Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 potential merits of placing further restrictions on advertising on the packaging of alcoholic drinks.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which operates independently of government, is responsible for regulating advertising in the UK across traditional forms of media such as print, radio and TV, as well as online. It administers the Advertising Codes of Practice, which are drawn up by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP).
The Advertising Codes impose a wide range of restrictions to ensure that alcohol advertising is responsible and not targeted at children. These include that adverts must not link alcohol with social or sexual success, imply that it is indispensable or include elements that appeal particularly to people under 18. Online platforms have also introduced stringent measures to monitor alcohol ads and ensure safe advertising, such as age gating and age verification.
The packaging of alcoholic drinks is overseen by the Portman Group, the social responsibility body and regulator for alcohol labelling, packaging and promotion in the UK, which operates its Codes of Practice to ensure that alcohol is marketed in a socially responsible way, only to those aged 18 and over, and in a way that does not appeal particularly to those who are vulnerable.
The Government’s Online Advertising Programme aims to increase protections for children and young people under 18 from online exposure to advertisements for products and services that are illegal to be sold to them, and we will consult further in due course.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to place further restrictions on the advertisement of alcohol.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which operates independently of government, is responsible for regulating advertising in the UK across traditional forms of media such as print, radio and TV, as well as online. It administers the Advertising Codes of Practice, which are drawn up by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP).
The Advertising Codes impose a wide range of restrictions to ensure that alcohol advertising is responsible and not targeted at children. These include that adverts must not link alcohol with social or sexual success, imply that it is indispensable or include elements that appeal particularly to people under 18. Online platforms have also introduced stringent measures to monitor alcohol ads and ensure safe advertising, such as age gating and age verification.
The packaging of alcoholic drinks is overseen by the Portman Group, the social responsibility body and regulator for alcohol labelling, packaging and promotion in the UK, which operates its Codes of Practice to ensure that alcohol is marketed in a socially responsible way, only to those aged 18 and over, and in a way that does not appeal particularly to those who are vulnerable.
The Government’s Online Advertising Programme aims to increase protections for children and young people under 18 from online exposure to advertisements for products and services that are illegal to be sold to them, and we will consult further in due course.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will develop a skills and workforce plan for youth services.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Government recognises the vital role that youth services and activities play in improving the life chances and wellbeing of young people.
While local authorities are responsible for delivering youth provision, the Government has worked closely with local authorities to update statutory guidance to support this delivery. The Government additionally provides significant funding to support youth services, with over £1.1 billion provided to the youth sector from DCMS In England between 2015 and 2021.
Furthermore, over this Spending Review Period, DCMS is investing over £500 million in youth services to deliver the National Youth Guarantee, a government commitment that by 2025, every young person will have access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer. This includes a significant number of interventions. For example, the Youth Investment Fund is delivering grants to build, renovate and expand youth centres, and the Million Hours Fund has created more than a million hours of youth activities in antisocial behaviour hotspots.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 adequacy of (a) access to and (b) the location of youth services.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Government recognises the vital role that youth services and activities play in improving the life chances and wellbeing of young people.
While local authorities are responsible for ensuring young people can access youth services, the Government has worked closely with local authorities to update statutory guidance to support this delivery. The Government additionally provides significant funding to support youth services, with over £1.1 billion provided to the youth sector from DCMS In England between 2015 and 2021.
Furthermore, over this Spending Review Period, DCMS is investing over £500 million in youth services to deliver the National Youth Guarantee, a government commitment that by 2025, every young person will have access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer. This includes a significant number of interventions. For example, the Youth Investment Fund is delivering grants to build, renovate and expand youth centres, and the Million Hours Fund has created more than a million hours of youth activities in antisocial behaviour hotspots.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will review the youth services estate; and if she will fund repairs for that estate.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Government recognises the vital role that youth services and activities play in improving the life chances and wellbeing of young people.
While local authorities are responsible for delivering youth provision, the Government has worked closely with local authorities to update statutory guidance to support this delivery. The Government additionally provides significant funding to support youth services, with over £1.1 billion provided to the youth sector from DCMS In England between 2015 and 2021.
Furthermore, over this Spending Review Period, DCMS is investing over £500 million in youth services to deliver the National Youth Guarantee, a government commitment that by 2025, every young person will have access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer. This includes a significant number of interventions. For example, the Youth Investment Fund is delivering grants to build, renovate and expand youth centres, and the Million Hours Fund has created more than a million hours of youth activities in antisocial behaviour hotspots.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 provide financial support for (a) art, (b) music, (c) heritage, (d) sport and (e) other local cultural offerings.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
His Majesty’s Government provides funding opportunities for arts, music, heritage, sports and other cultural organisations through a range of sources, including direct Government funding, through arm’s-length bodies like Arts Council England, and indirectly through local authority funding.
We have delivered significant support for heritage, including the High Street Heritage Action Zones, a heritage-led regeneration programme administered by Historic England. With a budget of £95 million, this programme focuses on fostering growth in historic high streets throughout England. HM Government also supports the upkeep of listed places of worship via the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which allocates up to £42 million per year. This scheme provides grants for the reimbursement of VAT incurred during the maintenance of the nation's listed churches. Arm’s-length bodies, like Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, provide further support to the heritage sector through various grants, including the Repair Grants for Heritage at Risk programme..
We are committed to supporting the arts, music, and wider cultural sectors, including through our arm’s-length body, Arts Council England. Through its current investment programme, more than £444 million of public money is being invested each year in arts and culture across England. This is an increase from £410 million in the previous portfolio, and will support 985 organisations across England – more than ever before. In addition, through Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grant funding, in 2022/23 over £105 million of awards went to individuals and arts organisations across the country.
For sport, Government support is delivered alongside National Lottery funding through the UK Sports Councils, and UK Sport provides funding to support potential Olympic and Paralympic athletes. We provide the majority of support for grassroots sport through our arm’s-length body, Sport England, which receives over £100 million in public funding each year. In addition, direct Government financial support worth over £350 million is being delivered through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme, Swimming Pool Support Fund, and the tennis court refurbishment programme.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to ring-fence future public funding for the (a) art, (b) culture and (c) heritage sectors.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
Future decisions on public funding are a matter for the Chancellor.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 Cabinet colleagues on the impact of local authority spending on youth services.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Government recognises the importance of local youth services. That’s why in England, between 2015 - 2021, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport provided over £1.1 billion to the youth sector. Furthermore, over this Spending Review Period, DCMS is investing over £500 million in youth services to deliver the National Youth Guarantee, a government commitment that by 2025, every young person will have access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer.
Additionally, local authorities have a statutory duty to provide funding for youth services in line with local needs, and the Government worked closely with local authorities to set out updated statutory guidance to support these efforts.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 potential merits of amending the definition of local broadcasting to mean content broadcast within the local licensing transmission area.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The Government recently consulted on the renewal of local TV licences. This consultation also addressed the current statutory objectives for local TV. Those objectives compel services to be distinctive and meet the needs and interests of those living or working in the locality they are received in.
The Government’s view, as set out in the consultation document, is that the current objectives still act as a pivotal framework for local TV services to operate within and provide clarity for providers when making local content. The objectives also ensure the main beneficiary of local TV output is the viewer and that the specific area and locality of the service remains at the heart of local content. Whilst we are not currently minded to amend the statutory objectives, we have sought stakeholder views on the matter through the consultation process. The consultation responses are currently being analysed and the Government will publish a response in due course.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with the BBC on (a) local broadcasting and (b) the potential impact of its plans relating to local broadcasting on the (i) quality and (ii) availability of local content.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The Government remains disappointed that the BBC is planning to reduce parts of its local output. Ministers have met with the BBC on several occasions since the announcement where they have expressed our shared concerns in this House about the BBC’s plans.
While it is up to the BBC to decide how it delivers its services, the Government is clear that the BBC must make sure it continues to provide distinctive and genuinely local broadcasting services, with high-quality content that reflects and represents people and communities from all corners of the UK.
The Government expects Ofcom, as regulator of the BBC, to ensure the BBC is robustly held to account in delivering its public service duties. In the publication of the new Licence, which came into effect on 1 April, Ofcom set out that it requires the BBC to continue to deliver a broad range of UK content and play an important role in delivering local, regional and nations content. Ofcom will be monitoring the BBC’s performance closely and will step in if they are concerned the BBC is not delivering for audiences.