Written questions by Campbell.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 76809 on Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Public Bodies, how many appointments have been made to each of the respective Boards of her Department's public bodies since July 2024.

Since 10 July 2024, 121 regulated appointments and reappointments have been made to the Boards of the Department for Culture, Media & Sport’s public bodies. This data only includes regulated appointments made to relevant boards as listed in the Public Appointments Order in Council 2019. Board NameNumberBoard NameNumberAdvisory Council on National Records and Archives8National Citizenship Service2Arts Council England4Royal Armouries1British Museum12Royal Museums Greenwich3British Tourist Authority4S4C6Charity Commission4Sport England4Departmental Non-Executive Directors2Sports Ground Safety Authority1Historic England3Tate7Historic Royal Palaces3The National Archives3Horniman Museum and Gardens3The National Lottery Community Fund4Horserace Betting Levy Board1The Royal Parks3Imperial War Museum4Theatres Trust4Independent Football Regulator3Treasure Valuation Committee5Museum of the Home4UK Anti-Doping3National Gallery4UK Sport2National Museums Liverpool1Victoria & Albert Museum7National Portrait Gallery1Visit England Advisory Board3Natural History Museum2

Media and Sport, if she will he have discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the potential merits of hosting future major golfing events in Northern Ireland.

The Government remains committed to delivering major international sporting events with pride - building upon the UK’s global reputation for excellence in event delivery - and seeking new opportunities to do so. We prioritise support for events based on a range of criteria, which includes how far they help create social and economic benefits for the UK and contribute towards the Government's Plan for Change. We recognise that major events deliver significant benefits to all parts of the UK including Northern Ireland. Having attended The Open at Royal Portrush this July, I am aware that Northern Ireland is well equipped to successfully deliver major golfing events. We continue to work closely with our expert arm’s-length body UK Sport to explore future hosting opportunities that will strengthen the UK’s major events pipeline. The UK has already secured a strong pipeline of events over the coming years, including the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, the Grand Départ for the Tour De France and the Tour de France Femmes in 2027 and the UEFA 2028 European Championships.

Media and Sport, how many appointments have been made to the Boards of her Department's public bodies since 10 July 2024.

Since 10 July 2024, 114 regulated appointments and reappointments have been made to the Boards of the Department for Culture, Media & Sport’s public bodies.

Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the Creative Industries Sector Plan in helping creative businesses in Northern Ireland.

The Creative Industries Sector Plan was announced in June and contains ambitious proposals to bolster growth in the creative industries across the UK. The Sector Plan highlights Belfast & Derry/Londonderry as a high potential cluster for creative industries growth and recognises their unique investment offer. UK wide activity outlined in the Sector Plan includes increased funding to the UKRI Creative Industries Clusters Programme, increased access to support from the British Business Bank and increased exporting support from UK Export Finance. DCMS is committed to working with the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure creative businesses benefit from this activity. Northern Ireland has a thriving screen sector. DCMS will continue to work with the Northern Ireland Executive to support this sector, including continued annual funding from the UK Government, through the British Film Institute, to Northern Ireland Screen to support the Irish Language and Ulster-Scots Broadcast Funds.

Media and Sport, for what reason the Natural History Museum informs potential customers in Northern Ireland that it is unable to ship to EU countries.

This is a matter for the Natural History Museum which is operationally independent of the Government. I understand that the Natural History Museum is aiming to resume e-commerce sales to Northern Ireland in the near future.

Media and Sport, if she will have discussions with the Director General of the BBC on increasing locally (a) produced and (b) sourced (i) radio and (ii) television output.

Under its current Charter, the BBC has an obligation to ‘reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all of the United Kingdom’s nations and regions’. Ofcom sets specific obligations for the BBC on programme making in the nations and regions including requiring that at least 50% of network TV programme hours and production spend must be made outside the M25, and 30% of relevant radio spend outside the M25. The BBC is operationally and editorially independent of the Government in determining how it meets its obligations, and it is subsequently for the independent regulator Ofcom to hold the BBC to account in meeting those obligations. BBC reporting shows it is consistently meeting or exceeding these quotas.The Secretary of State does not have specific plans to discuss this issue with the Director General. However, as part of the next Charter Review, the Government will engage with the BBC and others to consider how to ensure the BBC truly represents and delivers for every person in this country including to be more ambitious in growing our world-leading TV sector outside of London and the South East, and to commission content in every part of the country.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has approved a funding application for Basement Films Company in the last 12 months.

No. DCMS does not directly approve individual funding applications for film and television content. Our partners, including the British Film Institute (BFI), are responsible for implementing specific funding programmes. The BFI has advised they have no record of funding being awarded to this production company.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 May 2025 to Question 52581 on Broadcasting, whether her Department is responsible for initiating changes to OFCOM's oversight role.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has overall sponsorship responsibility for Ofcom. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport retains responsibility for broadcasting policy. This includes relevant legislation that sets out Ofcom’s duties regarding broadcasting regulation.

Media and Sport, if she will have urgent discussions with the Director General of the BBC on recent reports that a journalist with links to Hamas was used by the BBC to report on events in Gaza.

Under its Royal Charter, the BBC has a duty to provide accurate and impartial news and information. As the BBC is independent the Government does not intervene in the BBC’s day-to-day operational or editorial decisions.The Secretary of State meets regularly with the BBC to discuss a range of topics and when she met with the BBC Director General in February, they discussed the importance of the BBC in meeting its duty to provide accurate and impartial news and information. In taking forward that duty, the Government believes that it is absolutely fundamental that stories about the events in Gaza are told and heard, but are done so with the utmost care, transparency and sensitivity. It is essential that the BBC in particular maintains the highest standards of reporting.In addition, it is for Ofcom, the independent regulator, to ensure the BBC is fulfilling its obligations to audiences as outlined in the Charter.

Media and Sport, whether she plans to hold discussions with Ofcom on potential changes to its oversight role of the broadcast media.

Ofcom is the UK’s regulator for broadcasting and by law carries out its duties independently of the Government.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the BBC Board on the airing of the documentary entitled Gaza - How to survive a warzone.

It is essential that the BBC maintains the highest standards of reporting and governance that the public rightly expects. As set out her response to a recent Urgent Parliamentary Question, the Culture Secretary has spoken to the BBC Director General and expressed deep concern about the issues around their recent documentary on Gaza, and pressed for answers on the checks and due diligence that the BBC carried out. The Culture Secretary also subsequently discussed this matter with the BBC Chair where she sought assurances that no stone will be left unturned by the fact-finding review.While she appreciates that the BBC apologised for its failings, and the BBC Board acknowledged that the mistakes were “significant and damaging”, it is vital that the BBC now takes action so that trust is restored and a serious error of this magnitude is not repeated.Following requests, the BBC has provided the Secretary of State with further information on their approach to enhanced compliance procedures, and the Secretary of State will update Parliament in due course.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has funded the BBC Media Action charity in each of the last five years.

The BBC Media Action charity has not received funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in any of the last five years. Sources of funding for BBC Media Action can be found in their annual reports.

Media and Sport, what changes she plans to make to the support her Department offers for cultural activities involving children and young people by the end of this Parliament.

This government recognises the importance of access to cultural activities for children and young people. In summer, we will publish an ambitious new National Youth Strategy, co-produced with young people and the sector.In 2025/26, DCMS Programmes will create thousands of opportunities for young people to access enriching activities, including in the culture sector. In addition, 79% of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio Organisations are delivering activity for children and young peopleDCMS also supports the Department for Education’s expert-led, independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, launched in July last year, which seeks to deliver a broader curriculum so that children and young people do not miss out on subjects such as music, the arts and drama.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 July 2024 to Question 1466 on Sport: Public Appointments, what recent progress she has made on appointing people based in (a) Northern Ireland, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales to the boards of public bodies.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport remains committed to drawing upon the wealth of talent and experience across the whole of the United Kingdom when making appointments to the Boards of its Public Bodies. The Department is taking forward a number of new approaches to increase the awareness of Public Appointment opportunities and supporting candidates throughout the process.All DCMS Public Appointments are advertised on the HM Government Public Appointments Website. We welcome applications from people across the country, including those based in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with the BBC on (a) breaches of a broadcasting licence and (b) other matters raised in the report by Ofcom entitled Annual Report on the BBC 2023-2024, published on 2

The BBC has a duty to reflect, represent and serve the diverse communities of all of the United Kingdom’s nations and regions. We want it to reflect the full diversity of people, communities and experiences across the UK so that more people can see and he...

Media and Sport, if she will take steps to ensure the upcoming charter review of the BBC considers the transparency around the deployment of staff to cover overseas events including future US Presidential electio

The BBC is operationally and editorially independent from the Government and decisions about its coverage of US Presidential elections are therefore a matter for the BBC.The BBC has a duty to deliver impartial and accurate news coverage and content under ...

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Ofcom on (a) allegations that Channel One Russia Worldwide has breached the conditions of its TLCS licence and (b) the imposition of statutory sanctions on GB Ne

The Secretary of State has had no discussions with Ofcom regarding Channel One Russia Worldwide or the imposition of statutory sanctions on GB News.Ofcom is the UK’s regulator for broadcasting and by law carries out its duties independently of the Governm...

Media and Sport, what her planned timetable is for launching the next BBC charter review.

The next Charter Review has to ensure the BBC doesn’t just survive but thrives for decades to come. The existing Charter is due to expire on 31 December 2027. DCMS is in the early stages of preparation for the upcoming Charter Review, which we expect to l...

Media and Sport, with reference to the Answer of 10 January 2024 to Question 8935 on Culture: Disability, when she expects to receive the results of the pilot survey for young people on cultural activities for ch

The Youth participation pilot survey findings are due to be published in October 2024.

Media and Sport, if she will take steps to ensure that Northern Ireland is represented in future appointments within her remit.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is committed to drawing upon the wealth of talent and experience across the whole of the United Kingdom when making appointments to the Boards of its Public Bodies. The Secretary of State has made clear her commitment to appointing more people from outside of London and the South East; this includes increasing the number of appointments made to people in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.