice on how best to retro-fit their older homes.


Written Question
Sports: Schools
Tuesday 21st December 2021

Asked by: Dan Poulter (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what her Department's timeframe is for confirming funding for the School Games Organiser Network beyond March 2022.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government has confirmed that funding for the School Games Organiser network will be available for the full 2021/22 academic year.

The government is considering arrangements for the School Games Organiser network for the 2022-23 academic year and beyond, and will confirm the position in the new year.


Written Question
Health: Gyms
Monday 1st March 2021

Asked by: Dan Poulter (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of gyms in improving the health and fitness of their members and providing greater resilience amongst the population to infectious diseases.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Chief Medical Officer is clear that being physically active is important to long-term health and crucial for keeping people healthy. Sports and physical activity, including the use of gyms, have been shown to treat, manage and prevent a range of conditions including heart disease, cancers, diabetes, stress, depression or anxiety. It can also bring communities together and tackle issues such as loneliness. That’s why we have continued to make sure that people can exercise throughout the national and the local tiered restrictions.

Sport England’s Active Lives Adult and Children surveys provide information not only on activity levels but also on social outcomes such as physical and mental wellbeing too. The latest reports can be found here.

Furthermore, last month Sport England published its new strategy Uniting the Movement which sets out their 10 year vision to transform lives and communities through sport and physical activity. The strategy seeks to tackle the inequalities we have seen in sport and physical activity and provide opportunities to people and communities that have traditionally been left behind, helping to remove barriers to activity.

On Monday 22 February, the Prime Minister announced a roadmap out of the current lockdown in England. Step 2 will take place no earlier than 12 April and as part of this indoor leisure (including gyms) for individual use will reopen. Step 3 will take place no earlier than 17 May and as part of this exercise classes can resume. This will be subject to social contact limits.


Written Question
Gyms: Coronavirus
Monday 1st March 2021

Asked by: Dan Poulter (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will (a) publish a timeline for re-opening gyms and (b) confirm the status of gyms as essential businesses that provide health benefits to their members.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Sports and physical activity providers and facilities are at the heart of our communities, and play a crucial role in supporting adults and children to be active.

On Monday 22 February, the Prime Minister announced a roadmap out of the current lockdown in England. The approach focuses on data, not dates. Each step has a “no earlier than” date, 5 weeks later than the previous step, to allow time to assess the impact of the previous step and provide a week’s notice before changes occur.

Step 2 will take place no earlier than 12 April and as part of this indoor sport facilities including gyms for individual use will reopen. Group exercise will be allowed as part of Step 3 of the roadmap which will take place no earlier than 17 May. This will be subject to social contact limits.


Written Question
Tourism: Suffolk
Thursday 4th February 2021

Asked by: Dan Poulter (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will provide financial support to the tourism sector in Suffolk during the period of the national covid-19 lockdown that was introduced in January 2021.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

We have introduced a number of measures since the start of the pandemic to support tourism businesses, including those in Suffolk. This includes the extended furlough and self-employed schemes and various government-backed loans, grant schemes, business rates relief and a reduced VAT rate.

To help the sector through the current lockdown, we have announced one-off top up grants for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses worth up to £9,000 per property. This is in addition to the monthly Local Restrictions Support Grants (Closed). Local Authorities in England have also been given an additional £594 million discretionary funding to support their local businesses. This builds on the £1.1 billion discretionary funding which local authorities in England have already received to support their local economies and help businesses impacted.

Both my Department and VisitEngland remain in regular contact with regional tourism stakeholders to assess the substantial economic effects around the country.


Written Question
Gyms and Leisure: Coronavirus
Monday 25th January 2021

Asked by: Dan Poulter (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a scheme to incentivise gym and leisure club membership following the current lockdown similar to the Eat Out To Help Out scheme made available to the hospitality industry over summer 2020.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Sports and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health, and are a vital weapon against coronavirus. That’s why we have made sure that people can exercise throughout the national and local tiered restrictions. We will continue to promote exercise throughout the pandemic and encourage the usage of sports facilities including gyms when they are able to open again.

Government has provided unprecedented support to businesses through tax reliefs, cash grants and employee wage support, which many sport clubs have benefited from. On top of wider economic support, the Government has announced a £100m support fund for local authority leisure centres to ensure these important facilities remain available once public health restrictions are lifted.


Written Question
Gyms and Swimming Pools: Coronavirus
Thursday 12th November 2020

Asked by: Dan Poulter (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what evidence informed the decision to close gyms, leisure centres and swimming pools during the November 2020 covid-19 lockdown.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Sports and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health, and are a vital weapon against coronavirus. That’s why we made sure that people could exercise at least once a day even during the height of lockdown - and why we opened up grassroots sport and leisure facilities as soon as it was safe to do so.

Nobody wanted to be in the position of having to introduce further National Restrictions. However as the Prime Minister said, with the virus spreading faster than expected we cannot allow our health system to be overwhelmed. Therefore, from Thursday 5 November until Wednesday 2 December indoor and outdoor leisure will need to close. The National Restrictions are designed to get the R rate under control through limiting social contact and reducing transmissions.

In order for these measures to have the greatest impact, we will all need to sacrifice doing some things that we would otherwise like to do, for a short period of time. We have not introduced further exemptions because when you unpick at one activity the effectiveness of the whole package is compromised. As soon as we're in a position to start lifting restrictions, grassroots sports will be one of the first to return.


Written Question
Events Industry: Self-employed
Tuesday 8th September 2020

Asked by: Dan Poulter (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what support his Department will make available to freelance workers in the events industry to help retain those workers in that industry in anticipation of it reopening as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Answered by Caroline Dinenage

DCMS recognises the crucial role that individuals play in the UK’s events industry, and that the Covid-19 pandemic presents a significant challenge to many individuals operating in this sector.

The Secretary of State announced a major £1.57 billion support package for key cultural organisations to help them through the coronavirus pandemic. This funding will provide targeted support to organisations across a range of cultural and creative sectors. This support package will benefit freelancers by providing support to cultural venues and many other organisations in the Creative Industries that host live events, to stay open and continue operating.

To complement the funding for organisations made available by Government, Arts Council England (ACE) have announced £95m of additional support for individuals, including freelancers. This involves:

  • an additional £75m in project grants. These will be focused on applications that maximise employment opportunities and those from under-represented groups. Freelancers and National Portfolio Organisations are eligible to apply.

  • A further round of the ACE programme ‘Discover Your Creative Practice’ will open in the autumn. This will make approximately £18m available for individuals looking to develop new creative skills that will help them to further develop their career.

  • ACE will also be adding £2m into relevant benevolent funds to support those less well supported by the programmes outlined above, including stage managers and technicians.

Government has also provided additional support for freelancers by extending the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme.

We are committed to continuing to work with the events sector to understand the difficulties they face and help them access support through these challenging times and through recovery.


Written Question
Events Industry
Tuesday 8th September 2020

Asked by: Dan Poulter (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will publish a long-term strategy to support the re-opening of the live events sector as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

Answered by Caroline Dinenage

DCMS appreciates the important role that the events sector plays in the UK’s cultural economy, and that the Covid-19 pandemic presents a significant challenge to many businesses operating in these sectors.

The Secretary of State provided a major £1.57 billion support package for key cultural organisations to help them through the coronavirus pandemic. This funding will provide targeted support to organisations across a range of cultural and creative sectors. This support package will benefit cultural sector services by providing support to cultural venues and many other Cultural organisations that host live events, to stay open and continue operating.

From 15th August, and as part of the Government’s 5 stage roadmap to get performing arts and live entertainment sectors back up and running as soon as possible, venues and organisations have been able to put on live indoor performances in front of a socially-distanced audience. This is in addition to the earlier announcement that from 11 July we can all enjoy performances outdoors with social distancing. This follows the government’s five-stage roadmap outlining how DCMS will get audiences back into performing arts venues. We are now at Stage Four of the roadmap.

We are committed to continuing to work with the live events sector to understand the difficulties they face and help them access support through these challenging times and through recovery.