Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
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 Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the potential impact of the subscriptions regime in the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 on the level of investment in the video on-demand sector.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
My Department regularly engages with the Department for Business and Trade on a range of issues relating to the implementation of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act 2024.
The Department for Business and Trade’s consultation on the implementation of these measures closed on 10 February 2025, and they are currently analysing responses.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she is taking steps with Ofcom on implementing fair terms of carriage for public service broadcasters on streaming platforms under the Media Act 2024.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
My Department is working closely with Ofcom to progress implementation of the Media Act 2024. The Act delegates certain powers to the Secretary of State and to Ofcom in terms of designating ‘in-scope’ services and developing relevant guidance.
The new online prominence regime, under the Act, seeks to support effective negotiations between public service broadcasters and TV platforms for the carriage of designated PSB services (referred to in the Act as “internet programme services”). It does so via a set of “agreement objectives” which both parties must act consistently with, as well as Ofcom guidance, which they are required to consult on.
Further information on Media Act implementation can be found on Ofcom’s website: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/Media-Act-Implementation/.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Spring Statement of 26 March 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to her Department's planned budget for the 2025-26 financial year on the provision of youth services.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
This Government fully recognises the importance of youth services to help young people live safe and healthy lives, and we remain committed to giving all young people the chance to reach their full potential. That is why we are developing a National Youth Strategy to set out a new vision for young people and an action plan for delivering this.
In 2025/26, has committed to funding over £85 million of capital funding to create fit-for-purpose spaces in places where it is most needed, which includes £26 million for youth clubs to buy new equipment and do renovations under the Better Youth Spaces Fund. Further funding allocations for specific youth programmes will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with Ofcom on the implementation of the Media Act 2024.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
My Department is working closely with Ofcom to progress implementation of the Media Act 2024. The Act delegates certain powers to the Secretary of State and to Ofcom in terms of designating ‘in-scope’ services and developing relevant guidance.
The new online prominence regime, under the Act, seeks to support effective negotiations between public service broadcasters and TV platforms for the carriage of designated PSB services (referred to in the Act as “internet programme services”). It does so via a set of “agreement objectives” which both parties must act consistently with, as well as Ofcom guidance, which they are required to consult on.
Further information on Media Act implementation can be found on Ofcom’s website: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/Media-Act-Implementation/.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Spring Statement of 26 March 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to her Department's planned budget for the 2025-26 financial year on support for charities.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
At the recent Spring Statement, we reiterated the fiscal rules that would guide this Government. The government has taken a number of difficult but necessary decisions on tax, welfare, and spending to fix the foundations of the public finances, fund public services, and restore economic stability.
However, we recognise the vital role that charities play up and down the country, by providing crucial support to different groups and communities.
DCMS continues to support charities in several ways. This includes delivery of a number of grant schemes, such as the £25.5 million Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Energy Efficiency Scheme, which is supporting frontline organisations across England to improve their energy efficiency and sustainability.
Support for charities is also available through social investment which provides access to grants, repayable finance and a blend of the two. This government is continuing to look at how dormant assets can be used to support the availability of finance to facilitate VCSEs becoming more entrepreneurial and financially resilient. An estimated £350 million will flow into the Dormant Assets Scheme between 2024-28, with details on how this money will be distributed to be provided in due course.
Within the tax system, we provide support to charities through a range of reliefs and exemptions, including reliefs for charitable giving. The tax reliefs available to charities are a vital element in supporting charitable causes across the UK, with more than £6 billion in charitable reliefs provided to charities. The biggest individual reliefs provided are Gift Aid at £1.6 billion and business rates relief at nearly £2.4 billion.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
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 5 March 2025 to Question 33865, on Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, if she will place a copy of the (a) internal Equality Impact Assessment and (b) equality screening in the Library of the House.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
DCMS Ministers received advice on changes to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme including careful consideration of the potential equality impacts of the changes, in particular with regard to the protected characteristic of religion or belief. A separate equality screening or impact assessment document has not been produced, so will not be placed in the Library of the House.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to implement the policies set out in the policy paper entitled High stakes: gambling reform for the digital age, published on 27 April 2023; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the policies in that white paper on the land-based gambling industry.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Minister for Gambling has indicated her support for the previous government’s 2023 gambling white paper. This government has moved quickly to implement a number of proposals, including the statutory levy and online slots stake limits. We are considering the best available evidence from a wide range of sources to inform decisions on the remaining measures relating to the land-based sector. We are moving forward with measures to modernise the regulations for land-based casinos and are working as quickly as we can to ensure that legislation is laid in Parliament as soon as possible to implement these measures.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
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 February 2025 to Question 31424 on the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, whether her Department has undertaken an equality impact assessment of changes to that scheme.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The decision to make changes to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme was made with careful consideration of the public sector equality duty outlined in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, ensuring that the objectives in that section were taken into account. There is no legal requirement to publish an equality impact assessment.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
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 the Secretary of State for Education on the potential merits of physical education in the national curriculum on future engagement with sport
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport and the Minister for Sport, Media, Civil Society and Youth regularly meet with Ministerial counterparts from the Department for Education on a range of issues, including Physical Education and school sport.
Schools play a key role in allowing all children to have high quality opportunities to take part in PE and sport, setting them up for a lifetime of physical activity. The Government is committed to protecting time for physical education in schools. The expert-led review of the curriculum will ensure that all children can engage with a broad range of subjects, including PE and sport.
Asked by: Stuart Andrew (Conservative - Daventry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to provide funding for grassroots tennis.
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.
The Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year. Sport England’s work focuses on increasing participation in sport, including tennis, at grassroots level to give more and better opportunities to all.
Sport England provides long term investment to the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis in Britain, which receives up to £10.2 million for five years to invest in community tennis initiatives that will benefit everyone.