Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the economic benefits of the (a) motorbike road racing season and (b) Ulster Superbike Championship in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to supporting economic growth in the sport sector, and ensuring this translates into tangible outcomes that span grassroots participation through to elite performance.
DCMS has not made an assessment of the economic benefits of the motorbike road racing season or the Ulster Superbike Championship in Northern Ireland specifically. However, the motorsport road racing season has an impact on the economy directly with live races, including at Brands Hatch, Silverstone, the North West 200 and others, as well as the indirect impact it makes via R&D advancements. These events are a highlight for many local communities, doing so much to make the UK the home of motorbike racing.
In September 2024, DCMS published the Sport Satellite Account. The results estimated that the sport sector as a whole contributed £53.6 billion directly to the UK economy in 2021 (equivalent to 2.6% of the total UK Gross Value Add in 2021).
The Sport Satellite Account estimated that the sport sector contributed £1.2 billion directly to the Northern Irish economy in 2021 (equivalent to 2.6% of the total Northern Irish Gross Value Add in 2021).
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 protect (a) children and (b) young people from online gambling harms.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Since 2020, children and young people have been taught about the risks relating to gambling as part of the statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum in England. 30% of statutory gambling levy funding will be allocated to prevention activity, including education and early intervention to help raise awareness of harmful gambling and the support available.
There are also a range of robust protections in place to ensure that gambling advertising, whenever it appears, is socially responsible, with a particular regard to the need to protect children, young persons and other vulnerable persons from being harmed and exploited.
We continue to monitor the best available evidence to inform how we reduce gambling harm amongst children and young people.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on increasing youth engagement in sports outside school.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Secretary of State and I regularly meet with Ministerial counterparts from the Department for Education on a range of issues, including young people’s engagement in sport both inside and outside the school day.
As an example, in March, I attended a meeting with a range of National Governing Bodies on their role in enhancing access to sport and physical activity inside and outside the school day, hosted by the Minister for School Standards.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 increase access to grassroots sports in local communities.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the vital role that grassroots sports provide for people across the UK, including the physical and mental health benefits of participating in sport and how grassroots clubs can foster a sense of community cohesion and pride in place.
The Home Nation’s sports councils are responsible for the majority of investment in grassroots sport across the UK. However, DCMS is committed to improving the provision of high-quality grassroots sports facilities across the whole of the UK to enable as many people as possible to get active.
On 21 March, we announced an additional £100 million to be invested through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme. £3 million of this additional funding is to be invested in Northern Ireland through the Irish Football Association. This funding is designed to benefit the areas most in need, with 50% of investment going to the 30% most deprived areas in the UK. There will also be a strong focus on increasing provision for under represented groups, such as women and girls, ethnic minorities groups and disabled players. At least 40% of funded projects will also have a multi-sport offer, ensuring more can participate and get active across a variety of sports.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 tackle sexual harassment in sports settings.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The safety, wellbeing and welfare of everyone taking part in sport is absolutely paramount. Everyone should be able to participate in sport in safe and secure environments, and where allegations about inappropriate or harmful behaviour are made, these should be taken seriously. National Governing Bodies are responsible for the regulation of their sports and for ensuring that appropriate measures are in place to protect participants from harm. Any matter meeting the criminal threshold should be taken forward through the criminal justice system. Where there is evidence that a crime may have been committed, this should be reported directly to the police.
DCMS's Arm's-Length Body for grassroots sport, Sport England, provides support to the sport and physical activity sector around preventing harm, including sexual harassment, through funding the Ann Craft Trust and the NSPCC’s Child Protection in Sport Unit. This totalled £330,917 and £527,525 respectively in 2024/25.
The Government will continue to discuss athlete safety with relevant stakeholders and the sports sector to ensure that everyone can take part in sport as safely as possible.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she plans to take to support creative industries.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The creative industries are one of the government’s eight priority Industrial Strategy (IS) sectors. In 2023, the sector employed 2.4m people, and contributed £124bn in UK GVA – more than 5% of total UK GVA.
Partnership with devolved governments will make the development of the Industrial Strategy a UK-wide effort, and will support the considerable sectoral strengths of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. A creative industries Sector Plan will be published in late Spring in conjunction with the Industrial Strategy. It will set out the biggest opportunities for growth in the creative industries at home and in new markets abroad.
At the Creative Industries Growth Summit in January, we announced a £60 million package of support for the sector, providing a major boost to the wider economy. We also set out new commitments from the British Business Bank, the UK’s economic development bank, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in January to strengthen their support for the creative industries, in addition to making shorter apprenticeships available from August 2025, building towards a more flexible growth and skills levy. These are the first steps we have taken in delivering on our ambitions for the creative industries, with more to be set out with the publication of the Sector Plan.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps her Department has taken to support community theatres.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Community theatres are an important part of the UK’s cultural ecosystem, and play a vital role in cultivating the creators and audiences of the future. They are the places where many actors, directors and designers learn their craft, and people experience their first live performance. Community theatres make a key contribution to their local communities, culturally, socially, and economically.
The government supports theatres predominantly through Arts Council England. Through their main funding programme, the 2023-2027 National Portfolio Investment Programme, ACE is providing over £100m in grants per year to around 195 theatres across the country.
Across all their funding programmes, including lottery schemes, for the financial year 2024-25, ACE awarded around £300 million to theatres/theatre based organisations.
Whilst all funded theatres play a key role in supporting local communities and engaging local audiences, ACE has funded work specifically with a community focus, and has awarded circa £10m to community based theatre projects through National Lottery Project Grants over 2024/2025.
Community theatres also benefit from the support that the government provides the sector through Theatre Tax Relief (TTR). Since TTR was introduced in 2014, companies have made claims in relation to 24,700 productions and £645 million has been paid out.
The government has also recently announced over £270 million investment for our arts venues, museums, libraries and our heritage sector.
Community theatres are also supported through the work of the Theatres Trust, a DCMS arms-length body and the national advisory and advocacy organisation for theatres, which offers advice, skills support through its Sector Skills Bank, and has grant-giving programmes. The Theatres Trust awarded Community theatres £200,000 from 2021-2024.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 merits of giving the Gambling Commission power to regulate the gambling industry in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Gambling is a devolved matter for Northern Ireland and therefore regulation is a consideration for the Northern Ireland Executive. We stand ready to support the Northern Ireland Executive with its plans.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with Northern Ireland Screen on funding for (a) television series and (b) films made in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
I have had no such specific discussions, but the Government supports film and TV production across the UK, including in Northern Ireland, through screen sector tax reliefs and the UK Global Screen Fund. The British Film Institute (BFI) works in partnership with Northern Ireland Screen on the BFI’s Film Audience Network and the BFI’s Northern Ireland Skills Cluster.
DCMS has funded the British Film Commission (BFC) with £6m over five years to support the growth of seven geographic production hubs across the UK. Through this, the BFC has provided ongoing support for Northern Ireland’s expanding studio infrastructure, including support to four key studios: Belfast Harbour, Titanic, Loop and Silverwood.
The BBC, ITV and Channel 4 have all commissioned critically acclaimed television programmes set and produced in Northern Ireland. This includes Blue Lights, Breathtaking and Trespasses. The Government wants broadcasters, and other commissioners, to be more ambitious in growing the sector outside of London and the South East and to commission content from every part of the country, so that British storytelling reflects the full diversity of people, communities and experiences across the UK.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps her Department has taken to support local sports teams across the UK.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
This Government recognises that grassroots sports teams are central to communities up and down the UK.
We have committed to continued funding for grassroots facilities, having invested £123 million UK-wide via the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme throughout 2024/25. In 2024/25, 637 facilities have been built or upgraded to date. These facilities support local sports teams across the UK. The Autumn Budget on 30 October 2024 committed the Government to continued support for elite and grassroots sport through future investment. Further details will be confirmed in due course.
This funding is delivered through delivery partners in each nation: in England, the Football Foundation; the Scottish FA in Scotland; the FAW’s Cymru Football Foundation in Wales and the Irish Football Association in Northern Ireland