Written questions by French.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that (a) children, (b) young people and (c) vulnerable adults are safeguarded while participating in (i) regulated and (ii) unregulated (A) grassroots sports, (B) civil society groups and (C) religious groups.

The safety, wellbeing and welfare of everyone is vitally important. In sport, National Governing Bodies are responsible for the regulation of their sports and for ensuring that appropriate measures are in place to protect participants from harm, including through adherence to statutory safeguarding guidance. Our Arm’s Length Body Sport England funds the Child Protection in Sport Unit and Ann Craft Trust to provide guidance and support for the sector regarding safeguarding children and vulnerable adults.For civil society groups, The Charity Commission provides clear guidance on the safeguarding responsibilities of registered charities, and the Government works in partnership with charities and regulators to raise awareness about safeguarding.The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) also provides guidance to all voluntary organisations, including religious groups, on their legal safeguarding responsibilities when working with children, young people, and vulnerable adults.

Media and Sport, what the differences are between the (a) Women’s Sport Taskforce, announced in 2025 and (b) the National Physical Activity Taskforce, established in 2023.

The Women’s Sport Taskforce convenes a group of industry experts which aim to understand opportunities and break down barriers to deliver equal access, best in class facilities, ongoing professionalisation of women’s sport, visible role models to inspire future generations of girls and a strong pipeline of UK hosted major events by the 2035 FIFA Women’s World Cup.The National Physical Activity Taskforce (NPAT) was established in 2023 under a previous government to monitor the delivery of the sport strategy Get Active, which went beyond women’s sport in its focus. This group has now closed.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Independent Football Regulator on (a) the regulation of away ticket prices and (b) the potential impacts of regulating away ticket pricing.

Football ticket price limits are commercial decisions and a matter for football clubs. The Independent Football Regulator will consider the pertinent factors to club sustainability as part of its first State of the Game report. This report must be completed within 18 months of the Secretary of State laying secondary legislation specificing the competitions in scope of the regime.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of ticket price limits on the sustainability of football in England.

Football ticket price limits are commercial decisions and a matter for football clubs. The Independent Football Regulator will consider the pertinent factors to club sustainability as part of its first State of the Game report. This report must be completed within 18 months of the Secretary of State laying secondary legislation specificing the competitions in scope of the regime.

Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of lifting the £50 million ticket sales cap on society lotteries on the public finances.

Society lotteries are a vital fundraising tool for many charities, community groups, sports clubs and other non-commercial organisations. We want to see them continue to thrive, alongside the National Lottery. Society lotteries are not subject to tax and are exempt from paying Lottery Duty, except for External Lottery Managers (ELMs) who do pay Corporation Tax. Independent research found that making further changes to the society lottery sales limits might have a negative impact on National Lottery sales, which would result in a reduction in Lottery Duty revenue for the Exchequer.

Media and Sport, when she last met with her preferred candidate for the Chair of the Independent Football Regulator; and when she next plans to meet with him.

David Kogan has now been appointed as Chair of the Independent Football Regulator and the Secretary of State and I had a formal introductory meeting with him on 14 October.

Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to continue the Future of Cricket Fund.

The Government has demonstrated its ongoing commitment to support the growth of cricket through its recent announcement of funding for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB, the national governing body for cricket) to build two new indoor cricket domes in Farington (near Preston) and Luton. The Future of Cricket ‘Fund’ was an announcement made by the previous Government, which was entirely unfunded. This funding for cricket centres is in addition the £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the nation which was announced following the Spending Review.We will work closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what each community needs and then set out further plans. I met with the ECB, along with representatives from other sports, to discuss this. The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding.This includes long term investment to the ECB which receives up to £11.6 million for five years to invest in community cricket initiatives.

Media and Sport, what plans she has to invest in grassroots cricket.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding.This already includes long term investment to the England and Wales Cricket Board, the National Governing Body for cricket, which receives up to £11.6 million for five years to invest in community cricket initiatives.The Government also announced another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the nation following the Spending Review. We will work closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what each community needs and then set out further plans. I met with the England and Wales Cricket Board, among other sports, to discuss this last week.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) a National Lido Strategy and (b) a National Lido Fund.

T​he Government has made no assessment ​on the potential merits of a National Lido Strategy or a National Lido Fund. The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to and benefits from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.Sports facilities, such as swimming pools and lidos, provide important community hubs for people of all ages to be active and connect people to the places in which they live.The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, and the Government continues to encourage local authorities to invest in leisure facilities. We are committed to supporting Local Government, recognising the significant financial challenges faced by the sector and by ensuring that funding goes to the places that need it most through the Local Government Finance Settlement.We will continue to engage with Swim England, ukactive, and other key stakeholders to explore how we can work towards securing a vibrant future for swimming pools and lidos, enabling them to continue delivering their full potential for public health, economic growth, and the wellbeing of our communities. Last month, 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 work closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what each community needs and then set out further plans.

Media and Sport, whether the funding announced for her Department in the Spending Review 2025 is (a) new funding and (b) was funding allocated to the Department by the previous Government.

Spending Review 2025 (SR25) formally set all Departmental budgets for the upcoming SR period, no budgets had been formally set before for this period. As such, all SR25 funding was agreed by the current government.

Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of London Sport’s campaign entitled More Ball Games.

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. Sport England’s work focuses on increasing participation in sport at grassroots level to give more and better opportunities to all as set out in its “Uniting the Movement” strategy.For 2022-27, London Sport received £14,644,735 from Sport England as System Partner investment to contribute to delivering Uniting the Movement. Sport England have not given money directly to fund the “More Ball Games” campaign, but London Sport have a degree of autonomy on how they allocate their System Partner funding to contribute to Uniting the Movement.Sport England will continue to work with its System Partners such as London Sport to increase opportunities for everyone to play grassroots sport and take part in physical activity.

Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to provide funding for London Sport’s campaign entitled More Ball Games.

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. Sport England’s work focuses on increasing participation in sport at grassroots level to give more and better opportunities to all as set out in its “Uniting the Movement” strategy.For 2022-27, London Sport received £14,644,735 from Sport England as System Partner investment to contribute to delivering Uniting the Movement. Sport England have not given money directly to fund the “More Ball Games” campaign, but London Sport have a degree of autonomy on how they allocate their System Partner funding to contribute to Uniting the Movement.Sport England will continue to work with its System Partners such as London Sport to increase opportunities for everyone to play grassroots sport and take part in physical activity.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help ensure that children have access to (a) safe and (b) welcoming spaces for (i) play and (ii) sport within their communities.

Playgrounds are a vital part of our social infrastructure. They contribute to the health and development of children and young people across the nation and build on the Government’s mission of opportunities for all by ensuring everyone has the best start in life.The National Design Guide demonstrates how new development can promote inclusive design by creating buildings and spaces that are safe, social and inclusive. This should include spaces for comfort, relaxation and stimulation, including play.In addition, everyone should be able to take part in sport safely. 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. Whilst NGBs are independent of Government, we are clear that health and safety of participants, including children, must be their top priority.The Government is investing £100 million through the Multi Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme to build and upgrade high-quality grassroots sports pitches and facilities in the communities across the UK that need it most, including children and young people.On 20 June 2025, the Culture Secretary announced that following 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 work closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what each community needs and then set out further plans.

Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the limit on prizes for society lotteries.

Society lotteries are a vital fundraising tool for many charities, community groups, sports clubs and other non-commercial organisations. We want to see them continue to thrive, alongside the National Lottery.The Government has taken the decision not to make further changes or to abolish society lottery limits at this time. Independent research shows that the existing society lottery sales limit only impacts one operator and increasing the annual sales limit could result in a decrease in National Lottery participation.The Government wants a lotteries sector centred on one national lottery - The National Lottery - whilst continuing to support the hundreds of wider society lotteries that exist. This model has worked successfully for the last 30 years and created the conditions for the National Lottery to flourish and support life changing projects, alongside a thriving society lotteries sector.Further information on this can be found in a Written Ministerial Statement published on Thursday 26 June 2025.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the growth in unregulated large-scale prize draws on National Lottery ticket sales.

Prize draws are a significant and growing market. We want people who participate in prize draws to be confident that proportionate protections are in place.We will be introducing a Voluntary Code for prize draw operators later this year. This Code will provide a uniform approach across the sector to strengthen player protections, increase transparency and improve accountability.This approach allows us to take swift action collectively with the sector. The success of this code will dictate whether this Government decides that greater regulation may be required, including legislation.Further information on this can be found in a Written Ministerial Statement published on Thursday 26 June 2025.The independent research into the prize draws sector was published on 26 June 2026 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-report-online-prize-draws-and-competitions-market-study-assessment-of-harm-and-review-of-potential-interventions). The research gathered views from lottery stakeholders on the perceived impact of the prize draw market on the lotteries sector, including the National Lottery, but did not make a full assessment of this impact.

Media and Sport, when she plans to publish the independent research into large-scale commercial prize draws.

Prize draws are a significant and growing market. We want people who participate in prize draws to be confident that proportionate protections are in place.We will be introducing a Voluntary Code for prize draw operators later this year. This Code will provide a uniform approach across the sector to strengthen player protections, increase transparency and improve accountability.This approach allows us to take swift action collectively with the sector. The success of this code will dictate whether this Government decides that greater regulation may be required, including legislation.Further information on this can be found in a Written Ministerial Statement published on Thursday 26 June 2025.The independent research into the prize draws sector was published on 26 June 2026 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-report-online-prize-draws-and-competitions-market-study-assessment-of-harm-and-review-of-potential-interventions). The research gathered views from lottery stakeholders on the perceived impact of the prize draw market on the lotteries sector, including the National Lottery, but did not make a full assessment of this impact.

Media and Sport, when she plans to publish a timetable for consulting on the regulation of large-scale prize draws.

Prize draws are a significant and growing market. We want people who participate in prize draws to be confident that proportionate protections are in place.We will be introducing a Voluntary Code for prize draw operators later this year. This Code will provide a uniform approach across the sector to strengthen player protections, increase transparency and improve accountability.This approach allows us to take swift action collectively with the sector. The success of this code will dictate whether this Government decides that greater regulation may be required, including legislation.Further information on this can be found in a Written Ministerial Statement published on Thursday 26 June 2025.The independent research into the prize draws sector was published on 26 June 2026 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-report-online-prize-draws-and-competitions-market-study-assessment-of-harm-and-review-of-potential-interventions). The research gathered views from lottery stakeholders on the perceived impact of the prize draw market on the lotteries sector, including the National Lottery, but did not make a full assessment of this impact.

Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2025 to Question 55042 on Football Governance Bill (HL), what was discussed with UEFA on the Football Governance Bill at that meeting; and whether she plans to meet UEFA before the (a) third reading of the Football Governance Bill in the House of Commons and (b) independent football regulator is established.

The Secretary of State and I continue to meet with clubs, leagues, governing bodies, fan groups and many other stakeholders from across the game to discuss the Football Governance Bill. This will continue throughout the Bill’s passage and beyond.During my last discussion with UEFA on 11 November, we discussed a range of topics including the Football Governance Bill. UEFA expressed no concerns regarding the Bill.

Media and Sport, how many appointments have been made to the Shadow Football Regulator; and how many of these were previously employed in her Department (a) employees, (b) advisers and (c) appointees to DCMS-appointed Sports Advisory Groups in the last five years.

All appointments to the Shadow Football Regulator are made in accordance with Civil Service Commission rules. As at 1 June, the Shadow Football Regulator has 42 employees. 11 employees joined the Shadow Football Regulator having previously been employed in DCMS; two employees joined having formerly advised DCMS.

Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) the National Lottery Community Fund on the potential merits of reopening the Million Hours Fund.

In a written statement on 15 May 2025, the Secretary of State announced DCMS’ commitment to provide a further £12 million in 2025/2026 to the Million Hours Fund. Working in partnership with The National Lottery Community Fund, we are exploring matched funding options to leverage additional investment. Further details will be shared in due course.