Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to publicise the ballot for 8,000 free tickets to the ceremony to mark the centenary of the Battle of the Somme in July 2016.

Following the Secretary of State's announcement on 1 July, which launched the ballot website to strong press interest, we are looking at a number of further opportunities to raise awareness of the ballot. Leaflets were handed to all those attending the 1 July event this year and are available at the Thiepval Visitor Centre. Our partner organisations, The Royal British Legion and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, are also promoting the information on their websites and through related social media channels.

Communications activity will focus on key points in the period from now until the ballot closes on 18 November. It will involve press announcements and planned coverage in both media and broadcast outlets to highlight the relevance of the battle of the Somme, the upcoming centenary and the ballot arrangements. The communications campaign will be supported by a strong social media presence, under #Somme100, to promote engagement beyond traditional audiences and direct users to the dedicated event website. We will also work closely with our key stakeholders to amplify messaging around the ballot and look to use celebrity endorsement.