Written questions by Billington.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reopening the Ramsgate Port to international (a) trade and (b) passenger transit on job creation in the local economy.

New commercially viable freight-only or passenger-carrying services from ports have the potential to contribute positively to local, regional and national economies. The scale of impacts upon the economy and employment, upon other ports and upon congestion on the M20 and other roads, would depend on the nature, capacity and frequency of the service. Such a service could also contribute to national trade resilience overall.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reopening Ramsgate Port to international (a) trade and (b) passenger transit on economic growth in (i) South East England, (ii) Kent and (iii) Thanet district.

New commercially viable freight-only or passenger-carrying services from ports have the potential to contribute positively to local, regional and national economies. The scale of impacts upon the economy and employment, upon other ports and upon congestion on the M20 and other roads, would depend on the nature, capacity and frequency of the service. Such a service could also contribute to national trade resilience overall.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of reopening Ramsgate Port to international passengers on levels of (a) capacity pressure experienced by (i) the Port of Dover and (ii) other ports in the South East of England and (b) congestion on the M20.

New commercially viable freight-only or passenger-carrying services from ports have the potential to contribute positively to local, regional and national economies. The scale of impacts upon the economy and employment, upon other ports and upon congestion on the M20 and other roads, would depend on the nature, capacity and frequency of the service. Such a service could also contribute to national trade resilience overall.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an estimate of how many (a) museums and galleries, (b) theatres and opera houses and (c) cinemas have closed in Thanet District since 2010.

DCMS does not hold information on the number of closures of (a) museums and galleries, (b) theatres and opera houses and (c) cinemas since 2010. However, DCMS sector economic estimates have business demographics data, which gives insights into the numbers of cultural businesses and the Office for National Statistics has data on business births and deaths.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an estimate of how many (a) museums and galleries, (b) theatres and opera houses and c) cinemas have closed since 2010.

DCMS does not hold information on the number of closures of (a) museums and galleries, (b) theatres and opera houses and (c) cinemas since 2010. However, DCMS sector economic estimates have business demographics data, which gives insights into the numbers of cultural businesses and the Office for National Statistics has data on business births and deaths.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an estimate of how many (a) museums and galleries, (b) theatres and opera houses and (c) cinemas have closed in Kent since 2010.

DCMS does not hold information on the number of closures of (a) museums and galleries, (b) theatres and opera houses and (c) cinemas since 2010. However, DCMS sector economic estimates have business demographics data, which gives insights into the numbers of cultural businesses and the Office for National Statistics has data on business births and deaths.

Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an estimate of how many creative industry businesses have closed (a) in Thanet District, (b) in Kent and (c) nationally since 2010.

The Office for National Statistics suggests that between 2014 and 2022, the number of creative industry businesses that closed were:305 in Thanet6,605 in Kent245,850 in England.Between 2010 and 2018 there were 344,105 creative industry business closures across the UK.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has made an estimate of how much funding to Thanet District Council has been cut since 2010 in (a) real terms and (b) as a percentage; and whether she has made an estimate of the potential current level of funding without the cuts.

We understand that improving how local government is funded is crucial to enabling councils to deliver for local residents and ensuring we can deliver our missions, and we acknowledge the real pressures faced by councils in dealing with demand for vital services. We will provide councils with more stability and certainty through moving towards multi-year funding settlements and by ending wasteful competitive bidding. This will ensure councils can plan their finances for the future properly, delivering better value for money for taxpayers.For 2024/25, the Local Government Finance Settlement was £64.7 billion. For Thanet Council, this made available up to £20.3 million, an increase of £1.1 million, or 5.9% on 2023-24.Future local authority funding decisions will be a matter for the next Spending Review and Local Government Finance Settlement. We want to hear from councils about the financial challenges they are facing and we are committed to improving the local government finance landscape in this Parliament.

If she will make an assessment of how much funding her Department provided for drama education in schools in the (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2023-24 financial year; and if she will make an assessment of the difference in (i) real terms and (ii) percentage terms between funding in the (A) 2009-10 and (B) 2010-11 financial year and that in the 2023-24 financial year.

This government is clear that arts and music should be part of every child’s education.The Independent Curriculum and Assessment Review will advise on how the department delivers a broader curriculum for every child, including subjects such as art and, music and drama. The department will also support children to study a creative or vocational subject to 16 and ensure accountability measures reflect this.Schools have autonomy over how they spend their core funding and can decide how to best allocate their resources for the benefit of their students. The department does not provide schools with additional in-year funding for art, craft and design education, or for dance, drama or music education. Schools do not report back on the funding they have allocated to different subjects.The total funding for mainstream schools in 2023/24 through the dedicated schools grant (DSG) and mainstream schools additional grant (MSAG) was £44.3 billion. The department cannot provide comparable funding data back to 2010 due to the changes in the funding system since that time. In particular, funding for schools was only identified separately from funding for high needs or early years in 2013, and funding for central school services provided by local authorities was split out from the schools block funding in 2018/2019.

Whether her Department has made an estimate of changes to levels of funding to music education in schools (a) in real terms and (b) as a percentage since 2010; and what the level of funding in 2010 is at current values.

This government is clear that arts and music should be part of every child’s education.The Independent Curriculum and Assessment Review will advise on how the department delivers a broader curriculum for every child, including subjects such as art and, music and drama. The department will also support children to study a creative or vocational subject to 16 and ensure accountability measures reflect this.Schools have autonomy over how they spend their core funding and can decide how to best allocate their resources for the benefit of their students. The department does not provide schools with additional in-year funding for art, craft and design education, or for dance, drama or music education. Schools do not report back on the funding they have allocated to different subjects.The total funding for mainstream schools in 2023/24 through the dedicated schools grant (DSG) and mainstream schools additional grant (MSAG) was £44.3 billion. The department cannot provide comparable funding data back to 2010 due to the changes in the funding system since that time. In particular, funding for schools was only identified separately from funding for high needs or early years in 2013, and funding for central school services provided by local authorities was split out from the schools block funding in 2018/2019.

If she will make an assessment of how much funding her Department provided for dance education in schools in the (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2023-24 financial year; and if she will make an assessment of the difference in (i) real terms and (ii) percentage terms between funding in the (A) 2009-10 and (B) 2010-11 financial year and that in the 2023-24 financial year.

This government is clear that arts and music should be part of every child’s education.The Independent Curriculum and Assessment Review will advise on how the department delivers a broader curriculum for every child, including subjects such as art and, music and drama. The department will also support children to study a creative or vocational subject to 16 and ensure accountability measures reflect this.Schools have autonomy over how they spend their core funding and can decide how to best allocate their resources for the benefit of their students. The department does not provide schools with additional in-year funding for art, craft and design education, or for dance, drama or music education. Schools do not report back on the funding they have allocated to different subjects.The total funding for mainstream schools in 2023/24 through the dedicated schools grant (DSG) and mainstream schools additional grant (MSAG) was £44.3 billion. The department cannot provide comparable funding data back to 2010 due to the changes in the funding system since that time. In particular, funding for schools was only identified separately from funding for high needs or early years in 2013, and funding for central school services provided by local authorities was split out from the schools block funding in 2018/2019.

If she will make an assessment of how much funding her Department provided for (a) art, (b) craft and (c) design education in schools in the (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2023-24 financial year; and if she will make an assessment of the difference in (A) real terms and (B) percentage terms between funding in the (1) 2009-10 and (2) 2010-11 financial year and that in the 2023-24 financial year.

This government is clear that arts and music should be part of every child’s education.The Independent Curriculum and Assessment Review will advise on how the department delivers a broader curriculum for every child, including subjects such as art and, music and drama. The department will also support children to study a creative or vocational subject to 16 and ensure accountability measures reflect this.Schools have autonomy over how they spend their core funding and can decide how to best allocate their resources for the benefit of their students. The department does not provide schools with additional in-year funding for art, craft and design education, or for dance, drama or music education. Schools do not report back on the funding they have allocated to different subjects.The total funding for mainstream schools in 2023/24 through the dedicated schools grant (DSG) and mainstream schools additional grant (MSAG) was £44.3 billion. The department cannot provide comparable funding data back to 2010 due to the changes in the funding system since that time. In particular, funding for schools was only identified separately from funding for high needs or early years in 2013, and funding for central school services provided by local authorities was split out from the schools block funding in 2018/2019.

Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the financial impact of reductions in arts funding provided by her Department since 2010 on the creative sector in (a) Thanet District, (b) Kent and (c) England.

As part of the Government’s “Creating Growth” plan, DCMS is undertaking a review of current and past funding for the arts, culture, and heritage sectors, which will include such an assessment on a national and regional level.