Written questions by Rosindell.

Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to support to the charitable work of the Church of England.

For millions of people in this country, their faith and belief identity is a crucial part of their lives, and our nation is enriched by our diverse tapestry of faiths and beliefs. This government celebrates the central role of faith, including the Christian faith, in our national life. Churches, such as the Church of England, contain many Christians whose faith guides their moral outlook and inspires them to public service and helping those in need.This government is committed to harnessing the power of faith for national renewal, helping us to make progress against our missions. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is funding a number of cohesion and interfaith projects this financial year, including the Near Neighbours programme delivered by the Church Urban Fund, a charity affiliated with the Church of England.Over the last year, my own department has been delivering the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Energy Efficiency Scheme, which is a £25.5 million fund to support VCSE organisations across England to save money on energy bills. The fund was designed to help groups with rising energy costs and was targeted at those delivering key frontline services. Recipients of the fund have included over 40 churches and faith-based organisations.

Media and Sport, what steps she plans to take to support the maintenance of the architectural fabric of the Church of England beyond the expiration of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme in 2026.

In January this government announced that we would extend the Scheme for one year with an overall budget of £23 million in recognition of the importance of listed places of worship both in terms of heritage and to their local communities. Funding after March 2026 for all listed places of worship will be considered as we work through the output of the Spending Review and Departmental business planning process. Alongside the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme there are other sources of funding available for listed places of worship of all faiths via the Department’s Arm’s-Length Bodies. For example, the National Lottery Heritage Fund has committed to investing around £100m between 2023 and 2026 to support places of worship. This investment includes £15 million to support large-scale projects that tackle broad needs and challenges, fostering greater sustainability and security within the sector. Ongoing support for places of worship will also be provided through National Lottery Heritage Grants, helping to improve their condition and equip the sector with the expertise, people, and skills necessary to preserve this heritage for the future. Over the next three years, it is expected that approximately £85 million will be awarded to support this goal.

Media and Sport, how many meetings she has had with representatives from the library sector since the start of this Parliament.

Ministers and officials have had a number of meetings with library sector representatives. Details of ministerial meetings are published on a quarterly basis.

Media and Sport, how many public libraries she has visited since the start of this Parliament.

The Secretary of State's support of the public library sector was demonstrated in February 2025 when she announced a fourth round of the Libraries Improvement Fund worth £5.5 million to enable public library services across England to upgrade their physical and digital infrastructure to adapt to changing user needs.The Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism, Sir Chris Bryant MP, was the Minister with responsibility for libraries from 26 July 2024 to 31 March 2025. He contributed to the 25th anniversary of the Reading Agency’s Summer Reading Challenge, as well as The British Library’s National StartUp Day.After a change in the ministerial portfolios within DCMS, from 1 April 2025, Baroness Twycross has now taken up the role as Minister with responsibilities for libraries and she recently visited Harlesden and Willesden Green libraries.

Media and Sport, how many professional libraries have moved out of local authority control since 5 July 2024.

The Department does not currently hold this data. The Arts Council England Libraries Location Dataset 2024 which will contain information on static library closures and changes to the model of delivery of static libraries as of 31 December 2024 is due to be published shortly.

Media and Sport, how many public libraries have permanently closed since 5 July 2024.

The Department does not currently hold this data. The Arts Council England Libraries Location Dataset 2024 which will contain information on static library closures and changes to the model of delivery of static libraries as of 31 December 2024 is due to be published shortly.

Media and Sport, how many meetings she has had with representatives of Jewish communities since 5 July 2024.

Details of Ministers' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly on GOV.UK.

Media and Sport, how many meetings she has had with representatives of Muslim communities since 5 July 2024.

Details of Ministers' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly on GOV.UK.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has a strategy for the development of the public library sector.

The Minister for Gambling and Heritage is meeting with library sector organisations and leaders to discuss the challenges faced by public libraries and their thoughts on what government support would be helpful. Following this, the Minister will consider her priority policy areas in this remit.Officials also meet regularly with a variety of organisations in the public and private sectors to support the sector strategically. This includes working with Arts Council England, the development agency for libraries in England, on such issues as the collection of national data and other programmes to support the sector so that it is better placed to respond to the changing ways people are using them. On 20th February, the Secretary of State also announced a further £5.5 million of the Libraries Improvement Fund for 2025/26. DCMS has also invested in research to investigate the main reasons why people do not use or engage with libraries and understand potential effective policy interventions that could be deployed by local or national government to promote library usage.

Media and Sport, if she has made an assessment of the potential impact of public library closures on the (a) educational and (b) social opportunities for local residents.

All local authorities have a statutory duty to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. Public libraries are funded by local authorities and each local authority is responsible for determining how best to meet the needs of its communities and deliver its statutory duty within available resources.Where local authorities are proposing changes to its statutory library service provision, including closures, DCMS expects the local authority to be able to demonstrate that proposals are supported by an assessment of local needs, together with a rigorous analysis and assessment of the potential impact of their proposals and a demonstration of the steps to be taken to mitigate the impact.The Secretary of State has a statutory power to intervene by way of local inquiry if she considers that a local authority is not providing a comprehensive and efficient library service. She takes this role very seriously and should a complaint be received, Ministers will challenge the local council and carefully consider evidence before deciding if a local inquiry is needed.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support the tourism sector.

The British tourism industry is worth £58 billion to the economy and employs millions of people around the country. The Government is implementing a range of measures to support the sector and maximise its benefits for local economies, including working with VisitBritain to champion visits to Britain to a worldwide audience through its ‘Starring Great Britain’ campaign.Since 2022, DCMS has delivered significant reform of destination management devolving accountability to a regional and local level to promote regional growth. We now have a network of 41 Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) across England and two Regional Destination pilots in the North East and West Midlands. In March, we announced a £1.35 million funding boost to help the Destination pilots attract even more tourists and investment to the UK over the next year.The newly established Visitor Economy Advisory Council brings together industry leaders, regional voices and expert advisers to do far more that will attract overseas and overseas visitors and unlock growth. The Council will co-design and deliver a new growth strategy that will meet my ambition to welcome 50 million inbound visitors a year by 2030, as part of this Government’s Plan for Change.

Media and Sport, how many meetings she has had with representatives from Christian denominations since 5 July 2024.

Details of Ministers' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly on GOV.UK.

Media and Sport, what the process was for deciding the allocation of seating in the VIP box for the VE concert at Horse Guards Parade on 8 May 2025.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) managed the allocation of seating for the VE Day 80 concert on Horse Guards Parade.For the VIP area, DCMS prioritised representatives from key stakeholder organisations, including veterans' groups, the Armed Forces, Parliament, and partners involved in the VE Day 80 commemorations. Consideration was also given to accessibility and operational requirements, protocol, ensuring appropriate and inclusive representation from across the UK and Commonwealth.Allocations in the Royal Box followed established protocol and precedence and included members of the Royal Household, veterans and their companions, senior Cabinet Ministers, Service Chiefs and other senior delivery partners.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to celebrate the feast day of Saint George in 2025.

I refer the Hon member to my answer to PQ 38000 answered on the 26th March. In addition to the regular annual celebrations of St George’s Day, this year St George’s Day marked the 250th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Mallord William Turner, which has been celebrated in many museums and galleries up and down the country.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking with local authorities to help improve swimming facilities in (a) Romford constituency and (b) England.

The Government recognises that sports facilities, in communities up and down the country, help to support more people to get active wherever they live.The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure swimming facilities lies at local authority level. We are committed to supporting Local Government, recognising the significant financial challenges faced by the sector and by ensuring that funding goes to the places that need it most through the Local Government Finance Settlement.The Government encourages local authorities to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities (including swimming pools) for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities. This is complemented by the support and guidance available through the Government’s Arm’s Length Body, Sport England.

Media and Sport, what information her Department holds on the number of TV license payers in each of the last five years.

The BBC is responsible for collection of the TV licence via TV Licensing. TV Licensing publishes the number of licences in force in its Annual Review, which can be found here: https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/about/our-performance-AB6

Media and Sport, how many public libraries have closed in each of the last ten years.

DCMS estimates the number of static libraries that have permanently closed (and not been replaced by or relocated to a new static library) in England in each of the last 10 years is as follows: Calendar YearEstimated Permanent Static Library Closures2014720151920162020173520182620191720201420211720221720239This data is DCMS estimates based upon Arts Council England’s basic library dataset for 2023. The ACE dataset details the status (statutory and non-statutory) and operational models of each library including whether they are local authority run, community run, commissioned by the local authority to a separate trust or organisation, or delivered by alternative methods. The dataset can be found at the following link: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/supporting-arts-museums-and-libraries/supporting-librariesACE’s 2024 basic library dataset is due to be published shortly.

Media and Sport, what steps she has taken to celebrate the feast day of Saint Patrick in 2025.

I refer the Hon member to my answer to PQ 38000 answered on the 26th March. In addition to the regular annual celebrations of St George’s Day, this year St George’s Day marked the 250th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Mallord William Turner, which has been celebrated in many museums and galleries up and down the country.

Media and Sport, what steps she has taken to celebrate the feast day of Saint Andrew in 2025.

I refer the Hon member to my answer to PQ 38000 answered on the 26th March. In addition to the regular annual celebrations of St George’s Day, this year St George’s Day marked the 250th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Mallord William Turner, which has been celebrated in many museums and galleries up and down the country.

Media and Sport, what steps she has taken to celebrate the feast day of Saint David in 2025.

I refer the Hon member to my answer to PQ 38000 answered on the 26th March. In addition to the regular annual celebrations of St George’s Day, this year St George’s Day marked the 250th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Mallord William Turner, which has been celebrated in many museums and galleries up and down the country.