Written questions by Smart.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of public liability insurance requirements on volunteering opportunities for volunteers with repair and re-use expertise.

The government is committed to supporting volunteers, who play a vital role in supporting charities, strengthening communities, delivering services and driving positive change in local areas.Organisations have a dual responsibility to protect volunteers from harm and to secure indemnity against third-party claims arising from volunteer activities. While public liability insurance is a decision for individual organisations, the Charity Commission advises charities to provide volunteers with the same insurance protections as employees, extending standard Employers’ Liability and Public Liability policies to cover them.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to increase opportunities for skilled volunteers with repair and re-use expertise to help to reduce (a) waste and (b) public spending on repairs.

The Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy which will present an opportunity to create a more inclusive economy, building shared social and economic value for citizens, businesses and communities. The Government recognises that repair and reuse are fundamental tenets of any circular economy, and acknowledges the important role that skilled volunteers and community repair groups play in supporting repair and re‑use and in helping reduce waste. This will be considered within Defra’s forthcoming Circular Economy Growth Plan, which will outline how we will support the transition to a more circular economy.Volunteering and social action are a cornerstone of society, with more than half of England’s adult population volunteering at least once a year. In recognition of volunteering's vital role in communities, the Government is investing in a new open data infrastructure to make it easier for volunteers to find opportunities that align with their skills, expertise and routines. The Department is also supporting The Big Help Out 2026, which aims to make volunteering opportunities more accessible and inspire new volunteers.From 1 April 2026, the government will introduce a new VAT relief for businesses that donate goods to charities. This will help boost the supply of essential items to charities, enabling them to reach the people and communities who need them most. It will also make it easier for businesses to give surplus stock a second life, reducing waste and landfill.

Media and Sport, what is her planned timescale for further reviewing reform of annual society lottery licence limits.

Society lotteries are a vital fundraising tool for many charities, community groups, sports clubs and other non-commercial organisations. We want to see them continue to thrive, alongside the National Lottery.On 26 June 2025, the Government announced it would not be making further changes to society lottery limits, and has no plans to review this decision.

Media and Sport, when the Minister for Gambling plans to respond to the correspondence of 24 March 2025 from the hon. Member for Hazel Grove, Ref LS04145.

DCMS did not receive the Hon Member’s letter until her office was contacted on 23 July, on receipt of this question. Baroness Twycross replied via return letter, with reference MC2025/07636/GT, on 26 August. We apologise for the delay.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support local authorities to (a) maintain and (b) improve community leisure centres.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to leisure facilities which are vital spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and which play an important role within communities.The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level. We are committed to supporting Local Government, recognising the significant financial challenges faced by the sector, and that the public leisure sector plays an important role in the delivery of sport, physical activity and leisure.The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of funding allocated to local leisure facilities.

The Government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to leisure facilities which are vital spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and which play an important role within communities.The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level. We are committed to supporting Local Government, recognising the significant financial challenges faced by the sector, and that the public leisure sector plays an important role in the delivery of sport, physical activity and leisure.The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support young people in the music industry in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport.

The government is committed to extending music opportunities for young people across the UK. As part of this, in March, we launched a National Music Education Network to promote arts opportunities to children and young people, support excellent teacher training in the arts, and boost partnerships between schools and arts organisations.We are providing an additional £3m to expand the Creative Careers Programme (CCP) in 2025/26. Stockport has been identified as a priority area for the CCP, which seeks to boost opportunities and provide information on creative careers and pathways for young people aged 11 - 18 from backgrounds that are under-represented in the creative industries.The government has announced £2.5m of continued funding to Arts Council England (ACE)’s Supporting Grassroots Music Fund for 2025-26. In Stockport, The Strines Nightingale, which is based in Hazel Grove, has received £26,592 to allow them to expand their live music programming and improve their accessibility and infrastructure.Through ACE’s investment in National Portfolio organisations and through our Music Education Hub programme, we fund organisations that provide music education and opportunities to young people from every background and in the boroughs across Greater Manchester. Examples include Brighter Sound and Factory International, both of which are based in Manchester city but which have a number of programmes aimed at developing talent in the region.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2024 to Question 13614 on Arts: Finance, what progress her Department has made on ensuring that artists and creators are appropriately remunerated for the use of their works.

This government is committed to ensuring that all creators receive the recognition, respect, and fair compensation they rightfully deserve for their work, while also fostering an environment that enables the creative industries to flourish, innovate, and sustain long-term success.We also recognise the principle that rights holders should have control over and seek payment for their work, including when thinking about the role of AI. The current UK Copyright Framework enables creative right holders to prevent the use of protected works, but we are aware that this can be difficult to implement in the context of AI, especially for individual firms and creators.Our consultation on the impact of AI on the copyright regime, which closed on 25 February, received over 11,500 responses. We will now consider the full range of responses and will continue to develop our policy approach in partnership with creative industries, media and AI stakeholders. Addressing this is an urgent priority for the government, but no decisions will be taken until we are confident we have a practical plan that delivers for the creative industries.On music streaming, we are continuing to engage with stakeholders across the music industry. This includes through the Creator Remuneration Working Group, which is dedicated to pursuing industry initiatives in this area. The group has convened four times so far, most recently in February, and is set to meet again in the coming weeks.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support grassroots music venues in Greater Manchester.

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. We welcome steps taken by industry to set up a charitable trust to distribute funds from the ticket levy, and commitments made by artists to support grassroots music.The government has announced £2.5m of continued funding for the Arts Council England’s (ACE) Supporting Grassroots Music Fund (SGMF) for 2025-26. This enables grassroots music venues, recording studios, promoters and festivals to apply for grants of up to £40k to develop new revenue streams, make repairs and improvements, and enhance the live music experience for fans.Through the SGMF, ACE has provided funding to support various music venues in Manchester, such as Matt and Phreds, who have received funding to upgrade equipment and develop a new website for streaming. The Snug in Atherton received £40k to launch The Early Doors Club, bringing high-quality events to local audiences, and in Stockport, The Strines Nightingale secured £26k to expand live programming and enhance accessibility.

Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to enable the completion of projects (a) partly and (b) fully funded through the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme that are (i) soon-to-start and (ii) part of phased work commenced prior to the changes to that scheme.

The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme gives grants covering VAT costs only on repairs of over £1,000 to listed buildings used as places of worship.Guidance has now been published on changes to the Scheme from 1 April 2025.Listed places of worship with ongoing projects should ensure that all claims for work already carried out are submitted before or at 23:59 on 31 March 2025. They can submit invoices after this, but the £25,000 cap applies to all claims submitted from 00:00 on 1 April 2025 regardless of when the work was carried out.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reducing funding for the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme on levels of economic growth.

DCMS Ministers received advice on changes to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, including consideration of the potential impacts of various options to scale the scheme. We believe that the changes announced will continue the widest distribution of the scheme’s benefits within the available means. Based on previous scheme data, we expect 94% of claims to be unaffected by this change.

Media and Sport, whether her Department produced an impact assessment prior to the announcement of changes to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.

DCMS Ministers received advice on changes to the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme including careful consideration of the impacts of the changes.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the scheduled ending of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme in March 2025 on local projects aimed at restoring listed places of worship; and what alternative sources of support her Department plans to provide to ensure the continued preservation and restoration of historic buildings.

The Department monitors the implementation and impact of the grant scheme through the regular reporting of the grant administrator. Since 2010, the grant scheme has returned over £350 million to listed places of worship. We are aware of the importance of the scheme to local projects and listed places of worship across the UK.Departmental settlements have been set following the Budget announcement on October 30. We will announce the outcomes of the Business Planning process, including for the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme soon.