Oral Answers to Questions

Jayne Kirkham Excerpts

Thursday 12th November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Lisa Nandy]

The shadow Minister has consistently stood at the Dispatch Box and challenged me and the Minister for Sport on ensuring that the football regulator is independent. We believe in that independence. The football regulator has offered him many meetings to discuss the various issues that he has raised in this House, and I am sure that it would be happy to meet to discuss funding.

[Jayne Kirkham (Truro and Falmouth) (Lab/Co-op)]

7. What steps her Department is taking to support regional heritage and cultural venues.

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

Through our Arts Everywhere programme, we are investing £1.5 billion into culture and heritage infrastructure in places with the greatest need. That includes funding the Art Centre Penryn in my hon. Friend’s constituency, which was awarded project development grants through the heritage revival fund.

[Jayne Kirkham]

Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery is essentially the national museum for Cornwall. While £7 out of £8 of DCMS’s museum funding goes to our 15 national museums, which are free to enter, the Cornwall museum charges a fee, does not get funding from the local authority any more and, as it is trustee run, is not eligible for many funding streams. What options are there for the Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery in Truro to close that funding gap?

[Stephanie Peacock]

I thank my hon. Friend for her advocacy on that issue. As an Arts Council England accredited museum, Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery is eligible to apply for the museum estate and development fund, which provides capital funding for urgent repairs and infrastructure maintenance. For other funding opportunities, the museum could also explore Arts Council and national lottery project grants and support from philanthropic organisations.