Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has had any discussions with (a) UEFA and (b) the Football Association on the transfer of players from non-UK teams to UK teams after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The Government recognises the contribution that international talent makes to UK sport. We are in ongoing discussions with the Football Association (FA), Premier League and English Football League to better understand the potential impacts and opportunities that our exit from the EU may bring for football, including in relation to changes to freedom of movement after the end of the implementation period.
As the European Federation for Football, UEFA liaises directly with its members - including the FA - rather than with the UK Government on matters affecting European football.
Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding from the heritage lottery fund was allocated to projects in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The table below outlines the funding per year and the number of projects that Heritage Lottery Fund have awarded to projects in Northern Ireland:
Financial Year | Projects Funded | Amount Awarded |
2015-16 | 59 | £15,029,700 |
2016-17 | 58 | £15,155,500 |
2017-18 | 64 | £15,617,200 |
Grand Total | 181 | £45,802,400 |
Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what meetings he has held with (a) television and (b) film production companies on the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the UK film and TV industry in the last 12 months.
Answered by Margot James
The government has engaged extensively with TV and film production stakeholders on the impact of exiting the EU. Over the past year, DCMS has organised a number of ministerial roundtables as well as bilateral meetings with broadcasters, and television and film production companies on the topic of Brexit and related issues, including the potential effects of our exit from the EU for these companies.
Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if his Department will introduce legislative proposals on limiting the time for which a user can be active on an online gambling site or app.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
Online gambling operators are required under the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) to give players the option to set time and spend limits online. The Government is also working with the Gambling Commission on a clear plan to further protect children, young people and the vulnerable as discussed by the Gambling Commission’s review of online gambling in March 2018 (http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/PDF/Online-review-March-2018.pdf) and the Government’s response to the consultation of changes to gaming machines and social responsibility measures in May 2018 (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/707815/Government_response_to_the_consultation_on_proposals_for_changes_to_gaming_machines_and_social_responsibility_measures.pdf )
This will include ensuring operators set limits on consumers’ spending until affordability checks have been conducted; banning operators from providing free-to-play demo games until a consumer’s age has been determined and improving the speed and effectiveness of age verification processes.
Other measures include tackling unacceptable marketing, advertising and unfair terms and improving complaints and dispute procedures and strengthening requirements to interact with consumers who may be experiencing problems with their gambling and looking at the issue of whether gambling on credit cards should continue to be permitted.
Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the announcement of 1 July 2014 ,Details of £5 million fund to repair, protect, and conserve First World War memorials revealed, how much and what proportion of that funding has been spent.
Answered by Michael Ellis
Of the £5 million fund announced in July 2014 for the conservation and protection of war memorials, £3,435,000 had been spent by the end of FY 2017/18, with the remainder projected to be spent by March 2019.
The majority of this funding (£4.5 million) has gone towards the First World War Memorials Programme which sees Civic Voice, Historic England, the Imperial War Museums (IWM), and War Memorials Trust (WMT) working in partnership with the public on a programme of recording, research, conservation and listing to ensure war memorials across the country are protected and the people they commemorate are remembered.
Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding his Department has allocated from the public purse to youth theatre projects in each of the last three years.
Answered by Michael Ellis
Culture is a devolved competence, therefore policy and funding decisions are the responsibility of the respective devolved nations and their arts funding bodies. Arts Council England (ACE) are responsible for distributing funding to arts and culture organisations on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in England. Funding that is specifically directed to 'Youth Theatre' is not recorded; however, ACE funding statistics do highlight funded organisations that include 'youth theatre' as part of their provision under their funding contract.
Investment in each of the last three years, where the ACE award has been at least partially classified with ‘Youth Theatre’ is outlined in the table below.
Funding stream | 2015/16 £ | 2016/17 £ | 2017/18 £ |
National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) | 7,583,458 | 7,583,458 | 7,583,458 |
Grants for the Arts (GfTA) | 756,240 | N/A* | N/A* |
Other | 215,330 | 365,437 | 421,622 |
*GfTA programme closed
Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to encourage sports clubs to have disability teams.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The importance of increasing participation in sport and physical activity by underrepresented groups was highlighted in the government’s sport strategy 'Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation', published in December 2015.
Sport England is investing £1.6m from 2017 - 2020 into the seven National Disability Sports Organisations (NDSOs) who represent specific impairment groups. Part of their work is to promote opportunities to their members, and to provide advice to clubs and coaches to enable more disabled people to participate in sport. Sport England also invests in International Mixed Ability Sports (IMAS), an inclusion model based on disabled and non-disabled people taking part in sport together, and embedding these teams into existing club structures. It has invested approximately £162,000 into IMAS to expand the delivery of their mixed ability model into seven new sports, and reach over 900 disabled and non-disabled players over the 2 years of this investment.
Sport England also supports clubs to promote disability sport through its free Club Matters resource. It includes insight about different impairments and health conditions, and practical advice about making clubs accessible and inclusive for disabled people. The Activity Alliance (formerly known as EFDS) are currently working with Sport England to update the resources available to clubs through Club Matters.
Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what his policy is on home nation sports events being televised on free-to-air television.
Answered by Margot James
It is important that people are able to watch national sporting events on free to air television. That is why the law ensures that certain national sporting events are shown to the widest possible audience through the listed events regime. The list of protected events contains a range of competitions in which home nations teams feature including the World Cup Finals and the Six Nations. There are no plans to amend the list.
Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department issues guidance to sports colleges and teaching coaches on recognising the dangers of concussion; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
We are acutely aware of the potential effects of concussion and serious head injuries in sport. Baroness Tanni Grey- Thompson produced a report into Duty of Care in Sport and the report dedicated an entire chapter to safety, injury and medical issues. DCMS have been regular attendees at and contributors to the Forum on Concussion in Sport and Physical Education chaired by the Sport and Recreation Alliance (SRA). This Forum has produced guidelines for the education sector, which was praised by the Duty of Care report.
Expert advice is available for schools and colleges to help them assess activities and ensure they are safe for pupils. The Association for Physical Education and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents provide advice to schools on how to manage activities safely and reduce the risk of injuries and accidents, including concussion.
Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals to mandate actions to be taken by online bookmakers to tackle problem gambling .
Answered by Tracey Crouch
As the statutory regulator for gambling in Great Britain, the Gambling Commission has powers under the Gambling Act 2005 to determine the rules under which gambling companies operate.
The Gambling Commission has identified a number of key areas where it plans to consult on changes to its regulatory requirements to enhance the protections afforded to online gambling customers.
In particular, the Gambling Commission is proposing to require operators to set limits on players’ spending until affordability checks have been completed, and to introduce stricter licence requirements for gambling companies to know their customers and intervene at an earlier stage before players experience harm.