Our publicly funded museums hold a wealth and diversity of rich cultural assets across a broad range of disciplines. We are collectively in the process of evaluating these datasets’ application for licensing to AI models and other data users. That is why the Government is funding the Creative Content Exchange (CCE) pilot to learn more about demand for cultural data and the frameworks through which licensing to trusted users could take place at scale responsibly.

The CCE is in a pilot phase. Participation is entirely voluntary, and datasets from several public institutions are live on the platform. Learning from the pilot will help determine next steps.

On 7 December 2022, His Majesty’s Government amended the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill to create a power to establish a registration scheme for short-term lets. Further details on how the scheme will operate, including how it will be administered, will be explored through a public consultation which will be published at the earliest opportunity this year.

HM Government recognises that digital skills and digital access are increasingly required to participate in many aspects of society.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport works with third-sector organisations across the UK to understand the challenges facing people in digital poverty. The Digital Poverty Alliance, one of our partners, has recently published an evidence review which made an assessment of the impact of digital poverty on young people and their households. This has found that 30 per cent of young people aged 8–25 (2.1 million people) are at risk of becoming ‘digital castaways’ and that 42 per cent of young people (6 million people) do not have either home broadband or a laptop/desktop computer. Young people who are digitally excluded are less likely to be in well-paying jobs, have worse health outcomes, and have an overall lower quality of life.

We also work across Government and with the private sector to ensure that the needs of digitally excluded people are considered. For example, DCMS has negotiated a range of high-quality, low-cost social tariffs for households in receipt of Universal Credit and other means-tested benefits, including Pension Credit. These are available across 99 per cent of the UK.

His Majesty’s Government recognises the positive contribution of social and community enterprises to society and the economy, including their vital role supporting local areas.

DCMS has launched the £4.1 million Social Enterprise Boost Fund to provide targeted support for early-stage social enterprises in disadvantaged places. This new fund will provide capacity-building such as business support, training, networking, one-to-one support and peer learning, and includes £1.5 million of grants for entrepreneurs to kick-start their social enterprises.

In addition to the Social Enterprise Boost Fund, DCMS supports the sector through the £900,000 Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Contract Readiness Fund, developed to increase social and community enterprise participation in public service delivery.

BEIS provides support through The Start Up Loans Company, a subsidiary of the British Business Bank, providing loans between £500 and £25,000 and pre- and post-application support to new entrepreneurs across the UK, including a year of free business mentoring for successful applicants.

His Majesty’s Government is supporting small charities with their energy bills until March 2023, through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme. His Majesty’s Treasury and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy are currently undertaking a review to determine what support will be available for organisations from April 2023.

Charities and community amateur sports clubs can also apply for charitable rate relief of up to 80% if a property is used for charitable purposes (https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-business-rate-relief/charitable-rate-relief).

With Government support, small charities have shown significant resilience over the past few years, and will again be crucial in supporting communities and households through the winter. My Department will keep engaging constructively across the sector, and with colleagues across Government, to monitor the impact of rising costs.

The strongest protections in the Online Safety Bill are for children.

We expect companies operating sites likely to be accessed by children to use age verification technologies and measures such age assurance to ensure that only children who are old enough are able to access an age-restricted service. The Government also recently announced that it will make changes to the Bill to require services with age restrictions to explain, in their terms of service, the measures they use to enforce these, such as the use of age assurance or age verification technologies, and apply these terms consistently. This means that social media sites and other platforms are held to account for what they say in their terms of service, but will not mandate sites to have a minimum age restriction. Such a requirement could have a negative impact on the ability of children to access appropriate online services and to derive benefit from them.

His Majesty’s Government has conducted its own impact assessment of the benefits of the Electronic Trade Documents Bill and found that, in our best estimate scenario, the benefits to UK businesses involved in international trade will be £1.137 billion over 10 years. We intend to publish the impact assessment shortly.

There is a diverse and geographically dispersed range of businesses involved in international trade in the UK, according to ONS figures. In 2020, there were 263,000 exporting businesses in the UK, 124,000 of which exported goods; further ONS estimates show that around 75% of UK businesses which exported in 2020 are based outside London. Current research does not allow us to assess impacts at the local authority level, however.

The voluntary and community sector plays a vital role in supporting people across the country in their everyday lives.

We recognise that digital skills and access are increasingly required to participate fully in society, and that digital exclusion makes it more difficult for people to use essential services.

To support access, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport continues to encourage operators to offer social tariffs, which provide low-cost mobile and broadband services for people on Universal Credit as well as other means-tested benefits. We continue to work closely with Ofcom, consumer groups, and the sector to raise awareness of these low-cost offers. For those unable to own a device with internet access, public libraries play an important role in providing access to the internet, with trained staff and volunteers to support users. The Department for Education’s Digital Entitlement allows for adults with no or low digital skills (below level 1) to study for Essential Digital Skills Qualifications (EDSQs) for free.

The size of the challenge, however, means that we cannot tackle the digital divide on our own. The involvement of the voluntary and community sector is crucial, and support can be most effective where providers are able to tailor their support to local needs.

DCMS will continue to engage with the sector and across Government on this topic.

Third-sector organisations work with a range of different government departments across a variety of issues and topics. As such, DCMS does not hold central data on all spending to third-sector organisations from across His Majesty’s Government.

Annual statistics for all grants distributed by HM Government can, however, be found on GOV.UK here. As well as providing a general overview, the site allows users to search for grants awarded to charities, by downloading the latest grants statistical tables and filtering by a charity’s registered number.

Racism has no place in society. Her Majesty’s Government is committed to working with our arm’s length bodies, sporting bodies and sector partners to ensure sport does all it can to tackle racism and all forms of discrimination.

We were extremely dismayed to hear about the recent racist remarks made about Sir Lewis Hamilton but commend Formula 1’s zero-tolerance approach to harassment and discrimination. Alongside work under Formula 1’s anti-racist platform We Race As One, their swift condemnation of Nelson Piquet’s racist remarks has led to their decision to implement a life-time ban on his attendance at races. In addition, the British Racing Drivers’ Club has suspended Mr Piquet as a member, citing its zero-tolerance policy toward racism and stating it expects formally to terminate his membership at a board meeting to be held within seven days.

Last year we also welcomed the work of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Sir Lewis Hamilton which is aimed at improving the representation of Black people in UK motor sport. However there is still more to do, and we will continue to work across Her Majesty’s Government and with sector partners to ensure that inequalities people from ethnically diverse backgrounds face in sport, including motorsports, are being tackled effectively.

Protecting children online sits at the heart of the new Online Safety Bill. The new regime will ensure that children are protected from harmful or inappropriate content such as grooming, bullying, pornography and the promotion of self-harm and eating disorders.

Once the regime is operational, Ofcom’s new responsibilities under the Bill will be fully funded by industry fees. They will oversee and enforce service providers’ compliance with the duties in the Bill, including the child safety duties.

The regulatory framework is already designed to capture the insight and expertise of organisations that represent the interests of children. For example, Ofcom must consult relevant experts when designing its codes of practice, which will determine the recommended safety measures platforms put in place. It must also undertake research into users’ experience of regulated services, which will inform its regulatory approach and priorities. In addition, the Bill expands the remit of the Communications Consumer Panel. This panel, which is an independent group of experts, will act on behalf of users by conducting research, carrying out consultations and giving advice to Ofcom. Ofcom will also have the flexibility to choose other mechanisms better to understand users and their experiences as it deems appropriate. Finally, the super-complaints mechanism will also ensure that Ofcom is alerted by eligible bodies, which will include advocacy bodies like the Children's Commissioners, to any significant or systemic risks to children, though the ongoing consultation and research will likely mean Ofcom is able to tackle such issues upstream.

Adding an additional ‘watchdog’ would duplicate the existing provisions in the Bill, creating a confusing landscape. This would not be in the best interests of children.

Racism has no place in cricket, sport, or wider society. The Government is committed to working with our arm’s-length bodies, sporting bodies and sector partners to ensure sport does all it can to tackle racism and all forms of discrimination.

We welcome the action the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is taking to tackle racism in cricket. We will continue to monitor its actions, including the implementation of the ECB’s plan for diversity and inclusion. A recent update indicates that the ECB is continuing to deliver on its commitments on improved diversity in governance, the development of an anti-discrimination unit, and its review of crowd management alongside the First Class Counties and the Sports Grounds Safety Authority. The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket, established by the ECB in March 2021, is also currently in the process of reviewing the evidence to form an independent report with suggested recommendations on how to tackle discrimination and achieve equity in cricket.

Funding from our arm’s-length body for grassroot sport, Sport England, is explicitly linked to the development and implementation of robust diversity and inclusion policies and plans. This has been made clear to the ECB, which has responded positively and constructively.

We will continue to liaise with the cricket authorities on tackling racism and hold them to account on this.

Her Majesty’s Government believes that there is no place for prejudice or discrimination in the media or anywhere else and is committed to supporting the broadcasting sector to ensure it is a place which offers opportunities for people from all backgrounds to contribute and succeed. This can only be achieved through a diverse workforce which reflects modern Britain.

Ofcom, as the independent communications regulator, has a duty to promote equality of opportunity in relation to employment in the broadcasting sector and has powers to ask broadcasters to provide information about their diversity policies and the make-up of their workforce. Her Majesty’s Government is committed to working together with the industry and with Ofcom to support greater diversity and inclusion. Her Majesty’s Government has no plans to establish an independent racism reporting body for the broadcasting industry.

The Dormant Assets Act 2022 delivers on Her Majesty’s Government's commitment to expand the scheme. Over time, this will unlock an estimated £880 million for good causes across the UK.

Her Majesty’s Government will launch a public consultation this summer on the social and/or environmental focus of the English portion. This is an opportunity to consider how future funds can be distributed in England.

The Act provides the power to expand the scheme without the need for primary legislation. This will enable Her Majesty’s Government to respond more rapidly to opportunities to broaden the pool of eligible assets as they arise, alongside experience of managing dormant assets which will build over time.

Organisations that process personal data for the purposes of monitoring their activities or surveillance must comply with the requirements of the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. This means that the data processing must be fair, lawful and transparent. Any adverse impact of monitoring on individuals must be necessary, proportionate and justified by the benefits to the organisation and others. A Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) would usually be required, particularly where the processing involves the use of new technologies, or the novel application of existing technologies.

Where people’s biometric data are processed, such as through fingerprint, voice or facial recognition technology, companies would generally need to conduct a DPIA. Companies conducting live facial recognition would generally need to show that processing was necessary for one of a limited number of specified reasons of substantial public interest - for instance, preventing or detecting unlawful acts. They would also need to show that specific conditions and safeguards were met.

The Information Commissioner’s Office is the UK’s independent regulator for data protection and has published extensive guidance to help organisations comply with their data protection obligations. This includes guidance for employers on the rules in relation to monitoring of employees, as well as guidance on monitoring employees in connection with Covid-19 related measures.

The Information Commissioner has also published an opinion on the non-law enforcement use of live facial recognition technology in public spaces which explain the requirements of the legislation and stress that data protection and people’s privacy must be at the heart of any decisions to deploy live facial recognition technology in public spaces.

The Government has been working closely with the major social media platforms to monitor and share information as the situation in Ukraine develops. We have made clear the seriousness of the current situation and the importance of cooperating speedily in countering these threats. This includes the social media platforms swiftly removing disinformation and coordinated inauthentic or manipulated behaviour which is against their terms of service and promoting authoritative content.

We welcome the decisions of major platforms, including Meta, Twitter and YouTube, to restrict posts, accounts and/or advertisements run by Russian state media. As the Secretary of State set out in her statement to Parliament on 3 March, we will continue to work with these platforms to counter Russia’s aggression and support the people fighting for their survival in Ukraine.

More widely, the cross-Whitehall Counter Disinformation Unit brings together monitoring and analysis capabilities from across Government to understand the scope, scale, and nature of disinformation and misinformation and to work with partners to tackle it. We regularly engage with social media platforms to flag content that we consider to be particularly harmful. Where this content breaches their own terms and conditions, we expect platforms to remove it promptly.

As the Secretary of State set out in her statement to the House of Commons on 3 March 2022, Vladimir Putin must not be allowed to exploit our open and free media to spread poisonous propaganda into British homes.

I am pleased to say that RT has already been removed from Sky, Freeview and Freesat in the UK, meaning that Putin cannot push out his propaganda on UK television. I also welcome Ofcom’s announcement of 27 investigations into RT, and their confirmation that they are considering RT’s UK broadcasting licence.

The Secretary of State has written to the major platforms, asking them to do everything they can to prevent access to RT online in the UK, as they have done in Europe, and we are glad that YouTube and Meta have already done so.

The Government agrees that the scope of the Online Safety Bill must cover a broad range of online interaction, including both content and activity. This is already covered in the draft Bill. All online activity is facilitated by content: therefore references to “harmful content” in the Bill require companies to tackle harm associated with both activity and content. The Bill also requires companies to consider and mitigate the risks arising from the functionalities and ways in which people use their services, for example to contact other users, share content, or express a view on content through “likes” or “dislikes”. Under the Bill, if a company plans to release a new social media product, including one that enables virtual reality functionality, it will have to mitigate any risk of harm posed to users arising from this.

Racism has no place in cricket, sport, or wider society. The Government is committed to ensuring sport does all it can to tackle racism and all forms of discrimination.

The Government believes that sports should be given every opportunity to run their own affairs wherever possible. However, as the Minister for Sport stated in front of the DCMS Select Committee on 18 November, if other actions do not result in meaningful change, independent regulation remains an option that the Government would consider as part of a range of wider measures to address governance and regulation.

We welcome the recent action on tackling racism in cricket from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). We will continue to monitor its actions, including the implementation of the ECB’s new plan for diversity and inclusion. One of the key commitments of this plan is to improve diversity in leadership and governance positions across cricket.

Sport England funding is explicitly linked to the development and implementation of robust diversity and inclusion policies and plans. This has been made clear to the ECB, who have responded positively and constructively.

The Government will continue to liaise with the cricket authorities on tackling racism and hold them to account on this.

Racism has no place in cricket, sport, or wider society. The Government is committed to ensuring sport does all it can to tackle racism and all forms of discrimination.

The Government believes that sports should be given every opportunity to run their own affairs wherever possible. However, as the Minister for Sport stated in front of the DCMS Select Committee on 18 November, if other actions do not result in meaningful change, independent regulation remains an option that the Government would consider as part of a range of wider measures to address governance and regulation.

We welcome the recent action on tackling racism in cricket from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). We will continue to monitor its actions, including the implementation of the ECB’s new plan for diversity and inclusion. One of the key commitments of this plan is to improve diversity in leadership and governance positions across cricket.

Sport England funding is explicitly linked to the development and implementation of robust diversity and inclusion policies and plans. This has been made clear to the ECB, who have responded positively and constructively.

The Government will continue to liaise with the cricket authorities on tackling racism and hold them to account on this.