Written questions by Ellis.

Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to continue funding grant programmes operated by (a) Arts Council England, (b) National Lottery Project Grants and (c) National Portfolio Organisation.

Yes. DCMS plans to continue funding grant programmes operated by Arts Council England (which includes the National Portfolio). Arts Council England also continues to receive funding from the National Lottery, which goes towards supporting a range of programmes including National Lottery Project Grants.

Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to support updating the legal definition of a newspaper to allow local councils to place public notices with eligible online news outlets.

The Government is concerned about the sustainability of local journalism and DCMS is developing a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of this vital sector. We also recognise that local press continues to play a vital role in informing local communities, and that public notices play an important role in helping inform the public of decisions made by their council which may affect their quality of life, local services or amenities, or their property.However, we are also aware of concerns from some sectors about the audience reach of these notices and the desire for greater digitalisation. In this context, the sector’s Public Notice Portal is a welcome innovation, taking advantage of print publishers’ growing digital audiences and providing a centralised resource for all types of public notice. We also welcome the Portal's current expansion to include archive and consultation functions to help public bodies and commercial entities engage with the public more effectively.DCMS is monitoring the progress of the Portal, and the effect that it has on the audience reach of public notices. This type of industry innovation and collaboration is integral to securing the sector’s future. It will be taken into account in our planned review of public notices as part of the Local Media Strategy, which will more broadly consider the merits of making changes to existing requirements to place public notices in print local newspapers. More will be announced on the Strategy in the coming months.

Media and Sport, how many (a) museums and (b) local arts and cultural organisations have received funding from Arts Council England in (i) Ribble Valley constituency and (ii) Lancashire.

Between 2023/24 and 2024/25 four arts and cultural organisations in the Ribble Valley constituency received Arts Council England funding totalling £81,281. For the same period, three museums and 114 arts and cultural organisations received Arts Council England Funding in Lancashire, with awards totalling £11,721,145.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to provide financial support to professionals in the creative sector.

The government provides financial support to creative professionals through DCMS funding programmes, grants from arm’s length bodies and wider government support, including through InnovateUK.The Creative Industries Sector Plan sets out an ambitious target to increase annual investment in the Creative Industries from £17 billion to £31 billion by 2035 and delivers £380 million of targeted spending in the sector over the next Spending Review. This builds on the £40 million in funding announced earlier this year, supporting cross-sector initiatives plus programmes in music, video games, film and TV.

Media and Sport, if her Department will make an assessment of the sustainability of local news outlets in (a) Ribble Valley and (b) Lancashire.

Sustainability of local journalism across the country is an area of particular concern for this Government, including in Ribble Valley and Lancashire. The Government understands the important work that local news does across the UK, including outlets such as the Lancs Live and the Lancashire Telegraph. 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, and we recently held a roundtable discussion with local news editors to discuss our planned approach and collaboration with industry on the Strategy. An industry working group has now been set up to consider the issues in more detail and we will announce more in the coming months.