Asked by: James Frith (Labour - Bury North)
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 help support the (a) long-term growth, (b) international competitiveness and (c) financial sustainability of the film production sector in the UK.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We are committed to supporting the growth and sustainability of the film sector. We provide globally competitive tax measures to incentivise production. We are investing in infrastructure through continued funding via the British Film Commission (BFC) which has doubled the amount of studio space since 2020, and we are providing a 40% business rates relief for eligible film studios until 2034. We are supporting our independent domestic sector through our 53% independent film tax relief and committing a further £7m this year to the UK Global Screen Fund to promote and distribute UK independent screen content. We are strengthening our public service broadcasters through the Media Act. And we are working with industry to support the skills pipeline to ensure the sustainability of the sector for years to come.
As part of our Industrial Strategy, we will soon publish a Creative Industries Sector Plan, which will set out actions to support the growth of the film and TV sector.
Asked by: James Frith (Labour - Bury North)
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 help ensure the financial sustainability of film studios in the UK.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We are committed to supporting the growth and sustainability of the film sector. We provide globally competitive tax measures to incentivise production. We are investing in infrastructure through continued funding via the British Film Commission (BFC) which has doubled the amount of studio space since 2020, and we are providing a 40% business rates relief for eligible film studios until 2034. We are supporting our independent domestic sector through our 53% independent film tax relief and committing a further £7m this year to the UK Global Screen Fund to promote and distribute UK independent screen content. We are strengthening our public service broadcasters through the Media Act. And we are working with industry to support the skills pipeline to ensure the sustainability of the sector for years to come.
As part of our Industrial Strategy, we will soon publish a Creative Industries Sector Plan, which will set out actions to support the growth of the film and TV sector.
Asked by: James Frith (Labour - Bury North)
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 28 April 2025 to Question 44518 on BetIndex and Football Index, if she will introduce a regulator levy to fund compensation for people who lost money through the collapse of Football Index and BetIndex.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Whilst the Government deeply sympathises with those impacted by the collapse of Football Index and BetIndex, we do not plan to introduce a regulator levy to fund compensation for people who lost money as a result.
Asked by: James Frith (Labour - Bury North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to take steps to modernise (a) heritage and (b) community protection schemes to support (i) nightclubs, (ii) grassroots music venues and (iii) other contemporary cultural venues.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is working closely with the music and nightclub sectors, to strengthen the sustainability of the entire music ecosystem. Cultural venues, like nightclubs and music venues, provide enjoyment to many thousands of people as the opportunity to hear live music up close is an essential part of our cultural life.
We are continuing to support Arts Council England’s (ACE’s) Supporting Grassroots Music Fund by providing £2.5 million funding in 2025-26. This provides grants to grassroots music organisations, including those that host or promote electronic music.
Earlier this year we announced the Arts Everywhere Fund, a £270 million investment for arts venues, museums, libraries and the heritage sector, including the £85m Creative Foundations Fund. This fund will support arts and cultural organisations across England to resolve urgent issues with their estates. Not-for-profit and grassroots music venues will be eligible, and Arts Council England will release more details in due course. We expect the fund may be over-subscribed, so are not intending to extend its scope.
Buildings that are nightclubs, music venues or other contemporary cultural spaces may already be considered for designation as Listed Buildings, where they meet eligibility criteria for special architectural or historic interest. Applications for listing specific nightclubs, music venues or other contemporary cultural spaces can be made to the Secretary of State via Historic England.
Asked by: James Frith (Labour - Bury North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure (a) listing and National Portfolio programmes and (b) other heritage and community protection schemes reflect (i) nightclubs, (ii) music venues and (iii) other contemporary cultural spaces.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is working closely with the music and nightclub sectors, to strengthen the sustainability of the entire music ecosystem. Cultural venues, like nightclubs and music venues, provide enjoyment to many thousands of people as the opportunity to hear live music up close is an essential part of our cultural life.
We are continuing to support Arts Council England’s (ACE’s) Supporting Grassroots Music Fund by providing £2.5 million funding in 2025-26. This provides grants to grassroots music organisations, including those that host or promote electronic music.
Earlier this year we announced the Arts Everywhere Fund, a £270 million investment for arts venues, museums, libraries and the heritage sector, including the £85m Creative Foundations Fund. This fund will support arts and cultural organisations across England to resolve urgent issues with their estates. Not-for-profit and grassroots music venues will be eligible, and Arts Council England will release more details in due course. We expect the fund may be over-subscribed, so are not intending to extend its scope.
Buildings that are nightclubs, music venues or other contemporary cultural spaces may already be considered for designation as Listed Buildings, where they meet eligibility criteria for special architectural or historic interest. Applications for listing specific nightclubs, music venues or other contemporary cultural spaces can be made to the Secretary of State via Historic England.
Asked by: James Frith (Labour - Bury North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a regulator levy to fund compensation for people who lost money through the collapse of Football Index and BetIndex.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
I refer my Honourable Friend to the answer I gave on 8 January 2025 to Question UIN 21381.
Asked by: James Frith (Labour - Bury North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that people affected by press wrongdoing have access to redress.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government does not intervene in or oversee the work of the UK’s independent press regulators. We are clear, however, that with this independence comes responsibility, and newspapers and regulators have a responsibility to ensure access to clear, timely and effective routes to redress.
If a member of the public objects to practices of the press they can complain directly to the publication, or the relevant independent regulator, including Impress or the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). These regulators enforce codes of conduct which provide guidelines on a range of areas, including discrimination, accuracy, privacy, and harassment. If they find that a newspaper has broken the code of conduct, they can order corrections. Both regulators also offer arbitration schemes for legal claims relating to defamation, privacy and harassment.
Asked by: James Frith (Labour - Bury North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to consult on reforms to press regulation.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government currently has no plans to consult on reforms to press regulation.
Asked by: James Frith (Labour - Bury North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the UK Live Comedy Sector Survey Report 2024, published on 6 February 2025, if her Department will take steps to recognise live comedy as an art form, in the context of eligibility for funding from (a) Arts Council England, (b) the National Lottery and (c) other organisations.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Comedy is a vital performing art and contributes to the mental health and wellbeing of people, not just in the UK, but around the world. It forms part of our cultural landscape, enriching lives, shaping our collective identity.
Arts Council England funds numerous organisations and venues that support comedy. For the purposes of ACE funding, comedy is considered under the broad term of ‘theatre.’ This means that as long as a performer, club or promoter meets the eligibility criteria for specific programmes, then ACE welcomes funding applications. Between the financial years covering 2010/11 to 2024/25 ACE has awarded £12,296,254 in funding where an applicant name, project title or subclassifier contains the word “comedy”.
Venues such as theatres also benefit from tax relief. The government believes tax relief is essential to help incentivise investment in productions, and to contribute to innovation and economic growth, enabling arts organisations to continue to produce new content which is vital in keeping them competitive on an international stage.
Asked by: James Frith (Labour - Bury North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to provide support to the Live Comedy Association's initiative to consult with the sector on (a) introducing a code of conduct and (b) improving working conditions.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Comedy is a vital performing art and part of our cultural landscape. It enriches lives. It shapes our collective identity. And it provides a much-needed corrective to pervasive political pomposity and prolixity, especially from ministers.
The government welcomes constructive action on improving working conditions across the creative industries. We know that poor working practices represent a threat to growth and disproportionately affect people who are under-represented. We welcome further details on the Live Comedy Association initiative to consider how we can provide support.
More widely, the Good Work Review, published in February 2023, by the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre, was the first sectoral deep dive of its kind into job quality and working practice in the creative industries. We are working closely with the sector as it responds to the recommendations of the review, which set out a number of priorities, including developing dedicated support and guidance for self-employed and freelance creators, building awareness of employment rights and responsibilities for creative workers and businesses, and encouraging the establishment of good work standards that reflect the distinct job quality issues in creative sub-sectors.