Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
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 11 September 2023 to Question 196336 on Sports: Scotland and the stipulation that at least 40% of projects must benefit at least one other sport in addition to football on a sustained and regular basis, whether he has made an assessment of the (a) acceptability of the majority of funding being spent on astroturf pitches and (b) in that instance, the potential impact of that funding on (i) hockey and (ii) other sports that do not use fourth generation astroturf pitches.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
In Scotland, funding from the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme is delivered through the Scottish Football Association (SFA), with recipients chosen via an application process involving advice from a panel which includes Sport Scotland. At least 40% of the funding must go towards multi-sport projects, and the SFA works closely with Sport Scotland to deliver this funding.
4G pitches are not widely used - Department for Culture, Media and Sport investment is generally used to deliver third generation (3G) synthetic surfaces in line with industry standard.
As per guidance, competitive hockey cannot be played on 3G surfaces but those pitches can still be used for training purposes and for other sports e.g rugby (where shock-pads are installed).
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the funding awarded to the Scottish Football Association through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme, what guidance was issued to the Scottish Football Association on how the multisport portion of the funding should be used; how much and what proportion of the funding is expected to be spent exclusively on sports unrelated to football; and whether there are any other stipulations on the type of sports that can be supported through the programme.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Decisions on the allocation of funds under the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme are devolved to relevant sporting bodies in respective parts of the UK, as they have appropriate expertise and understanding of local provision. Sport Scotland provides advice and guidance alongside the Scottish FA through the project selection process. Details on the Scottish FA’s approach are published here.
However, multi-sport benefit is a key pillar of the grassroots facilities programme and we stipulate that at least 40% of projects must benefit at least one other sport in addition to football, on a sustained and regular basis. There is no requirement for particular sports to be prioritised as part of this objective, and multi-sport plans are led by local need.
Projects are selected for a variety of reasons - some for their ability to deliver improved facilities in deprived areas, others may support multi-sport use, and/or increase participation among currently under-represented groups — such as women and girls or disabled players.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with (a) her Spanish counterpart and (b) UEFA on the public drinking water shortage at the UEFA Europa League final in Seville in May 2022; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
My officials have met with representatives of Rangers Football Club and discussed their submission to UEFA on their experiences at the Europa League Final. Fans deserve better than experienced in Seville, and subsequently in Paris. I look forward to UEFA's consideration of both these events.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport, what recent discussions her Department had held with Ofcom on revoking the licences of Russian state-backed broadcasters.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Broadcasting regulation is a matter for the independent regulator Ofcom. The Secretary of State wrote to Ofcom on 23 February setting out her concerns over Russian propaganda following the crisis in Ukraine. Ofcom responded on the same day, informing the Secretary of State that it had already stepped up its oversight of coverage of these events by broadcasters in the UK, in recognition of the serious nature of the crisis in Ukraine.
We welcome Ofcom’s decision to revoke RT’s licence to broadcast in the UK so that Putin can no longer spread insidious propaganda on UK television. We will not hesitate to take any necessary action against key individuals and bodies responsible for disseminating misinformation and are exploring options to stop the spread of such material in the UK.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government plans to allocate a proportion of the £1.57 billion funding for cultural, arts and heritage institutions to direct support for (a) performers and (b) technicians and craftspeople who work on performances.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
DCMS recognises the crucial role that individuals play in the UK’s events industry, and that the Covid-19 pandemic presents a significant challenge to many individuals operating in this sector.
The Secretary of State announced an unprecedented £1.57 billion support package for key cultural organisations to help them through the coronavirus pandemic. This funding will provide targeted support to organisations across a range of cultural and creative sectors. This package will benefit craftspeople by providing support to Arts, Cultural, and Heritage organisations to stay open and continue operating.
To complement the funding for organisations made available by Government, Arts Council England (ACE) have announced £95m of additional support for individuals, including freelancers. This involves:
an additional £75m in project grants. These will be focused on applications that maximise employment opportunities and those from under-represented groups. Freelancers and National Portfolio Organisations are eligible to apply directly. National Portfolio Organisations can also apply to create new work with bids that create employment opportunities prioritised.
A further round of the ACE programme ‘Discover Your Creative Practice’ will open in the autumn. This will make approximately £18m available for individuals looking to develop new creative skills that will help them to further develop their career.
ACE will also be adding £2m into relevant benevolent funds to support those less well supported by the programmes outlined above, including stage managers and technicians.
We are committed to continuing to work with the events sector to understand the difficulties they face and help them access support through these challenging times and through recovery.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of spaces available for disabled people in music venues; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
We believe that everyone should have equal access to arts and culture - having a disability should not be a barrier to enjoying Britain's awe-inspiring cultural treasures. That is why we are working with venues and organisations representing disabled people to identify barriers to access, while at the same time seeing how we can share examples of best practice and what more cultural venues need to do to be accessible to people with disabilities. We support the work of Attitude is Everything, which works with audiences, artists and the music industry to improve deaf and disabled people’s access to live events. I also recently held a roundtable meeting with Justin Tomlinson, Minister for Disabled People, to look at access to cultural venues and events for disabled people.