Written questions by Mierlo.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 17th February 2026 to questions 112546 and 112547 on listed places of worship, if he will provide a target date for the publication of the guidance for applicants of the scheme.

Further details regarding the eligibility criteria and application process for the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund will be published in due course. We are not yet in a position to confirm a date for the publication of this guidance.

Media and Sport, whether the Places of Worship Renewal Fund will support energy efficiency improvements such as low carbon heating and lighting systems.

Further details regarding the eligibility criteria and application process for the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund will be published in due course.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme on community services hosted by places of worship, including (a) food banks, (b) youth groups and (c) after school clubs.

DCMS conducted an evaluation of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which included an extensive survey of current and past scheme users and is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-the-listed-places-of-worship-scheme-final-report.The evaluation did not specifically assess the impact of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme on community services hosted by places of worship, including (a) food banks, (b) youth groups and (c) after school clubs. However, we are aware that grants from the scheme will have enabled many recipients to continue to provide these vital community services.Our evaluation showed that while it had many benefits, 80% of respondents said that they would still have carried out the work without the rebate. As we look towards a new fiscal period and the evolving needs of our community, it is essential that government support is deployed to the areas where it can have the greatest impact and where it is needed most. That is why over the next four years, the Places of Worship Renewal Fund will invest £92 million capital funding into listed places of worship, some of which host these community services.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to prevent funding gaps during the transition from the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme to the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund.

The Places of Worship Renewal Fund will provide an equivalent overall level of financial support to that provided by the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, £23 million per annum. The new Places of Worship Renewal Fund is a capital fund providing grants upfront, which in some cases, may award a greater proportion of the project costs than what would have previously been received through the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. We are aware of concerns regarding the transition between the two schemes. Guidance, including eligibility criteria and application process on the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund, will be published in due course.

Media and Sport, whether the Places of Worship Renewal Fund will provide (a) equivalent to and (b) greater financial support than the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme; and what steps she is taking to ensure transitional funding for places of worship.

The Places of Worship Renewal Fund will provide an equivalent overall level of financial support to that provided by the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, £23 million per annum. The new Places of Worship Renewal Fund is a capital fund providing grants upfront, which in some cases, may award a greater proportion of the project costs than what would have previously been received through the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. We are aware of concerns regarding the transition between the two schemes. Guidance, including eligibility criteria and application process on the new Places of Worship Renewal Fund, will be published in due course.

Media and Sport, what plans the Government has to meet with the victims of press abuse who have written to the Government to request a meeting.

The Leveson Inquiry led to changes in the regulatory system of the press, which included the creation of the Press Recognition Panel, by Royal Charter and two new press regulators, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) and the Independent Monitor of the Press (Impress). This is a self-regulatory system, which was established to be independent from Government and protect press freedom. We are also clear, however, that with this freedom comes responsibility. Publishers must operate within the bounds of the law and set and uphold high professional and ethical standards.The news landscape has changed substantially over the past decade, and looking ahead, we want to maintain press freedom, whilst being clear the public must be protected from the harm caused by clear instances of intrusion and harassment. The Government is carefully considering next steps to determine the best route forward to ensure public trust and accountability in our evolving news media.Ministers and officials working in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport regularly engage with stakeholders on a range of press-related issues. Details of ministerial meetings are published on a quarterly basis on Gov.uk. The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has previously met with families who have experienced press intrusion. She remains committed to considering the issues they have raised.

Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with Ofcom on the effectiveness of the regulatory principles used to determine if an investigation should be carried out into comments made by media outlets.

Ofcom, by law, carries out its investigations independently of the Government. Ofcom is accountable to Parliament, and the standards and objectives which underpin Ofcom’s rules and procedures are set out in legislation. Decisions over whether or not to investigate particular media outlets, and how they do that, are rightly a matter for Ofcom.

Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with the BBC Board on the UK's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest in the context of Israel's participation.

The BBC is operationally and editorially independent from the Government. Therefore, the Government cannot intervene in the BBC’s day-to-day operations including on editorial matters.Decisions on who to include in international events and competitions are for the organisers to take, within the framework of their own rules and regulations. It is for the EBU, in consultation with its members, to decide which countries are allowed to participate in Eurovision.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with British Rowing on ensuring the safety of British athletes.

The safety, wellbeing and welfare of everyone taking part in sport is absolutely paramount. National Governing Bodies (NGBs) are responsible for the regulation of their sports and for ensuring that appropriate measures are in place to protect participants from harm.The Government is aware of the deeply concerning recent media reports in relation to rowing. We have not spoken directly to British Rowing, but have raised this with UK Sport and Sport England, who are both monitoring the situation. UK Sport has also confirmed they are in contact with British Rowing and encourage any member of staff or athlete on Olympic and Paralympic performance programmes to report allegations of unacceptable behaviour to Sport Integrity, their confidential reporting line.

Media and Sport, when she plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Henley and Thame of 13 March 2025 on the honours list.

A response was sent to the hon. Member for Henley and Thame on Monday 9th June 2025. I apologise for the delay.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with local authorities on the availability of books in public libraries which feature (a) characters, (b) storylines, (c) lives and (d) the history of the LGBTQ+ community.

The Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 requires all local authorities to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service. Public libraries are funded by local authorities and each local authority is responsible for assessing the needs of their local communities and designing a library service to meet those needs within available resources.It is for each local authority to determine its stock management policy, including which books and other materials are made available for the benefit of its residents. We expect library collections to represent a variety of perspectives and topics.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2025 to Question 40119 on Members: Correspondence, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of a reduction in access to UK’s National Trails on the work of (a) VisitBritain and (b) VisitEngland.

DCMS has not specifically undertaken a formal assessment of the impact of any potential reduction in access to the UK’s National Trails on the work of VisitBritain or VisitEngland.However, we recognise that access to National Trails plays a role in supporting rural tourism and promoting the natural and cultural assets of England, which are central to the work of VisitEngland. VisitBritain also promotes outdoor and nature-based tourism as part of its international marketing activity to showcase the UK’s diverse visitor offer.While responsibility for public access and National Trails policy rests with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), DCMS continues to work closely with Local Visitor Economy Partnerships, including Experience Oxfordshire, to ensure England’s natural landscapes can support the growth of a sustainable and resilient visitor economy.

Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes to employer National Insurance contribution on (a) local animal shelters, (b) other small charities and (c) the whole charitable sector; and what steps she is taking to help mitigate the impact on that sector.

DCMS Ministers have met with representatives from the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector to discuss this issue and are aware of their concerns about the impacts of the increase to employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs). The government recognises the need to protect the smallest businesses and charities, which is why we have more than doubled the Employment Allowance to £10,500. This means that more than half of businesses (including charities) with NICs liabilities will either gain or see no change next year.We are also expanding eligibility of the Employment Allowance by removing the £100,000 eligibility threshold, to simplify and reform employer NICs so that all eligible employers now benefit. Businesses and charities will still be able to claim employer NICs reliefs including those for under 21s and under 25 apprentices, where eligible.Within the tax system, we provide support to charities through a range of reliefs and exemptions, including reliefs for charitable giving. More than £6 billion in charitable reliefs was provided to charities, Community Amateur Sports Clubs and their donors in 2023 to 2024. The biggest individual reliefs provided are Gift Aid at £1.6 billion and business rates relief at nearly £2.4 billion.

Media and Sport, when she plans to respond to the letter of 17 February 2025 from the hon. Member for Henley and Thame on the ongoing closure of the Thames Path National Trail at Marsh Lock near Henley on Thames.

This is not the responsibility of this Department and I gather the Member has already received a response from DEFRA.

Media and Sport, when she plans to respond to the letter of 4 February 2025 from the hon. Member for Henley and Thames on the Stop Killing Games Campaign.

My Department has provided a response to the Hon Member. The Government has also responded to a recent petition on this issue.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the level of financial support provided to (a) the River and Rowing museum in Henley-on-Thames and (b) other museums outside London.

We have made no such specific assessment about the River and Rowing museum, but we are keen to see museums outside London flourish. Funding is tight, but DCMS oversees the £86m Museum Estate and Development Fund (MEND), which invests in museum infrastructure nationally and the Chancellor announced a package of new cultural infrastructure funding at the Autumn Budget, to build on existing capital schemes. The Budget also recommitted to the cultural tax reliefs, which provide important revenue support for museums and arts organisations.