Article 48 of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Statutes, which facilitates the “3pm blackout” is voluntarily adopted by the Football Association (the FA) with the aim of protecting ticket sales for lower leagues in the football pyramid.

As the Minister stated on the floor of the House of Commons during Second Reading of the Sporting Events Bill on 3 September, this is “an issue for the Football Association, but we support the current situation, as we recognise the importance of this for the lower leagues'".

The Government recognises the value and impact of the UK’s leading events industry and has committed to publishing a new cross-sectoral events strategy by spring 2027. This strategy will cover events across the arts, culture, sport and business sectors and will support an events industry that tells our national story, drives economic growth, and projects the best of the UK to the world.

The Government is also proactively engaging and convening stakeholders from across sectors and the industry. I have hosted two roundtables with industry representatives this year, which provided valuable opportunities to hear directly from the industry. This engagement brought together departments across government including Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade; Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; Home Office; Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government; Skills England and Department for Health and Social Care.

To support the development of the strategy, DCMS facilitated a workshop in Sheffield in September which was attended by 60 stakeholders from across industry bodies; events delivery organisations; arm’s length bodies; youth voice; and regional representatives.

There is also regular ongoing engagement with industry through regional and operational working groups which convene stakeholders and government departments.

Our forthcoming legislation on ticket touting (Draft Ticket Tout Ban Bill) aims to improve access for fans to all live events across the UK, including in Scotland.

We're delighted Glasgow will be hosting matches as part of UEFA EURO 2028 and are working closely with the Scottish Government and other football and government partners to deliver a fantastic event. UEFA has also confirmed that there will be no dynamic pricing, more than 40% of tickets will be offered in the most affordable categories, and over 80% of all tickets will be available to fans of the participating teams and the general public.

GDS continuously reviews published digital and technology guidance, in recognition of the fast-moving environment in which we operate in. As recently as May 2026, we provided updated guidance on be open and use open source, which is available on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/ai-open-code-and-vulnerability-risk-in-the-public-sector

DCMS works with VisitBritain to promote visits to Britain worldwide, including from Canada, with a focus on ensuring the benefits of tourism are felt across all regions and nations.

VisitBritain works with the Canadian travel trade through campaigns, trade events and familiarisation trips to promote Britain’s nations and regions. Over the past two years, this has resulted in approximately 45 new bookable itineraries with 15 Canadian partners, increasing the range of regional tourism products available to Canadian visitors.

In September 2025, VisitBritain promoted its ‘Starring GREAT Britain’ campaign at the Toronto International Film Festival, using film and TV locations to inspire visits to Britain. VisitBritain found that 87% of Canadian visitors considering a UK trip were interested in visiting a film or TV location.

In 2026, VisitBritain is building on this work through initiatives connecting Canadian buyers with regional suppliers, including a Manchester Spotlight in November and a familiarisation trip covering Liverpool, Chester, Wrexham, Conwy and Manchester.

Any costs incurred across government as part of the Digital ID programme will be reported through the usual, departmental accounts processes.

The government is committed to ensuring that everyone, including children and young people, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.

The government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our arm’s- length body, Sport England, whose work includes providing more opportunities for children and young people from all backgrounds to be active. We are also developing a new PE and School Sport Partnership Network to ensure all young people have equal access to high-quality sport and extracurricular activity. The network will build strong partnerships between schools, local clubs and National Governing Bodies to identify and break down barriers to sport for children who are less active.

In addition, at least £400 million is going to be invested into new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities in communities right across the UK, supporting the Government's Plan for Change. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need, including for children and young people, and will then set out further plans.

Our thoughts are with Ebbsfleet United’s fans and the wider community, none of whom are responsible for the club’s current situation.

My officials are closely monitoring events which continue to move at pace – but it would be wrong to intervene further while the change of ownership is an ongoing matter for the National League, who are making regular statements. The National League South sits outside the remit of the Independent Football Regulator (IFR).

We would like to see stability brought back quickly.

The £1.8 billion over three years was a provisional forecast published by the OBR. The OBR is an independent body and is best placed to provide details on the methodology it uses when producing forecasts.

As this was a provisional forecast it was not acknowledged by the Cabinet Office as an accurate cost estimate for implementing the national Digital ID programme.

The Government recognises the importance of swimming lessons. Swimming is a great way for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy as well as being a crucial life skill in terms of water safety, which is why it is a mandatory part of the primary PE National Curriculum.

Sport England, our arm’s-length body for grassroots sport, is investing £16.45 million into Swim England, the National Governing Body for swimming in England with responsibility for developing the sport across the country, for the funding period 2022-2029 to increase swimming participation and invest in grassroots swimming initiatives.

The ongoing responsibility for providing access to public leisure facilities lies at local authority level, and swimming lesson pricing is determined by individual clubs and operators.

Myself and my officials meet regularly with individuals and bodies from across the sport and physical activity sector. I regularly visit grassroots sport and physical activity providers across the country to gain insight and understanding on the fantastic work they do and the challenges they face.

As part of the development of the National Plan for Physical Activity, I have held structured engagement with several bodies including the National Sector Partners Group (whom I recently met in June) and the Local Government Association to obtain their views, and I will continue to do so in the coming months.

Further updates on the Plan will be provided in due course.

Myself and my officials meet regularly with individuals and bodies from across the sport and physical activity sector. I regularly visit grassroots sport and physical activity providers across the country to gain insight and understanding on the fantastic work they do and the challenges they face.

As part of the development of the National Plan for Physical Activity, I have held structured engagement with several bodies including the National Sector Partners Group (whom I recently met in June) and the Local Government Association to obtain their views, and I will continue to do so in the coming months.

Further updates on the Plan will be provided in due course.

Myself and my officials meet regularly with individuals and bodies from across the sport and physical activity sector. I regularly visit grassroots sport and physical activity providers across the country to gain insight and understanding on the fantastic work they do and the challenges they face.

As part of the development of the National Plan for Physical Activity, I have held structured engagement with several bodies including the National Sector Partners Group (whom I recently met in June) and the Local Government Association to obtain their views, and I will continue to do so in the coming months.

Further updates on the Plan will be provided in due course.

Everyone should have the opportunity to play sport and enjoy the benefits of being physically active. The Government is committed to tackling the barriers and inequalities that underrepresented groups, including people from the Sikh community, can face when participating in mainstream sport.

We will continue to work with UK sports councils to support the Moving to Inclusion Framework which provides guidance and best practice to help sports organisations create more inclusive environments and drive meaningful change across leadership, workforce and participation in sport.

The Government takes the protection of personal data and privacy very seriously, whilst recognising that connected and assistive technologies can deliver significant benefits to users. The UK’s data protection legislation applies to the processing of personal data by organisations, regardless of the technology being used, including connected and AI-enabled devices such as smart glasses.

All organisations that process personal data must comply with the UK's data protection legislation, including requirements to process personal data lawfully, fairly, transparently and securely. The Information Commissioner's Office, the UK's independent data protection regulator, has published guidance for organisations developing and deploying connected products and services, including smart glasses (see https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/online-tracking/guidance-for-consumer-internet-of-things-products-and-services/ ).

There are no current plans to introduce a ban on the sale or use of camera-equipped smart glasses, but the Government will continue to monitor this area closely.

The Government wants to see certain sporting events of national interest shown on free-to-air television so that they can be enjoyed by a wide audience, and recognises the importance of broadcasting sporting events to attract significant audience interest. That said, broadcasting rights provide essential income for sports rights holders, which enables them to invest in their sports.

The current listed events regime is designed to ensure that sporting events of national significance are available to as wide an audience as possible, by prohibiting exclusive broadcasting of the event without prior consent from Ofcom.

The Government believes the current list of events strikes the appropriate balance between encouraging access to a number of sporting events and allowing sports to maximise broadcasting revenue. The Government has no plans to review the list at this time.

As the Digital ID programme has now been cancelled, the Advisory Group has no further meetings planned and is accordingly disbanded. We are grateful to the group’s members for the expertise, insight and constructive challenge they provided to the programme.

The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That’s why the Government is investing at least £400 million into community grassroots sport facilities across the next four years. In 2026/27, this includes £85 million through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme to build and upgrade pitches and facilities UK wide.

Since the 2024/25 financial year, DCMS has distributed £12,812 to South Holland and the Deepings constituency to support the improvement of grassroots football and multi-sport facilities, supporting investment in new goalposts at Tyrell’s Yard, Holbeach Bank Playing Field and Moulton Harrox among other venues.

We are working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what grassroots sports facilities each community needs to inform future investment.

The Government is committed to ensuring as many people as possible can participate in sports of their choosing. We recognise the need to provide a range of facilities based on what communities need across the UK. We are collaborating with the sports sector, including British Cycling, and local leaders to develop investment plans for a range of sports across the country based on what each community needs.

We are investing £400m through to 2030 in new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities, promoting health, wellbeing and community cohesion, while removing the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups, including people with disabilities. Further details on funding allocations for sports for this funding package, including cycling, will be confirmed in due course.

When the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes Grand Départs comes to the UK next year, the Government will invest £32 million to ensure we not only deliver these iconic races, but also support the new JOY Makers social impact programme to deliver a lasting legacy from the event.

The Government is investing £400m in new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities, promoting health, wellbeing and community cohesion, while removing the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups, such as women and girls, people with disabilities, and ethnic minority communities. In 2026/27, this includes £85 million through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme to build and upgrade pitches and facilities UK wide.

Projects funded through the Programme include artificial grass pitches. These pitches provide durable, safe, year-round playing surfaces which can sustain up to 80 hours of use per week, helping more people to access the benefits of physical activity. By comparison, a good-quality grass pitch can host just 4-6 hours usage a week, depending on weather and time of day.

We are also determined to ensure that access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities extends to covered facilities. Over £5 million will be invested in covered cricket and tennis facilities and £3 million in the construction of five covered cricket domes in 2026/27. While this initial new fund is focused on England, we will use learnings from the delivery of these facilities to inform future investment decisions.

We are keen to ensure that future grassroots sports facilities funding programmes are tailored to local demand, and will provide communities with year-round facilities where that demand exists. We are working with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish the type of facilities each community needs across the UK.