Culture & Heritage in the UK: the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the organisations it supports

Head: Rt. Hon. James Purnell MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport; Other Ministers: Mrs Margaret Hodge MP, Minister of State Culture, Creative Industries & Tourism, Gerry Sutcliffe MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Sport. (Though the Department is also responsible for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, the Minister for the Olympics, Rt. Hon. Tessa Jowell MP, now works out of the Cabinet Office)

Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Web Site

NB. The Secretary of State is a member of the Cabinet, but is directly responsible for only part of the national provision in the cultural field. The primary remit in relation to culture is England (sensu stricto): culture and sport are devolved functions exercised by the Scottish Parliament and the national Assemblies for Wales and Northern Ireland. The Secretary of State's main UK-wide responsibilities include broadcasting and media policy, tourism, the Royal Estate, the National Lottery and, to a limited extent, international cultural matters (primarily relating to international cultural property and cultural relations with the European Union and the Council of Europe).

The Arts (DCMS introduction)
- DCMS Guide to Arts Funding 2007 (PDF publication, 474 Kb)
- Culture & Creativity in 2007 (PDF publication, 1.7mb)
- Arts Council England : established in 1994 following the replacement of the Arts Council of Great Britain (established in 1946) by separate Councils for England, Scotland and Wales. The Arts Council is the main channel for central government funding in England of the performing arts, and for the visual arts (other than museums and galleries) plus some other cultural areas.
- Crafts Council: established in 1971 to support craftwork and workers, now funded through the Arts Council of England
- Creative and Cultural Skills: The Sector Skills Council for advertising, crafts, cultural heritage, design, music, and the performing, literary and visual arts (sucessor organisation covering areas of training and employment previously the responsibility of Metier (for the arts) and the Cultural Heritage National Training Organisation (CHNTO)

MLA - Museums, Libraries and Archives Council Strategic and advisory agency funded primarily by DCMS, established in 2000 though the merging of the former Museums and Galleries Commission (MGC) and Libraries and Information Council, with added responsibilities, and works through nine Regional Agencies. In relation to national and local museums and galleries the responsibilities of MLA include tax arrangements in relation to objects of national heritage interest, government indemnities in lieu of insurance, National Secuirty Adviser, Renaissance in the Regions programme, purchase grant schemes for non-national museums, etc.
mda (formerly Museum Documentation Association) The UK's lead organisation on documentation and information management for museums, funded by MLA
24 Hour Museum - Virtual Museum, celebrating UK cultural heritage - information on and from 3,000+ museums, galleries and heritage sites
Creative and Cultural Skills: The Sector Skills Council for advertising, crafts, cultural heritage, design, music, and the performing, literary and visual arts (successor to Cultural Heritage National Training Organisaton - CHNTO, and the former Museum Training Institute - MTI)

Museums and Galleries sponsored by the DCMS (*designated National Museums)

Cultural Property

Acceptance in Lieu Scheme - allows people to offer objects and collections of national cultural or historic importance to the State in lieu of all or part payment of their inheritance tax, capital transfer tax or estate duty.
Government Indemnity Scheme - the DCMS (and the devolved administrations of Scotland and Wales) provides cost-free non-commercial insurance to non-national museums, galleries and libraries for objects on short- or long-term loan
Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest
Works of Art and other Cultural Objects of national importance: Policy, tax exemptions and acceptance of art and heritage property in lieu of tax, and international cultural property issues, including international treaties and other legal regulation

Creative and Cultural Skills: The Sector Skills Council for advertising, crafts, cultural heritage, design, music, and the performing, literary and visual arts (sucessor organisation covering areas of training and employment previously the responsibility of Metier (for the arts) and the Cultural Heritage National Training Organisation (CHNTO)

Historic Environment (DCMS Introduction)
Heritage Protection for the 21st Century - Joint Ministries' White Paper 2007
English Heritage (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission, established 1983): responsible for securing the preservation of ancient monuments and historic buildings and associated conservation and education, national inventory of sites and buildings protected as of special architectural or historic importance, management of ca. 200 historic monuments and site museums open to the public in England, coordinates and funds national and local archaeological services, now incorporates (from 1 April 1999) former Royal Commission on the Historic Monuments of England: (established in 1908): national body for architectural and archaeological survey, recording and publishing
- English Heritage Joint Ministries' 3 Year Funding Agreement 2006
World Heritage Convention and Sites - co-ordination for the United Kingdom (including Overseas Territories)
Royal Estate (other than the Sovereign's privately-owned properties and those of the Dutchies of Cornwall and Lancaster)
Historic Royal Palaces Agency: manages the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace, Kew Palace and the Banqueting Hall, Whitehall
Historic Royal Parks Agency: manages the Royal Parks in London

International

Libraries and Information

Libraries (DCMS Introducton)
MLA - Museums, Libraries and Archives Council Strategic and advisory agency funded primarily by DCMS, established in 2000 though the merging of the former Museums and Galleries Commission (MGC) and Libraries and Information Council. (See under Museums & Galleries above for further details)
British Library: established in 1973 out of the former British Museum Library, the National Central Library, the National Lending Library of Science and Technology and the British National Bibliography
Local authority libraries in England: the Secretary of State has a limited supervisory role under Public Libraries and Museums Acts relating to provision and efficiency
Public Lending Right - established in 1983, the Office of Public lending Right both registers book titles and gathers statistics of book borrowing from a sample of public lending libraries. Public Lending Right payments are made to living authors resident in the UK (and Germany under reciprocal arrangements) proportionate to the number of times per year each registered titles has been borrowed.

Broadcasting - DCMS Introduction
The BBC: British Broadcasting Corporation: established in 1926, operates the national public service radio and television broadcasting channels, regional television and some local radio stations, financed by annual television receiver licences; BBC World Service radio is funded by annual Parliamentary grant-in-aid (Foreign and Commonwealth Office account), while the BBC World Service Television operates on a commercial basis
OFCOM - Office of Communications: the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, with responsibilities across television, radio, telecommunications and wireless communications services
Film Council: the lead agency for film in the UK ensuring that the economic, cultural and educational aspects of film are effectively represented at home and abroad
- BFI - British Film Institute - established in 1933, the BFI promotes understanding and appreciation of Britain's rich film and television heritage and culture and manages the National Film and Television Archive and the BFI South Bank and BFI IMAX film theatres.
Media - DCMS Introduction
Press regulation: government policy (UK-wide) on the press and related media, including issues such as press freedom versus privacy and the continuing debate over statutory regulation versus self-regulation through the industry-funded Press Complaints Commission (established in 1991 as successor to the former Press Council)

Tourism - DCMS Introduction
Visit Britain (formerly the British Tourist Authority, originally established in 1969): promotes tourism to Great Britain from overseas
Enjoy England (formerly English Tourist Board): responsible for developing and marketing the tourist industry in England and for promoting the provision and improvement of tourist facilities
2012 London Olympics - tourism development is a major aspect of the London Olympics initiative
Winning - a Tourism Strategy for 2012 and Beyond (PDF 1.8 Mb.)

National Lottery (DCMS Introduction)
National Lottery Commission
Distributors of Lottery Funds to the designated "Good Causes"
- Arts Council England Lottery Funding site
- Heritage Lottery Fund gives grants for a wide range of projects involving the local, regional and national heritage of the United Kingdom
Links to the other 14 Lottery distrbution bodies

Arts Council of Niorthern Ireland Lottery Funding site
Arts Council of Wales Lottery Funding
Awards for All is a Lottery grants programme aimed at local communities.
Big Lottery Fund is committed to improving communities and the lives of people most in need.
NESTA (the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) is a non-departmental public body (NDPB) investing in innovators and working to improve the climate for creativity in the UK.
Scottish Screen
Scottish Arts
Sport England
sportscotland
Sports Council for Northern Ireland
Sports Council for Wales
UK Film Council
UK Sport

Sport and Recreation

Sport (DCMS Introduction)
UK Sport - the UK-wide agency for sport and recreation at the international and national levels
Sport England (formerly the Sports Council) - the English national body for sport and recreation
Football Licencing Authority - excercises functions relating Safety of Sports Grounds legislation
London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics

Other Department for Culture, Media and Sport functions include:

Gambling and Racing - policy and regulation
Alcohol and Entertainment - policy and regulation
Reference Library
The DCMS also excercises responsibilities in relation to Freedom of Information, including national statistics relating to the Department's responsibilities, particularly broadcasting and tourism statistics, and on-line library of all Departmental documents and reports

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