Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
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 with Cabinet colleagues to facilitate the transferring of funds to Ukrainian charities.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The UK remains one of Ukraine's leading humanitarian donors, having committed up to £577 million in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and the wider region since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. Through trusted humanitarian partners, UK support helps protect vulnerable people affected by the conflict, promote respect for International Humanitarian Law, and provide lifesaving assistance to those most affected by Russia's continued attacks.
The Charity Commission for England and Wales also published guidance for charities and trustees responding to the crisis in Ukraine in March 2022.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, further to the Written Statement of 9 June 2026 on Grassroots Cricket, if she will take steps to invest in multi-sport covered cricket domes in the South West of England, including Dorset.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That's why we are investing £400 million into new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities, promoting health, wellbeing and community cohesion, while removing the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups, such as women and girls, people with disabilities, and ethnic minority communities. This investment will continue to be prioritised in areas that have the highest levels of deprivation and inactivity, where there are reduced opportunities for local people.
As your Recreational Cricket Board, Dorset Cricket Board also has the opportunity to identify local projects and apply to England and Wales Cricket Board’s £45 million ‘Building Belonging in Cricket Fund’ - more information can be found here: https://www.ecb.co.uk/news/4525611/building-belonging-in-cricket-fund
We are collaborating with the sports sector and local leaders to develop plans beyond 2026/27 for a range of sports across the country based on what each community needs.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
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 potential benefits of making community cinemas eligible for the capital funding scheme for cultural venues.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Community cinemas are an important part of our local areas, providing access to culture, creating spaces for connection, and stimulating footfall on our high streets. Cinemas based in eligible not-for-profit mixed arts venues can benefit from capital investment through the Creative Foundations Fund. In a challenging fiscal environment, we have to make difficult choices about where to direct available funding. Whilst we have no current plans to expand the eligibility criteria of existing schemes, we continue to engage with cinema stakeholders to identify options to support the sector.
We are already supporting the cinema sector through permanently lower business rates multipliers and through public funding schemes like the British Film Institute’s National Lottery Audience Projects Fund, or the Heritage Revival Fund, delivered by the Architectural Heritage Fund to help communities across England to rescue and repurpose neglected heritage buildings. We are also investing significantly in stimulating production - including through generous tax credits and the £75 million Screen Growth Package we announced in the Creative Industries Sector Plan - which creates the strong slate of films cinemas need to thrive.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
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 require promotions of paid-entry prize competition, including (a) phone-in competitions and (b) subscription prize draws, to disclose the (i) number of entries and (ii) odds of winning each advertised prize.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Prize draws are a significant and growing market. This Government has made it clear that we want people who participate in prize draws to be confident that proportionate protections are in place. In November 2025, we introduced a Voluntary Code for prize draw operators. This Code sets a clear and uniform approach across the sector to strengthen player protections, increase transparency and improve accountability. Signatories have until 20 May 2026 to comply with the Code.
Clause 2.3 of the Code states that where possible, before entering a draw, operators should provide players with clear and easily accessible information regarding the likelihood of winning a prize and how prizes will be allocated. Whilst the exact likelihood of winning a prize will depend on the number of tickets sold, information of that nature could include, but is not limited to, the maximum number of tickets available (where applicable) or data from previous comparable prize draws. The success of this Code will dictate whether greater regulation may be required, including legislation.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it a requirement of the National Lottery licence that there be (a) transparent and (b) open communication of the odds of winning the National Lottery when purchasing a ticket.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The National Lottery is regulated by the Gambling Commission, which is responsible for awarding the operating licence, managing licence conditions, enforcing compliance, and licensing individual games.
The National Lottery licence requires that full, accurate and up‑to‑date information about National Lottery games is easily accessible to all participants in a range of formats. The Regulatory Handbook, which provides further detail on complying with licence requirements, adds that this should include clear information on prize levels and the likelihood of winning, and that the operator’s approach should reflect industry Best Practice.
In practice, this is delivered through printed Player’s Guides in retail locations, and Online Game Procedures on the National Lottery website. These resources set out how each game works, the prizes available and the odds of winning.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
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 with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government of the adequacy of current statutory protections for scheduled monuments.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Scheduled Monuments are protected under the terms of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979, for which the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is responsible.
DCMS officials liaise closely with their counterparts in the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure that relevant aspects of national planning policy recognise the national importance of Scheduled Monuments.
DCMS keeps under review as part of its general policy function whether its policies and procedures are effective. No explicit assessment of the adequacy of statutory protections for Scheduled Monuments has been undertaken.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to remove the Television Licence exemption for people over 75 years old and in receipt of pension credit.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
To ensure the BBC is on a stable financial footing, the Government has committed to the current licence fee model for the remainder of the current Charter period. Currently, TV licence concessions are available to people who are registered blind or severely sight impaired, people over-75 and in receipt of pension credit, and people living in qualifying residential care who are disabled or over 60 years old. The BBC, rather than the Government, is responsible for the concession for over-75s in receipt of pension credit.
Looking further ahead, the Secretary of State has been clear that the BBC must be funded by a model that is sustainable and fair to all those that are paying it. The Government is keeping an open mind about the future of the licence fee, and the forthcoming Charter Review is a key opportunity to set the BBC up for success long into the future.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to exempt Ukraine from the ban on donations used to support military action.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Providing support or military supplies to any foreign armed force is not a charitable purpose, and no UK charity can legally undertake such activity. There are no plans to change this. The Charity Commission for England and Wales published guidance in 2022 after the full-scale invasion on how charities and trustees can respond to the crises in Ukraine.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
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 require (a) tree houses, (b) shepherds huts, (c) farm buildings and (d) other properties not suitable for (i) long-term and (ii) residential letting to be added to the national mandatory register for short-term lets.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Decisions on the specific scope of accommodation types covered by the registration scheme are still being finalised. Now that the second phase of development is underway, the Government is collaborating with industry leaders, including platforms, local authorities, and trade bodies, to create a robust scheme. Secondary legislation will be required to enact the scheme, and we aim to roll this out as efficiently as possible. Further details on which accommodation types will be included will be confirmed when an Impact Assessment has been completed.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
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 set a limit on the number of holiday lets on the national mandatory register for short-term lets within each local authority area.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The registration scheme will provide local authorities with valuable data to identify short-term lets in their area and help them address community and housing impacts. We continue to work closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government to create a balanced, thriving accommodation market that supports local economic growth and enables communities to benefit from both tourism opportunities and sustainable housing options. The government is considering what further powers might be given to local authorities to enable them to respond to the pressures that can be created by short-term lets.