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1138938

registered interest
date	15/07/2019
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Nuisance Calls
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to reduce the number of (a) bogus and (b) nuisance phone calls.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	277121
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/07/2019 answer text <p>We have introduced a range of measures in recent months to reduce the number of nuisance calls. These include making company directors personally liable for any breach of the rules by their company and banning unwanted calls from claims management companies and pensions providers in the Financial Guidance and Claims Act 2018. We are also funding the National Trading Standards Scams Team to provide telephone call blocking technology to vulnerable people, as announced during the Chancellor's budget last year. We recognise there are a minority of companies that continue to flout the law and we will work closely with regulators, industry and consumer groups to identify further ways of addressing the issue.</p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 18/07/2019 10:25:29 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1134508

registered interest
date	25/06/2019
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Data Protection
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to prepare for the consequences of data spillages.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	268999
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2019 answer text <p>DCMS has clearly defined processes for identifying and managing data incidents.</p><p> </p><p>DCMS consumes a shared official tier platform delivered through a partnership arrangement with the Cabinet Office. As part of this partnership arrangement they ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of our core systems.</p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 15/07/2019 13:40:31 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1132001

registered interest
date	13/06/2019
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Entertainers: Off-payroll Working
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of (a) new draft HMRC tax guidance for actors and other performers, (b) legal cases HMRC is considering under IR35 in the entertainment industry and (c) extending IR35 off-payroll rules to the private sector from April 2020 on the (i) sustainability of the entertainment sector in the event that that sector has to operate Class 1 employee National Insurance Contributions (NICs) and pay employer NICs on multiple and short-term engagements and (ii) self-employed status of performers and other creative workers in that sector.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	264349
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>DCMS has made no assessment as these are matters for HMRC.</p><p> </p><p>HMRC has not changed its approach to actors and other performers but has been working with industry to add some practical examples to the Employment Status Manual. Employment Status is not a choice but depends on the facts of the engagement. Given that most actors and performers are self-employed and unaffected by off-payroll rules (often known as IR35), they will not be affected by off-payroll reform in 2020 and do not pay Class 1 National Insurance. There are no plans to change this.</p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 18/06/2019 15:24:20 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1131695

registered interest
date	12/06/2019
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Entertainers: Off-payroll Working
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on changes in the approach by HMRC to the entertainment sector through (a) new draft HMRC tax guidance for actors and other performers and (b) legal cases HMRC is considering under IR35 following the Upper Tribunal Tax and Chancery decision of 9 April 2019 in Big Bad Wolff Ltd v The Commissioners for HM Revenue and Customs.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	263745
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2019 answer text <p>The Secretary of State has not discussed this matter with the Chancellor. This matter has been discussed by officials from HM Revenue &amp; Customs and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.</p><p> </p><p>(a) HMRC has not changed its approach to the entertainment sector but has been working with the entertainment industry to add some practical examples to the Employment Status Manual, which provides guidance on issues relating to the employment status of individuals.</p><p> </p><p>(b) In Big Bad Wolff Limited v HMRC, the Upper Tax Tribunal upheld HMRC’s long published view that the Social Security Categorisation of Earners Regulations 1978, which were in force before 6 April 2014, required actors to pay Class 1 National Insurance and could not be avoided by working through a company. Most actors paid their National Insurance correctly at the time but there are a small number of cases where actors chose to dispute liability and await the outcome of the appeal.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 17/06/2019 14:46:35 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1129282

registered interest
date	03/06/2019
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Football: Sportsgrounds
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to prevent the loss of council-owned football pitches in order to support grass roots football.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	259059
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government recognises how important it is that local communities have access to good sporting facilities. That is why in partnership with the FA and the Premier League we are investing more money than ever before, through the Football Foundation charity, to significantly improve the access and quality of community football facilities across the country. This year a combined £70million will go to this important area. To inform and direct future investment, new local football facility plans are being produced for every local authority in England. The plans will be in place by 2020 and will identify local priorities where investment in grassroots facilities is needed the most.</p><p> </p><p>Sport England also has a role in protecting sport pitches as a statutory consultee in the planning system. Sport England objects to all applications unless the developer can prove it will improve or safeguard sports provision. For the period between April 2016 and March 2017, 93% (1,102 out of 1,187) planning applications affecting playing fields resulted in improved or protected sports provision.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 10/06/2019 15:20:29 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1127880

registered interest
date	21/05/2019
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Sports Competitors: Periods
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that there is adequate support for sportswomen dealing with the effect of periods.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	256955
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2019 answer text <p>Periods should never be a taboo subject. Women and girls should never feel embarrassed to speak out about their menstrual cycle and how it affects their performance.</p><p> </p><p>We have a responsibility to break down barriers for women and ensure that coaches and sporting organisations are able to help female athletes reach their full potential. I welcome the work that the English Institute of Sport are doing through their SMARTHer campaign to open up conversations amongst athletes, coaches and staff in high performance sport around athletes’ menstrual cycles in order to improve support. Sport England are also supporting the new government taskforce to tackle period poverty, primarily around actions to tackle the stigma and taboos relating to women in sport (and particularly their impact on teenage participation in physical activity in schools).</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 23/05/2019 14:49:30 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1125347

registered interest
date	08/05/2019
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Business: ICT
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that businesses have the required IT infrastructure in place to enable a paperless society.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	251968
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2019 answer text <p>The Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review (FTIR), published in July 2018, sets out the Government’s strategy for ensuring that 15 million premises are able to connect to full fibre by 2025, with a nationwide network established by 2033. Since the publication of the FITR, full fibre coverage is now available to 7% of UK premises, up from 4% around 12 months ago.</p><p> </p><p>The Better Broadband Voucher Scheme, open for applications until 31st December 2019, is available to those who are unable to obtain a connection speed above 2Mbps. The Scheme can support access to satellite broadband, or fixed 4G or wireless connections in some locations. The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, launched in March 2018 as part of Local Full Fibre Networks programme, enables small to medium sized businesses to claim a voucher worth up to £2,500, and residents to claim a voucher worth up to £500 as part of a group project.</p><p> </p><p>DCMS has convened the Digital Enterprise Delivery Group, part of the Digital Skills Partnership, to bring together a range of industry stakeholders to improve the digital capabilities of SMEs and charities.</p><p> </p><p>BEIS’s £9 million Business Basics programme, announced as part of the UK’s Industrial Strategy, is testing innovative ways of encouraging SMEs to take up technology (such as accountancy or CRM software), as well as business practices that can boost productivity. Be the Business, supported by up to £18.6m Government funding, is a business-led independent charity that is identifying practical steps to enable the adoption of technology and enable best-practice leadership and management techniques.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 13/05/2019 15:25:53 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1124941

registered interest
date	07/05/2019
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Internet: Security
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the security of age-verification check databases.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	251217
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2019 answer text <p>All providers of age verification (AV) services must comply with data protection laws. In addition, ahead of the introduction of mandatory age verification on online pornography sites, the regulator, the British Board for Film Classifcation, has created a voluntary certification scheme, the Age-verification Certificate (AVC), which will assess the data security standards of AV providers. Age verification solutions which offer these robust data protection conditions will be certified following an independent assessment and will carry the BBFC's new green 'AV' symbol. Details will also be published on the BBFC’s age-verification website, ageverificationregulator.com.</p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 13/05/2019 11:35:23 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1124943

registered interest
date	07/05/2019
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Sports: Environment Protection
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the environmental footprint of large sporting events.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	251219
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2019 answer text <p>The government, along with major event partners, is committed to embedding sustainability as a key pillar of the planning and delivery of major sporting events. We also welcome the innovation that the sector is driving such as the degradable seaweed pouches used at this year’s London Marathon instead of plastic water bottles.</p><p> </p><p>UK Sport is working alongside several events, providing support as they look into environmentally friendly delivery options. The upcoming Netball World Cup is currently undergoing an environmental review across all workstreams, with findings not only being used to make changes to the event, but also will be fed back into the newly formed sector working group, which alongside staff from UK Sport, consists of athletes, venues and NGB representatives.</p><p> </p><p>UK Sport is also conducting work to place a range of ethical policies at the heart of all events delivered with government support, with environmental policies and considerations sitting as a core element of that work.</p> answering member constituency Eastleigh answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 13/05/2019 14:58:18 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1123186

registered interest
date	25/04/2019
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Broadband: Standards
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has plans to obligate internet broadband companies to be more transparent on achievable speeds.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	247606
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2019 answer text <p>Both Ofcom and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) have taken action on broadband speeds recently.</p><p> </p><p>Ofcom’s published a new Broadband Speeds Code of Practice on 1 March 2019, under which companies have to provide consumers with a minimum guaranteed speed at the point of sale. If a consumer’s speed then drops below this level, companies have one month to improve performance, before they must allow consumers to leave their contract penalty-free. This right to exit also applies to landline and TV packages, which are purchased at the same time as broadband services</p><p> </p><p>Prior to this, in May 2018, the ASA implemented guidance that requires speed claims in adverts to be based on the download speeds available to at least 50% of customers at peak time and no longer on 'up to' speeds available to at least 10% of customers.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 02/05/2019 12:31:11 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly