Asked by: Justin Tomlinson (Conservative - North Swindon)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the capacity of smaller charities to fundraise.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
Government is committed to building the resilience and independence of smaller charities. Through our ongoing dialogue with representatives from across the sector, we know that small charities can struggle to raise the resources they need.
In recognition of this, the Office for Civil Society in England are providing a multi-year programme of fundraising training and support. In addition to face-to-face training, intensive one-to-one advice sessions and webinars, the programme includes skilled volunteer mentoring, connecting small charities with experienced fundraisers to provide longer term support. The training and support will be provided at little or no cost and the providers will also develop and share fundraising training resources and toolkits to support small charities who might not be able to attend training.
Our vision is of a confident and capable sector, with the ability to raise funds from diverse sources. By increasing their long term sustainability, small charities can continue their vital role in helping to build a stronger society.
Asked by: Justin Tomlinson (Conservative - North Swindon)
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 progress of the Fundraising Regulator in improving standards in charity fundraising.
Answered by Rob Wilson
Since its launch in July 2016, the Fundraising Regulator has taken ownership of the Code of Fundraising Practice and is consulting on strengthening it. The regulator is handling public complaints about poor fundraising practices. Proposals for the Fundraising Preference Service, to help people opt out of receiving charity fundraising communications, have been developed and the new service is due to start in summer 2017.
Most large fundraising charities have already shown their commitment to best practice by supporting the Fundraising Regulator and paying its levy. The Government has reserve powers to intervene if the level of support for the Fundraising Regulator from the charity sector is insufficient.
Asked by: Justin Tomlinson (Conservative - North Swindon)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on increasing the number of children participating in sport in schools.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
Government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people, particularly those who are currently least active or from under-represented groups, have the best opportunities to engage in sport and physical activity.
The Secretary of State regularly meets the Secretary of State for Education. Our Departments work closely together on school sport, including through the Ministerial School Sport Board which I attend along with the Minister for Vulnerable Children and Families and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health and Innovation.
Asked by: Justin Tomlinson (Conservative - North Swindon)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the economic benefits of e-sports.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Shadow Minister (Levelling Up, Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Industry estimates by Newzoo suggest that the global eSports market were projected to have reached $463 million in 2016. We are keen to grow eSports in the UK and are working with industry to identify opportunities in this sector.
Asked by: Justin Tomlinson (Conservative - North Swindon)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her Department's timescale is for meeting each of the key performance indicators in her Department's report, Sporting Future: First Annual Report, published on 9 February 2017.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) set out in Sporting Future are measures that will track progress and trends over time, against the key outputs defined in the strategy. The KPIs are not set targets with a defined end date.
The timeline for reporting on those KPIs in Sporting Future where data is not already available, is provided in the Sporting Future First Annual Report.
There are a number of sources of data for the KPIs, and some of those sources, such as Active Lives Children, are still in development. Figures against these KPIs will be published in future annual reports.
Asked by: Justin Tomlinson (Conservative - North Swindon)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many young people are expected to benefit from the National Citizen Service between 2015 and 2020.
Answered by Rob Wilson
Government's manifesto commitment continues to guarantee a National Citizen Service (NCS) place for every young person who wants one so that it becomes a rite of passage across the country.
We have been working with the NCS Trust on new projections of demand, and we expect them to reach 199,000 participants in 2019/20 supported by over £1bn of funding over this parliament.
Asked by: Justin Tomlinson (Conservative - North Swindon)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding has been allocated to the Cyber Retraining Academy in partnership with the SANS institute.
Answered by Matt Hancock
The Cyber Retraining Academy will provide much needed intensive training courses for those looking to change careers and join the cyber security profession. The government has allocated £1.25m to help set up the academy and provide training for 50 individuals including a recruitment campaign, equipment, course development, testing and certification, and help with employment for trained individuals. As the programme is established we will work toward making the academy self-sustaining without government funding.
Asked by: Justin Tomlinson (Conservative - North Swindon)
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 economic contribution of speedway to the economy.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
We have no made assessment of the economic impact of speedway, but recognise it as an important part of the domestic motorsports sector, which not only contributes economically, but entertains spectators, and is enjoyed by over 20000 participants a week.
Asked by: Justin Tomlinson (Conservative - North Swindon)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make urgent representations to FIFA to ensure that football teams representing the constituent parts of the UK can display a poppy on their shirts during forthcoming international fixtures if they so choose.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
Our message to FIFA is clear. We believe that footballers representing Home Nations should, if they choose, be able to wear their poppies with pride to pay tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of servicemen and women killed in conflict and to help support the armed forces community. To have our players compete with poppies on their shirts would be particularly poignant as we continue to commemorate the centenary of the First World War.
Asked by: Justin Tomlinson (Conservative - North Swindon)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many public libraries were open in England in each year since 2010.
Answered by Rob Wilson
I am responding as Minister with responsibility for Libraries policy.
Data relating to public libraries is collected and published annually in December by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. The following table indicates the number of library service points within the statutory public library services of local authorities that are open ten or more hours per week, as at 31 March for each year.
| Total number of public libraries in England open 10+ hours per week |
2010 | 3,428 |
2011 | 3,393 |
2012 | 3,243 |
2013 | 3,181 |
2014 | 3,142 |
2015 | 3,076 |
The Libraries Taskforce recently commissioned from local authorities in England basic data regarding the numbers and types of public libraries available within each local authority. The data will assist the library sector and users to monitor the delivery of library services.