Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what kinds of heritage and restoration funding can be made available for the repair and protection of Teignbridge pier in Newton Abbot Constituency.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This Government recognises the importance of local heritage assets such as the Victorian Teignbridge Pier. On the 21st of January, the Secretary of State announced a new £1.2bn Arts Everywhere package. The package includes nearly £200 million for heritage protecting and preserving heritage buildings across the country:
£60 million for at risk heritage which provides grants towards repairs and conservation of historic buildings.
£41 million for the Heritage Revival Fund which helps communities to take control of and look after local heritage and bring buildings back into public use.
Further details regarding the application process and eligibility, for both funds, will be announced in due course.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund offers grants between £10,000 and £10 million to projects that connect people and communities to the UK’s heritage. This could include covering repair work as part of a wider project.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 effectiveness of the current method of funding the BBC.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Charter Review will consider a range of issues, including how the BBC can continue to prosper, supported by a sustainable funding model.
The Government is keeping an open mind about the future of the licence fee. We will work closely with the BBC, and engage with other broadcasters, stakeholders across the creative industries, as well as the British public, to inform our thinking.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when her Department plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Newton Abbot of 21 August 2025 with case reference MW09328.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
A response was sent on 15 October 2025. I apologise for the delay.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 prevalence of gambling advertising that is not obviously identifiable as advertising.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is clear that wherever gambling advertising appears, it must be socially responsible. We have set the gambling industry a clear task to further raise standards to ensure that gambling advertising is appropriate, responsible, and does not exacerbate harm.
There are a number of robust measures in place to regulate advertising, designed to protect children and vulnerable adults from harm. All gambling operators who advertise in the UK must comply with advertising codes, which are enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) independently of the Government. These codes apply to all advertising, including content marketing, but does not apply to editorial content, which is not deemed to be selling a product or service. The Government monitors the best available evidence from a wide range of sources to aid our assessment of the impact of gambling advertising at a national level.
Additionally, advertising code changes implemented from 1 September 2025 have increased the ASA’s scope, enabling the ASA to also regulate advertising by overseas gambling operators using online ads to target UK consumers.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to provide funding for all state primary schools to have a library.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As funding for this initiative will come from the Dormant Assets Scheme over which the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has responsibility, your question has been transferred to my Department.
This government fully recognises the transformational power of reading and believes that every child should have access to a library space, along with high-quality reading materials and supportive environments that nurture their learning and development.
It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian.
Through the Dormant Assets Scheme, we have committed to every child having access to a library space in every primary school in England by the end of this Parliament to help foster a culture of reading for pleasure amongst disadvantaged children and young people in the spaces and places that matter to them. The government will work with The National Lottery Community Fund to co-design the programme and will announce further details in due course.
Funding for this programme will come from the £132.5 million that was allocated to increasing disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in the arts, culture, sports and wider youth services, aimed at improving wellbeing and employability.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 25 July 2025 to Question 68534 on Members: Correspondence, when she plans to reply to the enquiry with case reference MW07790.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
I refer the Hon. Member to my answer to written question 75770. I apologise for the delay.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 25 July 2025 to Question 68534 on Members: Correspondence, when the hon. Member will receive a reply to the correspondence with reference MW07790.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
A response was sent to the Honourable Member on 25 September 2025. I apologise for the delay.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when her Department plans to respond to correspondence from the hon. Member for Newton Abbot of 9 June 2025.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
A response for both letters will be sent to the Hon Member shortly. I apologise for the delay.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when her Department plans to respond to correspondence from the hon. Member for Newton Abbot of 3 June 2025.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
A response for both letters will be sent to the Hon Member shortly. I apologise for the delay.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
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 limit access to gambling advertising for people with a gambling addiction.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
This government recognises that while advertising is a legitimate advantage which licensed operators have over unlicensed gambling firms, increased exposure to gambling advertising can have an impact on gambling participation. Some forms of advertising can also have a disproportionate impact on particular groups, such as children and those who are already experiencing problems with their gambling.
There are existing robust rules in place to ensure that advertising and marketing, whenever it appears, is socially responsible. Licensed operators are prohibited from sending direct marketing to those showing strong indicators of harm and must be part of the GAMSTOP scheme. Individuals registered with the scheme are automatically removed from marketing lists of any gambling company they were registered with. The Gambling Commission is also introducing new requirements for operators to allow customers to have greater control over the direct marketing they receive, and measures to ensure that incentives such as free bets are constructed in a socially responsible manner.
However, we recognise that more can be done to improve protections. We have set the gambling industry a clear task to raise standards and this work will be monitored closely.