Written questions by Shannon.

Media and Sport, what recent steps her Department has taken to support community theatres.

Community theatres are an important part of the UK’s cultural ecosystem, and play a vital role in cultivating the creators and audiences of the future. They are the places where many actors, directors and designers learn their craft, and people experience their first live performance. Community theatres make a key contribution to their local communities, culturally, socially, and economically.The government supports theatres predominantly through Arts Council England. Through their main funding programme, the 2023-2027 National Portfolio Investment Programme, ACE is providing over £100m in grants per year to around 195 theatres across the country.Across all their funding programmes, including lottery schemes, for the financial year 2024-25, ACE awarded around £300 million to theatres/theatre based organisations.Whilst all funded theatres play a key role in supporting local communities and engaging local audiences, ACE has funded work specifically with a community focus, and has awarded circa £10m to community based theatre projects through National Lottery Project Grants over 2024/2025.Community theatres also benefit from the support that the government provides the sector through Theatre Tax Relief (TTR). Since TTR was introduced in 2014, companies have made claims in relation to 24,700 productions and £645 million has been paid out.The government has also recently announced over £270 million investment for our arts venues, museums, libraries and our heritage sector.Community theatres are also supported through the work of the Theatres Trust, a DCMS arms-length body and the national advisory and advocacy organisation for theatres, which offers advice, skills support through its Sector Skills Bank, and has grant-giving programmes. The Theatres Trust awarded Community theatres £200,000 from 2021-2024.

Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with Northern Ireland Screen on funding for (a) television series and (b) films made in Northern Ireland.

I have had no such specific discussions, but the Government supports film and TV production across the UK, including in Northern Ireland, through screen sector tax reliefs and the UK Global Screen Fund. The British Film Institute (BFI) works in partnership with Northern Ireland Screen on the BFI’s Film Audience Network and the BFI’s Northern Ireland Skills Cluster.DCMS has funded the British Film Commission (BFC) with £6m over five years to support the growth of seven geographic production hubs across the UK. Through this, the BFC has provided ongoing support for Northern Ireland’s expanding studio infrastructure, including support to four key studios: Belfast Harbour, Titanic, Loop and Silverwood.The BBC, ITV and Channel 4 have all commissioned critically acclaimed television programmes set and produced in Northern Ireland. This includes Blue Lights, Breathtaking and Trespasses. The Government wants broadcasters, and other commissioners, to be more ambitious in growing the sector outside of London and the South East and to commission content from every part of the country, so that British storytelling reflects the full diversity of people, communities and experiences across the UK.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of recent increases to TV license fees.

The obligations placed on the BBC, and the public service it provides to the country, show the need for continued, sustainable public funding to support its vital work.The government has committed to retaining the licence fee for the remainder of the Charter Period. The level of the fee will increase by £5 per household to £174.50 in April 2025, rising in line with inflation as required by the 2022 Licence Fee Settlement. This uplift provides certainty and stability for the BBC and S4C, and supports them in delivering their essential public services remits and world-class educational and engaging programming, while also ensuring we deliver the best outcomes for licence fee payers.Reflecting our understanding of the pressures on households, this government has taken action to expand the Simple Payment Plan to help more households facing financial hardship pay their TV licence.

Media and Sport, what progress she has made on the allocation of dormant assets in the last 12 months.

To date, the Dormant Assets Scheme has unlocked over £1 billion of dormant assets which The National Lottery Community Fund distributes across the UK. DCMS is responsible for the English portion and recently announced that the next £350 million tranche of funding for England would be split equally between youth, financial inclusion, social investment and community wealth funds. The relevant Devolved Governments are responsible for their own portion.To date, a total of £25 million has been allocated to the Northern Ireland Dormant Assets programme to build capacity, resilience and sustainability in the third sector. Over £3 million has been committed in FY24/25 to support smaller and underrepresented community groups to build their capacity. Discussions are underway regarding the deployment of the next phase of dormant assets funding in Northern Ireland, which is expected to be launched in due course.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help support small music venues.

The Government response to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee's report on grassroots music venues sets out our commitment to working with the sector to support the sustainability of the entire music ecosystem. In particular, the Government is urging the live music industry to introduce a voluntary levy on tickets for stadium and arena shows, to help safeguard the future of the grassroots music sector.The Government has also announced £2.5m of continued funding for the Arts Council England’s Supporting Grassroots Music Fund for 2025-26. This enables grassroots music venues, recording studios, promoters and festivals to apply for grants of up to £40,000 to develop new revenue streams, make repairs and improvements, and enhance the live music experience for music lovers across the UK.

Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to support young men at (a) schools and (b) universities who are gambling online.

We are committed to protecting children and young people from gambling harm. In December last year, the Government laid a draft regulation introducing new stake limits for online slots games, including a lower stake limit of £2 for adults aged 18 to 24.We are introducing a statutory levy to be paid by gambling operators raising funding for research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harms. The levy will play an important part in the Government’s wider aim to have a better informed and protected public when it comes to gambling-related harms. The government also continues to support the NHS National Gambling Clinic which provides treatment for adults and children experiencing gambling harm.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support freedom of religion or belief for athletes.

Sport must be open to everyone. The UK will continue to champion freedom of religion or belief for all, both at home and abroad. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in.The Government expects sports bodies in the UK to take robust action to tackle discrimination whenever and wherever it occurs. The Government will continue to work with National Governing Bodies and sector organisations to fight all forms of discrimination at all levels of sport.We are working to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief through our positions at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora and in our important bilateral work. Ministers regularly engage with their French counterparts on a broad range of issues.

Media and Sport, if she will make representations with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development to her French counterpart on the impact of the hijab ban in sports in France on freedom of religion or belief.

Sport must be open to everyone. The UK will continue to champion freedom of religion or belief for all, both at home and abroad. No one should live in fear because of what they do or do not believe in.The Government expects sports bodies in the UK to take robust action to tackle discrimination whenever and wherever it occurs. The Government will continue to work with National Governing Bodies and sector organisations to fight all forms of discrimination at all levels of sport.We are working to uphold the right to freedom of religion or belief through our positions at the UN, G7 and other multilateral fora and in our important bilateral work. Ministers regularly engage with their French counterparts on a broad range of issues.

Media and Sport, what support her Department has offered grassroots football clubs in the last 12 months.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, has access to and benefits from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.We are acting to support more people in getting onto the pitch wherever they live via the Mu...

Media and Sport, if she will take steps to widen the eligibility criteria for a (a) free and (b) discounted TV licence.

As part of the next Charter Review, the government will engage with the BBC and others to consider how to ensure the BBC thrives well into the next decade and beyond. This will include discussions on a range of important issues, including how we ensure th...

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of reports that the sport of shooting has not been selected for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

The sporting programme for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, and the recent decision not to include shooting as a sport, is a matter for the Commonwealth Games Federation and Commonwealth Games Scotland.Shooting has been an optional sport for Commonwea...

Media and Sport, if she will make an estimate of the amount of money (a) spent and (b) lost on illegal gambling sites in each of the last five years.

The issue of illegal gambling is a concern for this Government and we are committed to working closely with the Gambling Commission, the statutory regulator for gambling in Great Britain, to ensure that illegal gambling, in all its forms, is addressed. Th...

Media and Sport, what recent discussion she had with the BBC on decriminalising non-payment of the TV license fee.

The Culture Secretary believes it is important that the television licence fee has a fair enforcement regime that does not disproportionately impact vulnerable people, and has discussed her concerns on this issue with the BBC’s leadership.As part of the n...

Media and Sport, if she will undertake a review of the BBC licence fee in the context of changing viewing habits of the public.

The Government is committed to the licence fee for the remainder of the current Charter period. The Government will keep an open mind about the future of the licence fee, and will engage with the BBC and other relevant stakeholders before deciding on next steps.