Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
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 local and regional press and media monopolies on the adequacy of levels of varied and balanced reporting.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government remains committed to a pluralistic media landscape. A free, strong and plural media plays an essential role in democracy. It is a key source of trustworthy information and plays a vital role in holding power and public institutions to account.
Under the Enterprise Act 2002’s newspaper merger regime, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has a quasi-judicial role and can intervene on public interest grounds to refer a merger to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), subject to a jurisdictional test. These public interest grounds for intervention include plurality of views and plurality of persons with control, within the United Kingdom, or a part of the United Kingdom.
More broadly, the Government is concerned about the sustainability of local journalism and DCMS is developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of this vital sector. We recognise that the industry has faced significant financial challenges for some time, and consolidation and mergers have been a part of the response in order to keep many struggling titles open. Our vision is a thriving local media that can continue to play an invaluable role as a key channel of trustworthy information at local level, reporting on the issues that matter to communities in a varied and balanced way, reflecting their contributions and perspectives, and helping to foster a self-confident nation in which everyone feels that their contribution is part of an inclusive national story. More will be announced on the Strategy in due course.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will regulate the commercial use of copyright protected material by generative AI.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This is a complex and evolving area. The government’s priority is to get this right - not legislate prematurely. We have said that we won’t act unless that action works for creators. We continue to engage with a range of stakeholders across sectors, and with parliament as we consider all options. This includes engagement through our technical working groups and the parliamentary working group chaired by the DCMS and DSIT Secretaries of State. We will also publish an economic impact assessment and a report on the use of copyright works in the development of AI systems, by 18 March 2026.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
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 26 November 2025 to question 92072, what framework, conditions and support she has agreed with the TV and film sector since July 2024 to ensure the inclusion of English regional dialects in productions.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Our priority is supporting a healthy and mixed screen ecology where public service broadcasters, alongside commercial broadcasters, can continue to deliver high-quality, culturally relevant content for audiences across England and the UK.
The Government has engaged extensively with industry and has consistently championed the commissioning and production of programming in all parts of the country, For example, the BBC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the West Midlands Combined Authority and Create Central, committing to increased output, skills investment, and a new production base in Digbeth.
In addition Part 1 of the Media Act 2024, once commenced, will for the first time make clear in legislation the importance of the provision of indigenous regional and minority languages in the modernised public service remit for television, and will require public service broadcasters to provide a sufficient quantity of audiovisual content that reflects the lives and concerns of different communities and cultural interests across the UK. It will be for Ofcom, the independent regulator, to monitor compliance.
Alongside this, and building on competitive fiscal incentives like the Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit, the Creative Industries Sector Plan published in June, also set out plans for how the Government will support television and film and television production across the nations and regions, tapping into the huge potential for growth across the country. Our £75 million Screen Growth Package specifically will support regional growth of Film & TV alongside wider measures - from our £150m Creative Places Growth Fund, to £100m for the Creative Industries Clusters programme - helping to create opportunities for all.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the government has accessed the potential merits of expanding uniformed groups such as scouts, cubs and brownies on levels of skills and confidence among young people and tackling online driven isolation.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport commissioned an independent provider (Ipsos) to conduct an evaluation covering the Uniformed Youth Fund from 2022 to 2025, which was published on 11th September 2025. The research found uniformed youth organisations (UYOs) contribute to the social and emotional development of young people by providing them with structured activities and supportive environments, enhancing young people’s cooperation skills, communication, and confidence.
Whilst no assessment has been made of the role of uniformed groups in tackling online isolation, this Government is committed to supporting people to have the social connections they need. This is a key part of achieving wider government priorities including a healthier, more connected society and ensuring opportunities for all. Rather than treating loneliness as a stand alone issue we are embedding this across wider government strategies, including the National Youth Strategy.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
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 implications for her policies of trends in the proportion of people in creative roles such as writers, editors, producers, commissioners who come from working-class backgrounds.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
A creative career should never be the preserve of a privileged few. However, we know that informal working and recruitment practices, and the concentration of creative jobs in London, can act as barriers to the inclusion of people who come from working-class backgrounds.
Making creative careers accessible for everyone is a key priority for the Government. That is why in our Creative Industries Sector Plan we committed to a refreshed UK-wide £9 million creative careers service. We are working closely with industry partners to design next year’s expanded programme, with a particular focus on priority areas where children and young people face the greatest barriers to accessing creative opportunities. Building on this we announced in November that we have invested £500,000 to expand Creative Futures, delivered through The King’s Trust. The programme is designed to break down barriers to jobs in the creative industries for young people across the country who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), or at risk of being so – particularly those facing significant barriers and currently underrepresented in the creative industries.
We are also working across the economy to address the issue of unpaid internships, as part of the Plan to Make Work Pay. Unpaid internships, which are not part of a formal educational or training course, are already largely banned. The law is clear: if someone is a worker, calling them an unpaid intern does not mean they are not entitled to pay. The commitment to ban unpaid internships reflects our vision for a fair and inclusive labour market where everyone has the opportunity to succeed based on their talent and not their financial circumstances. The recent call for evidence on unpaid internships is the first step in tackling this issue.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of unpaid internships, informal recruitment, and London-based hiring practices on working-class inclusion in the culture and media sectors.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
A creative career should never be the preserve of a privileged few. However, we know that informal working and recruitment practices, and the concentration of creative jobs in London, can act as barriers to the inclusion of people who come from working-class backgrounds.
Making creative careers accessible for everyone is a key priority for the Government. That is why in our Creative Industries Sector Plan we committed to a refreshed UK-wide £9 million creative careers service. We are working closely with industry partners to design next year’s expanded programme, with a particular focus on priority areas where children and young people face the greatest barriers to accessing creative opportunities. Building on this we announced in November that we have invested £500,000 to expand Creative Futures, delivered through The King’s Trust. The programme is designed to break down barriers to jobs in the creative industries for young people across the country who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), or at risk of being so – particularly those facing significant barriers and currently underrepresented in the creative industries.
We are also working across the economy to address the issue of unpaid internships, as part of the Plan to Make Work Pay. Unpaid internships, which are not part of a formal educational or training course, are already largely banned. The law is clear: if someone is a worker, calling them an unpaid intern does not mean they are not entitled to pay. The commitment to ban unpaid internships reflects our vision for a fair and inclusive labour market where everyone has the opportunity to succeed based on their talent and not their financial circumstances. The recent call for evidence on unpaid internships is the first step in tackling this issue.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
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 implications for her policies of trends in the number of online platforms scraping news articles produced by UK newspapers.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
UK newspapers at national and local level play an invaluable role in the fabric of our society and we are committed to supporting a free, sustainable and plural media landscape. Rapid recent developments in generative AI pose both significant risks and opportunities for news media, including with regard to the scraping of news articles for use in AI development.
We are engaging with press stakeholders on this. The Media Minister and the Technology Secretary each held roundtables earlier this year with publishers and broadcasters to discuss the impact of AI on journalism.
The Government intends to support our news media to capitalise on the huge potential benefits of the technology, while mitigating its risks. This includes with regard to our work to ensure a copyright framework which values and protects human creativity, can be trusted, and unlocks new opportunities for innovation across creative sectors, including news media, and the wider economy. A number of news media representatives are also involved in the Government’s Technical Working Groups established in November to consider this work in more detail.
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (2024) gave new powers to the Competition and Markets Authority (the CMA) to both boost competition and innovation in the UK digital tech sector, and ensure the largest digital firms treat consumers and UK businesses fairly, including news publishers. The CMA concluded its first investigations in October 2025, designating Google with SMS in search, and both Apple and Google with SMS in mobile ecosystems. The CMA will now consult on conduct requirements which Google and Apple must adhere to. These conduct requirements will be based on fair dealing, open choices, and increasing trust and transparency.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the notional lost revenue to newspapers of online platforms using content without payment in return.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The challenges of quantifying the value exchange between newspapers and online platforms have been explored by a number of studies, including the independent Cairncross Review into sustainable journalism and advice from the CMA and Ofcom on how a digital markets regime might govern the relationship between platforms and content providers such as news publishers.
Regardless of the exact transfer of value, the imbalanced commercial relationship between newspapers and online platforms has been raised as a key driver in the financial sustainability challenges facing news publishers in recent years. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (2024) gave new powers to the Competition and Markets Authority to boost competition in digital markets and help rebalance the relationship between online platforms and the businesses which rely on their services, including news publishers. The Government will continue to monitor this relationship and whether further action is required to ensure a level playing field with online platforms as AI and other new technologies continue to disrupt the market.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending Asset of Community Value protections to local newspaper titles and community radio stations.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is aware of the National Union of Journalists’ (NUJ) calls to confer Asset of Community Value status on local newspapers.
We are committed to supporting local journalism and DCMS is developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of this vital sector. We are working across Government and with other stakeholders as the Strategy develops. While there is limited evidence to show that this proposal would have a substantial impact on the sustainability of local media, we have not yet ruled any options out for the Strategy as we continue to engage with stakeholders, including the NUJ.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
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 recent steps to tackle problem gambling on online platforms.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, alongside the Gambling Commission, are currently conducting an evaluation of some of the key measures set out in the white paper ‘High Stakes: gambling reform for the digital age’, including online measures. The outcomes of this evaluation will be published in due course.