Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if their Department will publish an Ethnicity Pay Gap Report for financial year 2023-24 in line with the Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting guidance for employers published on 17 April 2023.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Improving representation and inclusion of people from an ethnic minority background is a priority for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). With that in mind, we are working with Civil Service HR and other government departments to review the details of the Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting guidance that was published on 17 April 2023, and how, where possible, we can adopt Ethnicity Pay Reporting (EPR). In line with Gender Pay Gap Reporting, the Civil Service is looking to develop a consistent methodology to be used across departments to produce reliable, informative data. The outcome of this work will inform whether DCMS is able to publish a report for 2023/2024.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with stakeholders on the potential merits of banning boxing at the Olympic Games.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
It is for the International Olympic Committee to make any decisions on which sports should be included in the Olympic programme.
The British Olympic Association are our National Olympic Committee and as such represent us in the International Olympic Committee’s governance and decision making processes. I have recently had discussions with GB Boxing and UK Sport to understand their position on international competition in the sport.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when she will publish the Government's Sport Strategy.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
DCMS has committed to delivering a new Government sport strategy that will set the direction for the government's priorities and its role in the sport sector.
This new strategy will build on the success of the previous strategy, Sporting Future, and will have a specific focus on addressing inactivity levels, the barriers that stop people from participating in sport and making the sector more sustainable for the future.
We are seeking to publish the strategy in the first quarter of 2023.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what funding her Department has provided to the Bradford UK City of Culture 2025 programme as of 24 October 2022; and what additional funding her Department plans to provide to that programme.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
DCMS is providing Bradford UK City of Culture 2025 with £275,000 seed funding (awarded on 31 May). The grant has facilitated recruitment for senior roles and early engagement with local communities. DCMS is working with the Bradford team to determine the additional funding requirement subject to the successful approval of a business case.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding Bradford will receive through the Youth Investment Fund.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Youth Investment Fund is a geographically targeted fund levelling up access to youth services in those areas that need it most. Ministerial decisions on eligibility criteria were taken on the basis of high quality, robust and publicly available data. The eligible areas and a detailed explanation of the methodology is available on the gov.uk website here. Bradford is not eligible for the Youth Investment Fund.
DCMS provides funding for a range of youth programmes benefitting young people in Bradford and right across England, such as the National Citizen Service (NCS). DCMS recently announced a new National Youth Guarantee, ensuring that by 2025, every young person in England will have access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if the Government will commit to YMCA England’s request for long-term, sustainable revenue funding for youth services.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Local Authorities have a statutory duty to allocate funding to youth services in line with local need, including detached youth work. This is funded from the Local Government settlement, which was over £12 billion last year. DCMS are currently reviewing the guidance associated with the statutory duty.
The Government recognises the vital role that youth services and activities play in improving the life chances and wellbeing of young people. The Government has committed to a National Youth Guarantee: that by 2025, every young person will have access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer. This will be supported by a three year £560 million investment in youth services, reflecting young people's priorities and addressing the inconsistencies in national youth spending, with a firm focus on levelling up.