Written questions by Hayes.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to increase the competitiveness of the (a) visual effects and (b) animation industry.

The Government has prioritised film and television as a high-growth sub-sector in the Industrial Strategy and Creative Industries Sector Plan.Many of the interventions in the £75 million Screen Growth Package we announced in the Sector Plan will benefit VFX and animation. For example, we are scaling up the UK Global Screen Fund to £18 million per year, which will include a new majority co-production strand for UK animation. Through the Sector Plan, we will ensure that the UK continues to develop world-class talent, facilities and innovation in animation and VFX, including through £10 million to expand capacity and apprenticeships at the National Film & Television School, and £25 million for five new CoSTAR labs advancing augmented reality and motion capture technologies.In addition, we continue to offer generous and stable tax credits - including the new credit for VFX costs in film and TV we introduced last year, and recent changes to R&D credits which now better recognise artists' roles in addressing scientific and technological challenges. In addition, the British Business Bank is increasing financial backing for the Creative Industries opening new opportunities for screen businesses and IP creators.DCMS remains in close contact with UK Screen Alliance and Animation UK on the sector's opportunities and challenges.

Media and Sport, if She will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of increasing funding for grassroots football on costs to (a) the NHS and (b) local authorities.

The Government’s NHS 10 Year Health Plan recognises the importance of physical activity in tackling the nation’s health and relieving NHS pressures. The latest evidence provided by Sport England shows that physical activity directly prevents 3.2 million cases of long term health conditions per year, including 1.3 million cases of depression and 600,000 cases of diabetes, equating to over £10 billion worth of healthcare savings each year.The FA’s Social Return on Investment 2024 report estimates the 15.7 million participants involved in grassroots football contribute £11.8 billion to society in direct economic value, as well as over £3.2 billion in savings to the NHS through prevention of diseases.

Media and Sport, whether she has held recent discussions with the Football Foundation on the level of funding it requires from the Government to (a) plan strategically and (b) implement community projects.

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. This funding builds upon the additional £80.3 million being delivered in England this year through the Football Foundation as part of the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme.As part of the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme’s ongoing delivery, officials are in regular contact with the Football Foundation to understand levels of demand, and how to best plan strategically to deliver community projects - now, and in the future. This includes engaging with the Football Foundation regarding their recently refreshed Local Football Facility Plans, which inform how they plan and target their investment.In July, I held a roundtable with several of the sector’s National Governing Bodies and the Football Foundation to discuss future funding of community sports. We are continuing to work closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, and will then set out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.

Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to improve funding for grassroots football facilities.

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That’s why the Government is investing £98 million throughout 2025/26 to build and upgrade pitches and facilities UK wide. Funding from the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme is invested in England through Sport England and our delivery partner, the Football Foundation. The Football Foundation plans their investment pipeline based on Local Football Facility Plans which have been developed in partnership with local authorities, community FAs and other sport stakeholders.On top of this, we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK over the next four years. The Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sports and health club facilities in England, through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding in areas of greatest need to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions. We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, and will then set out further plans on how future funding will be allocated across the UK.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of local LGBT+ youth groups on supporting young LGBT+ people.

Through our work on the National Youth Strategy, we’ve engaged with over 20,000 young people across the country — each with diverse and valuable lived experiences — to better understand their interactions with youth services and their hopes for the future.In May and June, we conducted a series of in-depth ‘Deep Dive’ sessions, including one with LGBTQ+ young people. These were small, confidential discussions designed to create a safe space for more sensitive and honest conversations.Our interim report, Today’s Youth, Tomorrow’s Nation, will be published shortly, with the full Strategy to follow in the autumn.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support councils in upgrading aging (a) swimming and (b) leisure facilities.

The Government recognises that sports clubs and facilities are important to communities up and down the country. High-quality, inclusive facilities help people of all ages get active and provide vital facilities for children to learn to swim and about water safety. Everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, should have access to them and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity.The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure swimming facilities lies at local authority level. 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.The Government encourages local authorities and local leaders to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities (including swimming pools) for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities. This is complemented by the support and guidance available through the Government’s Arm’s Length Body, Sport England.Sport England tracks usage of swimming pools through Moving Communities to understand usage, including by children and by a user’s home postcode, to build an evidence base on usage in areas of higher deprivation.Sport England are closely monitoring swimming pool stock through their Active Places tool. This evidence shows that since 2015 there has been a total of 291 swimming pool closures (on sites owned by Local Authorities), whilst there have been a total of 254 new swimming pools opened during this period.We will continue to engage with a full range of stakeholders to explore how we can work towards securing a vibrant future for swimming pools, enabling them to continue delivering their full potential for public health, economic growth, and the wellbeing of our communities.All future funding of sports facilities beyond 2025/26 will be considered following the Spending Review and the Government will set out further plans in due course.

Media and Sport, what steps is she taking to increase access to affordable swimming lessons.

The Government recognises that sports clubs and facilities are important to communities up and down the country. High-quality, inclusive facilities help people of all ages get active and provide vital facilities for children to learn to swim and about water safety. Everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, should have access to them and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity.The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure swimming facilities lies at local authority level. 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.The Government encourages local authorities and local leaders to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities (including swimming pools) for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities. This is complemented by the support and guidance available through the Government’s Arm’s Length Body, Sport England.Sport England tracks usage of swimming pools through Moving Communities to understand usage, including by children and by a user’s home postcode, to build an evidence base on usage in areas of higher deprivation.Sport England are closely monitoring swimming pool stock through their Active Places tool. This evidence shows that since 2015 there has been a total of 291 swimming pool closures (on sites owned by Local Authorities), whilst there have been a total of 254 new swimming pools opened during this period.We will continue to engage with a full range of stakeholders to explore how we can work towards securing a vibrant future for swimming pools, enabling them to continue delivering their full potential for public health, economic growth, and the wellbeing of our communities.All future funding of sports facilities beyond 2025/26 will be considered following the Spending Review and the Government will set out further plans in due course.

Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the level of financial support available for publicly-funded swimming pools.

The Government recognises that sports clubs and facilities are important to communities up and down the country. High-quality, inclusive facilities help people of all ages get active and provide vital facilities for children to learn to swim and about water safety. Everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, should have access to them and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity.The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure swimming facilities lies at local authority level. 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.The Government encourages local authorities and local leaders to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities (including swimming pools) for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities. This is complemented by the support and guidance available through the Government’s Arm’s Length Body, Sport England.Sport England tracks usage of swimming pools through Moving Communities to understand usage, including by children and by a user’s home postcode, to build an evidence base on usage in areas of higher deprivation.Sport England are closely monitoring swimming pool stock through their Active Places tool. This evidence shows that since 2015 there has been a total of 291 swimming pool closures (on sites owned by Local Authorities), whilst there have been a total of 254 new swimming pools opened during this period.We will continue to engage with a full range of stakeholders to explore how we can work towards securing a vibrant future for swimming pools, enabling them to continue delivering their full potential for public health, economic growth, and the wellbeing of our communities.All future funding of sports facilities beyond 2025/26 will be considered following the Spending Review and the Government will set out further plans in due course.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her polices of trends in levels publicly-funded swimming pool closures since 2019.

The Government recognises that sports clubs and facilities are important to communities up and down the country. High-quality, inclusive facilities help people get active. Everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, should have access to them and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity.Sport and physical activity, especially activities such as swimming, play a vital role in tackling the health challenges facing our nation through helping to treat and manage a wide range of health conditions. Swimming is not just a great way to get active, it is a fundamental life skill.Sport England Active Places data evidences that since 2015 there has been a total of 291 swimming pool closures (on sites owned by Local Authorities), whilst there have been a total of 254 new swimming pools opened during this period.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, enabling them to continue delivering their full potential for public health, economic growth, and the wellbeing of our communities.The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure swimming facilities lies at local authority level. 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 do not have plans to set targets, as it is for local areas to determine what they need, but we believe that robust plans should be in place.

Media and Sport, whether she plans to introduce a national strategy for (a) community leisure provision and (b) swimming facilities.

The Government recognises that sports clubs and facilities are important to communities up and down the country. High-quality, inclusive facilities help people get active. Everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, should have access to them and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity.Sport and physical activity, especially activities such as swimming, play a vital role in tackling the health challenges facing our nation through helping to treat and manage a wide range of health conditions. Swimming is not just a great way to get active, it is a fundamental life skill.Sport England Active Places data evidences that since 2015 there has been a total of 291 swimming pool closures (on sites owned by Local Authorities), whilst there have been a total of 254 new swimming pools opened during this period.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, enabling them to continue delivering their full potential for public health, economic growth, and the wellbeing of our communities.The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure swimming facilities lies at local authority level. 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 do not have plans to set targets, as it is for local areas to determine what they need, but we believe that robust plans should be in place.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of swimming pool closures on the ability of children to meet national curriculum standards for swimming by age 11.

The Government recognises that sports clubs and facilities are important to communities up and down the country. High-quality, inclusive facilities help people of all ages get active and provide vital facilities for children to learn to swim and about water safety. Everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, should have access to them and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity.The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure swimming facilities lies at local authority level. 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.The Government encourages local authorities and local leaders to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities (including swimming pools) for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities. This is complemented by the support and guidance available through the Government’s Arm’s Length Body, Sport England.Sport England tracks usage of swimming pools through Moving Communities to understand usage, including by children and by a user’s home postcode, to build an evidence base on usage in areas of higher deprivation.Sport England are closely monitoring swimming pool stock through their Active Places tool. This evidence shows that since 2015 there has been a total of 291 swimming pool closures (on sites owned by Local Authorities), whilst there have been a total of 254 new swimming pools opened during this period.We will continue to engage with a full range of stakeholders to explore how we can work towards securing a vibrant future for swimming pools, enabling them to continue delivering their full potential for public health, economic growth, and the wellbeing of our communities.All future funding of sports facilities beyond 2025/26 will be considered following the Spending Review and the Government will set out further plans in due course.

Media and Sport, whether she has considered making (a) swimming pool provision and (b) other leisure provision a statutory duty for local authorities.

The Government recognises that sports clubs and facilities are important to communities up and down the country. High-quality, inclusive facilities help people of all ages get active and provide vital facilities for children to learn to swim and about water safety. Everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, should have access to them and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity.The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure swimming facilities lies at local authority level. 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.The Government encourages local authorities and local leaders to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities (including swimming pools) for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities. This is complemented by the support and guidance available through the Government’s Arm’s Length Body, Sport England.Sport England tracks usage of swimming pools through Moving Communities to understand usage, including by children and by a user’s home postcode, to build an evidence base on usage in areas of higher deprivation.Sport England are closely monitoring swimming pool stock through their Active Places tool. This evidence shows that since 2015 there has been a total of 291 swimming pool closures (on sites owned by Local Authorities), whilst there have been a total of 254 new swimming pools opened during this period.We will continue to engage with a full range of stakeholders to explore how we can work towards securing a vibrant future for swimming pools, enabling them to continue delivering their full potential for public health, economic growth, and the wellbeing of our communities.All future funding of sports facilities beyond 2025/26 will be considered following the Spending Review and the Government will set out further plans in due course.

Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with local authorities on funding for (a) leisure and (b) swimming facilities.

The Government recognises that sports clubs and facilities are important to communities up and down the country. High-quality, inclusive facilities help people of all ages get active and provide vital facilities for children to learn to swim and about water safety. Everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, should have access to them and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity.The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure swimming facilities lies at local authority level. 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.The Government encourages local authorities and local leaders to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities (including swimming pools) for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities. This is complemented by the support and guidance available through the Government’s Arm’s Length Body, Sport England.Sport England tracks usage of swimming pools through Moving Communities to understand usage, including by children and by a user’s home postcode, to build an evidence base on usage in areas of higher deprivation.Sport England are closely monitoring swimming pool stock through their Active Places tool. This evidence shows that since 2015 there has been a total of 291 swimming pool closures (on sites owned by Local Authorities), whilst there have been a total of 254 new swimming pools opened during this period.We will continue to engage with a full range of stakeholders to explore how we can work towards securing a vibrant future for swimming pools, enabling them to continue delivering their full potential for public health, economic growth, and the wellbeing of our communities.All future funding of sports facilities beyond 2025/26 will be considered following the Spending Review and the Government will set out further plans in due course.

Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help support councils to upgrade public swimming facilities.

The Government recognises that sports clubs and facilities are important to communities up and down the country. High-quality, inclusive facilities help people of all ages get active and provide vital facilities for children to learn to swim and about water safety. Everyone, no matter who they are or where they live, should have access to them and opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity.The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure swimming facilities lies at local authority level. 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.The Government encourages local authorities and local leaders to make investments which offer the right opportunities and facilities (including swimming pools) for the communities they serve, investing in sport and physical activity with a place-based approach, to meet the needs of individual communities. This is complemented by the support and guidance available through the Government’s Arm’s Length Body, Sport England.Sport England tracks usage of swimming pools through Moving Communities to understand usage, including by children and by a user’s home postcode, to build an evidence base on usage in areas of higher deprivation.Sport England are closely monitoring swimming pool stock through their Active Places tool. This evidence shows that since 2015 there has been a total of 291 swimming pool closures (on sites owned by Local Authorities), whilst there have been a total of 254 new swimming pools opened during this period.We will continue to engage with a full range of stakeholders to explore how we can work towards securing a vibrant future for swimming pools, enabling them to continue delivering their full potential for public health, economic growth, and the wellbeing of our communities.All future funding of sports facilities beyond 2025/26 will be considered following the Spending Review and the Government will set out further plans in due course.

Media and Sport, whether she plans to extend funding for (a) free and (b) subsidised swimming for children from low-income families.

Local Authorities are responsible for swimming provision, taking decisions locally in line with local strategies and contractual positions.Pupils have the opportunity at primary school to learn to swim and be safe in and around water. The National Curriculum for Physical Education states that all schools must provide swimming instruction in either key stage 1 or 2 and that pupils should be taught to:swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metresuse a range of strokes effectively (for example, front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke)perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situationsPrimary schools can use their PE and sport Premium funding to provide top-up swimming and water safety lessons for those pupils that do not meet national curriculum requirements after they have completed core swimming and water safety lessons.The Government believes that opportunities to play sport and get physically active should be available to everyone and we recognise that there are barriers which prevent some people from getting active. We are committed to breaking down the barriers that contribute to these persisting inequalities in participation and want to ensure that everyone can experience the physical, mental and social benefits that come with being active.As part of this, Sport England’s long-term strategy, Uniting the Movement, prioritises tackling these longstanding inequalities, focusing on providing more support and more investment targeted towards least active groups.Sport England also track usage of swimming pools through Moving Communities to understand usage levels by children and by a user’s home postcode, to build an evidence base on usage in areas of higher deprivation.

Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of penalties for television licence evasion.

The BBC is responsible for collection and enforcement of the TV licence, including deciding whether to bring prosecution action.The Secretary of State believes it is important that the television licence fee has a fair enforcement regime that does not disproportionately impact vulnerable people, and has discussed her concerns on this issue with the BBC’s leadership.As part of the next Charter Review, the Government will engage with the BBC and others to consider how to ensure the BBC thrives well into the next decade and beyond. This will include discussions on a range of important issues, including future funding models for the BBC, and their enforcement.

Media and Sport, how much funding he plans to provide to the voluntary, community, and social enterprise energy efficiency scheme in 2025.

The VCSE Energy Efficiency Scheme (EES) is a £25.53 million grant programme, set up under the previous government and delivered in 2023/24 and 2024/25 to increase the energy efficiency and long-term sustainability of frontline VCSE organisations.There is no plan to continue the EES beyond this financial year. However there are a number of other ways in which the government supports VCSEs with their financial sustainability. This includes delivering other grant programmes, growing other sources of funding such as the social investment market, and supporting the viability of central and local government contracts. The government will also shortly set out how it intends to allocate the £350 million expected to flow into the Dormant Assets Scheme in England between 2024 and 2028 to the named causes - youth, financial inclusion, social investment, and community wealth funds.

Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing additional funding to the voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations for (a) reducing their energy consumption and (b) other costs.

The VCSE Energy Efficiency Scheme (EES) is a £25.53 million grant programme, set up under the previous government and delivered in 2023/24 and 2024/25 to increase the energy efficiency and long-term sustainability of frontline VCSE organisations.There is no plan to continue the EES beyond this financial year. However there are a number of other ways in which the government supports VCSEs with their financial sustainability. This includes delivering other grant programmes, growing other sources of funding such as the social investment market, and supporting the viability of central and local government contracts. The government will also shortly set out how it intends to allocate the £350 million expected to flow into the Dormant Assets Scheme in England between 2024 and 2028 to the named causes - youth, financial inclusion, social investment, and community wealth funds.

Media and Sport, if she will take steps to include provisions on banning leveraged buyouts of football clubs in the Football Governance Bill.

The Football Governance Bill was introduced to Parliament on 24 October 2024. The Bill delivers on our manifesto commitment to establish the independent football regulator and a new set of rules to protect clubs, empower fans and keep clubs at the heart of their communities.As part of the test for prospective new club owners, they will have to provide the Regulator with evidence they have sufficient financial resources to acquire a club. The Regulator will not approve a takeover if the acquiring party does not have sufficient funds and an appropriate plan to finance a club.

Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to regulate football clubs to prevent clubs being relocated away from local communities without fan approval.

The Football Governance Bill was introduced to Parliament on 24 October 2024. The Bill delivers on our manifesto commitment to establish the independent football regulator and a new set of rules to protect clubs, empower fans and keep clubs at the heart of their communities.The Bill includes a requirement for clubs to seek the Regulator’s approval for a stadium sale or relocation. Clubs will not be able to relocate from their stadium unless it makes financial sense and does not compromise the heritage of the club. Clubs will also be required to consult their fans on the move, prior to the Regulator giving approval.