To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether (a) Downing Street and (b) other government buildings in Whitehall display county flags to commemorate annual county days.

There is no specific government policy regarding the flying of flags and no guidance is issued to government departments to display county flags to commemorate annual county days.

However, current planning regulations allow local and county flags to be flown by individuals without planning permission, and as such government buildings may choose to display the relevant county flag on the respective county days. Unfortunately, as flag flying is now deregulated, DCMS does not hold records on the flying of flags by other government departments, other than on the designated days for flying the Union Flag.