Written questions by Andrew.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to monitor the implementation of the Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport.

The impact of the Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport is currently being evaluated by the Department for Health and Social Care, with DCMS involvement, including an assessment of how National Governing Bodies have made use of the guidelines. The evaluation is expected to be published in 2025.The Sports Concussion Research Forum, established by DCMS and chaired by the Medical Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation, published its independent report into the key research questions in this important area in September 2024 - https://www.ukri.org/publications/concussion-in-sport/Evidence-based sports research is an important component in ensuring that sport is made as safe as possible for all participants and I would encourage the sport sector to prioritise addressing the gaps in concussion in sport research identified in the Forum’s report.The Government will continue to discuss athlete safety, including the recording of head injuries, with relevant stakeholders and the sports sector to ensure that everyone can take part in sport as safely as possible.

Media and Sport, with reference to Section 5.2 of Adapting historic homes for energy efficiency: a review of the barriers, what progress has been made on Historic England’s review into the barriers to delivering the Level 3 Award in Energy Efficiency Measures for Older and Traditional Buildings.

With reference to Section 5.2 of Adapting historic homes for energy efficiency: a review of the barriers, the findings showed that although requirements in retrofit standards are driving demand and increasing numbers of providers delivering the required standards, there has been concern in the sector about the quality of provision. Based on these findings, Historic England has been working with Cadw and Historic Environment Scotland to improve, revise and update the content of the award.

Media and Sport, what discussions she department has had with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on the decarbonisation of listed buildings.

I have not held any such discussions, but my officials discuss this and other related issues as part of ongoing engagement with their DESNZ and MHCLG counterparts. In addition, in July, Historic England, the UK government's statutory advisor on England's historic environment, published guidance to support the decarbonisation of historic buildings.https://historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/news/new-advice-on-adapting-historic-buildings-for-energy-and-carbon-efficiency/

Media and Sport, whether her Department will continue to support the continuation of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme which is due to expire in March 2025.

Departmental settlements have been set following the Budget announcement on October 30. Individual programmes, such as the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, will now be assessed during the departmental Business Planning process.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of an increase in machine gaming duty on bingo halls.

The government will consult next year on proposals to bring remote gambling (meaning gambling offered over the internet, telephone, TV and radio) into a single tax, rather than taxing it through a three-tax structure. This will aim to simplify, future-proof and close loopholes in the system.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increasing gambling taxes on employment in (a) high street bookmakers, (b) high street adult gaming centres and (c) bingo halls.

The government will consult next year on proposals to bring remote gambling (meaning gambling offered over the internet, telephone, TV and radio) into a single tax, rather than taxing it through a three-tax structure. This will aim to simplify, future-proof and close loopholes in the system.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increases in machine gaming duty on high streets.

The government will consult next year on proposals to bring remote gambling (meaning gambling offered over the internet, telephone, TV and radio) into a single tax, rather than taxing it through a three-tax structure. This will aim to simplify, future-proof and close loopholes in the system.

Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the contribution of the betting and gaming industry to the UK economy.

Official statistics from a range of sources provide the Government with insights into the economic contribution of the betting and gaming industry, including estimates for gross value added (GVA), employment generated and tax revenue raised.The latest headline statistics show that the gambling sector contributed £4.9bn to GVA in 2022, accounting for 0.2% of UK GVA. In the financial year 2023/24, the gambling sector employed around 94,000 people in Britain (provisional), accounting for 0.2% of UK jobs and paid approximately £3.4bn in betting and gaming duty.