Oral Answers to Questions

Greg Smith Excerpts

Thursday 3rd September 2026 Commons Chamber

[Marsha De Cordova]

As my hon. Friend mentions, in parts of Nigeria Christian communities continue to face considerable persecution, particularly from Fulani militia and Boko Haram. This has been happening for many decades. Senior members of the Church have frequently visited and written to the Nigerian Government ahead of elections, urging them not to exploit ethnic or religious divisions, finance violence or pursue electoral success at the nation’s expense. The wider Anglican communion and its agencies continue to offer support, financial aid and education in that space. The bishops in the other place raise cases and the experience of Nigerian Christians with the UK Government, and I invite my hon. Friend to raise such cases with the Government as well.

[Greg Smith (Mid Buckinghamshire) (Con)]

5. What steps the Church of England is taking to support the Lighthouse summer holiday programme.

[Marsha De Cordova]

Across the country, churches provide holiday clubs, activities and safe spaces for children and families, often in partnership with organisations such as Lighthouse. These groups help young people to develop skills and the confidence to become responsible, active participants in their local communities.

[Greg Smith]

Over the summer, I was delighted to visit Lighthouse Princes Risborough for both its opening and closing ceremonies. It welcomed 450 local children over a week for fun activities, with a lot of chaos—I may have been gunged in the closing ceremony—but all underpinned by Christian teaching. Similar schemes run in Great Missenden and Haddenham, too. Will the hon. Lady join me in thanking Eleyna Kibble and her massive team of volunteers, trustees and church leaders for putting on such an incredible programme? More fundamentally, what is the Church doing centrally to underpin and support community-led and church-led programmes such as this?

[Marsha De Cordova]

I have to say that sounds like a wonderful visit—despite the hon. Member being gunged—and I join him in thanking Lighthouse in Princes Risborough, and in Great Missenden and Haddenham, for its incredible work in his constituency, and huge thanks go to Eleyna Kibble and the team of volunteers. We know that without volunteers none of these schemes can be delivered. Since 2019, the diocese of Oxford has given over 300 financial grants, totalling £5.9 million, to its parishes to host youth groups and Lighthouse holiday clubs. The Church is committed to and will continue to support community projects such as these in their areas across the country.

Media Green Paper

Greg Smith Excerpts

Wednesday 24th June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Lisa Nandy]

I was recently at the BBC in Cardiff. The importance of Welsh-language content is not lost on this Government, and I have discussed the matter with both the interim director general and the new director general. We have been very keen to impress on the BBC the importance of protecting a regional footprint across all our nations and regions—something pioneered by former director general Tim Davie. Through the charter review process, we are ambitious for more power and funding to be dispersed out of London, so that the BBC becomes the engine of the nations and regions, producing content that reflects all our nations and regions, not just some parts of the country.

[Greg Smith (Mid Buckinghamshire) (Con)]

I add my voice to those concerned about the transfer to TV over IP. Technology moves very fast, and I accept at face value the Secretary of State’s commitment that no one will be left behind. However, we have had 20 years of change, from fibre to cabinet and now fibre to premises, yet some of my constituents are still on copper to premises, surviving on download speeds of 2 or 3 megabits per second, which is not capable of getting television into their homes, whether the switchover is in 2034 or later.

Can I urge the Secretary of State, before any decision is made, to work very closely with DSIT? No matter what the core statistics say about how many homes have fibre to premises, people will still be left behind, particularly in rural communities. Added to that, in many villages where there is only one fibre provider and no competition, there is fibre and there is fibre, and not all of it is as reliable as it looks.

[Lisa Nandy]

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right, and I am happy to give him that assurance. He will know that the Minister for Media is also a Minister in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and I am sure he will be working closely with his colleagues to make sure that we address those concerns.

Oral Answers to Questions

Greg Smith Excerpts

Thursday 16th April 2026 Commons Chamber

[Greg Smith (Mid Buckinghamshire) (Con)]

12. What steps her Department is taking to support the tourism sector.

[The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Lisa Nandy)]

As a Government, we are committed to ensuring that tourism drives growth and jobs across the country, including in rural Buckinghamshire. The hon. Gentleman may have seen VisitBritain’s “Starring GREAT Britain” campaign, through which we have showcased the UK’s film and TV locations to global audiences, and our upcoming visitor economic growth strategy will provide a long-term vision for boosting visitor numbers and delivering sustainable growth nationwide.

[Greg Smith]

I am grateful to the Secretary of State for that answer. With people coming to Buckinghamshire to enjoy the beauty of our countryside walking in the Chilterns, the tourism sector is important, but with the punitive levels of business tax hitting all those businesses—such as camping at Orchard View and country retreats at Starveall farm—talk of a tourist tax and an overnight levy could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Can the Secretary of State confirm that she is actively lobbying the Chancellor not to bring in such a levy?

[Lisa Nandy]

The tourism Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley South (Stephanie Peacock), has of course discussed these issues with the industry. She has held several meetings with the industry as part of English Tourism Week, and has also discussed this issue with colleagues in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and in the Treasury. However, the idea behind a tourism levy is that it would be locally driven and led. It would enable local areas to decide how they wanted to apply it, so that would be a matter for Buckinghamshire itself.

Oral Answers to Questions

Greg Smith Excerpts

Thursday 27th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Stephanie Peacock]

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right and makes an important point. Youth services are vital for giving young people safe, healthy and fulfilling lives. Under the last Government, 1,200 youth centres closed their doors and 4,500 youth workers lost their jobs. That is why this Government are taking a different approach.

[Greg Smith (Mid Buckinghamshire) (Con)]

5. What steps she is taking to help support small and medium-sized music recording studios.

[The Minister for Creative Industries, Media and Arts (Ian Murray)]

It is of course important to support our music industry, including studios, and that is at the heart of what we are trying to do through the music growth fund, which has £30 million in it. The music levy goes straight into grassroots music, supporting studios.

[Mr Speaker]

I call Greg Smith.

[Greg Smith]

Thank you, Mr Speaker, and apologies for making it just in time. Chiltern Railways are entirely to blame.

I thank the Minister for that answer, however a couple of weeks ago I met my constituent Dom, who runs a small music studio. The cost pressures on the music industry coming from this Government are unsustainable at the moment, not least from business rates—even after yesterday’s announcement—employer national insurance and the minimum wage. With so many small music studios having closed in recent years in this country, how will the Government ensure that our music industry has a solid future?

[Ian Murray]

The creative industries sector plan is right at the heart of this Government’s industrial strategy, and music plays a key part in that. We will have the music 10-point plan shortly, and the £30 million music growth fund will support grassroots music, including those kinds of studio. I was at Co-op Live in Manchester just last month launching Discover! Creative Careers. It has a studio there, and it is trying to open up to the public. This is about access to studios and also about supporting them. I hope that the ticket levy, which we hope to get to 50% of all shows next year, can support studios, as well as the other growth projects we have in place.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Stephanie Peacock)]

This Government know that football reaches people like nothing else, and in the summer of 2028 it will bring people together across the whole of the UK. I was pleased to chair a meeting of sport Ministers a few weeks ago to discuss the tournament and its legacy. Glasgow is of course due to host five matches at the tournament, which will bring significant benefits.

[Greg Smith (Mid Buckinghamshire) (Con)]

T2. Much of Buckinghamshire’s tourist economy is under- pinned by walkers coming to enjoy our countryside and the beautiful Chilterns, but on top of the tourism tax, the industry is threatened by the Secretary of State’s Government threatening to plaster Buckinghamshire with solar panels, which will drive the walkers away. What representations is she making to her colleague the Energy Secretary to protect tourism in Buckinghamshire?

[Lisa Nandy]

Obviously I speak regularly to the Energy Secretary, and I am happy to do so, but the hon. Gentleman should know that I share my right hon. Friend’s commitment to turning this country into a clean energy powerhouse and ensuring that the hon. Gentleman’s constituents and mine receive the benefits in the form of lower bills and better energy security.

The point of the visitor levy is that it gives powers to local areas to raise their own funds and decide how they are spent. I would have thought that everybody in this House should be able to support that.

Oral Answers to Questions

Greg Smith Excerpts

Thursday 16th October 2025 Commons Chamber

[Greg Smith (Mid Buckinghamshire) (Con)]

8. What recent discussions she has had with relevant stakeholders on the potential impact of changes to the listed places of worship grant scheme on listed places of worship.

[The Minister for Creative Industries, Media and Arts (Ian Murray)]

On this issue, the Secretary of State met my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Marsha De Cordova) in her role as the Second Church Estates Commissioner and my right hon. Friend the Member for Islington South and Finsbury (Emily Thornberry). In March 2025, my noble Friend the Minister for Heritage met the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Bristol, my noble Friend Lord Khan of Burnley, my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea and church representatives, as well as visiting Salisbury cathedral and St Michael Le Belfrey in York.

[Greg Smith]

I am grateful for the Minister’s answer, but I am not sure the Government have understood the level of uncertainty and panic that has set in following their approach to this grant scheme. Some of the most cherished buildings in our constituencies are waiting on clarity for when the Government will come forward with concrete steps to extend this scheme. What will happen after March 2026? I would be grateful if the Minister could give us that clarity now.

[Ian Murray]

This is an incredibly serious issue, but the Conservatives did not allocate any funding for it at all when they were in government, and therefore we are left with the current situation. I reiterate to those who may wish to use the listed places of worship grant scheme that £13.7 million is left in that scheme. Grants are capped at £25,000, but the analysis from the Department is that 94% of all applications are unaffected by this change because most claims are under £5,000. There is plenty of money left in the pot for this year, and I would encourage them to use it.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Stephanie Peacock)]

I am delighted to take on the responsibility of being Minister for Tourism. Over the past month, it has been a pleasure to make a number of visits and to take part in meetings highlighting just how much the sector has to offer. We want the benefits of tourism to be felt across every nation and region, and a key strand of that work will be increasing the number of visitors who are aware of the offer outside London. I welcome the work that my hon. Friend is doing to promote Peterborough and I look forward to a visit with him.

[Greg Smith (Mid Buckinghamshire) (Con)]

T4. In a stunning setting with superb facilities, Garsington Opera in Stokenchurch provides incredible training opportunities for young people who want a career in the arts. Does the Minister agree that this is a vital facility, and what more will she do to ensure that all young people who want a career in the arts have those training opportunities?

[Ian Murray]

I can assure the hon. Gentleman that the DCMS ministerial team and the entire Government are fully committed to ensuring that there is full access to training and skills in the arts. I would be happy to meet him to discuss that project, but if any young person in any part of this land wants to get into the arts, this Government are for them.

Oral Answers to Questions

Greg Smith Excerpts

Thursday 27th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Chris Bryant]

The right hon. Gentleman used to be in the Treasury, so he is very good at making financial bids and I think he has just made a bid on behalf of Salisbury’s theatre. We warmly commend the work it is doing. As I have said, it is brilliant if we can get lots of kids coming into theatres. I want every single child, as part of their education, to be able to see live theatre and live music, because that is a part of what stirs their creative opportunities in life. Yes, we are looking at whether there are other ways of bringing in not only commercial money but philanthropic money to try to match-fund the funding that can come from government.

[Greg Smith (Mid Buckinghamshire) (Con)]

10. Whether her Department plans to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Formula 1.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Stephanie Peacock)]

As chair of the all-party parliamentary group on Formula 1 and motor sport, the hon. Member is a keen supporter of motor sport in the UK, and I pay tribute to him for all his work. Last month, I met with Formula 1, and I congratulate it on its 75th anniversary.

[Greg Smith]

Formula 1 is a world championship, but it is a predominantly British success story. Would the best way for the Government to join its 75th anniversary celebrations not be to get behind the efforts of Susie Wolff and others to get more women into the sport, and to back the Hamilton Commission in getting more people from more diverse backgrounds to participate in motor sport at all levels?

[Stephanie Peacock]

I pay tribute again to the hon. Gentleman for all his work. The milestone provides an excellent opportunity to reflect on the sport’s long history in the UK and the huge contribution that it makes. I echo and agree with his comments about diversity. F1 also has a significant economic impact. Seven out of 10 Formula 1 teams are based in the UK, collectively generating £1.9 billion in turnover in 2022.

Gaza: BBC Coverage

Greg Smith Excerpts

Thursday 27th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The question was not relevant to what we are discussing; that is the problem.

[Greg Smith (Mid Buckinghamshire) (Con)]

I listened carefully to what the Secretary of State said and welcome her clear criticism of this documentary, but may I return to some of the—at best—mistranslation that happened during the documentary that my right hon. Friend the shadow Secretary of State referenced? Instances of the Arabic words for “Jews” were changed to “Israeli” and, possibly worst of all, one interviewee praised the Hamas leader for his “Jihad against the Jews”, yet the BBC translated that to “fighting Israeli forces”. That is not an error in Google Translate; it is clearly a deliberate attempt to completely misinterpret the approach towards Hamas and the situation in the middle east. Can she give me an assurance that she will be robust in challenging those translations, because those terms are clearly antisemitic and take a pro-Hamas, pro-terrorist viewpoint?

[Lisa Nandy]

I am more than happy to give the hon. Gentleman that assurance. I discussed the precise use of language with the BBC director general earlier this week. On the question asked by the hon. Member for Gosport (Dame Caroline Dinenage), I also discussed the use of the full term “a proscribed terror organisation” by the UK Government and the frequency with which that term is used by the BBC. I made it clear that I, as the Secretary of State, believe that it is incredibly important that the BBC adheres to its own guidelines.

Oral Answers to Questions

Greg Smith Excerpts

Thursday 17th October 2024 Commons Chamber

[Marsha De Cordova]

I will do whatever I can to secure a meeting. It is important to put on record that there has been much engagement with all the survivors, who have been involved throughout the process. I will certainly write to my hon. Friend to see what we can do to ensure that a meeting is secured.

[Greg Smith (Mid Buckinghamshire) (Con)]

5. What steps the Church is taking to recognise the positive impact of individual members of the clergy in the communities they serve.

[Mr Speaker]

I call Marsha de Cordova—you are earning your money today.

[Marsha De Cordova]

I certainly am, and so are my thighs.

At a national level, the contribution of local clergy and lay people is usually recognised through the Archbishops’ medals or a Lambeth degree. Most dioceses also have their own awards. Clergy and lay volunteers are eligible for nomination to relevant orders, and for decorations and medals, and there are opportunities in the wider civil honours system where appropriate.

[Greg Smith]

I am grateful to the hon. Lady for that answer. I am full of praise for the hard work and dedication of all our clergy, but sometimes an individual goes above and beyond. That is true of Reverend Canon David Williams, who on Christmas day will lead his last service at St Mary’s, Princes Risborough, after 15 years’ service to that town and the surrounding villages. His work includes having supported thousands of children through Lighthouse Princes Risborough, and his role as a trustee of the Princes Centre and other charities, including those supporting the homeless. Will the hon. Lady join me in thanking David and his wife Jo for their 15 years’ service to Princes Risborough? What more can the Church do to recognise his and others’ hard work?

[Marsha De Cordova]

I place on record my thanks, congratulations and appreciation of Reverend Canon David Williams and his wife—as we know, these things are always a partnership—for all their good work in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency. The Diocese of Oxford is thankful for the dedicated, pioneering and innovative work of the clergy and their great contribution to the Church’s ministry and mission, and to our local communities. I hope that the hon. Gentleman will pass on my thanks, and that he will be present for the reverend’s final service on Christmas morning, to congratulate him in person.

Oral Answers to Questions

Greg Smith Excerpts

Thursday 23rd May 2024 Commons Chamber

[Wendy Morton (Aldridge-Brownhills) (Con)]

4. What steps she is taking to support the participation of women and girls in sport.

[Greg Smith (Buckingham) (Con)]

7. What steps she is taking to support the participation of women and girls in sport.

[The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Lucy Frazer)]

We have a number of individual initiatives to support the participation of women and girls in sport. The national physical activity taskforce is working across Government to ensure that women and girls get more active. We have established the Board of Women’s Sport to identify challenges and opportunities across women’s sport, and we are fully supporting Karen Carney’s recommendations to lift standards and deliver sustainable growth for women’s football.

--- Later in debate ---

[Lucy Frazer]

I am delighted to congratulate the boys team, and to commend all the work done in local schools to encourage girls to get more involved in sport. That is why the Government are committed to equal access to physical education and sport in schools, so that girls are able to participate in whatever sport they like. If they want to play cricket, football or rugby, they should be entitled to do so. And it is why the Department for Education has published guidance on how to deliver a minimum of two hours a week of quality PE, alongside over £600 million of funding for primary PE and sport through the sport premium.

[Greg Smith]

There is no greater exemplar of encouraging women and girls into sport than the motorsport sector. From Susie Wolff’s F1 academy and Discover Your Drive to Motorsport UK’s Girls on Track scheme, the sector is discovering British talent like Abbi Pulling, who won both races in Miami in the F1 academy and then, the very next weekend, won the British F4 race here in the UK. And that is before I get on to the engineering and design roles. Does my right hon. and learned Friend agree that motorsport shows the way for other sports to follow?

[Lucy Frazer]

I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend on the huge value of motorsport. I congratulate motorsport on its Girls on Track scheme, which is getting more girls and women into sport. I highlight and re-emphasise his point that motorsport is not just about the sport itself; it is a huge powerhouse for research and development that builds and supports innovation.

Oral Answers to Questions

Greg Smith Excerpts

Thursday 22nd February 2024 Commons Chamber

The hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, was asked—

[Greg Smith (Buckingham) (Con)]

2. Whether the commissioners have issued recent guidance to church parishes on securing buildings to prevent theft.

[Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)]

5. Whether the Commissioners have issued recent guidance to church parishes on securing buildings to help prevent theft.

[The Second Church Estates Commissioner (Andrew Selous)]

Before I reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Buckingham, may I pass on my condolences, and I am sure those of the whole House, to the family and friends of Alan Wilson, the Bishop of Buckingham, who died suddenly last Saturday?

There is comprehensive advice to all parishes on the Church of England website about how to keep buildings secure, which we regularly update. All buildings used for religious worship are also eligible for the Home Office’s hate crime protection scheme.

[Greg Smith]

I join my hon. Friend in passing on my condolences to the family of the late Bishop of Buckingham.

Vicars tell me that theft from churches is a continuing problem in my constituency and that the insurance sector is now demanding that churches must be locked unless someone from the church is present inside. That clearly creates a big challenge for those wanting a moment of quiet prayer or reflection or to just enjoy the beauty of our historic churches. Can my hon. Friend tell me what the Church Commissioners are doing with the insurance sector to ensure that our churches can remain, while secure, open for quiet prayer and reflection?

[Andrew Selous]

I am sorry to learn of the experience in my hon. Friend’s constituency, and I can tell him that he is completely right about the importance of keeping churches open for those who want to come. The good news is that keeping churches open increases footfall, and that deters criminals. Locking up churches is a poor deterrent to thieves. I can also tell him that funding for roof alarms was provided by the diocese of Oxford back in 2019, when there was a spate of thefts from church roofs in his area. I encourage churches in his constituency to contact the diocese again to see whether that might be made available.