Committee publication · Correspondence · 22 April 2025

Letter from Rt Hon Lisa Nandy MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, regarding the Spending Review, dated 1 April 2025

From: Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Inquiry: The work of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Summary

Secretary of State Lisa Nandy declines to disclose the DCMS Spending Review submission to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee ahead of the final SR25 settlement on 11 June 2025. She states that departmental submissions are confidential policy development documents and their disclosure could prejudice the review outcome. The committee will be able to scrutinise the final agreed settlement once presented to Parliament.

Key findings

  • DCMS will not disclose its Spending Review submission to the committee, citing risk of prejudicing the review outcome and inhibiting free and frank advice across Treasury, No10 and DCMS.
  • Final SR25 settlements will be presented to Parliament on 11 June 2025, at which point the committee can scrutinise policy impacts and outcomes.
  • The government views DCMS sectors as crucial to the national growth mission and improving living standards.
  • Spending Reviews are whole-of-government exercises with departmental submissions as only one input; final outcomes are collectively agreed by Cabinet.

Tone

Procedural

Topics

public-financegovernment-transparencyspending-review

Key actors

Lisa Nandy MP, Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Culture, Media and Sport Committee, HM Treasury, Cabinet

Notable line

DCMS will not disclose the content of the SR submission to the Culture …

Key Quotes

This government considers DCMS sectors to be crucial to the national growth mission and to improving living standards in our villages, towns and cities.
Lisa Nandy MP · Setting out the government's priorities for culture, media and sport
Given the information in departments' submissions relates to the development of government policy across the Treasury, No10 and DCMS as part of the Spending Review process, its disclosure may inhibit free and frank advice and discussion on the policy in question.
Lisa Nandy MP · Justifying the refusal to disclose the submission
The final SR25 settlements will be presented to Parliament in the usual way on 11 June
Lisa Nandy MP · Indicating when the final outcome will be available for scrutiny
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Source · parliament.uk record ↗