Ian Murray MP: speeches 2026

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Speeches

23 Apr 2026 · UK Biobank Data · Hansard source
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My hon. Friend makes an incredibly important point. I will say from the Dispatch Box that we should encourage more participation in UK Biobank. It is a global leader in research and is funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Medical Research Council. It also receives significant funding from Cancer Research UK, the British Heart Foundation and the National Institute for Health and Care Research. That shows the breadth of research that it does on all the key diseases that we suffer from in this country, and it is resolving some of these problems. Chinese researchers are making significant progress on diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Biobank is a global platform, and it is very much welcomed as a research resource. We should encourage the public to make sure that they can volunteer their data, so that the health of all of us is improved as a result.
23 Apr 2026 · UK Biobank Data · Hansard source
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UK Biobank has assured us over the past 24 hours that it is looking for a technical fix, which should happen relatively shortly, and we will hold it to that. To show that we are taking the situation as seriously as it should be taken, we have insisted as a Government that UK Biobank should pause all access to, downloads from and use of the system until the fix comes into place. I do not know the exact figures of usage, but across the globe there are somewhere in the region of more than 16,000 researchers using this resource, because it is so valuable. We should thank them for doing that and ensure that they have full access to UK Biobank in the safe way in which it should be used as soon as possible.
16 Apr 2026 · Grassroots Music Venues · Hansard source
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Oh, Mr Speaker—you did not steal my line, unfortunately. I congratulate Eastbourne on reopening the bandstand. I am disappointed that I did not receive an invitation—I can throw a few shapes as well and I am very happy to come down and dance the night away with Mr Speaker. The Government very much care about these venues. The hon. Gentleman will know that on Tuesday we announced that 130 cultural venues, museums, libraries and live music venues will receive a share of nearly £130 million. That includes nearly a £1 million for Music Venue Properties, a charity that helps to conserve venues through community ownership, and Eastbourne bandstand could be part of that. The funding is part of our £1.5 billion investment through the arts everywhere scheme to support 1,000 cultural projects with that kind of infrastructure. I am happy to meet the hon. Gentleman and the local authority to discuss what more we can do for Eastbourne bandstand.
16 Apr 2026 · Grassroots Music Venues · Hansard source
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We are determined to end ticket touting in this country. It has been ripping off fans for too long. We have a very strong policy to deal with that and we will bring the legislation forward as soon as we possibly can.
16 Apr 2026 · Grassroots Music Venues · Hansard source
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The Government are providing up to £30 million through the music growth package. That will further provide support to grassroots venues by fostering domestic growth, talent development and music exports. We are fully committed to supporting the live music industry’s introduction of a voluntary ticket contribution for stadium and arena shows, to help safeguard the future of the grassroots music sector, and this has already contributed half a million pounds to the live music sector.
16 Apr 2026 · Video Games Industry · Hansard source
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It looks as if I am meeting with my hon. Friend about games, rather than going to the Motown dancing in Eastbourne, but never mind. [Laughter.] Delivering for all the nations and regions remains a priority for this Government. The UK games fund, which is based in Dundee, is a UK-wide programme available to studios and teams across the country, wherever they are. The funding provided to the London games festival includes showcasing support for regional studios, enabling exposure to a greater audience. I am more than happy to speak to my hon. Friend to discuss the opportunities for Norfolk in more detail.
16 Apr 2026 · Video Games Industry · Hansard source
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As part of our creative industries, video games are identified as a priority sector in the industrial strategy. On Monday, we rolled out the games growth package, with a £30 million investment over three years, expanding the UK games fund and investing in the London games festival. We continue to maintain our stable and generous tax reliefs, recognising their role in supporting growth in the games sector, in industry and in wider creative industries. According to estimates from the body Ukie, the value of the UK video game consumer market in 2025 was £8.8 billion.
16 Apr 2026 · Video Games Industry · Hansard source
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My friend the hon. Member, my almost-neighbouring MP in Edinburgh, is absolutely right: Scotland is one of the world leaders in video games, and we have to make sure we are harnessing that. The games growth fund that I announced on Monday at the London games festival will make sure that we are nurturing new talent, helping people to get to the prototype stage, and growing the sector to get those projects to commercialisation. That will be spread across the country, of course, but Dundee is the key part of that. Rockstar in Edinburgh will be launching “Grand Theft Auto VI” later this year, which will be the biggest launch of any audiovisual package in the world. We are looking forward to that, but the hon. Member is absolutely right that we have to nurture that talent and bring the pipeline of talent through.
16 Apr 2026 · Visual Effects Companies · Hansard source
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I am very happy to meet representatives of the VFX industry, including Outpost VFX in my hon. Friend’s constituency. It is worth bearing in mind that there are a whole host of visual effects tax reliefs in place, including a 39% rate on VFX costs, to make it as competitive as possible in this country. I meet regularly and engage with the sector, including the UK Screen Alliance. Protecting our world-leading VFX sector base means ensuring that skills keep pace with artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. We understand and acknowledge the significant implications for the sector of various pressures at the moment, but there is £10 million being invested in the National Film and Television School to expand apprenticeships and £25 million of funding for five new CoSTAR—Convergent Screen Technologies and performance in Realtime—labs, and the Chancellor’s £725 million for the next phase of the growth and skills levy will also deliver new digital skills. That package of measures sits alongside the tax reliefs.
16 Apr 2026 · Visual Effects Companies · Hansard source
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We are committed to ensuring the UK remains the world’s leading destination for film and television production. That ambition sits at the core of the Government’s industrial strategy and the creative industries sector plan, which recognises the sector’s strength as a driver of growth. Every single best visual effects Oscar nominee this year had work done in UK studios, including Bournemouth’s own Outpost VFX for its work on “Sinners”.
16 Apr 2026 · Topical Questions · Hansard source
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May I start by paying tribute to all at the Bathgate Band who were responsible for the Bathgate Music Hub, particularly Derek Brown? Co-operative live music venues have benefited from the Government’s £150 million community ownership fund, enabling communities to take ownership of valued local cultural assets, but in England, not Scotland. We have the Pride in Place programme, which is supporting 244 neighbourhoods across the UK, and yesterday we announced that the Creative Foundations Fund—a charity that is helping to conserve music venues through community ownership—has awarded £999,000 to music venue properties in England. I have to say that the Scottish Government, through the Barnett formula, have received money in the spending review settlement. It is not clear how much they are spending in this particular area.
16 Apr 2026 · Press Malpractice · Hansard source
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The Secretary of State has been clear about this. In March she said, at the Society of Editors future of news conference, that the Government will “will tread carefully and cautiously about regulation…as any right-minded Government should.” Fearless journalists must be able to hold the Government to account, but there are also concerns that people are turning away from news and losing trust in issues that, as the hon. Member said, are very serious. I am happy to meet her to discuss such issues. The Government are closely following trends in media consumption. In an age of considerable increasing misinformation and disinformation, including press intrusion, we want to get this right.
16 Apr 2026 · Press Malpractice · Hansard source
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We recognise that incidents of undue attention and harassment from the media cause significant distress to the public. We will always defend media freedom, but with this freedom comes big responsibilities. Publishers must operate ethically and within the bounds of the law. The Secretary of State has met families who have experienced press intrusion. We are now carefully considering the next steps to determine how to ensure that public trust and accountability in news media is maintained and improved.
18 Mar 2026 · Rural Broadband · Hansard source
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By means of commercial and subsidised delivery, the Government are ensuring that gigabit-capable connections are available to 99% of UK premises by 2032 through, for instance, Project Gigabit. This is critical for all UK communities if the public are to take advantage of the opportunities of technology, including the transformational investment in AI that the Chancellor announced yesterday, and if the United Kingdom is to win the global race for AI and be at the forefront of quantum computing as a result of the Government’s pledge to procure those connections. If everyone in every community across the UK is to win, they need to be connected, including those in Hexham.
18 Mar 2026 · Rural Broadband · Hansard source
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I am happy for that to be arranged with Luca, the parish council and my hon. Friend, along with officials from Building Digital UK, so that we can explore the solutions that are possible for his constituents. The Minister for Digital Economy, who sits in the other place, will be holding a surgery for Members of this House on 14 April, and I think my hon. Friend should go along and discuss these issues with her as well.
18 Mar 2026 · Rural Broadband · Hansard source
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I am happy to ensure that the Minister in the other place who deals with this particular issue meets the APPG. However, Project Gigabit is designed to adapt in the event of a contracted supplier no longer being able to complete its planned delivery, using a mix of contracts and interventions. We are keen to hear from the hon. Lady about the experiences of her constituents.
18 Mar 2026 · Rural Broadband · Hansard source
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We are a shareholder in Eutelsat, of which OneWeb is a part, and we will be examining all these issues. We have asked for Eutelsat to come forward with proposals to ensure that we have that resilience here in the UK, and we want to make more use of that shareholding.
17 Mar 2026 · Draft Grants to the Churches Conservation Trust Order 2026 · Hansard source
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I thank the Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee and the shadow Minister for their contributions. First, I will deal with some of the questions about the listed places of worship scheme. The replacement scheme will be a £92 million fund over the next four years, which is actually an increase in funding over what was available on the VAT reclaim scheme, because it is England only and not a UK-wide scheme, therefore only eligible in England. There are no Barnett consequentials to that for Scotland, Northern Ireland or Wales, because the scheme is the Department spending budget that has already been Barnettised through the spending review. In the case of Scotland, while I know there has been a lot of discussion from Scottish Members about this, it is up to the Scottish Government to determine how they spend the spending review Barnett consequential. There is no Barnett on this allocation of budget. The CCT should be able to apply for the places of worship renewal fund, as it can already for the listed places of worship fund, as the shadow Minister laid out. In terms of when, I can confirm it will be soon—as hon. Members know, “soon” in Government terms is anything between 1 January and 31 December, but it actually will be soon, because we acknowledge that people are a little bit in limbo here. The reason the scheme was closed—to answer one of the questions put to me—was because 80% of the projects that were brought forward said that the work would go ahead regardless, and another 15% on top of that said that the work would have gone ahead on time and on budget, so the public purse was funding stuff that was already happening. The fact that we have gone to the new grant system means that people will be able to apply for more funding in that sense. In the past there was a £25,000 cap, and the average spend was between £3,000 and £5,000—quite small amounts of money in terms of VAT reclaim. We encourage the heritage sector—the CCT and otherwise—to come forward with projects as soon as the criteria are announced. The fund sits under the umbrella of the £1.5 billion that DCMS announced last month for arts, heritage, museums and places of worship, so there is a lot of money going into the sector, and the sector has welcomed that. I think that answers all the questions, unless anyone would like to come back to me on that. There is eligibility for places of worship and former places of worship—CCT places—to apply for heritage at risk funding if they fall into that category. Recently, half a million was announced for repair work to St Catherine of Siena Church and more than £250,000 for emergency repairs at St Michael’s in Birmingham, because they are both sites classed as heritage at risk. There are other avenues of funding, so I encourage the custodians of churches to come forward if they need any advice on finding the best model for them. Government funding for CCT, along with funding from the Church of England, is crucial to the heritage sector, enabling these remarkable buildings of cultural significance to remain open and in good repair, serving the communities for which they were originally built. I want to pass on my thanks to the trustees and staff at the CCT, and all the individual volunteers who keep these buildings going in a time of need. There is a positive outlook for historical places of worship under the Government’s new funding and with the CCT’s new strategy. Question put and agreed to.
17 Mar 2026 · Draft Grants to the Churches Conservation Trust Order 2026 · Hansard source
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I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Grants to the Churches Conservation Trust Order 2026. It is great, as always, to see you in the Chair, Sir Desmond. I am pleased to be speaking to this order, which was laid before the House in draft on 28 January 2026 and requires that the Government continue to provide funding for the Churches Conservation Trust, or CCT. The CCT, which was established by legislation in 1969 as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity aimed at protecting an essential part of our national heritage. It demonstrates a successful partnership between Church, Government and communities. The CCT plays a crucial role in caring for some of the most architecturally impressive churches no longer required for regular worship. It currently cares for more than 350 churches in towns, villages and cities across England, all of which are listed, mostly at grades I and II, and some of which are scheduled ancient monuments. The CCT’s collection showcases how historical buildings can be brought back to life creatively to continue to serve the communities that they were built for, once they are no longer required for their original use. Historical places of worship are a valued part of this nation’s heritage. Around 45% of all grade I listed buildings are Church of England churches or cathedrals, and they represent some of the finest examples of our historical buildings, heritage and exceptional craftsmanship. Those buildings are also often at the heart of communities, admired by visitors and beloved by residents. The CCT’s work is crucial to ensuring that they can be kept open and enjoyed as cultural, social, tourism and educational assets. Working in partnership with local communities is key to achieving that, as collaboration helps to secure the futures of historical places of worship as living, useful buildings that continue to contribute to the social fabric of their local places. That approach was recently demonstrated at St Torney’s in North Hill, Cornwall, the newest addition to the CCT’s portfolio. The CCT took one of the last remaining community buildings in an isolated village on the edge of Bodmin moor and turned it into a hive of community activity, hosting art shows, music, talks, children’s activities and much more. Close consultation with local residents was paramount to the success of the project, which continues to be successful. Other recent notable successes include the CCT’s work to conserve the internationally important stained glass in St Mary’s in Shrewsbury, again in close consultation with the local community, which is critical. The CCT recognises the importance of passing down traditional heritage skills to the next generation and building expertise in skills. Through its successful heritage skills summer programme, run jointly with Historic England, the CCT provides high-level repairs to the grade II listed St John’s church in Lancaster while helping to train a cohort of young people in the craft skills needed to take care of historical churches. Closer to home, last year saw the CCT move into its new headquarters at the Old Black Lion in Northampton. Following an innovative regeneration project, that unique space combines the fantastic revitalised historical pub with St Peter’s church, in what is the crown jewel of the CCT’s estate and its new national office. Through the Old Black Lion project, the CCT is contributing to Northampton’s wider regeneration, investing more than £2 million in the town’s most deprived wards. The CCT is supported by funding from both the Church of England and the Government—the Government are providing more than £3 million in the current financial year. It has also sought to diversify its income streams to multiply its core funding, so it can further support its activity at a time of public funding pressures. This debate takes place at a pivotal time for the funding of places of worship: to make a lasting difference to historical places of worship, this Government are shifting towards capital funding and will invest more than £90 million over the next four years, with the launch of the places of worship renewal fund. That new fund, which was announced in January, will allow for longer term planning, enabling us to target resources at the areas that are most in need, particularly areas with double disadvantage. In 2025, the CCT launched its new strategy, which is designed to guide the charity’s work for the next five years. Under the strategy, the CCT will focus on three interdependent principles: conservation, community and creativity. It will work with local communities both to conserve the historical fabric of churches, and to find creative new ways to reimagine such places. This order allows the Government to continue to provide funding to support the CCT and enable it to continue its work in giving future life to the historical places of worship in its care. The instrument covers three years, providing the CCT with certainty about Government funding support for this period and helping it plan its activities with confidence. The funding will allow the CCT to continue to conserve the fabric of one of the largest collections of highly listed buildings in the country, keeping them open, for free, to everyone of all faiths and none. I hope that Committee members share my enthusiasm for the important work done by the CCT, and recognise the key role that it plays in preserving and promoting a vital aspect of our nation’s heritage. I hope that they will approve the draft order, which will provide for the CCT from 2026 to 2029, and I commend it to the Committee.
10 Mar 2026 · English Rugby · Hansard source
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It is a terrific success and I congratulate Holly on that. If there were more female referees in the men’s game across all sports, there would probably be a much better-behaved environment for people to participate in. That does offer inspiration; I have a five-year old girl and a one-year old girl and when they see the finals, when they see the Lionesses or the Red Roses lifting those trophies and when they see female referees participating in the game, it inspires them to do so such more. We should celebrate all those successes, but they are still the exception, rather than the rule—we need to make sure they are the rule, rather than that exception. The Government are building on the huge success of the women’s Rugby World Cup to deliver a successful legacy programme with the RFU. We ensured there is a lasting legacy from the tournament by providing nearly £7 million to the World Cup legacy programme, called Impact ’25.
10 Mar 2026 · English Rugby · Hansard source
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I have committed some of my colleagues to meetings already, but let me ask the appropriate Minister from DFE to write to the hon. Lady to answer those questions. I am coming on to her questions about planning and MHCLG in terms of Sport England. MHCLG is considering all responses to its recent consultation and are continuing to discuss the matter with Sport England. No decision will be made until all those responses are analysed as part of the consultation, and MHCLG are taking that forward. Finally, I want to run through the RFU governance structures quickly—and let us acknowledge that substantial change is taking place within that governance. I think the RFU has heard the message and the PREM has moved towards a criteria-based expansion and demotion model. The Government are consistently working with the RFU and representatives of the Prem and Champ clubs, including Premiership Women’s Rugby, while also monitoring the situation, and are supporting them with the long-term sustainability of elite rugby union. Rugby union is a great national success story—for some more than others—but it is currently writing its next critical chapter with the women’s game, the grassroots game and the elite game, and the Government are here to support that. We have stood shoulder to shoulder with the sport through its most difficult moments, such as covid, and will continue to champion its growth, particularly in the women’s game. We look forward to seeing English rugby continue to thrive for generations to come— [ Interruption. ] I have my fingers crossed as I stand at this particular Dispatch Box—apart, of course, from when they play Scotland. Question put and agreed to .
10 Mar 2026 · English Rugby · Hansard source
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I am happy to commit my colleagues to a meeting with the appropriate Minister. Let us do that, and let us at least write to the hon. Gentleman and get that issue resolved. The legacy programme has benefited 850 clubs, supporting women and girls of all ages to get involved in rugby. That includes clubs based in the constituency of the hon. Member for West Dorset, such as Dorchester RFC, which has received £5,000 towards upgrading its facilities. I will use a couple of minutes, in the time we have left, to run through some of the issues raised. Let us look at the financial stability of the game, which has been a significant concern since covid in particular. My hon. Friend the Sports Minister has previously met with the RFU and Prem Rugby to discuss the long-term financial sustainability of professional rugby union, and my officials regularly engage with both organisations on that issue. The hon. Member for West Dorset is right to talk about the £158 million to rugby union to support the clubs during covid-19. The loan agent for that is Sport England, which is always analysing the repayments and the borrowers’ financial situations. We cannot comment on individual clubs, but he did mention the favourable terms, including long interest rates, long repayment periods and up-front payment holidays. If any club is struggling, it should get in touch with Sport England as the loan agent to have discussions on covid loans. The hon. Gentleman mentioned schools, and there is good news for schools. The Government are committed to protecting time for PE in schools, as set out in the Government’s response to the independent expert-led review of the curriculum. The new PE and school sport partnerships, announced by the Prime Minister last June, will ensure that all children have equal access to high-quality PE. These new partnerships will bring together schools, local clubs and national Government bodies to target funding and support where it is most needed—particularly, as hon. Members have mentioned, in state schools in our most deprived areas.
10 Mar 2026 · English Rugby · Hansard source
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It is always a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Ms Vaz. I apologise that the Sports Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley South (Stephanie Peacock), is at the winter Paralympics in Milan, and there is nobody more appropriate than a Scot to take this particular debate. Ms Vaz, if you will indulge me, the reason I am wearing this tie is purely because I left my other blue one in the car this morning and this is the only one hanging up in my office that I had to put on—of course, I have to be appropriately dressed for replying to debates. I am pleased to respond to the debate and I congratulate the hon. Gentleman for West Dorset (Edward Morello) on securing it. I need to declare an interest early on, as holders of the Calcutta cup and favourites for the Six Nations; I wish England the best of luck against France this weekend, as it will allow us to lift that trophy. The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right that rugby union, and indeed all sports, play a vital role in our national and local identity. The things he said about the people who wash the kits, cook the food and coach the children, and all the people involved in our clubs as volunteers, describe many sports across the country. They are the beating heart of our communities. From the roar of Twickenham—or sometimes the silence of Twickenham—to the muddy pitches of our local leagues, rugby is a sport that instils the core values of teamwork, discipline and respect. Those values are on show from the grassroots rugby games across the country all the way to the Six Nations. I would like to celebrate the performances by Scotland and Wales this weekend and I hope that England finish strongly, as they probably should. Beyond the game itself, rugby clubs serve as the beating heart of our communities, demonstrating how much rugby is so much more than just a sport. They are vital social hubs, as the hon. Gentleman said, providing a sense of belonging, fostering local pride and delivering accessible opportunities for people of all ages to get active. That is exactly why the Government have been unwavering in their support for the game, from the grassroots up to the elite level. On support for grassroots rugby union, as mentioned by the hon. Gentleman and many others in their interventions, the Government are committed to ensuring that everyone has access to and can benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That includes rugby union and indeed rugby league—Mr Speaker would be upset if I did not mention rugby league too. Sport England is providing more than £60 million of funding to the Rugby Football Union between 2022 and 2029, supporting men’s and women’s grassroots rugby participation. As well as that, we are providing significant financial support to deliver grassroots sport facilities, including for rugby. The Government recently announced £85 million to build and upgrade grassroots sport facilities across the UK in this year alone, including more than £68 million that will be invested in England via the multi-sport grassroots facilities programme. I hope that will resolve many of the issues about facilities that my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds South West and Morley (Mark Sewards) talked about. That builds on more than £80 million being invested in England in 2025-26. Some 40% of funded projects through the multi-sport grassroots facilities programme will have a multi-sport offer to allow more people to participate in a wider variety of sports such as rugby. In particular, women’s rugby, which has been mentioned, has seen exceptional growth in recent years. Women’s sport has seen exceptional growth, in fact, but particularly rugby. Since 2021, participation in the women’s game has surged by 38%. It is great to see the growth of women’s rugby and it was fantastic to see the success of the Red Roses last summer to inspire the next generation. A record 82,000 crowd, as well as a record television audience—a larger television audience than for the Six Nations—watched that final. That is part of the Government’s work to drive a decade of change in women’s sport, and my Department is using the women’s sport taskforce to drive progress across the sector and is working with the authorities to do so.
5 Mar 2026 · Local Museums · Hansard source
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My hon. Friend proves my point! But yes, he raises a key point about funding for not just large and national museums, but local ones. We have been trying to put together a package of measures for museums and for culture across the whole country, consisting of everything that is written into the creative industries sector plan. The key part there is for the British Business Bank to look at new financial models to help museums and the cultural and creative parts of the industry, but it is also about philanthropy and making sure that we have that corporate sponsorship as well. There is also public funding through Arts Council England and the money that DCMS is directly putting into museums. Of course, a key part of that is local authorities, which have been hollowed out over the last 15 years. The hon. Member for Bath (Wera Hobhouse) was right to mention that culture—including museums—is one of the first things to fall off a local authority’s agenda when it is struggling to pay for key statutory services. Those are all things that this Government are trying to fix, but I am very happy to talk to my hon. Friend further about the Golden Hinde in particular. This Government believe that arts and culture should be available to everyone, everywhere, regardless of background and location. We are committed to broadening access to culture so that everyone has the opportunity to explore our shared heritage and feel connected in some way. We have heard that from right across the country today, so I will just concentrate on a few of the contributions that have been made. My hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock was correct in the way she presented this issue on behalf of her communities. She asked a number of questions about recognising the value of small museums and making more small grants available. I can tell her that small museums are an essential part of our national tapestry of museums and we very much recognise that as a Department. Indeed, 40% of all museums are small attractions with fewer than 10,000 visitors, and our funding streams must reflect that in what we are trying to achieve. Our museum estate and development—or MEND—fund is open to museums of all sizes. Capital grants do require some paperwork, but the Hodge review into Arts Council England, which my hon. Friend will be aware of, is considering a proportionate application process for smaller museums, particularly those run by volunteers, to try to ensure that it is as easy and streamlined as possible for the very smallest museums and organisations to apply for those kinds of funds. That is very much at the forefront of our mind. The hon. Member for Bexhill and Battle (Dr Mullan) and I discussed this topic in last week’s Adjournment debate on the Bayeux tapestry, and he is absolutely right to showcase what his part of the country does for our culture and heritage. He also talked about the transparency of funding, reorganisation and infrastructure in local authorities, which the Hodge review deals with very clearly. I appreciate that not all museums are part of Arts Council England, and there is a process to become accredited. We must ensure that local authorities regularly produce plans on updating arts, culture and museums, so that the public can then hold them to account. We are actively considering that matter in response to the Hodge review. My hon. Friend the Member for South West Norfolk (Terry Jermy) mentioned “Dad’s Army”—I think “Don’t tell him, Pike!” was the other quote. Indeed, the statue of Captain Mainwaring in his constituency is fantastic, and it shows the real breadth of what we are talking about: ranging all the way from “Dad’s Army” to Dracula and industrial heritage, as well as all the other things that museums do so well. The hon. Member for Harrogate and Knaresborough (Tom Gordon) talked about how museums help town centres to thrive, and that is key to regenerating them. He asked about a meeting about saving Knaresborough castle; my hon. Friend in the other place, Baroness Twycross, would be delighted to meet him, and I will ensure that it happens. My hon. Friend the Member for Carlisle (Ms Minns) highlighted how the Tullie House museum is an international home for curation. It is also near to Hadrian’s wall, which I have a special interest in: I think that we should preserve Hadrian’s wall, or even build it a bit higher—some of my nationalist colleagues would certainly agree with that. I also congratulate my hon. Friend on her lobbying for Durham to be city of culture. I know that DCMS officials had the pleasure of attending the reopening of Tullie House following the remarkable makeover that we heard about this afternoon. I hear that the museum’s new galleries fantastically showcase the area’s history, and that its nationally important history collections, reorganised by the Arts Council, are of outstanding significance—congratulations on that and on the funding that has been put in. The hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) does not miss an opportunity to participate in these debates; he talked about the Titanic museum, and his titanic contributions should surely mean that he has an exhibition there. I am sure that every Member would be delighted to visit the special exhibition, “Jim Shannon has intervened in the Adjournment debate”, and see what that has to offer. He is a great champion for Northern Ireland’s museums and culture. My hon. Friend the Member for Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy (Melanie Ward) is looked on with admiration and envy by a lot of colleagues for the way in which she has championed her local area and secured £20 million to transform Kirkcaldy city centre, due to her tenacity in representing her constituents. She talked about how local museums keep that local history alive, mentioning Adam Smith and Jennie Lee. I know that the Jennie Lee lecture is now part of the suite of things that the DCMS does, so I am very keen to take that forward. My hon. Friend specifically mentioned the campaign by church leaders in Scotland on the places of worship fund. I would like to spend 30 seconds on this subject, because I think it is really important, as church buildings are part of our heritage. The Government extended the listed places of worship scheme to 31 March this year, or until the £23 million figure is exhausted. That was a VAT reclaim scheme of up to £25,000, with an average claim of about £3,000, but that has now been exhausted. We have replaced that scheme with the £92 million places of worship renewal fund, but that applies only to England, and the Scottish part of the churches renewal fund is a devolved function for the Scottish Government. The £92 million that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has put into this new fund comes from our departmental budget in the spending review, so the Barnett consequential will also have come as part of the spending review. We are spending that budget; if the Scottish Government wish to replicate the VAT reclaim scheme, or introduce a new scheme for Scottish churches, they have the power and the money to do so. I would encourage Scottish churches to get in touch with the Scottish Government on that matter.
5 Mar 2026 · Local Museums · Hansard source
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Sir Phil Redmond is chairing the panel to determine which will be the first town of culture, and I do not envy his task. I met him last week, and we went through the number of applications—it is not public yet, but it is significant. It probably covers the constituencies of almost half the Members of Parliament. It is going to be tough. We may need to come together, across parties and as a Parliament, to celebrate everywhere that has entered the competition to make sure they get something out of it. Winning is important, but the process of taking part will help arts and culture right across the country.

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