Asked by: Frank McNally (Labour - Coatbridge and Bellshill)
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 religious organisations to make repairs to listed buildings in Scotland.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Heritage is a devolved competence, however some funders operate across the UK. To ensure continued support for listed places of worship across the UK, we are working with sector funders to maximise opportunities for all nations. The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) remains a vital resource, offering grants across the UK and investing £100 million over three years in places of worship. This includes a strategic initiative designed to provide targeted support and build capacity, ensuring that places of worship in Scotland have access to investment.
Asked by: Frank McNally (Labour - Coatbridge and Bellshill)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether additional funding has been provided to the Scottish Government to support religious organisations following the end of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
At the Spending Review 2025, HM Treasury agreed budgets for Departments for a three-year period for Resource DEL, and a four-year period for Capital DEL. The Department then completed a Business Planning process to allocate this funding to programmes. This included £92 million (£23 million per year) for the Places of Worship Renewal Fund.
At Spending Reviews, the Devolved Governments generally receive Barnett consequentials as a proportion of overall departmental settlements, not specific funding lines or programmes. Barnett consequentials were confirmed taking into account the overall DCMS allocation, which includes funding for the Places of Worship Renewal fund. Decisions on the allocation of this funding are then for the Devolved Governments to take.