Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many and what proportion of officials in her Department were hired via positive action schemes in the last financial year.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
All Civil Service departments work within the Recruitment Principles, as regulated by the Civil Service Commission, to recruit using a fair and open process and appoint on merit.
Departments will only limit a campaign to a specific group as a form of positive action as a proportionate response to achieve a legitimate aim as defined in section 159 of the Equality Act 2010.
The Civil Service is committed to a diverse workforce and culture of openness and inclusivity - not as ends in themselves but as means of delivering better outcomes to the citizens we serve.
The Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2022-25 Promoting Fairness and Performance, published in February 2022, is positioned as an essential lever to deliver a Modern Civil Service, where our values are to serve with integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality; driving our vision to be a skilled, innovative and ambitious Civil Service equipped for the future. This strategy sets out a broader definition of diversity, to include geographical, social and career backgrounds alongside the protected groups.
As set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024 - 2027, we are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds, to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what information her Department holds on the number of enforcement visits there were for non-payment of the BBC licence fee in each of the last three years.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The BBC is responsible for collection and enforcement of the TV licence. The BBC has published figures on field visits made by TV Licensing in its most recent TV Licence Fee Trust Statement, which can be viewed here: https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/about/bbc-trust-statement-AB21
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
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 bringing forward legislative proposals to decriminalise non-payment of the BBC licence fee.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
It is important that the television licence fee has a fair enforcement regime that does not disproportionately impact vulnerable people, and the Secretary of State has discussed this issue with the BBC’s leadership.
As part of the next Charter Review, the government will engage with the BBC and others to consider how to ensure the BBC thrives well into the next decade and beyond. This will include discussions on a range of important issues, including future funding models for the BBC and their enforcement.
The Government has also laid regulations before Parliament to extend the Simple Payment Plan, to enable more households in financial hardship to pay their TV licence in flexible fortnightly or monthly installments. This is expected to come into force on 31st January 2025, subject to the regulations concluding the necessary parliamentary procedure.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many international (a) air miles and (b) flights have been completed by (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in their Department since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Data on ministers’ overseas travel and on senior civil servants’ business expenses is published on a quarterly basis. This can be found here.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many public pools closed in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Since 2015, 279 swimming pools on sites owned by Local Authorities have closed. At the same time, 248 swimming pools have opened. Facilities may close for a number of reasons: this can include the rationalisation of multiple older facilities into a modern, better located facility.
The breakdown for closures per year is as follows:
2015: 40
2016: 36
2017: 31
2018: 23
2019: 31
2020: 40
2021: 27
2022: 27
2023: 20
2024 (as of end of August) : 4
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which (a) sporting, (b) cultural and (c) other events were attended by staff in her Department in each of the last five years by financial value.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Gifts and hospitality data for Ministers, Senior Officials and Special Advisors is published quarterly, details of which can be found on the gov.uk website. Here is the most recent publication of Ministers gifts and hospitality, covering the period of Q4 2023/24 (January 2024 - March 2024).
Cabinet Office are yet to confirm when the data covering the periods Q1 and Q2 2024/25 will be published. In future, the Cabinet Office intends to publish a monthly Central Register beginning in December 2024. This will cover all ministers’ gifts and hospitality for November 2024 onwards.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
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 impact of the participation of transgender athletes in women's sport on women; and if she will meet with women impacted by transgender participation in sport.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Sporting bodies have a responsibility to protect the integrity and fairness of women's sport and the safety of all participants, particularly when it is not possible to balance those factors with inclusion.
National Governing Bodies set their own policies for who can participate in their sports in domestic competitions. Our UK sports councils have produced guidance to help domestic sports bodies determine the right position for their sport.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many people were prosecuted for the non-payment of a TV licence fee in each of the last three years.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Ministry of Justice currently publishes the annual number of prosecutions, convictions, and sentencing outcomes for non-payment of the TV licence fee as part of their criminal justice quarterly publications. The publications can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many positions in her Department included (a) diversity, (b) inclusion, (c) equity and (d) equality in their job title in each of the last five years; and what the total cost of the salaries of each such job was in each of those years.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not routinely collate information on specific words and collating this information would come at a disproportionate cost.
Information on spending and staffing can be found in the department’s annual report & accounts.