Written questions by Hayes.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support local media in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

Sustainability of local journalism across the country is an area of particular concern for this Government, including in South Holland and the Deepings and more broadly across Lincolnshire. The Government understands the important work that local news does across the UK, including outlets such as the Spalding Guardian and the Lincolnshire Echo. We are developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of this vital sector. Our vision is a thriving local media that can continue to play an invaluable role as a key channel of trustworthy information at local level, reporting on the issues that matter to communities, reflecting their contributions and perspectives, and helping to foster a self-confident nation in which everyone feels that their contribution is part of an inclusive national story.We are working across Government and with other stakeholders as the Strategy develops. DCMS ministers held a roundtable discussion with local news editors in the spring to discuss the planned approach and collaboration with industry on the Strategy. An industry working group has since been set up to consider the issues in more detail and has been meeting regularly since June. More will be announced on the Strategy in the coming months.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that critical services continue to operate in the event of a major internet outage.

DCMS has established business continuity and IT service continuity arrangements to sustain critical services during severe disruption, including a major internet outage. The business continuity function works closely with key stakeholders to regularly test arrangements across a range of scenarios.

Media and Sport, how many (a) museums, (b) local arts and (c) cultural organisations have received funding from Arts Council England in (i) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (ii) Lincolnshire.

Between 2022-2025 four museums and nine arts and cultural organisations in the South Holland and The Deepings constituency received Arts Council England funding totalling £2,141,302. This includes a £1.8 million Museum Estate and Development Fund award to Spalding Gentlemen’s Society in 2024 towards the museum’s refurbishment and expansion.Arts Council England funding in Lincolnshire, awarded between 2018 and 2025, totalled £20,184,867. This funding was distributed to 88 arts and cultural organisations, including 1 museum and Lincolnshire County Council, which is designated as a museum National Portfolio Organisation.Further specific information can be found on the Arts Council England website at https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/research-and-data/our-data

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of gambling adverts on people living in Lincolnshire

The Government is clear that wherever gambling advertising appears, it must be socially responsible. There are a number of robust measures in place to regulate advertising, designed to protect children and vulnerable adults from harm. Additionally, we have set the gambling industry a clear task to further raise standards to ensure that gambling advertising is appropriate, responsible, and does not exacerbate harm. The Government monitors the best available evidence from a wide range of sources to aid our assessment of the impact of gambling advertising at a national level. Developing quality evidence in this area is a key priority for the new statutory gambling levy. Twenty percent of funding will be directed towards high quality, independent research to fill gaps in the evidence base on gambling-related harm. We will continue to monitor the developments in the evidence and take action where appropriate.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of leisure facilities available for disabled people in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

The Government believes that opportunities to play sport and get physically active should be available to everyone. In June, we committed another £400 million to transform sports facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We will ensure that this funding promotes health, wellbeing and community cohesion and helps to remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups, including disabled people. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK. The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. 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, pursuant to the Answer of 1 September 2025 to Question 73844 on Social media, how much her Department has spent on promotion through social media influencers by influencer since July 2024.

The Department works with content creators who are vital trusted voices to help us reach hard-to-reach audiences with government campaign messaging. For example, earlier this year, the Department worked with four social media influencers to promote the National Youth Strategy's survey for young people. We are however unable to provide a cost breakdown on influencers specifically due to commercial sensitivities which could prejudice commercial interests. All spend in these areas are subject to the standard value for money assessments.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to (a) promote and (b) support the participation of young people in (i) charities and (ii) the voluntary sector in Lincolnshire.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities. High-quality, inclusive facilities, including curling rinks, help people get active.In June, we committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. This funding will be invested in new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities that promote health and wellbeing and remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help improve access to sport for children from disadvantaged backgrounds in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

Every child should have the opportunity to play sport and do regular physical activity including those from disadvantaged backgrounds.The Prime Minister recently announced a new School Sport Partnerships approach and a new Enrichment Framework for schools to ensure all young people have equal access to high-quality sport and extracurricular activity. The ongoing independent expert-led review of the curriculum will ensure that all children can engage with a broad range of subjects, including PE and sport.On 20 June 2025, the Culture Secretary announced that following the Spending Review, at least £400 million is going to be invested into new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities in communities right across the UK, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what each community needs, including for children and young people, and will then set out further plans.In the last financial year, 2024-25, Sport England, our Arm’s Length Body for community sport, invested £43,803 into South Holland and the Deepings constituency and £1,924,805 into Lincolnshire to improve access to sport and physical activity.I met with Sir John Hayes and Deepings Leisure Centre Community Group in July this year to discuss grassroots sport and facilities provision in his constituency.

Media and Sport, how many days the Union Flag was flown on her Department's main sites in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025 to date.

The Union Flag has flown every day from a flagpole on the 1 Horse Guards Road side of DCMS’ main site at Government Offices Great George Street throughout 2024 and to date in 2025.

Media and Sport, what plans her Department has to support the (a) maintenance and (b) operation of swimming facilities in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, with funding levels set as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. 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.In June, we committed another £400 million to transform sports facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We will ensure that this funding promotes health, wellbeing and community cohesion and helps to remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, before setting out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.I met with Sir John Hayes and Deepings Leisure Centre Community Group in July this year to discuss grassroots sport and facilities provision in his constituency.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Sport England in supporting grassroots sport in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

In the last financial year, 2024-25, Sport England invested £43,803 into South Holland and the Deepings constituency and £1,924,805 into Lincolnshire to improve access to sport and physical activity.A large part of Sport England’s work focuses on their place partnerships work, where they work with local areas to understand and overcome the specific barriers to sport and physical activity in communities. Boston and East Lindsey in Lincolnshire are two of Sport England’s place partnerships.I met with Sir John Hayes and Deepings Leisure Centre Community Group in July this year to discuss grassroots sport and facilities provision in his constituency.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024. Influencers can be effective in reaching audiences that the Government and traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.

Media and Sport, how much the Charity Commission has spent on equipment to enable staff to work from home in each of the last three years.

The Charity Commission for England and Wales promotes hybrid working arrangements. Equipment provided to staff (such as laptops) are used for both office working and home working.The Charity Commission publishes an Annual Report that lists a summary of spending for that year on the Commission’s property and equipment assets.All the Charity Commission’s equipment purchases are made through Government frameworks.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help improve access to sport for (a) children and (b) young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

Every child should have the opportunity to play sport and do regular physical activity including those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Prime Minister recently announced a new School Sport Partnerships approach and a new Enrichment Framework for schools to ensure all young people have equal access to high-quality sport and extracurricular activity. The ongoing independent expert-led review of the curriculum will ensure that all children can engage with a broad range of subjects, including PE and sport. On 20 June 2025, the Culture Secretary announced that following the Spending Review, at least £400 million is going to be invested into new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities in communities right across the UK, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We will now work closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what each community needs, including for children and young people, and then set out further plans.In the last financial year, 2024-25, Sport England, our Arm’s Length Body for community sport, invested £43,803 into South Holland and the Deepings constituency to improve access to sport and physical activity.

Media and Sport, if she will take steps to promote timebanking to support social inclusion.

Although government does not currently promote a specific form of social action such as timebanking, we are strongly committed to supporting social action in all its forms and recognise its role in supporting social inclusion in local communities. Timebanking can be a fantastic way to encourage more people to get involved and make a difference in their local area and help to foster social connections. It is hugely positive to see just how many organisations offer some form of timebanking or time credits to incentivise people to give their time freely for social good.

Media and Sport, how much her Department has spent on equipment for civil servants to work from home in each of the last three years.

DCMS has spent the below on the provision of equipment for use at home relating to a workplace adjustment in the last 3 years:22/23: £023/24: £2,490.4624/25: £882.37

Media and Sport, how much funding her Department has allocated to grassroots sports clubs in South Holland and the Deepings constituency in the last 2 years.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, has access to and benefits from high-quality sport facilities, which offer the chance to be physically active.The Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sports and health club facilities through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding in areas of greatest need to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions.The constituency of South Holland and the Deepings received a total of £14,473 of funding through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme in the last 2 funding years. More information about this funding can be found on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/multi-sport-grassroots-facilities-programme-projects-2021-to-2025

Media and Sport, how much funding her Department plans to provide for (a) sports and (b) health clubs facilities in (i) South Holland District and (ii) South Kesteven District in the next 12 months.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, has access to and benefits from high-quality sport facilities, which offer the chance to be physically active.The Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sports and health club facilities through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding in areas of greatest need to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions.The constituency of South Holland and the Deepings received a total of £14,473 of funding through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme in the last 2 funding years. More information about this funding can be found on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/multi-sport-grassroots-facilities-programme-projects-2021-to-2025

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to increase the number of apprenticeship starts in her Department.

We remain committed to supporting the use of apprenticeships across all government departments to break down barriers to opportunity. This includes supporting the Government's commitment to 2,000 digital apprenticeships through its TechTrack scheme by 2030 to improve digital skills and drive improvements and efficiency in public services.Additionally, a new cross-Government Level 3 apprenticeship programme in Business Administration, The ‘Civil Service Career Launch Apprenticeship’ (CLA), will see new apprentices kickstart their careers, across various departments, starting from January 2026.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is increasing apprenticeship starts through targeted external recruitment and we are commencing a pilot ‘social mobility program’ utilising the Cabinet Office ‘Going Forward In Employment’ apprenticeships. DCMS will also be involved with the ‘Civil Service Career Launch apprenticeship’, exploring Levy transfer options and broadening its internal apprenticeship offer in professions such as Digital.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Charity Commission on whether it plans to amend its policy on the use of women-only spaces in its buildings by transgender women following the Supreme Court judgement in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025.

The Supreme Court ruling made it clear that the provision of single-sex spaces is on the basis of biological sex. Providers should note and follow the ruling.It is important that we ensure dignity and respect for all. Trans people should have access to services they need but in keeping with the ruling.The Equality & Human Rights Commission, as Britain’s Equalities watchdog, is developing updated guidance to support service providers. The Charity Commission for England and Wales will consider the EHRC’s updated draft once they have submitted it following further work in light of this ruling.Ministers and officials regularly meet with the Charity Commission. In relation to this specific judgement, the Commission is considering the implications, including what this means for its buildings.