Corporate report

Single departmental plan: 2015 to 2020

Published 19 February 2016

This was published under the 2015 to 2016 Cameron Conservative government

This corporate report was withdrawn on

£1.5bn

Total Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) in financial year 2015 to 2016. This includes £1.1bn resource DEL and £0.4bn capital DEL.

Source: Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015

Vision

Driving growth; enriching lives and promoting Britain to the world.

Culture, media and sport enriches our lives and helps make Britain unique. Wherever you live in the country and whatever your background, we want you to be able to enjoy and participate in our sectors. We are:

  • Keeping our major national museums and galleries free
  • Getting the nation active and supporting our elite athletes on the world stage
  • Backing the creative industries, which are growing at 3 times the rate of our economy as a whole
  • Spreading the benefits of our thriving tourism and heritage industries right across the country
  • Leading the digital revolution to make the UK the most competitive and innovative market in the world and driving an ambitious digital communications agenda, connecting homes and businesses to broadband and mobile
  • Backing our brilliant and diverse media landscape, defending a free press, and helping our citizens keep themselves safe from cyber crime

In art, music, fashion, theatre, video games, design, TV and performing arts - we are leading the world, enhancing our national prestige and boosting our economy.

Our ministers and management

1. Growing the economy

1.1 What DCMS is doing

At the heart of everything we do is the government’s long-term economic plan to build a stronger, more competitive economy and secure a better future for Britain. DCMS accounts for just 0.18% of total central government spending yet our sectors contribute 16% of total Gross Value Added to the UK economy. Central to this will be our work throughout the country to support our creative industries, digital economy, intellectual property rights, soft power, sport and tourism.

We will achieve this objective by:

  • Ensuring the UK’s fastest growing and most creative sectors are open to all and continue to drive our strong economy
  • Improving productivity through wider use of digital technology
  • Promoting the competitiveness of our creative and digital industries
  • Creating value from the release of radio spectrum
  • Supporting the growth opportunities of a free and open internet
  • Strengthening our cultural and creative exports and inward investment
  • Tackling digital exclusion
  • Promoting our world-class tourism sector

We’re supporting businesses through a targeted approach by:

  • Improving productivity through the adoption and development of digital technology and skills and improving cyber-security to make the UK one of the most secure places in the world to do business
  • Creating more value from radio spectrum through releasing capacity to the market
  • Marketing Britain across the world to promote jobs and growth by strengthening cultural exports and promoting inward investments
  • Attracting and retaining talent in the tourism industry
  • Making sure apprenticeships work for the seasonal tourism industry

Government priorities under this objective are to:

  • Release more spectrum from public use to allow greater private sector access
  • Introduce a tax credit for children’s television in 2016 and expand them when possible. Achieved in 2015
  • Protect intellectual property (rights) by continuing to require internet service providers to block sites that carry large amounts of illegal content

1.2 How DCMS is doing

UK GVA contributed by DCMS sectors

16%

Source: DCMS Official Statistics (2013 GVA)

2. Connecting the UK

2.1 What DCMS is doing

DCMS is driving economic growth and leading Europe in mobile and broadband connectivity and driving productivity in the telecommunications and digital sectors across the country - while protecting consumers, businesses and the nation from cyber-crime.

We will achieve this objective by:

  • Exploring the opportunities presented by new technologies like 5G
  • Delivering cutting edge broadband and maintaining the UK’s communications infrastructure
  • Promoting efficient markets with high levels of consumer confidence and protection

We are doing this through:

  • Maintaining a world-class communications and broadband infrastructure
  • Promoting the functioning of efficient markets with high levels of consumer protection and confidence
  • Improving cross-government working on digital

Government priorities under this objective are to:

  • Ensure that Britain seizes the chance to be a world leader in the development of 5G, playing a key role in defining industry standards

  • Hold the mobile operators to their new legally binding agreement to ensure that 90% of the UK landmass will have voice and SMS coverage by 2017
  • Aim for ultrafast broadband to be available to nearly all UK premises as soon as practicable
  • Secure the delivery of superfast broadband in urban and rural areas to provide coverage to 95% of the UK by the end of 2017
  • Continue to invest in mobile infrastructure to deliver coverage for voice calls and text messages for the final 0.3 to 0.4% of UK premises that do not currently have it

  • Ensure that no-one is left behind by subsidising the cost of installing superfast capable satellite services in the very hardest to reach areas
  • Provide rural Britain with near universal superfast broadband by the end of the next Parliament

2.2 How DCMS is doing

Access to superfast broadband

83%

of premises have access to superfast broadband

DCMS is on track to deliver 95% coverage by the end of 2017.

Source: Ofcom Official Statistics, Communication Market Section 4

Mobile coverage (2G)

99%

Percentage of UK premises with voice and SMS coverage from at least one operator.

Source: Ofcom Official Statistics, Communication Market Report

Mobile coverage (4G)

90%

Percentage of UK premises with 4G coverage from at least one operator.

Source: Ofcom Official Statistics, Communication Market Report

3. Encouraging participation

3.1 What DCMS is doing

Everyone should be able to access and participate in the arts, heritage and sport no matter what their background or where they come from. Participation in many DCMS sectors is proven to increase health and well-being, enrich citizens’ lives and promote social mobility through broadened experiences and networks. Arts and culture, heritage, libraries, museums and galleries and sport all have a vital role to play in this work and we believe no-one should be left behind.

In addition to the social benefits of participation, there is a high level of recognition that one of the best investments the nation can make is in our extraordinary arts, museums, heritage, media and sport - where £1 billion a year in grants adds a quarter of £1 trillion pounds to our economy.

We will achieve this objective by:

  • Promoting the UK’s heritage and historic environment
  • Extending the reach of the Government Art Collection at home and abroad
  • Working with the arts and culture sectors to emphasise the benefits of participation for all
  • Supporting our world-class museums and galleries, exploring the case for introducing new tax reliefs
  • Increasing participation in and access to sport, including promoting women’s sport
  • Promoting the UK’s sporting interests on the international stage

We are doing this through:

  • Maintaining free access to national museums and galleries
  • Promoting an understanding of and access to the historic environment so that all people can appreciate and enjoy heritage assets

  • Supporting arts and culture with funding through the Arts Council and BFI
  • Articulating the benefits of access and participation, including through working with other government departments and partners
  • Increasing participation in, engagement with and access to sport, and promoting women’s sport
  • Bidding for and successfully hosting major sporting events to promote the UK’s sporting interests on the international stage

Government priorities under this objective are to:

  • Continue to support essential roof repairs to local churches and cathedrals, along with other places of worship
  • Support plans for a new theatre, The Factory in Manchester
  • Support a Great Exhibition in the North

  • Remote access to e-books, without charge and with appropriate compensation for authors that enhances the Public Lending Rights Scheme
  • Keep major national museums and galleries free to enter

  • Improve the quality of community sports facilities
  • Working with local authorities, the FA and the Premier League to fund investment in artificial football pitches in more than 30 cities across England
  • Provide free Wi-Fi in libraries

  • Continue to invest in participation and physical activity, recognising sport’s vital benefits to health and to NHS England’s campaign to prevent diabetes
  • Deliver the Rugby World Cup in 2015 (complete), the IPC World Championships in 2017, the World Athletics Championship in 2017 and the Cricket World Cup in 2019

  • Support new sport in the UK, through greater links with the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball with the ultimate ambition of new franchises being based in the UK
  • Increase participation in sport by women and girls
  • Lift the number of women on national sports governing bodies to at least 25% by 2017

  • Help the Manchester Museum, in partnership with the British Museum, establish a new South Asia Gallery

3.2 How DCMS is doing

Percentage of adults in England (%)
Engaged in arts 78
Visited a heritage site 78
Visited a museum or gallery 51
Visited a public library 33

Source: Taking Part Survey, DCMS

Engagement in sport

New data collection is in place to measure engagement in sport. This will include volunteering, attendance and participation in sport. It is expected that the first results will be available in early 2017.

Subjective wellbeing

Subjective wellbeing is made up of 4 measures (scored out of 10) based on individuals’ responses to questions on wellbeing, including: how happy they are; how satisfied they are with their life; to what extent they feel things in their life are worthwhile; and how anxious they felt the day prior to interview. The chart shows the mean score out of 10 for each question.

Mean score out of 10 (for adults in England)
Happiness 8
Life satisfaction 7.9
Feeling things in their life are worthwhile 8
Anxiety on previous day 2.9

Source: Official statistics, Taking Part

4. Sustaining excellence and promoting Britain

4.1 What DCMS is doing

Sustaining excellence in UK sport, tourism and culture, promoting Britain around the world.

Through our work on areas like tourism, soft power and elite sport, we help to maintain excellence in the sectors that promote the UK around the world - demonstrating that Britain is GREAT.

We will achieve this objective by supporting the tourism sector (particularly by increasing tourism exports), delivering the national programme to commemorate the centenary of the First World War, promoting excellence in the arts and culture sectors, furthering the UK’s soft power work, and delivering elite sporting success.

We’re doing this through:

  • Backing the tourism sector for domestic and international audiences
  • Leading on ceremonials and First World War centenary commemorations
  • Supporting the best of our arts and culture right across the country
  • Delivering elite sporting success internationally and domestically
  • Extending the reach of the Government Art Collection at home and abroad
  • Boosting tourism throughout the regions, including areas affected by floods

Government priorities under this objective are to:

  • Set challenging targets for VisitBritain and VisitEngland to ensure more visitors travel outside the capital
  • Invest to boost tourism in the South West
  • Step up efforts to recruit more apprentices in the tourism industry
  • Continue to support elite sports funding as part of the Olympic and Paralympic legacy

4.2 How DCMS is doing

Tourism

34.4m

international tourist visits were made to the UK in 2014

Source: International Passenger Survey, ONS

52%

of international tourists traveled outside London during their stay

Source: International Passenger Survey, ONS

First World War centenary

78%

of adults in England were supportive of the UK commemorating the centenary of the First World War.

Source: Taking Part Survey, DCMS

First World War centenary

58%

of adults in England were aware of local or national events or activities held to commemorate the centenary of the First World War.

Source: Taking Part Survey, DCMS

Elite sport

DCMS, along with UK Sport and National Governing Bodies of sport (NGBs), is developing a measure of UK and home nation performance in pinnacle World, European and Commonwealth competitions to measure success in elite sport.

5. Supporting our media

5.1 What DCMS is doing

A thriving media sector and a free press are one of the cornerstones of democracy, and DCMS works closely with the sector to support this.

We will achieve this objective by supporting the different elements of a healthy and sustainable UK media market (including press, broadcasting and radio), and ensuring the BBC remains a valued public broadcaster as part of a dynamic modern media landscape.

We’re doing this through:

  • Promoting a healthy, sustainable and world-leading media market at every level in the country
  • Completing the BBC Charter Review

Government priorities under this objective are to:

  • Defend a free media

  • Offer explicit protection for the role of journalists via the British Bill of Rights and ban the police from accessing journalists’ phone records to identify whistle blowers and other sources without prior judicial approval
  • Consult on the introduction of business rate relief for local newspapers in England

  • Continue to support digital infrastructure and superfast broadband rollout across the country
  • Deliver a comprehensive review of the BBC Royal Charter, ensuring it delivers value for money for the licence fee payer, while maintaining a world-class service and supporting our creative industries. The BBC will take on the full cost of the over-75s TV licence concession, phased in from 2018/19. The government anticipates that the licence fee will rise in line with CPI over the next Charter Review period, subject to: (a) the conclusions of the Charter Review, in relation to the purposes and scope of the BBC and (b) the BBC demonstrating that it is undertaking efficiency savings at least equivalent to those in other parts of the public sector

5.2 How DCMS is doing

Media plurality

Media plurality will be measured through the Ofcom media plurality measurement framework.

Satisfaction with Public Service Broadcasting (PSB)

Measurement of PSB satisfaction will be based on survey data.

6. Ensuring social responsibility

6.1 What DCMS is doing

DCMS supports some of the most dynamic and popular industries, and plays a critical role in ensuring they protect, and take responsibility for the interests of British people and families. This underpins many areas of DCMS policy responsibilities, including online safety, gambling and licensing, media regulation and data protection.

We will achieve this objective by:

  • Working with parents, schools and industry to improve child online safety
  • Ensuring a proportionate gambling framework that balances economic growth against protecting the vulnerable
  • Maintaining a healthy policy and regulatory environment for the media sector
  • Ensuring the UK’s data protection policy protects the interests of citizens and supports the growth of the digital economy
  • Ending unsupervised high stakes gambling above £50 on Fixed Odds Betting Terminals
  • Ensuring that the gambling industry strengthens its approach to player protection and gambling advertising

We’re doing this through:

  • An open, transparent and innovative internet where legitimate businesses can thrive and consumers and citizens can enjoy a high level of confidence and security

  • Gambling, licensing and lotteries policy with social responsibility at heart
  • Delivering a healthy and relevant policy and regulatory framework for the media sector, data protection and nuisance calls
  • Finalising and bedding in the new EU data protection rules

Government priorities under this objective are to:

  • Stop children’s exposure to harmful sexualised content online, by:
  • Requiring age verification for access to all sites containing pornographic material
  • Introducing age rating for all music videos
  • Build upon progress made under voluntary anti piracy projects to warn internet users when they are breaching copyright and work to ensure that search engines do not link to the worst offending sites
  • Strengthen Ofcom’s role so that tough measures can be taken against channels that broadcast extremist content

6.2 How DCMS is doing

Safety Online

80%

of adult internet users describing themselves as confident they can stay safe online.

Source: Adult Media Literacy Tables, Ofcom

Problem gambling

0.4%

of adults in England and Scotland classified as problem gamblers

Source: Health Survey for England and Health Survey for Scotland

Delivering Efficiently in DCMS

What DCMS is doing

As a department we are committed to reducing our operating costs over the Parliament, while continuing to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our services, including:

  • Consolidating and reducing our estates footprint, including through the relocation of the Government Art Collection
  • Supporting our Arms Length Bodies (ALB) to realise major invest-to-save projects
  • Administrative savings over the Spending Review, in line with BDUK’s delivery schedule, as work delivers on target over the period
  • Establishing a 1% ALB year-on-year efficiency target against total grant-in-aid funding across the Spending Review period, which can be recycled into frontline services

How DCMS is working collaboratively across government

We will work collaboratively with Cabinet Office, HM Treasury and other government departments to deliver transformational change in key areas, including:

  • Developing digital solutions that meet common standards set by the Government Digital Service and use cross‐government platforms such as GOV.UK Verify, GOV.UK Pay or GOV.UK Notify as part of departmental digital services wherever this demonstrates the best value for money solution for government
  • Rationalising our estate in a joined‐up way, looking to develop ‘government hubs’ with other government departments, releasing land for housing where possible and participating in the development of the new commercial property model
  • Delivering savings in our commercial relationships including through spend on common goods and services, delivered in partnership with Crown Commercial Services. Continuing to build our commercial capability and working with Crown Commercial Services to deliver the government’s 33% commitment of our spend with SMEs by 2020
  • Working in partnership with: the Cabinet Office to deliver ALB transformation plans; Infrastructure and Projects Authority on major projects, programmes and prioritisation; and reducing losses through fraud and error alongside developing a debt management strategy