Written questions by French.

Media and Sport, what data her Department holds on the (i) number, (ii) type, and (ii) condition of publicly accessible sports pitches in each local authority area in England; and if she will publish that data.

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. The Government has invested £98 million through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme across the UK in 2025/26, funding projects such as new and upgraded grass pitches, pitch maintenance equipment and floodlights. The Government published a list of funded Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities projects on 9 June 2025 on Gov.uk. The lists can be found here and include funded projects that are either due to start, in progress or complete. We are committed to publishing a regularly updated list of funded and completed projects, with the next to be published in 2026. Our delivery partner for the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme in England, the Football Foundation, plans its investment pipeline using Local Football Facility Plans (LFFPs) for each local authority, which are developed in partnership with local authorities so as to understand the needs of each community. Local Football Facilities Plans are publicly available here. Following the Spending Review we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. In addition the Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sport 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. According to Sport England’s Active Places database, as of December 2025 there are 59,794 grass football pitches and 6,634 artificial grass pitches in England. More details are available here. This government also takes our responsibility to heritage seriously. For this year alone, we have committed nearly £60 million of funding for heritage, including £15m for Heritage at Risk. Local Authorities can also apply for funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s’ Arms-Length-Bodies, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which provides around c.£300 million in grants per year, and Historic England, who provide grants and advice.

Media and Sport, if she will publish the most recent data held by her Department on the number of registered parks and gardens within each local authority area.

Registered parks and gardens in England are designated by Historic England. Data on the number that exist within each local authority area can be found by consulting the online National Heritage List for England. Data on the number of designed landscapes in each local authority that are currently classed as being at risk can be found by consulting Historic England’s online Heritage at Risk Register. Both resources can be filtered by local authority.

Media and Sport, how many (a) registered parks, (b) gardens and (c) designed landscapes are currently classed as at risk in each local authority.

Registered parks and gardens in England are designated by Historic England. Data on the number that exist within each local authority area can be found by consulting the online National Heritage List for England. Data on the number of designed landscapes in each local authority that are currently classed as being at risk can be found by consulting Historic England’s online Heritage at Risk Register. Both resources can be filtered by local authority.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2025 to Question 78837 on Rural Areas: Economic Situation, what assessment she has made of the difference between the increase in costs for horseracing due to (a) the change in business rates, (b) the increase in the national minimum wage, and (c) the increase in Employer's National Insurance Contributions and the expected levy yield.

We continue to engage with racing and betting stakeholders to understand the impact of recent changes made by His Majesty’s Treasury. The horserace betting levy is based on the profits of bookmakers, which fluctuate according to the results of races. The levy is designed in this way so that the risk is shared between betting and racing stakeholders. The levy, which reached £108m in 2024/5 represents a small proportion of racing’s overall income when compared with contributions from betting operators for media rights, income from racegoers and contributions from owners and trainers. The levy yield for the year to 31 March 2025 is a new high since the Levy collection reforms of 2017/18, exceeding the 2023/24 figure of £105m.

Media and Sport, (a) if there will be exemptions made to her ticket price cap policy and (b) what criteria is used to judge this.

As set out in our response to the consultation on the resale of live events tickets, published last month, the Government believes that a good case can be made for narrow exemptions to the price cap in the case of resale for charitable purposes and the resale of debentures tickets. This issue was explored in the consultation, and a number of responses made the case for exemptions of this kind. We recognise that any exemptions must be tightly drawn to avoid potential abuse and we will continue to examine how these exemptions could be defined and administered in a way that does not risk undermining the overall effectiveness of the price cap, before legislation is brought forward.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 24 November to question 92054 on Independent Football Regulator: Political Parties, if she will publish the data on the additional political donations made by David Kogan.

All political donations required to be declared by the Governance Code on Public Appointments are publicly disclosed on the Electoral Commission donation register. The additional donations, beneath the thresholds required by the Governance Code, disclosed by Mr Kogan when he appeared before the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee on 07 May 2025, are recorded in the transcript of that hearing.

Media and Sport, if she will provide a breakdown of the costs incurred by her Department, from 4 July 2024 to date, in the establishment of the Independent Football Regulator.

Details on DCMS’s public spending can be found in DCMS’s Annual Report and Accounts, available on GOV.UK. Spending on the passage of the Football Governance Act and the establishment of the Independent Football Regulator is a subset of the reported spend of the Sport and Gambling Directorate. All relevant costs relating to the creation of the Independent Football Regulator will be recovered from clubs via a levy, ensuring that there is nil cost to the public purse.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions regarding the inclusion of physical activity and exercise-based solutions within programmes aimed at reducing ill health as a cause of worklessness.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities. The improvements to individual wellbeing is valued at £96.7 billion a year, and the wider value to society through savings to the health and care system is £10.5 billion a year. We are working closely with other Government Departments, including the Department for Work and Pensions and Health and Social Care to develop a cross government approach to tackling physical inactivity and improving health outcomes. As part of this, we are working on a national plan for physical activity as set out in the 10 Year Health Plan. In June, following the Spending Review we committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. We will ensure that this funding promotes health and wellbeing, and helps to remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are working 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, if she will publish a timeline for allocating expenditure of the £400 million capital funding for grassroots sporting facilities.

The Government's announcement that at least £400 million will be invested into grassroots sport over the next four years will ensure that we promote health, wellbeing and community cohesion and deliver high-quality facilities in the areas that need them most. The investment will also remove barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups such as women and girls, people with disabilities, and ethnic minority communities. To ensure we best serve communities across the UK, we are now working with the sports sector and local leaders to develop plans for delivering this funding and further details will be announced in due course.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the use of (a) gyms, (b) swimming pools, and (c) leisure centres alongside weight-loss drugs.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities. The improvements to individual wellbeing is valued at £96.7 billion a year, and the wider value to society through savings to the health and care system is £10.5 billion a year. We are working closely with other Government Departments, including the Department for Work and Pensions and Health and Social Care to develop a cross government approach to tackling physical inactivity and improving health outcomes. As part of this, we are working on a national plan for physical activity as set out in the 10 Year Health Plan. In June, following the Spending Review we committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. We will ensure that this funding promotes health and wellbeing, and helps to remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are working 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, what steps she is taking to help ensure that (a) gyms, (b) swimming pools, and (c) leisure centres are used to help reduce (i) health and (ii) socioeconomic inequalities.

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities. The benefits to individual wellbeing through sport and physical activity are valued at £96.7 billion a year, and the wider value to society through savings to the health and care system is £10.5 billion a year.In June, following the Spending Review we committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. We will ensure that this funding promotes health and wellbeing, and helps to remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups. We are working 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, what recent assessment she has made of the Problem Gambling Severity Index score for players of (a) The National Lottery, (b) Society Lotteries, and (c) instant win scratch cards.

The Government is committed to tackling gambling-related harm. DCMS regularly reviews the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) from the Gambling Commission’s Gambling Survey of Great Britain and uses it as one of a range of sources of evidence. In 2024, the proportion of National Lottery players who experienced ‘problem gambling’ (a PGSI score of 8+) is 3.9% for draw games, 9.5% for instant win games, and 7.9% for scratchcards. The rate of Society Lottery PGSI 8+ scores is 4.9%. The rate of non-National Lottery scratchcards PGSI 8+ is 14.5%.

Media and Sport, pursuant to Minister's statement to the House on 26 June 2025, what assessment she has made of the merits of comparing identical time frames.

We are confident in the findings set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 26 June 2025 on society lotteries and prize draws. They are supported by a wide range of data and analysis, including official Industry Statistics published by the Gambling Commission, publicly available data published by operators, and from the robust independent research which was published on the same day.

Media and Sport, what meetings she has held with David Kogan since 4 July 2024.

All the Secretary of State’s meetings are published Quarterly as part of the transparency data available on Gov.uk

Media and Sport, what information her Department holds on political donations made by the Independent Football Regulator Chair since 2019.

Mr Kogan’s donations are publicly disclosed on the Electoral Commission donation register. On 7 May 2025 Mr Kogan declared additional political donations, beneath the thresholds required by the Governance Code, when he appeared before the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 28 October to question 83435, on Gambling: Taxation, if she will set out a timeline for publishing the Terms of Reference for the Levy Board and Advisory Group.

The Department intends to publish the Terms of Reference for the Gambling Levy Programme Board and the Gambling Levy Advisory Group before the end of the year.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 5 November to question 85955 on Betting: Excise Duties, if she will list the stakeholders she has met since 4 July 2024.

DCMS Ministers have had regular meetings with a range of stakeholders about gambling taxation.Ministerial meetings and engagements are published through quarterly transparency reports on GOV.UK.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November to question 84964 on Gambling, what steps she is taking to ensure that her department uses (a) impartial, and (b) accurate data, and commissions (i) impartial, and (ii) accurate data on gambling harms.

The Government recognises the importance of using impartial, accurate and up-to-date statistics on gambling behaviour and harms. We are committed to ensuring that policy decisions are guided by the best available evidence from a broad range of reliable sources. Developing impartial and accurate evidence on gambling-related harms is a key priority for the statutory gambling levy. That is why 20% of funding will be directed towards high-quality, independent research to fill gaps in the evidence base, which will be used to inform policy related to tackling gambling-related harm.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 3 November to question 84965 on Gambling, what assessment she has made of the accuracy of the statistical analysis in the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities' report entitled The economic and social cost of harms associated with gambling in England published on 11 January 2023; and if she will exclude it from use within her Department.

The report that the Honourable Member refers to estimates the economic and social costs of gambling-related harm and provides a useful addition to our evidence base. As we have previously set out in a number of gambling-related impact assessments, we recognise that the report has limitations relating to both data availability and methodology, which means that the cost estimates may be under- or over-estimating the true cost of harm. This is true of many reports that try to estimate the cost of harm. However, we continue to consider this report in the context of the wider evidence base, and as such have no plans to exclude it from use in the Department.

Media and Sport, whether she plans to take steps to support the Deaflympics.

Sport England are exploring a series of small-scale talent pilots for deaf athletes. These pilots will see Sport England, National Governing Bodies, and UK Deaf Sport working together to explore issues around accessibility and suggest potential solutions. Sport England has also awarded UK Deaf Sport £150,000 to fund a specialist Talent Inclusion post to further the work of the pilots. The Government, through the UK Sport grant, supports Olympic and Paralympic success. Beyond this the Government does not provide additional funding to performance sport, in line with our approach to a great many other areas of individual sporting performance.