Written questions by Jarvis.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Competition and Markets Authority on competition and market concentration within the UK live music industry; what assessment her Department has made of the p

Awaiting answer.

Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the regulatory framework for print and online news publishers; what assessment she has made of the potential merits of independent regulation for the print and online media in safeguarding press freedom, accuracy and better standards; and what proposals her Department are considering to strengthen independent regulation of national news publishers.

Awaiting answer.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the time taken to introduce legislation relating to secondary ticketing platforms on consumers.

We are fully committed to putting fans first by ending the scourge of industrial-scale ticket touting and protecting consumers on the secondary ticketing market. That is why we announced plans last year to introduce a price cap prohibiting the resale of a live events ticket for more than the original ticket cost. We are taking the time to get this right and will publish a draft bill in this session of parliament for pre-legislative scrutiny. This will allow us to draw on expertise from parliamentarians, industry organisations and campaign groups to ensure that the legislation is effective, enforceable and future-proof. Following our consultation last year, the ticketing industry is also stepping up to establish new best practice on ticket sales. We welcome the work undertaken by the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers (STAR) who have already convened the sector to begin this work.

Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with international sporting bodies on the use of dynamic pricing for major sporting events.

As a Government we are aware that the UK has a global reputation for excellence in staging major sporting events. These major cultural and sporting events are an important part of our national life.This Government is committed to putting fans back at the heart of live events, which is why we launched a call for evidence on pricing practices in the live events sector, alongside a consultation on ticket resales. The call for evidence looked at how practices like dynamic pricing are impacting consumers and businesses. We are reviewing responses and will publish the government's response shortly.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the prevalence of gambling-related harms linked to slot machines in adult gaming centres.

The Gambling Commission, via the Gambling Survey for Great Britain, collects data on PGSI scores for respondents who have taken part in specific gambling activities. A PGSI score of 8 or more usually represents ‘problem’ gambling. These findings do not represent the PGSI 8+ rate for each product alone. Many people participate in multiple activities and their PGSI score is reflected across all activities that they participate in. According to the latest survey, published on 2 October 2025, 16.9% of respondents who played fruit and slot machines in person had a PGSI score of 8+ in the last 12 months, and 26.5% of respondents who played casino games on a machine or terminal in a venue. A PGSI score of 8 or more was 3.8 times higher amongst people who had played fruit and slots played in person, and 5.9 times higher amongst people who had played casino games on a machine or terminal in a venue, compared to all people who had gambled in the past 12 months. These results are based on machines in all venues and are not specific to adult gaming centres, as this level of detail is not collected via the Gambling Survey for Great Britain.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for Education to ensure that her proposals for curriculum reform align with the needs of the creative industries.

The Creative Industries Sector Plan sets out this Government’s 10-year plan to tackle barriers to growth and maximise opportunities across the sector, with the aim of making the UK the number one destination for creativity and innovation by 2035. The plan sets out how Government and industry are working together to grow a creative workforce that supports job creation and drives economic growth in this high-potential sector, through an education and skills system aligned with business needs. The Plan has been designed in collaboration with business, Devolved Governments, and regions, with the Creative Industries Taskforce also playing a crucial role in gathering wider views from across industry.The Plan includes delivering a curriculum in England that readies young people for life and work, including in creative subjects and relevant skills. The Independent Curriculum and Assessment Review is one of the ways that Government will deliver on the commitment to reform the system for the benefit of the creative talent pipeline. The Review has a focus on all subjects in the national curriculum and is being informed by evidence, data and in close consultation with education professionals and other experts. This includes over 7,000 responses to the public call for evidence, including from the creative industries. The Review final report and Government response will be published in the autumn.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of enabling access to BBC iPlayer for license fee payers while abroad.

Under the Charter the BBC is required to act in the public interest, serving all audiences through the provision of impartial, high-quality and distinctive output and services which inform, educate and entertain. With regard to the provision of services internationally, as the BBC is operationally independent, decisions on whether and how the BBC makes its content available to licence fee payers abroad are therefore for the BBC to make independent of government.DCMS has not made an assessment of the potential merits of enabling access to BBC iPlayer for license fee payers while abroad. However, it is worth noting that the ability of the BBC to make content available is limited in large part due to rights agreements. The BBC does not hold the international rights to many of the programmes it carries on iPlayer, and therefore cannot provide audiences outside the UK with access to the iPlayer service.

Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the BBC on digitising the BBC archives.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport meets regularly with representatives of the BBC on a range of matters.With regard to the digitisation of the BBC archives, the BBC has an obligation under their Framework Agreement to both maintain an archive, and give the public reasonable opportunities to visit the archive and view material kept there. As the BBC is operationally and editorially independent of the Government, decisions on how it discharges its obligations in relation to its Archive Services are a matter for the BBC.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support UK-based broadcasters in adapting to changes in consumer behaviour associated with moving away from satellite television and towards streaming services.

We recognise the shift in audience habits to watching more television over internet-based platforms and the pressure this places on broadcasters. Through the Government’s Future of TV Distribution project, we’re exploring how people access television now and over the next decade, including assessing the future role of satellite in our distribution ecosystem. Ensuring that distribution costs are reasonable for broadcasters and that television continues to be universally available for audiences is key. As discussed in greater detail by Minister Peacock in the recent Future of Terrestrial Television debate, we are engaging a wide range of industry and audience voices through a ministerially chaired stakeholder forum to help understand these pressures.

Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Creative Industries Sector Plan, published on 23 June 2025, when she plans to publish the video games skills strategy.

The Video Games Skills Strategy is being developed by an industry-led UK Games Skills Network and is due to be published later in 2025. This will build on findings from the Creative Industries Council Skills Audit, giving video games skills organisations and delivery partners a clear remit for tackling persistent skills gaps.

Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the increase in cost of Electronic Travel Authorisations on her Department’s target of 50 million annual visits to the UK by 2030.

DCMS closely monitors factors that may influence inbound tourism, including the cost of electronic travel authorisations (ETAs). We recognise the importance of balancing secure and efficient border processes with the need to remain competitive as a global tourism destination. DCMS continues to engage with the Home Office to ensure that any changes to the cost of ETAs are proportionate and informed by robust evidence on their potential impact on our 50m inbound target. Supporting the UK's tourism industry remains a priority, and we will continue to review any challenges to its growth.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department plans to take to support the development of padel courts in Eastleigh constituency.

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the nation following the Spending Review. We will now work closely with sporting bodies - including the Lawn Tennis Association - and local leaders to establish what each community needs and then set out further plans. The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England - which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. Sport England provides long term investment to the LTA, which receives up to £10.2 million for 5 years from 2022 to invest in tennis and padel initiatives that will benefit as many people as possible.

Media and Sport, with reference to the press release entitled Prime Minister announces multi-million pound boost for grassroots cricket, published on 5 April 2024, how much and what proportion of that funding was allocated to projects in (a) Eastleigh Borough and (b) Hampshire.

The Future of Cricket fund was publicly announced by the previous Government before the General Election but did not receive formal business case sign off nor any financial commitment.Future funding of sports facilities will be considered as part of the upcoming Spending Review.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the UK Games Fund in supporting the (a) long-term growth and (b) global competitiveness of the UK video game industry.

The Government is committed to supporting the growth of the UK’s video games sector as part of the upcoming creative industries sector plan, having identified the creative industries as one of eight priority sectors in the industrial strategy. We recognise the challenges faced by the video games sector, and the wider creative industries, when it comes to accessing finance. These challenges are outlined in the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre 2024 report on Growth Finance for the Creative Industries. To address these issues at an early stage, the Government has announced £5.5 million funding for the UK Games Fund (UKGF) for 2025/26, which will provide grants to early-stage studios across the UK to develop prototypes and new intellectual property, and run development programmes for new graduates. Previous independent evaluation found that UKGF programmes served a well-established and identifiable gap within the sector – the provision of early stage funding and support to companies and teams seeking to develop video games. DCMS has commissioned a further independent evaluation of the UKGF which will be published in due course. Additionally, video games companies can benefit from Video Games Expenditure Credit, the UK Global Screen Fund, and access support from the Create Growth Programme. In January 2025 we announced that the British Business Bank will increase its support for the creative industries, including video games, as an area of high growth potential as part of the Industrial Strategy. Further detail will be set out in the Creative Industries Sector Plan, to be published in the coming months.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to improve access to investment and funding for video game developers in the UK.

The Government is committed to supporting the growth of the UK’s video games sector as part of the upcoming creative industries sector plan, having identified the creative industries as one of eight priority sectors in the industrial strategy. We recognise the challenges faced by the video games sector, and the wider creative industries, when it comes to accessing finance. These challenges are outlined in the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre 2024 report on Growth Finance for the Creative Industries. To address these issues at an early stage, the Government has announced £5.5 million funding for the UK Games Fund (UKGF) for 2025/26, which will provide grants to early-stage studios across the UK to develop prototypes and new intellectual property, and run development programmes for new graduates. Previous independent evaluation found that UKGF programmes served a well-established and identifiable gap within the sector – the provision of early stage funding and support to companies and teams seeking to develop video games. DCMS has commissioned a further independent evaluation of the UKGF which will be published in due course. Additionally, video games companies can benefit from Video Games Expenditure Credit, the UK Global Screen Fund, and access support from the Create Growth Programme. In January 2025 we announced that the British Business Bank will increase its support for the creative industries, including video games, as an area of high growth potential as part of the Industrial Strategy. Further detail will be set out in the Creative Industries Sector Plan, to be published in the coming months.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential barriers to accessible finance faced by video game developers.

The Government is committed to supporting the growth of the UK’s video games sector as part of the upcoming creative industries sector plan, having identified the creative industries as one of eight priority sectors in the industrial strategy. We recognise the challenges faced by the video games sector, and the wider creative industries, when it comes to accessing finance. These challenges are outlined in the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre 2024 report on Growth Finance for the Creative Industries. To address these issues at an early stage, the Government has announced £5.5 million funding for the UK Games Fund (UKGF) for 2025/26, which will provide grants to early-stage studios across the UK to develop prototypes and new intellectual property, and run development programmes for new graduates. Previous independent evaluation found that UKGF programmes served a well-established and identifiable gap within the sector – the provision of early stage funding and support to companies and teams seeking to develop video games. DCMS has commissioned a further independent evaluation of the UKGF which will be published in due course. Additionally, video games companies can benefit from Video Games Expenditure Credit, the UK Global Screen Fund, and access support from the Create Growth Programme. In January 2025 we announced that the British Business Bank will increase its support for the creative industries, including video games, as an area of high growth potential as part of the Industrial Strategy. Further detail will be set out in the Creative Industries Sector Plan, to be published in the coming months.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the reduction in VisitBritain's budget.

The GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland campaign has played and continues to play an important role in promoting the UK as a top global destination and supporting growth in the visitor economy. While decisions around the overall GREAT programme budget sit with the Cabinet Office, DCMS continues to work closely with the Minister for the Cabinet Office and other relevant departments to ensure that tourism remains a core focus of the campaign. Discussions are ongoing on how to maximise impact within available resources. We remain committed to working with VisitBritain and the wider sector to support the UK’s international tourism recovery, grow the visitor economy, and deliver on our ambition to attract 50 million inbound visitors by 2030.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support access to spectrum for (a) new entrants and (b) underrepresented groups under the Community Radio Order 2025.

The community radio sector is a key part of the UK radio landscape – there are now around 320 analogue (AM / FM) services, plus a further 75 unique community digital services that exclusively broadcast on small-scale DAB to local communities across the UK.The changes made by the Community Radio Order 2025 will enable Ofcom to extend the duration of community radio licences for a fourth time and to remove restrictions that limit the amount of income a community radio licence can receive from advertisements and sponsorship, except for a small number community radio stations whose coverage area overlaps with small independent commercial stations.The Order does not include measures that deal with access to spectrum for community groups wanting to establish new services. Ofcom has a wide range of powers to license new community radio stations on analogue or on DAB digital radio, including specific requirements to roll out new small-scale DAB services, which remains its stated priority for the time being. The timing of any new licence awards is a matter for Ofcom.

Media and Sport, if she will take steps to ban the ownership of UK newspapers by foreign states.

On 24 May 2024, new legislation came into effect which prevents newspaper and news magazine mergers resulting in any ownership, influence, or control by foreign states. This change was introduced by the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer (DMCC) Act 2024, which added new powers to the Enterprise Act 2002.