Written questions by Ward.

Media and Sport, whether she is planning a further allocation of funding to support grassroots football in Scotland.

The Government is committed to ensuring that communities across the UK benefit from high-quality sport facilities to help enable people to get active. The Government has committed at least £400 million to be invested in new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities over the next four years across the UK.Funding is subject to departmental business planning processes which are ongoing. Further details will be announced in due course.

Media and Sport, what guidance her Department has issued to (a) UK charities and (b) the Charity Commission to ensure that charities do not invest in illegal settlements in occupied territory which are a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not issued such guidance to charities or to the Charity Commission for England and Wales. The Government and Charity Commission for England and Wales expect charities to act lawfully, in line with the charity’s purpose, and in the charity’s best interest.Any concerns about a charity’s activities should be referred to the charity in the first instance. If their response is unsatisfactory or there is a belief that the charity is acting unlawfully or engaged in misconduct or mismanagement, concerns can be raised with the Charity Commission. The Charity Commission takes such concerns seriously, prioritising resources and taking appropriate and proportionate action. As a civil regulator, the Charity Commission refers all potential criminal matters to the relevant law enforcement body for investigation.The Charity Commission provides a range of guidance to help charity trustees understand their legal duties and requirements, as well as how to make decisions in the best interests of their charity.

Media and Sport, how much money released by the Dormant Assets scheme has been allocated to Scotland in each year since the scheme began.

To date, the Dormant Assets Scheme has unlocked over £1 billion for good causes across the UK. The National Lottery Community Fund distributes all funding between the four nations in the UK. This is done in accordance with the Distribution of Dormant Account Money Order 2011: England receives 83.9%; Scotland 8.4%; Wales 4.9%; and Northern Ireland 2.8%. To date, £82.7 million has been allocated to Scotland:2011/12: £4.0 million2012/13: £4.1 million2013/14: £7.0 million2014/15: £4.1 million2015/16: £3.1 million2016/17: £7.9 million2017/18: £12.8 million2018/19: £6.0 million2019/20: £5.8 million2020/21: £7.6 million2021/22: £4.5 million2022/23: £7.8 million2023/24: £8.0 million

Media and Sport, how much money has been released through the Dormant Assets scheme in each year since it began.

The Dormant Assets Scheme has unlocked over £1 billion of dormant assets for good causes. The National Lottery Community Fund distributes all funding between the four nations in the UK. This is done in accordance with the Distribution of Dormant Account Money Order 2011: England receives 83.9%; Scotland 8.4%; Wales 4.9%; and Northern Ireland 2.8%. DCMS is responsible for the English portion and the relevant Devolved Governments are responsible for their own portion.As of 2023-2024, a total of £984.5 million has been allocated to the Dormant Assets Scheme in the UK:2011/12: £47.5 million2012/13: £49.5 million2013/14: £83.3 million2014/15: £49.1 million2015/16: £36.6 million2016/17: £94.3 million2017/18: £152.6 million2018/19: £71.3 million2019/20: £68.7 million2020/21: £90.1 million2021/22: £53.4 million2022/23: £92.9 million2023/24: £95.2 million

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help ensure that all communities have access to local radio stations.

There are a wide range of local commercial and community radio services across the UK operating on analogue (FM/AM) and on digital radio. In addition, there are increasing numbers of commercial and community radio stations which are digital-only and have been able to take advantage of DAB and small-scale DAB, allowing more local radio stations to reach their audiences.Ofcom’s progress report on small-scale DAB published on 22 October 2024 announced that Ofcom was planning to run two additional rounds of SS-DAB licensing in the near future, enabling more communities and prospective businesses to develop new stations and get on air.Local stations continue to make a significant contribution to local media plurality and choice, providing communities with access to news and local information. We are also considering the role that local commercial and community radio can make in helping to strengthen local media more generally as part of our comprehensive review of local media.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support community radio.

In December 2024, the Community Radio Order 2025 was laid in draft in Parliament. It enables Ofcom to extend 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 community radio stations whose coverage area overlaps with small independent commercial stations. These changes are designed to secure the long-term success and financial sustainability of the UK’s community radio stations and, subject to Parliamentary approval, are due to come into force in April 2025.The Ofcom-administered Community Radio Fund also allows community radio stations to bid for funding to meet their core costs and seeks to support the sector towards self-sustainability. The current annual budget for the Community Radio Fund was set at £400,000 in 2015. We are currently looking at whether there is scope to increase funding as part of the Spending Review.