The Government engages with Ofcom on a number of issues regarding the broadcasting sector.

The Creative Industries Sector Plan, which was published in June 2025, included a commitment for the Government to ask the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and Ofcom to consider how changes in the TV sector might impact their future assessments of the television and advertising markets. I subsequently wrote to the Chief Executives of the CMA and Ofcom in December 2025. Those letters, and the responses, are available on gov.uk here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/correspondence-how-the-cma-and-ofcom-could-take-into-account-changes-in-the-tv-sector-as-part-of-any-future-assessment-of-the-television-or-advertisi

We are fully committed to putting fans first by ending the scourge of industrial-scale ticket touting and protecting consumers on the secondary ticketing market. We announced legislative plans in the King’s Speech briefing to prohibit the resale of a live events ticket for more than the original cost. This will mean that ticket touting will no longer be a profitable business in the UK, whilst still allowing genuine fans to safely resell tickets for events they can no longer attend.

We will publish the draft bill in this session of parliament for pre-legislative scrutiny by the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, with the support of the Business and Trade Committee, to ensure that the legislation is effective, enforceable and future-proof.

The UK and EU share information and data where it supports our mutual safety, security, and prosperity, as part of our broader cooperation on trade, the economy, and defence and security.

DCMS acts in accordance with the reporting and information-sharing provisions relevant to the Department. These provisions are set out in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the Withdrawal Agreement, including the Windsor Framework. These documents are publicly available.

Tackling violence against women and girls remains a top priority for this government.

The banning of social media companies from offering their services to under-16s will help provide additional protections for children. Alongside this, the former Secretary of State wrote to the Ofcom Chair, asking them to make robust enforcement a priority, including working with government to implement all remaining duties from the Online Safety Act and moving to swift and rigorous enforcement where it is appropriate. Under the Act, services are required to prevent children in the UK from encountering harmful content including adjusting algorithms and provide age-appropriate experiences.

The Treaties section of the UK Parliament’s website lists international agreements which are subject to parliamentary scrutiny under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. An official record of the UK's treaty obligations under international law is also available via the UK Treaties Online resource.

Arts Council England has 350 staff assigned to The Hive, 51 Lever Street. In the most recent week for which working figures are available, 7 September 2026, attendance was reported at 59% of Manchester based staff, over the course of the week.

ACE offers hybrid working and does not mandate a fixed number of office days each week but does encourage in office days for training, team and away days. Due to the nature of their work, staff are also regularly meeting with artists and arts organisations.

The Government recognises that participation in culture and the arts, including dance, generates substantial social and economic value. Dance is a vital part of the cultural ecology, contributing to improved physical health, mental wellbeing and social connection, which collectively help to alleviate pressures on health and social care services.

Government commissioned research by Frontier Economics, published in November 2024 estimates that regular adult cultural participation provides benefits of £992 per person and £18.6 billion annually in societal benefits. One of the models relating to extra-curricular activities for children (which includes dance) estimates society-wide benefits totalling £230m per year. Participatory arts support prevention, reduce health service demand, and improve productivity and quality of life.

Additionally, ‘The Social Value of Movement and Dance’ report estimates that dance and movement participation generates £3.5 billion in annual social value in the UK. By improving physical health, mental wellbeing and social connectedness, this saves health services approximately £430 million annually by reducing service demand. The report highlights wider economic benefits, including increased productivity, reduced loneliness and stronger community cohesion.

DCMS is working with law enforcement and the Home Office to tackle drivers of sexual exploitation.

Any platform that provides services to UK users must abide by UK law, and will face enforcement action if they do not. Ofcom has DCMS’s full backing to use all powers available to them where platforms are in breach of the law.

We recognise the potential merits of safety protections at device-level, including age assurance. The Government is engaging with operating system providers and device manufacturers to make their products safer for children, including through technology to prevent children from taking, sharing or viewing nude imagery.

Ofcom’s guidance on highly effective age assurance recognises that services can use system-level age assurance approaches. However, responsibility for compliance with the Online Safety Act remains with regulated services.

Implementing a fair age assurance process is crucial to ensure that users are not unfairly excluded from online spaces to which they have legitimate access.

Providers in-scope of the OSA must consider the extent to which its chosen method avoids or minimises bias and discriminatory outcomes. As part of this, Ofcom recommends services consider a variety of age assurance methods to support accessibility.

We will continue to work with Ofcom to support solutions that protect children online while ensuring users from minority backgrounds are not unfairly excluded from accessing lawful content and services.

The Government recognises the importance of free-to-air terrestrial television and is considering its longer-term future as viewing increasingly moves online. In particular, Parliament has legislated to secure the future of digital terrestrial television (DTT) until at least 2034. The Media Green Paper, Watch this space, sought views on 2034 and 2044 as possible dates for a managed transition to IPTV, and on how such a transition can be managed in a way that protects audiences and supports a sustainable broadcasting sector. The Government is currently considering the responses it received and will set out its preferred approach in due course. Affordability and national security are key considerations, and the Government is seeking views on how the TV, digital and telecommunications sectors can address these challenges. Commercial broadcasters will also have an important role in determining the future availability of their own free-to-air services on DTT, within the relevant regulatory and policy framework.

Creative industries clusters across the UK, including in Norwich, play a crucial role in delivering the growth agenda.

Our Creative Industries Sector Plan published last year includes a strong universal offer to drive growth in the creative industries in every place in the UK, including Norwich and the wider East of England region. It outlines measures to break down barriers such as access to finance, supply of skills, and new support to kickstart innovation and support high-growth potential businesses.

In addition, Arts Council England (ACE) focuses funding on the areas of the cultural sector most at risk, using both dedicated funds and wider investment. Its £1.5 billion Arts Everywhere Fund is focused on supporting organisations, particularly in underserved areas, to protect vulnerable cultural infrastructure and local venues, ensuring access nationwide. This includes a flagship Norwich investment in ‘Creative Arts East'.

Government has made no assessment of automatic compensation for mobile network customers. Ofcom, the independent telecoms regulator, has statutory duties to protect the interests of telecoms consumers and has powers to set rules that communications providers must follow. The Government continues to engage with Ofcom and industry on service quality and consumer protections. Ofcom has introduced a range of measures to protect mobile customers, including rules on switching, contract transparency and protections against mobile messaging scams, while keeping consumer safeguards under review.

Ofcom, as the independent regulator, has acted to make telecoms complaints faster and fairer. Following review in April 2026, Ofcom concluded consumers should not have to wait eight weeks before accessing Alternative Dispute Resolution and reduced the timeframe to six weeks. Government supports proportionate action that helps consumers resolve issues sooner and get fair outcomes.

The Government's ambition is for all populated areas to have access to higher quality standalone 5G by 2030, this includes both urban and rural areas. We continue to work closely with the network operators to achieve this.

The regulator, Ofcom, is responsible for reporting on mobile network coverage, and do not publish any international comparisons. However other third-party data sources such as Speedtest’s Global Index rank some of the world’s largest cities, on a range of mobile network performance variables. Such data forms part of a range of sources of information that support policy development including as part of the Government’s ongoing Mobile Market Review.

The Government recognises the importance of reliable emergency communications in rural communities. If a customer's mobile network is unavailable, all emergency 999 calls automatically switch to another available network where coverage is present.

Where no mobile coverage is available from any operator, residents can continue to use alternative means of communication, including landlines and Wifi calling from mobiles where available.

The Government continues to work closely with mobile network operators to ensure there is high-quality digital infrastructure available right across the UK. Through the Shared Rural Network, a joint deal between government and mobile network operators, we are delivering new 4G coverage in areas where there was no coverage previously.

Government will be monitoring the impact of the ban closely and conduct a full review three to five years after implementation, allowing time for the expected cultural change and long-term impacts on mental and physical health to emerge. The review will consider a range of metrics including regular reporting from children and parents on online experiences and the impact on children’s physical and mental health. Government has committed to reviewing the mobile phones in schools guidance and making any necessary revisions by September 2027.

Government will be monitoring the impact of the ban closely and conduct a full review three to five years after implementation, allowing time for the expected cultural change and long-term impacts on mental and physical health to emerge. The review will consider a range of metrics including regular reporting from children and parents on online experiences and the impact on children’s physical and mental health. Government has committed to reviewing the mobile phones in schools guidance and making any necessary revisions by September 2027.

HMS President's historical significance is reflected in its inclusion on the Register of Historic Vessels and the National Historic Fleet, and the Government recognises the important contribution that historic vessels make to the nation's maritime heritage.

In 2023, in advance of the ship being moved to the breaker’s yard in Erith, National Historic Ships UK and Royal Navy Museums undertook extensive digital recording of the vessel, including laser scanning and photographic documentation, and arrangements have been made to preserve representative elements of its fabric for future research and interpretation. This work demonstrates the important role played by organisations across the maritime heritage sector in identifying, documenting and conserving nationally significant vessels, ensuring that their historical value is preserved for future generations. The Department has not undertaken a formal assessment of the entire vessel's eligibility for specific heritage protections or emergency funding, nor have ministers held discussions on HMS President with National Historic Ships UK or other heritage organisations.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s (NLHF) new 2026-2029 delivery plan published in September includes a brand new strategic priority to strengthen the resilience of the historic vessel sector. NLHF is also helping fund the Leading Lights programme at National Historic Ships UK which aims to strengthen the resilience, skills and sustainability of the UK's historic vessel sector. The project is intended to support vessels on the National Register of Historic Vessels and the specialist infrastructure needed to conserve them. More broadly, the Government keeps the effectiveness of the heritage protection system under review and continues to engage with the heritage sector on matters affecting the historic environment, including maritime heritage.

HMS President's historical significance is reflected in its inclusion on the Register of Historic Vessels and the National Historic Fleet, and the Government recognises the important contribution that historic vessels make to the nation's maritime heritage.

In 2023, in advance of the ship being moved to the breaker’s yard in Erith, National Historic Ships UK and Royal Navy Museums undertook extensive digital recording of the vessel, including laser scanning and photographic documentation, and arrangements have been made to preserve representative elements of its fabric for future research and interpretation. This work demonstrates the important role played by organisations across the maritime heritage sector in identifying, documenting and conserving nationally significant vessels, ensuring that their historical value is preserved for future generations. The Department has not undertaken a formal assessment of the entire vessel's eligibility for specific heritage protections or emergency funding, nor have ministers held discussions on HMS President with National Historic Ships UK or other heritage organisations.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s (NLHF) new 2026-2029 delivery plan published in September includes a brand new strategic priority to strengthen the resilience of the historic vessel sector. NLHF is also helping fund the Leading Lights programme at National Historic Ships UK which aims to strengthen the resilience, skills and sustainability of the UK's historic vessel sector. The project is intended to support vessels on the National Register of Historic Vessels and the specialist infrastructure needed to conserve them. More broadly, the Government keeps the effectiveness of the heritage protection system under review and continues to engage with the heritage sector on matters affecting the historic environment, including maritime heritage.