Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary has overall responsibility for strategy and policy across the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.[1] Responsibilities include:[1]

• Arts and Culture
• Broadcasting
• Creative industries
• Creative Industries Council
• Cultural property, heritage and the historic environment
• Cultural Renewal Taskforce
• Culture, sports and arts sector recovery from COVID-19
• Gambling and racing
• Libraries
• Media ownership and mergers
• Museums and galleries
• The National Lottery
• Sport
• Telecommunications and online
• Tourism

The office was created in 1992 by Prime Minister John Major, as Secretary of State for National Heritage.[3] In his autobiography, Major says that, before the office was created, responsibility for cultural interests was shared among various departments, but important to none of them.[4] For instance, arts and libraries, although a separate department, had no minister in the Cabinet, sport was part of the Department for Education, film was part of the Department of Trade and Industry, broadcasting was part of the Home Office, tourism was part of the Department for Employment and heritage was part of the Department of the Environment.[4] He also wrote that the system tended to favour the interests of the articulate and well-connected London-based arts lobby.[4]

Thus, when he became Prime Minister, Major said that he saw that the only way to give culture and sport the higher profile that he thought that they deserved was to establish a new department, under a minister of Cabinet rank, to bring together all aspects of the arts, sport and heritage.[5]

• Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
• Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee