Written questions by Shannon.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of access to sports facilities for people living in rural communities.

The Government is committed to ensure everyone, regardless of where they live, should have access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities.That is why we provide the majority of support for grassroots sports through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. They invest in over 90 Place Partnerships in various locations across the country, including in rural areas, to promote sport and physical activity.In addition, on 27 January, the Government announced that £85 million of the £400 million package for grassroots sport facilities will be invested in during 2026/27, funding the continuation of the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme. In Northern Ireland specifically, £2.775 million will be invested through the programme. This funding is designed to increase participation opportunities and benefit the areas most in need, with 50% investment going to the 30% most deprived areas in the UK.

Media and Sport, what support programmes exist to encourage greater participation in the arts among young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of rising energy costs on theatres and performing arts venues.

Awaiting answer.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with national governing bodies of sport on safeguarding standards in youth sport.

The safety and wellbeing of everyone taking part in sport is absolutely paramount. Sport England and UK Sport (DCMS’s Arm’s Length Bodies for sport) require National Governing Bodies (NGBs) to adopt and implement safeguarding policies and practices as a condition of public funding. Both organisations provide support to the sport and physical activity sector around safeguarding, including funding the Ann Craft Trust and the NSPCC’s Child Protection in Sport Unit who provide safeguarding standards and guidance.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the level of the contribution of the UK creative industries to economic growth.

DCMS Economic Estimates provide accredited official statistics on the contribution of the creative industries to the UK economy over time, measured by Gross Value Added (GVA). In 2024, the creative industries contributed an estimated £145.8 billion in GVA to the UK economy. The sector grew by 4.6% between 2023 and 2024 - more than four times the growth rate of the overall UK economy (1.0%) during the same period. In the longer term, from 2010 to 2024 creative industries GVA grew faster than the UK economy (60.3% vs 24.3%). In 2024, the creative industries accounted for approximately 5.6% of the total UK GVA, compared to 4.7% in 2010.

Media and Sport, what steps are being taken to support freelance workers in the creative sector.

The self-employed workforce is crucial to the success of the UK's world-leading creative industries, which employ nearly twice the number of self-employed workers as a proportion of the workforce compared to the rest of the economy. We understand that many self-employed workers in the creative industries desire greater job security. That is why we committed in the Creative Industries Sector Plan to appoint a Freelance Champion, who will advocate for the creative sector’s freelancers within government and be a member of the Creative Industries Council. More broadly, with the Employment Rights Act we have committed to helping the self-employed thrive in good quality work through additional measures to strengthen protections - including the extension of health and safety and blacklisting protections, and right to a written contract. The Government has also announced measures to address the misuse of non-disclosure agreements by employers to silence workplace harassment and abuse, and a power to extend the protections to wider groups than employees and workers.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to improve participation in sport among women and girls.

The Government is committed to ensuring that as many women and girls as possible have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities. The Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding each year to help people get active. Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign, run by our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, has inspired millions of women and girls to get active. 1.6 million more women are expected to be active as a result of the campaign by 2028. Since summer 2024, the Government has also provided £6.7 million into the Women’s Rugby World Cup Legacy Programme, Impact ‘25, which has benefited 850 clubs across the country. These clubs have received investment which goes towards supporting girls of all ages to get involved in rugby.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with Ofcom on the implementation of new online safety duties for social media platforms.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of qualified teachers for modern foreign languages in secondary schools.

Awaiting answer.

Media and Sport, what recent estimate she has made of trends in the level of online scams targeting elderly people.

Awaiting answer.

What recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the use of mobile phones in classrooms on pupil (a) attainment and (b) behaviour.

Awaiting answer.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help support independent television production companies with their production costs.

Awaiting answer.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the sustainability of local journalism.

Awaiting answer.

Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to improve digital literacy among young people to help them identify online misinformation.

Awaiting answer.

What steps her Department is taking to support universities with financial sustainability.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What additional funding has been allocated to local authorities to support pupils with special educational needs in the last three years.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What steps her Department is taking to improve ventilation and air quality in school buildings.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

How many students from disadvantaged backgrounds entered higher education in the most recent academic year.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What the most recent national rate of persistent pupil absence is in state-funded schools.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What steps she is taking to support schools in tackling pupil absenteeism.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.