Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will have discussions with the BBC on (a) the introduction of advertising, (b) the creation of a specific tax for streaming services, (c) making BBC Radio listeners pay for the service and (d) other options for future funding.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government remains committed to the licence fee for the remainder of the current Charter period.
Ministers and officials in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have regular discussions with the BBC on a range of important issues including BBC Charter Review and funding. There are a range of ways the BBC could be funded and we are thinking creatively about options for the future, to ensure we future-proof our national broadcaster for many years to come. Funding the BBC through general taxation is not being considered.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the press release entitled £23 million government package to support restoration of thousands of listed places of worship, published on 22 January 2024, what the average amount claimed was for claims over £25,000 in each of the last three years.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
94% of applications between 2022-2024 have been under £25,000, and most claims are for under £5,000. In 2022/23, 2.7% of claims made to the Listed Places of Worship Scheme were over £25,000. These had a mean average claim of £49,235. In 2023/24, 2.3% of claims were over £25,000, with a mean average of £47,534. In 2024/25, 2.2% of claims were over £25,000, with a mean average of £55,119.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 changes to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme on religious buildings in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme was established to provide grants towards VAT paid on repairs and maintenance to the nation's listed places of worship. 94% of applications have been under £25,000, and most claims are for under £5,000. A total of 7 claims have been paid out to listed places of worship in South Basildon and East Thurrock, totalling £10,789, since August 2022.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of an uncapped claim allowance on VAT for repairs to Christian places of worship.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
On the 22nd of January, I was pleased to announce that the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme would continue from March 2025 to March 2026 with a budget of £23m. Further details can be found here in the Written Statement.
The scheme has always had an upper limit and has always applied to all listed places of worship, regardless of denomination or faith, ever since it was established by the Labour Government in 2001.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans her Department has to apply to host any major sporting games on behalf of the UK.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The UK has a global reputation for hosting major sporting events successfully. The Government continues to work with our expert arm’s-length body, UK Sport, to grow and develop our strong pipeline of events, ensuring these reflect this Government’s missions, as well as our sporting priorities.
Upcoming, secured events include the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2025, with the European Athletics Championships, Glasgow Commonwealth Games and T20 Women’s Cricket World Cup taking place in 2026. In 2028 the UK and Ireland will host the men's European Football Championships ‘EURO 2028’, which will be the biggest sporting event the UK and Ireland have ever jointly hosted.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 maintain historic places of worship.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
There is a range of funding available via DCMS and the Department’s Arm’s-Length Bodies that supports places of worship. These include Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme; the National Lottery Heritage Fund, who have committed to investing around £100m between 2023 and 2026 to support places of worship; the Churches Conservation Trust, which funds repairs and maintenance of over 350 churches in the CCT portfolio; and Historic England's Heritage At Risk grants, funding £9 million worth of repairs to buildings on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk register between April 2024 and March 2025.
We will shortly announce the outcomes of the Business Planning process, including for the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with the BBC on the potential merits of introducing an alternative funding scheme to the licence fee.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government remains committed to the licence fee for the remainder of the current Charter period.
Ministers and officials in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have regular discussions with the BBC, and the Secretary of State had her first formal meeting on the Charter Review process with the Director General in November 2024. As part of the next Charter Review, discussions with the BBC will continue to focus on how to ensure the BBC thrives well into the next decade and beyond. This will include ongoing discussions on a range of important issues, including future funding models. Funding the BBC through general taxation is not being considered.
We will work closely with the BBC, and engage with other broadcasters, stakeholders across the creative industries as well as the British public to inform our thinking. This will include the opportunity for stakeholders and audiences across the country to respond to the Charter Review public consultation before the new Charter comes into effect in 2028.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an alternative funding scheme to the BBC licence fee.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government remains committed to the licence fee for the remainder of the current Charter period.
As part of the next Charter Review, the government will engage with the BBC and others to consider how to ensure the BBC thrives well into the next decade and beyond. This will include discussions on a range of important issues, including future funding models for the BBC and its fairness for licence fee payers.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
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 affordability of the BBC licence fee for people on lower incomes; and if she will make an assessment of the potential steps she can take to increase the affordability of the licence fee for those people.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government remains committed to the licence fee for the remainder of the current Charter period.
As part of the next Charter Review, the government will engage with the BBC and others to consider how to ensure the BBC thrives well into the next decade and beyond. This will include discussions on a range of important issues, including future funding models for the BBC and its fairness for licence fee payers.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her policy is on the future of the TV licence.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government remains committed to the licence fee for the remainder of the current Charter period.
We will keep an open mind about the future of the licence fee, and will engage with the BBC, the public and other stakeholders before deciding on next steps.