Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure people with hearing loss don’t face (a) loneliness and (b) social exclusion.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
This Government is committed to supporting people at risk of loneliness, including those with hearing loss, to have the social connections they need. Our ambition to strengthen positive social connections is a key part of achieving wider government objectives to create a healthier society and more connected communities that benefit everyone. My department has been working hard to ensure social connection and tackling loneliness are key themes throughout government policy.
The Action Plan on Hearing Loss (2015) sets out key objectives on hearing loss including, prevention, early diagnosis, maximising independence, and enabling people to take part in every-day activities. The government also funds the Tackling Loneliness Hub, an online forum for people working on loneliness, including health practitioners, to come together and share insights, research and best practice. The Hub frequently spotlights issues affecting specific demographics; this March, an event will be hosted to address loneliness among older people with hearing loss.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
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 improve access to public tennis courts.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That has to mean delivering a range of facilities across the country based on what each local community needs.
We provide the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England - which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding into grassroots sport across England, including providing support for the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).
In 2026/27, £15 million will be invested into innovative facilities in England to help improve access to the sports that people wish to participate in.
We are working closely with the sport sector - including the LTA - and local leaders to develop plans for funding for a range of sports across the country. This will ensure that our investment in community grassroots sports facilities reaches as many people as possible to reduce inactivity levels.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure people in rural communities can access library services.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 requires all local authorities in England to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. Each local authority is responsible for assessing the needs of their local communities and designing a library service to meet those needs within their available resources.
Library service provision, including the number and location of static libraries, should take account of factors such as the rurality of the area and the availability and cost of public transport links. The statutory library provision in Nottinghamshire is delivered from 58 static libraries, as well as a mobile library service, consisting of three library vehicles, and a home library service.
The Libraries Improvement Fund which enables library services to upgrade buildings and technology so they are better placed to respond to the changing ways people are using them, has, since June 2021, provided nearly £400,000 to support various projects in Nottinghamshire libraries, including self-service technology in Huthwaite.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
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 reduce loneliness among older people.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
This Government is committed to supporting people at risk of loneliness, including the elderly, to have the social connections they need. Our ambition to strengthen positive social connections is a key part of achieving wider government objectives to create a healthier society and more connected communities across all ages. My department has been working hard to ensure social connection and tackling loneliness are key themes throughout government policy.
The government funds the Tackling Loneliness Hub, an online forum for people working on loneliness to come together and share insights, research and best practice.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
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 a recent assessment of trends in the level of ageism in the media sector.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
There are processes in place to track and monitor diversity data across the media, including a statutory role for Ofcom under the Communications Act 2003 to promote diversity and inclusion in the TV and radio sector.
As part of this, broadcasters provide data to Ofcom on the make-up of their off-screen workforce in terms of age, ethnicity, gender and disability, which Ofcom reports on annually. These reports can be viewed at: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/equity-and-diversity/diversity-equal-opportunities-tv-and-radio.
In addition, the Equality Act 2010 contains strong protections for older people against age discrimination in a variety of settings, including work and the provision of services. The Act prohibits both discrimination because of age and harassment related to age.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much their Department has spent on (a) advertising and (b) marketing in each of the last three years.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Total spend with our media buying and planning agencies for the last three financial years is as follows:
Financial years under the previous government
22/23 | 23/24 |
£313,854 | £110,818 |
23red (creative agency, media planner); OmniGov (media buyers) | OmniGov (media planners and buyers) |
Financial years under the previous and current government
24/25 |
£59,433 |
OmniGov (media planners and buyers) |
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
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 support independent museums.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This Government supports independent museums around the country through funding delivered via Arts Council England (ACE), with ACE investing over £80 million in museums in 2025/26 across its programmes. This funding includes £25 million to support museums across England with urgent infrastructure and maintenance backlogs through the Museum Estate and Development Fund, and a brand new £20 million Museum Renewal Fund, both announced last February, in addition to core programming funding for the over 200 museum sites forming part of the National Portfolio. As the National Development Agency for Museums, ACE also funds the Museum Development Network, providing expert advice to smaller museums across the country, and delivers Cultural Property functions that support museums with everything from insurance, to new acquisitions.
Most recently, eligible independent museums could apply to the latest round of the £4 million DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund, launched in September 2025 to support local and regional museums to improve displays, enhance collections care and make exhibitions more accessible to wider audiences. Independent museums are also supported through government schemes including the VAT Refund Scheme for museums and galleries, and the Museums and Galleries Exhibitions Tax Relief.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
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 the provision of visually impaired sport in (a) Ashfield constituency and (b) the UK.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government believes that opportunities to play sport and get physically active should be available to everyone. We are committed to breaking down the barriers that contribute to the persisting inequalities in participation and want to ensure that everyone can experience the physical, mental and social benefits that come with being active.
To achieve this, the Government works closely with its Arm's Length Bodies, Sport England and UK Sport, as well as other partners in the sector, to improve access to sports for all.
Sport England's ten-year Uniting the Movement strategy reinforces its commitment to increasing participation in sport and physical activity for those from under-represented groups, including disabled people. Sport England has ensured that each of their programmes impact directly on disabled people and those with a long-term health condition, with initiatives like the 'We are Undefeatable' campaign and partnerships with Disability Rights UK, Activity Alliance, Aspire, and Sense.
Sport England also launched a partnership with the Royal National Institute of Blind People and British Blind Sport in 2021. This involved investing £1 million into the See Sport Differently programme, which has been designed to tackle the biggest barriers that stop blind and partially blind people from getting involved in sport and activity.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
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 the provision of disability sport in (a) Ashfield constituency and (b) the UK.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government believes that opportunities to play sport and get physically active should be available to everyone. We are committed to breaking down the barriers that contribute to the persisting inequalities in participation and want to ensure that everyone can experience the physical, mental and social benefits that come with being active.
To achieve this, the Government works closely with its Arm's Length Bodies, Sport England and UK Sport, as well as other partners in the sector, to improve access to sports for all.
Sport England's ten-year Uniting the Movement strategy reinforces its commitment to increasing participation in sport and physical activity for those from under-represented groups, including disabled people. Sport England has ensured that each of their programmes impact directly on disabled people and those with a long-term health condition, with initiatives like the 'We are Undefeatable' campaign and partnerships with Disability Rights UK, Activity Alliance, Aspire, and Sense.
Sport England also launched a partnership with the Royal National Institute of Blind People and British Blind Sport in 2021. This involved investing £1 million into the See Sport Differently programme, which has been designed to tackle the biggest barriers that stop blind and partially blind people from getting involved in sport and activity.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to improve availability of grassroots football facilities in Ashfield constituency.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to ensuring that communities across the UK benefit from high-quality sport facilities - including new and improved pitches, changing rooms, goalposts and floodlights - to help enable people to get active and build pride in place in local communities.
In 2024/25, the constituency of Ashfield received a total of £1,849,232 from DCMS’s Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme, primarily towards a new artificial grass pitch and changing pavilion at Sutton Lawn Pleasure Ground.
This programme is investing a further £98 million towards new and upgraded sports facilities across the whole of the UK in 2025/26. At least £400 million more will be invested in new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities between 2026 and 2030. DCMS is working with the sports sector and local leaders to develop plans for delivering this funding, ensuring that investment best serves the needs of local communities, in the areas which need it most across the UK.
Our delivery partner in England, the Football Foundation, plans its investment pipeline using Local Football Facility Plans (LFFPs), which are developed in partnership with local authorities in line with the needs of each community. The LFFP for Ashfield can be found at https://localplans.footballfoundation.org.uk/local-authorities-index/ashfield/ashfield-executive-summary/.