Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
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 ensure adequate opportunities for under 16s to engage in sport and cultural activities.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, including children and young people, have access to and benefit from quality sport and cultural opportunities.
Our arm’s length body Sport England works to increase participation in grassroots sport, including providing more opportunities for children and young people from all backgrounds to be active.
The Government is committed to revitalising arts education through a reformed curriculum and support for teachers, including via the new National Centre for Arts and Music Education, due to be established by September 2026, and through continued investment in Music Hubs. To increase access to enrichment opportunities across culture, sport, and wider youth sectors for disadvantaged young people, the Every Child Can programme, backed by £132.5 million in dormant assets through the National Lottery Community Fund, will fund activities within school and in communities at weekends and in the holidays, ensuring enrichment is a common entitlement for all.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
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 ensure adequate opportunities for under 16s to engage in joint social activities with other young people.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
We’re working closely across government to expand access to real‑world activities as we know that strong offline connections between young people are essential to supporting their wellbeing and their development.
In December 2025, DCMS published ‘Youth Matters: Your National Youth Strategy’. This strategy will ensure every young person across the country, including those under 16, has somewhere to go, someone who cares for them and a community they feel part of. It is funded by over £500 million from DCMS, which includes funding for youth spaces where young people can come together, for enriching opportunities across the country where they can meet others, as well as for social action projects which young people can deliver in their communities.
Local Authorities have a statutory duty to secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient provision of youth services in their area. We will explore reviewing this duty as part of a wider review of local statutory duties.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 17th February 2026 to questions 112546 and 112547 on listed places of worship, if he will provide a target date for the publication of the guidance for applicants of the scheme.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Further details regarding the eligibility criteria and application process for the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund will be published in due course. We are not yet in a position to confirm a date for the publication of this guidance.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
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 potential impact of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme on community services hosted by places of worship, including (a) food banks, (b) youth groups and (c) after school clubs.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS conducted an evaluation of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which included an extensive survey of current and past scheme users and is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-the-listed-places-of-worship-scheme-final-report.
The evaluation did not specifically assess the impact of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme on community services hosted by places of worship, including (a) food banks, (b) youth groups and (c) after school clubs. However, we are aware that grants from the scheme will have enabled many recipients to continue to provide these vital community services.
Our evaluation showed that while it had many benefits, 80% of respondents said that they would still have carried out the work without the rebate. As we look towards a new fiscal period and the evolving needs of our community, it is essential that government support is deployed to the areas where it can have the greatest impact and where it is needed most. That is why over the next four years, the Places of Worship Renewal Fund will invest £92 million capital funding into listed places of worship, some of which host these community services.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Places of Worship Renewal Fund will support energy efficiency improvements such as low carbon heating and lighting systems.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Further details regarding the eligibility criteria and application process for the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund will be published in due course.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
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 prevent funding gaps during the transition from the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme to the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Places of Worship Renewal Fund will provide an equivalent overall level of financial support to that provided by the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, £23 million per annum.
The new Places of Worship Renewal Fund is a capital fund providing grants upfront, which in some cases, may award a greater proportion of the project costs than what would have previously been received through the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.
We are aware of concerns regarding the transition between the two schemes. Guidance, including eligibility criteria and application process on the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund, will be published in due course.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Places of Worship Renewal Fund will provide (a) equivalent to and (b) greater financial support than the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme; and what steps she is taking to ensure transitional funding for places of worship.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Places of Worship Renewal Fund will provide an equivalent overall level of financial support to that provided by the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, £23 million per annum.
The new Places of Worship Renewal Fund is a capital fund providing grants upfront, which in some cases, may award a greater proportion of the project costs than what would have previously been received through the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.
We are aware of concerns regarding the transition between the two schemes. Guidance, including eligibility criteria and application process on the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund, will be published in due course.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans the Government has to meet with the victims of press abuse who have written to the Government to request a meeting.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
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: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with Ofcom on the effectiveness of the regulatory principles used to determine if an investigation should be carried out into comments made by media outlets.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Ofcom, by law, carries out its investigations independently of the Government. Ofcom is accountable to Parliament, and the standards and objectives which underpin Ofcom’s rules and procedures are set out in legislation. Decisions over whether or not to investigate particular media outlets, and how they do that, are rightly a matter for Ofcom.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the BBC Board on the UK's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest in the context of Israel's participation.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The BBC is operationally and editorially independent from the Government. Therefore, the Government cannot intervene in the BBC’s day-to-day operations including on editorial matters.
Decisions on who to include in international events and competitions are for the organisers to take, within the framework of their own rules and regulations. It is for the EBU, in consultation with its members, to decide which countries are allowed to participate in Eurovision.