Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
Update the Equality Act to make clear the characteristic “sex” is biological sex
Gov Responded - 26 Jan 2023 Debated on - 12 Jun 2023 View Tim Loughton's petition debate contributionsThe Government must exercise its power under s.23 of the Gender Recognition Act to modify the operation of the Equality Act 2010 by specifying the terms sex, male, female, man & woman, in the operation of that law, mean biological sex and not "sex as modified by a Gender Recognition Certificate"
Commit to not amending the Equality Act's definition of sex
Gov Responded - 25 Jan 2023 Debated on - 12 Jun 2023 View Tim Loughton's petition debate contributionsIt has been reported that the Government may amend the Equality Act to "make it clear that sex means biological sex rather than gender." The Government has previously committed to not remove legal protections for trans people, an already marginalised group, but this change would do so.
Make non-binary a legally recognised gender identity in the UK
Gov Responded - 20 May 2021 Debated on - 23 May 2022 View Tim Loughton's petition debate contributionsHave non binary be included as an option under the GRP (Gender Recognition Panel)/ GRC (Gender Recognition Certificate), in order to allow those identifying as non binary to be legally seen as their true gender identity. As well as having ‘Non-binary’ be seen as a valid transgender identity.
Release the Home Office's Grooming Gang Review in full
Gov Responded - 19 May 2020 Debated on - 3 Feb 2021 View Tim Loughton's petition debate contributionsThe Government is refusing to release official research on the characteristics of grooming gangs, claiming it is not in the “public interest”.
We, the British public, demand the release of the official research on grooming gangs undertaken by the Government in full.
We the British People Request a Public Inquiry into Grooming Gangs
Gov Responded - 5 Nov 2020 Debated on - 3 Feb 2021 View Tim Loughton's petition debate contributionsThe Home Secretary said what happened to victims of child sexual exploitation gangs was “one of the biggest stains on our country’s conscience.” Last year local authorities identified 18,700 suspected victims of child sexual exploitation. We want an independent public inquiry into Grooming Gangs.
Extend maternity leave by 3 months with pay in light of COVID-19
Gov Responded - 14 May 2020 Debated on - 5 Oct 2020 View Tim Loughton's petition debate contributionsIn light of the recent outbreak and lock down, those on maternity leave should be given 3 extra months paid leave, at least. This time is for bonding and social engaging with other parents and babies through baby groups which are vital for development and now everything has been cancelled.
These initiatives were driven by Tim Loughton, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Tim Loughton has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
To make provision about the registration of marriage; to make provision for the extension of civil partnerships to couples not of the same sex; to make provision for a report on the registration of pregnancy loss; to make provision about the investigation of still-births; and for connected purposes.
This Bill received Royal Assent on 26th March 2019 and was enacted into law.
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to amend the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 and make provision in connection with financial settlements following divorce
A Bill to require the Secretary of State to report annually on restrictions on access by UK nationals to Tibet and Xinjiang in comparison with other regions of China; to make provision to deny persons involved in imposing such restrictions permission to enter the UK; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to require Her Majesty's Government formally to recognise the Armenian genocide of 1915–23; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to amend the Civil Partnership Act 2004 to provide that opposite sex couples may enter a civil partnership; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to require Her Majesty's Government formally to recognise the Armenian genocide of 1915–23; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to require the Secretary of State to report annually on restrictions on access by UK nationals to Tibet in comparison with other regions of China; to make provision to deny persons involved in imposing such restrictions permission to enter the UK; and for connected purposes.
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to require the Secretary of State to report annually on restrictions on access by UK nationals to Tibet in comparison with other regions of China; to make provision to deny persons involved in imposing such restrictions permission to enter the UK; and for connected purposes.
A bill to establish a Rail Ombudsman to scrutinise performance and complaints and represent the interests of passengers; to make provision for the Ombudsman to levy fines on train operating companies for late running and cancellation of trains and about the use of such fines; and for connected purposes.
A Bill To amend the Civil Partnership Act 2004 to provide that opposite sex couples mayenter into a civil partnership; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to amend the Civil Partnership Act 2004 to provide that opposite sex couples may enter into a civil partnership; and for connected purposes.
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to amend the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953 to provide that parents may register the death of a child stillborn before the threshold of 24 weeks gestation.
The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to amend the Children (Performances) Regulations 1968 to streamline opportunities for children to take part in performances; to reduce unnecessary regulation; to clarify when a licence is required; to strengthen the emphasis on protecting children; and for connected purposes.
Horticultural peat (prohibition of sale) Bill 2023-24
Sponsor - Theresa Villiers (Con)
Kinship Care Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Munira Wilson (LD)
Aviation Banning Orders (Disruptive Passengers) Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Gareth Johnson (Con)
Supply of Drugs to Children Under 16 (Aggravated Offence) Bill 2022-23
Sponsor - Kevin Hollinrake (Con)
Schools and Educational Settings (Essential Infrastructure and Opening During Emergencies) Bill 2021-22
Sponsor - Robert Halfon (Con)
Electric Vehicle Charging Points (New Buildings) (No. 2) Bill 2021-22
Sponsor - Felicity Buchan (Con)
Supported Housing (Regulation) Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - Kerry McCarthy (Lab)
Education Employment (Accompaniment to Hearings) Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - Brendan Clarke-Smith (Con)
Children (Access to Treatment) Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - Bambos Charalambous (Lab)
Planning (Proper Maintenance of Land) Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - Jonathan Gullis (Con)
Domestic Energy Efficiency Plan Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Sarah Newton (Con)
Bathing Waters Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Scott Mann (Con)
Hereditary Titles (Female Succession) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Philip Davies (Con)
Child Cruelty (Sentences) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Tom Tugendhat (Con)
Automatic Travel Compensation Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Huw Merriman (Con)
Low-level Letter Boxes (Prohibition) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Vicky Ford (Con)
Gypsy and Traveller Communities (Housing, Planning and Education) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Andrew Selous (Con)
Fetal Dopplers (Regulation) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Antoinette Sandbach (LD)
Courts (Abuse of Process) Bill 2017-19
Sponsor - Liz Saville Roberts (PC)
Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill 2016-17
Sponsor - Liz Saville Roberts (PC)
Family Justice Bill 2016-17
Sponsor - None ()
Diplomatic Service (United Kingdom Wines and Sparkling Wines) Bill 2016-17
Sponsor - None ()
Crime (Aggravated Murder of and Violence Against Women) Bill 2016-17
Sponsor - None ()
I am engaging with a wide range of stakeholders who hold different views in relation to conversion practices, as are officials. We continue to consult extensively with stakeholders across the spectrum including victims, representatives from a range of religions, LGBT groups, clinicians, medical regulatory professionals, and parent groups. Our public consultation will close on 4th February and I urge all those with an interest to respond. In this way and with our wider engagement with the full range of stakeholders, victims and members of the public, we will ensure the ban is effective in ending different forms of conversion therapy.
The Attorney General’s Office has not allocated any funding to Stonewall in the last 5 years
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 30th January is attached.
The Cabinet Office is not aware of any standalone Transgender champion roles. The role is often incorporated into the LGBT champion role which is a role appointed in addition to the individual's existing portfolio.
We are currently aware that there are 31 LGBT champions across the 44 ministerial and non-ministerial departments.
Of these 31 LGBT champions, the Cabinet Office as a department has one LGBT champion.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon Gentleman's Parliamentary Question of 5 June is attached.
The Cabinet Office has not engaged with Global Butterflies and has not funded any of their projects.
The Guidance for the Disposal of Surplus Land has been withdrawn as, in part, it has been overtaken by updated policy and standards, including the recently updated Government Functional Standard for Property, published in September 2021.
The Cabinet Office is advised on the management of designated heritage assets in its portfolio by Historic England’s Government Historic Estate Unit. Further details can be found here: https://historicengland.org.uk/services-skills/our-planning-services/advice-for-government-historic-estates/
The Cabinet Office does not collect or collate data on the value (property value) or income data for these assets.
I apologise for the delay in responding to the important points my Hon. friend has raised on behalf of his constituents. We recognise the great importance of the effective and timely handling of correspondence.
The letter received on 5 February 2021 has been passed to the Department for International trade, as the Department best placed to provide a helpful response.
Lord Frost has now responded to the letter dated 25 March, and Lord Agnew has responded to letters dated 22 January, 26 January, 9 February and 11 February.
Lord Agnew will be responding to the remaining letters, dated 22 January and 31 March. I would like to reassure my Hon. friend that responses are in progress and will be issued as soon as possible.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.
This issue cuts across multiple departmental responsibilities, as is the case for many complex concerns, and therefore engages various Ministers including in DfE, DHSC and DWP.
Details of Ministerial responsibilities can be found on GOV.UK.
The previous Leader of the House, Andrea Leadsom, laid out the recommendations of the Inter-Ministerial Working Group on Early Years on 16 July 2019. This Government is fully committed to supporting working families, and their children. Relevant Secretaries of State will take into account the work of the Inter-Ministerial Working Group on Early Years as the government moves forward with this agenda.
The Government does not have a role in Royal Mail’s commercial decisions, including the prices of stamps and other services.
In setting its prices, Royal Mail must observe the regulatory framework set by Ofcom which imposes prices controls, ‘safeguard caps’, on certain second-class products to ensure a basic universal service is available to all at affordable prices.
On 24 January 2024, following a public consultation, Ofcom announced its decisions regarding retail price caps on Royal Mail’s universal postal services to apply from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2027.
I understand this will be a concerning time for those impacted. The Department for Work and Pensions’ Rapid Response Service is a service designed to give support and advice to employers and their employees when faced with redundancy.
The range of support may include:
Employees may be entitled to statutory redundancy pay, compensatory notice pay and holiday pay from the Insolvency Service. Further information may be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/the-body-shop-in-administration-information-for-employees-and-creditors.
Senior officials have travelled to China since January 2019.
The Government is aware of concerns relating to non-compliant and unsafe toys sold by third parties through online marketplaces. Although we have not made an assessment of specific numbers, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has acted, including increasing border checks and test purchasing and assessment of goods available on-line.
OPSS is tackling the most serious cases by requiring recalls and takedowns and where necessary, taking enforcement action to prevent unsafe products from being made available to UK consumers. I and senior officials have held meetings with the major on-line marketplaces demanding they take more action to fulfil their responsibilities for supplying safe goods.
Our Product Safety Review, including proposals to tackle unsafe products being sold through online marketplaces, is being finalised and will be published shortly.
Only in certain limited circumstances, and with the prior written consent of the British Business Bank, can an accredited lender transfer the guarantee of the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme to another accredited lender.
The UK saw £60bn of investment in 2023, meaning that since 2010 the UK has seen £300bn of public and private investment into low carbon sectors. The Powering Up Britain Plan, backed by substantial government funding, seeks to attract private capital for green energy.
We've bolstered investor confidence with announcements on the UK Carbon Capture Usage and Storage (CCUS) sector and the Hydrogen Strategy. In December 2023, we unveiled Europe's largest simultaneous commercial-scale green hydrogen projects, supporting 125MW in the inaugural Hydrogen Allocation Round (HAR1).
We’ve allocated over £1 billion for the flagship Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme's Allocation Round 6 (AR6) and £1.1 billion to the Green Industries Growth Accelerator, to support the expansion of domestic green manufacturing capacity and strengthen clean energy supply chains.
Details of travel by Senior Civil Servants are recorded in the Government's transparency date, which is published at:
The quantities in which pre-packed alcohol, including English sparkling wine, can be sold will be considered as part of the Government’s review of EU-derived law. Further details will be provided in due course.
Customers who have a direct domestic electricity supply with a licensed electricity supplier are eligible for the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS). The Government has legislated to ensure landlords pass through support provided by EBSS to households paying for energy through a rent or service charge.
Under Ofgem’s Maximum Resale Price rules, landlords with a domestic contract with an energy supplier are required not to charge tenants more than they have paid suppliers for the energy.
EBSS Alternative Funding will provide equivalent support for households who will not be reached through EBSS. Eligibility, timescales and delivery method will be announced shortly.
The Government remains committed to the important measures in the Energy Security Bill and expects to set out how it will proceed shortly.
All toys placed on the UK market, including those sold online, must meet essential safety requirements under the UK Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011 and there are criminal sanctions for non-compliance. Where non-compliant products, including toys, are being sold online by third party sellers the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is taking action.
This includes using data and intelligence to target the supply routes, and disrupt the sale, of unsafe products sold by third-party sellers online as well as acting to remove listings. As a result, OPSS has helped take down more than 10,000 unsafe products, including toys, from online marketplaces in 2021.
OPSS is also raising public awareness of the risks of buying online from third-party sellers who are based overseas. An Important Product Safety Message to consumers, encouraging them to check who they are buying from when using online marketplaces, was published on 10th November and OPSS is running a Christmas Toys product safety information campaign.
All toys placed on the UK market, including those sold online, must meet essential safety requirements under the UK Toys (Safety) Regulations 2011 and there are criminal sanctions for non-compliance. Where non-compliant products, including toys, are being sold online by third party sellers the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is taking action.
This includes using data and intelligence to target the supply routes, and disrupt the sale, of unsafe products sold by third-party sellers online as well as acting to remove listings. As a result, OPSS has helped take down more than 10,000 unsafe products, including toys, from online marketplaces in 2021.
OPSS is also raising public awareness of the risks of buying online from third-party sellers who are based overseas. An Important Product Safety Message to consumers, encouraging them to check who they are buying from when using online marketplaces, was published on 10th November and OPSS is running a Christmas Toys product safety information campaign.
The UK COP26 Presidency is committed to amplifying the voices of young people in the UK and across the world leading up to and at COP26. My Rt. Hon. Friend the President for COP26 committed to meeting with young people in every international visit over the last year and has established the COP26 Civil Society and Youth Advisory Council. The UK is committed to COP26 being inclusive and established several advisory groups to guide planning and delivery of COP. This includes youth and civil society advisory groups co-chaired by youth representatives.
At COP26, the UL has hosted a dedicated Youth & Public Empowerment Day to elevate youth voices and demonstrate the critical role of education and empowerment to drive climate action. We worked closely with YOUNGO (the official children’s and youth constituency to the UNFCCC) to co-create the events programme for the day.
As set out in our Net Zero Strategy, we will continue to give people opportunities to participate in and shape our plans for reaching net zero.
In the last five years, the Department has paid a membership fee to Stonewall of £2,500 + VAT every year as part of the Diversity Champions programme. Membership of the Stonewall Diversity Champions programme is reviewed on an annual basis by the Diversity & Inclusion team and the LGBT+ Network and will be reviewed again ahead of the 2022-2023 financial year.
The Government agrees with the broad aims of the Local Electricity Bill but does not support it as the means to enable local energy supply. There are already mechanisms in the market to allow local supply. The current Ofgem regulatory regime allows for a company to supply a specific geographic area, and small-scale generators can also apply for a licence exemption in some cases to reduce the regulatory burdens of operating at a community level.
The Government are supporting community energy projects through the Rural Community Energy Fund and the Government will work with Ofgem to ensure that local communities can play their role in delivering Net Zero and a Green Recovery.
The National Academies, including the British Academy, are an integral part of the UK’s R&D landscape and provide an important contribution to securing the UK’s status as a global science superpower. In 2018 a grant of £14m was provided to the British Academy to support the extension of the lease on their premises. This also enabled a private donation of £10m, which was conditional on the capital investment. The funding secured the Academy’s long-term future in Carlton House Terrace, close to the other National Academies, providing an intellectual and cultural hub of world-leading knowledge and expertise. In line with usual practice, the government does not publish detailed commercial terms and conditions of grant agreements with individual organisations.
The following table provides a list of heritage assets recorded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, alongside valuation and income data where available:
Property | Annual Income | Valuation 31.03.21 |
Pelham House (ID 1356190), | £120,051 | £1,045,000 |
Calder Farm Stangs Cottage (ID 1068621) | £0 | £150,000 |
Seascale Hall (ID 13360641) | £16,000 | £1,000,000 |
Berkeley Summerhouse (ID 1274730) | £0 | £1 |
Seascale Farm stone circle | £0 | £0 |
Bushy House (ID 1089870) | £0 | n/a |
Dounreay Castle (ID SM6401) | £0 | n/a |
Cnoc-na-h’Uiseig Chambered Cairn (ID SM444) | £0 | n/a |
Knock Stanger Cairn (ID SM458) | £0 | n/a |
Dragon Square Garden (ID 422271) | £0 | n/a |
Dame Sylvia Crowe Garden (ID 422272) | £0 | n/a |
Cestyll Garden (ID 301555) | £0 | n/a |
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is advised on the management of designated heritage assets in its portfolio by Historic England’s Government Historic Estate Unit. Further details can be found here:
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy does not collect or collate data on the value or income data for these assets.
The Government appreciates the great work of the UK’s many great Learned Societies, including those located at Burlington House. They have made vast contributions to their respective fields over their long histories, and are vital to the networking, visibility, and overall health of the disciplines they represent.
We recognise the proposed rent increases do introduce a challenge to their current level of operations. Learned Societies are independent of government and will be best placed to make decisions on how they can best move forward and adapt to changing circumstances. We hope they will continue to make the contributions that they do to STEM skills, Scientific Research, and International Collaboration. I am aware that the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, along with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, are exploring whether there is a solution that can deliver value for taxpayers and help the Learned Societies to remain at New Burlington House.
The Government has provided extensive guidance for businesses and employers on how to conduct a Covid-19 risk assessment and the steps that should be taken to make the working environment Covid-secure for employees or volunteers that cannot work from home.
Under existing health and safety laws, employers have a duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees and other people who might be affected by their business. Employers must do whatever is reasonably practicable to achieve this.
If workers think their employer is exposing them to risks or is not carrying out their legal duties with regards to health and safety, they can report this to their local authority or the Health and Safety Executive who can take a range of actions.
Key suppliers in the running of the National Lottery must complete an annual supplier assessment on their compliance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015. This includes International Game Technology (IGT), which supplies gaming system technology and hardware to Camelot, the current National Lottery operator.
IGT has confirmed in its most recent assessment that it did not have any convictions, breaches or risks in relation to modern slavery. Additionally, IGT publishes an annual Modern Slavery Statement, available here.
Personal data of UK National Lottery players has not been disclosed to or processed by Chinese state-owned businesses.
The Operator of the National Lottery must ensure that it and its suppliers are compliant with Data Protection legislation.
Between 2011/12 and 2021/22, 710,774 young people participated in the National Citizen Service (NCS) programme. In 2022/23, more than 100,000 young people benefited from the NCS programme. The final participation number will be confirmed in the NCS Trust’s 2022/23 Annual Report and Accounts, which will be published later this year.
Consecutive, independent evaluations have demonstrated the positive impacts that NCS delivers both to its participants on key target areas including social cohesion, social mobility, leadership and civic engagement. NCS has been shown to have an even greater positive impact on certain priority groups. NCS’ 2019 evaluation showed that for every £1 of taxpayer money spent, £3.05 was provided back to society in terms of wellbeing benefits.
The NCS programme has been allocated a total of £1.4 billion since inception. The table below shows the allocated funding per year, to the nearest million. In this period, the NCS programme transitioned from being delivered by NCS Trust Community Interest Company to being delivered by NCS Trust, a Public Body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Year | 2011/12 | 2012/13 | 2013/14 | 2014/15 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
Total grant funding (£M) | 21 | 62 | 84 | 117 | 155 | 181 | 186 | 189 | 176 | 75 | 96 | 72 | 49 |
The cost-per-head of NCS experiences has decreased during that period. In 2015, the cost-per-head was £1,825 coming down to £1,721 in 2019. Since the start of the covid-19 pandemic, NCS Trust offered a range of experiences including schools-based, community-based and digital opportunities with a lower cost-per-head.
In respect of employee data, DCMS collects both biological sex and gender identity data on our HR System. Our processing and handling of this data is set out in our HR privacy notice published on gov.uk. The Department does not have oversight of staff data collected by its ALBs.
The Department also follows the Government Social Research and Government Statistical Service guidance and best practice on biological sex and gender identity as published on gov.uk.
The UK Government has made it clear in writing to both the Association of Tennis Professionals and the Women’s Tennis Association that we fully supported the decision of the Lawn Tennis Association and the All England Lawn Tennis Club to decline entries from Russian and Belarusian players to competition in England.
It is essential that the international sport community stands united in ensuring President Putin cannot use sport to legitimise his barbaric invasion of Ukraine. Fining the AELTC and LTA sends completely the wrong message to Putin, and we strongly urge the ATP and WTA to reconsider.
Following public consultation on video-on-demand regulation, the government continues to view the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) age ratings as best practice. As set out in the government’s consultation response, the government is keen to encourage video-on-demand services to consider applying BBFC age ratings to their content, but is of the view that the existing evidence does not warrant mandating the use of age ratings at this time.
Alongside improved Ofcom protections for video-on-demand audiences, the government has set out plans to give Ofcom an enhanced ongoing duty to assess all video-on-demand providers’ audience protection measures, including measures like pin codes and content warnings alongside age ratings, to ensure that the systems put in place are effective and fit for purpose. Ofcom will have powers to provide guidance, report, and deal effectively with any future rogue providers.
The Parthenon Sculptures in the British Museum were legally acquired under the laws pertaining at the time and are legally owned by the Trustees of the British Museum, which is operationally independent of the Government. Decisions relating to the care and management of the museum's collections are a matter for the Trustees of the British Museum. The Government fully supports the position taken by the Trustees of the British Museum.
DCMS ministers have not had any recent discussions on this matter with Greek counterparts. When the Greek Prime Minister called on the Prime Minister in November last year, Mr Mitsotakis raised the issue of the Parthenon Sculptures. The Prime Minister reiterated the UK’s longstanding position that this is a matter for the Trustees of the British Museum. There have been no subsequent ministerial discussions on the Parthenon Sculptures, although we continue to talk to colleagues in the Greek government on wider issues of cultural co-operation.
The Parthenon Sculptures in the British Museum were legally acquired under the laws pertaining at the time and are legally owned by the Trustees of the British Museum, which is operationally independent of the Government. Decisions relating to the care and management of the museum's collections are a matter for the Trustees of the British Museum. The Government fully supports the position taken by the Trustees of the British Museum.
DCMS ministers have not had any recent discussions on this matter with Greek counterparts. When the Greek Prime Minister called on the Prime Minister in November last year, Mr Mitsotakis raised the issue of the Parthenon Sculptures. The Prime Minister reiterated the UK’s longstanding position that this is a matter for the Trustees of the British Museum. There have been no subsequent ministerial discussions on the Parthenon Sculptures, although we continue to talk to colleagues in the Greek government on wider issues of cultural co-operation.
We recognise the importance of ensuring public access to leisure facilities and swimming pools, which are great spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and play an important role within communities. The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at Local Authority level, and the government continues to encourage Local Authorities to invest in leisure facilities.
We also recognise the impact rising energy prices will have on businesses of all sizes. Ofgem and the government are in regular contact with business groups and the leisure sector to understand the challenges they face and explore ways to protect consumers and businesses. The Government is also working with partners within the sector to monitor the availability and supply of pool chemicals.
Russia's recent actions are a flagrant breach of its international commitments, and the government has made clear our serious concerns about the hosting of sporting events in Russia, including the Champions League Final.
We are discussing these concerns with the relevant governing bodies.
The international community should not allow President Putin to exploit sporting and cultural events on the world stage to legitimise his renewed illegal invasion of Ukraine.
The UK has sufficient legal powers to tackle the illicit trade in cultural goods and the import of cultural goods which have been unlawfully removed from another country. These powers are set out in existing domestic law, and in some cases also derive from our obligations in international law, notably UNESCO Conventions. The UK has a strong record of finding and returning unlawfully removed cultural goods, and remains determined to tackle the illicit trade in cultural objects.
The majority of the imports of cultural goods from Great Britain into Northern Ireland are carried out by museums rather than businesses or private owners. The revocation of EU Regulation 2019/880 on the introduction and the import of cultural goods in Great Britain will not significantly affect any potential export of illicit cultural property from Northern Ireland to the EU. Any changes to the pattern of imports will be identified and will lead to closer scrutiny. As much of the EU Regulation may not be implemented before 2025, precisely how it will need to be applied in Northern Ireland is still being evaluated.
The government is considering levelling the playing field between traditional broadcasters and on-demand streaming services to provide a fair competitive framework, and to give viewers confidence that equivalent standards are applied regardless of the technologies they choose to use.
The Department has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders including video-on-demand providers, broadcasters, Ofcom, and the British Board of Film Classification. The government is considering responses to the recent consultation, which closed on the 26 October, and will respond in due course.
The government is considering levelling the playing field between traditional broadcasters and on-demand streaming services to provide a fair competitive framework, and to give viewers confidence that equivalent standards are applied regardless of the technologies they choose to use.
The Department has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders including video-on-demand providers, broadcasters, Ofcom, and the British Board of Film Classification. The government is considering responses to the recent consultation, which closed on the 26 October, and will respond in due course.