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1203306

registered interest
date	12/06/2020
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	Television Licences: Hearing Impairment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for what reasons a television licence discount is not available for people with hearing impairments.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
uin	59258
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2020 answer text <p>The government is committed to building a digitally inclusive society, and believes that television should be accessible for all UK audiences. The BBC provides subtitling on 100% of all of its programming (excluding BBC Parliament and BBC Scotland), as well as signing 5% of its content.</p><p><strong><br></strong>Currently, under the Communications (Television Licensing) Regulations 2004, TV Licence concessions are available to people who are registered blind or severely sight impaired, and people who live in qualifying residential care and are disabled or over 60 years old. We are not considering making changes to the current concessions regime at this time. The government has committed to review the TV Licence model ahead of the next Charter Review, which is set to be completed by 2027.</p> answering member constituency Maldon answering member printed Mr John Whittingdale question first answered 17/06/2020 15:14:10 answering member 39 label Biography information for Sir John Whittingdale
tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1203307

registered interest
date	12/06/2020
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	Television: Hearing Impairment
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 plans to take steps with representatives from the BBC to improve subtitles across all BBC channels and services.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
uin	59259
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2020 answer text <p>As the independent broadcast regulator, Ofcom is responsible for holding broadcasters to account for their delivery of television access services (subtitles, audio description and signing), not the government.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Ofcom’s Code on Television Access Services sets out 10-year targets in relation to subtitling, which for BBC channels (excluding BBC Parliament and BBC Scotland) is 100% of all programming. Ofcom has found that the BBC has consistently met this target.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Ofcom’s Code provides further guidance that broadcasters should regularly monitor the quality of their access services, and ensure that scheduled access services are being provided correctly. In line with the BBC’s 2016 Royal Charter and Agreement, Ofcom is also currently reviewing how the BBC should make its UK Public Services accessible. Ofcom’s public consultation on BBC Accessibility concluded on 31 January 2020.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Maldon answering member printed Mr John Whittingdale question first answered 17/06/2020 15:47:05 answering member 39 label Biography information for Sir John Whittingdale
tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1202805

registered interest
date	11/06/2020
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	Media: Coronavirus
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 support package he plans to provide to (a) newspapers and (b) media outlets more widely in response to the covid-19 outbreak, and whether conditions will be attached to that funding.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	58751
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2020 answer text <p>Media outlets across the UK are facing existential pressures due to the impacts of Covid-19. The government remains in regular dialogue with stakeholders across the media sectors regarding ways in which this can be mitigated, in addition to the unprecedented package of nationwide support announced by the Chancellor.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>In terms of newspapers in particular, the government has provided specific support to publishers during the crisis. The government has clarified that all journalists, including broadcast journalists, and other ancillary staff, are ‘key workers’ for the purposes of access to childcare and educational places. The government also issued guidance to local authorities on the importance of newspaper delivery, which has been critical to the continued dissemination of public interest news.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The government has also sought to maximise newspapers’ advertising opportunities by implementing a public information campaign to ensure the distribution of authoritative, up-to-date information about Covid-19, while also alleviating publishers’ financial pressures. The current partnership brings together over 600 titles across the UK, the vast majority of which are local papers. As with any media planning approach, titles are selected on their ability to engage with audiences at a national, regional and local level and to ensure value for money, reach and targeting efficacy.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>For online media outlets, the government has taken steps to ensure the use of ‘keyword blocklisting’ technology is not inadvertently damaging any news publishers’ online advertising revenues for Covid-19 related stories. Additionally, the Chancellor brought forward the commencement of zero-rating of VAT on all e-newspapers in order to bring savings to readers and support digital publishing.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is in regular dialogue with stakeholders about ensuring the support offered is as effective and fair as it can be. Ministers are engaging with broadcasters (both TV and radio) and news publishers on a regular basis to understand the impacts of Covid-19 on their day to day operations, and how the government can support them. The government will continue to consider all possible options in the interests of promoting and sustaining high-quality news journalism.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Maldon answering member printed Mr John Whittingdale question first answered 16/06/2020 15:46:21 answering member 39 label Biography information for Sir John Whittingdale
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1202808

registered interest
date	11/06/2020
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	Email: Fraud
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 improve awareness of the Suspicious Email Reporting Service among the public and businesses in East Renfrewshire constituency.
tabling member constituency	East Renfrewshire
tabling member printed	Kirsten Oswald
uin	58724
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2020 answer text <p>The Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS) was launched on 21 April as part of the government’s Cyber Aware campaign. This is a UK-wide campaign promoted through paid activity, press and stakeholder engagement.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The campaign materials were shared with Scottish Government and other Scottish public sector organisations, including Education Scotland, Scottish Business Resilience Centre and Trading Standards Scotland. We have also worked closely with Police Scotland. All have played an essential role in helping to amplify the SERS in local communities.</p><p>The SERS was promoted on social media and through paid search, both of which were targeted at audiences in Scotland. Results show specific engagement within East Renfrewshire.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>We plan to run the campaign for the remainder of this financial year with sustained engagement and paid activity in Scotland.</p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Matt Warman question first answered 18/06/2020 10:44:46 answering member 4361 label Biography information for Matt Warman
tabling member	4413 label Biography information for Kirsten Oswald

1202809

registered interest
date	11/06/2020
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	Cybersecurity: East Renfrewshire
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 improve awareness of the Cyber Essentials scheme among the public and businesses in East Renfrewshire constituency.
tabling member constituency	East Renfrewshire
tabling member printed	Kirsten Oswald
uin	58725
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2020 answer text <p>As part of the National Cyber Security Strategy, the Government is helping organisations across the economy and society improve their digital security. We are promoting the uptake of the Cyber Essentials (CE) scheme, which is targeted at businesses and organisations, in a number of ways, including through the National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) extensive engagements with industry sectors and via police regional organised crime units, which engage with businesses locally.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Government’s Cyber Aware campaign helps the public and small businesses take up secure online behaviours, including signposting businesses towards Cyber Essentials and other guidance and support.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Up to the end of April 2020, 44,443 Cyber Essentials certificates have now been awarded to organisations, including 5,534 since the start of 2020.</p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Matt Warman question first answered 18/06/2020 10:46:31 answering member 4361 label Biography information for Matt Warman
tabling member	4413 label Biography information for Kirsten Oswald

1202810

registered interest
date	11/06/2020
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	Cybersecurity: East Renfrewshire
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many businesses in East Renfrewshire constituency have enrolled on the Cyber Essentials Scheme.
tabling member constituency	East Renfrewshire
tabling member printed	Kirsten Oswald
uin	58726
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/06/2020 answer text <p>From 2016 until the end of April 2020, seven Cyber Essentials certificates have been awarded to organisations in the East Renfrewshire constituency. This is an estimate, as there is incomplete location data for some historical certificate entries.</p><p> </p><p>A total of 44,443 certificates have been awarded to organisations across the UK.</p><p> </p><p>A search function to find organisations with Cyber Essentials certificates is available at <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncsc.gov.uk%2Fcyberessentials%2Fsearch&amp;data=02%7C01%7CTom.H3%40ncsc.gov.uk%7Cd87dbb6e83644cb1e5fe08d807c0df8b%7C14aa5744ece1474ea2d734f46dda64a1%7C0%7C0%7C637267872280836292&amp;sdata=O30LJ7h11hlvlrcaSa8MRBY1Bx8hyOgEv40Wa6Y1YEU%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">www.ncsc.gov.uk/cyberessentials/search</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Matt Warman question first answered 19/06/2020 11:09:05 answering member 4361 label Biography information for Matt Warman
tabling member	4413 label Biography information for Kirsten Oswald

1202820

registered interest
date	11/06/2020
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
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 support is offered to gigabit capable broadband operators when a landlord charges excessive wayleave fees to discourage deployment.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	58703
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2020 answer text <p>The Electronic Communications Code (“the Code”) regulates the legal relationships (including wayleave agreements) between site providers and operators of electronic communications networks (known as Code Operators) to support the rollout and maintenance of communications infrastructure.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Code was substantially revised as part of the Digital Economy Act 2017 to make it cheaper and easier for telecommunications operators to deploy their networks at pace. Rights to install infrastructure on private land are subject to an agreement being made with the landowner. Most agreements are reached on a consensual basis, but where this cannot be achieved, or where disputes arise, the Code allows either party to apply to a court for resolution of the disputed matter, i.e. by the imposition of an agreement.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The revised Code changed the basis on which access to land is valued when an agreement is imposed to a ‘no scheme’ system. Paragraph 24 of the revised Code makes clear that when assessing the consideration payable by an operator, the court must do so on the assumption of no additional value relating to the provision or use of an electronic communications network, when they are imposing an agreement. This is expected to reduce operator costs and encourage investment in infrastructure rollout.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Government expects that operators and landlords will negotiate in good faith and hopes that, in most cases, agreements will be reached on a consensual basis. However, if a landlord is seeking to charge an operator excessive fees, it is open to the operator to apply to the court for an agreement to be imposed in appropriate circumstances. Any order made to this effect will cover the price that must be paid to the landlord, and will be based on the statutory valuation regime, which is specifically designed to prevent “ransom” pricing.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Matt Warman question first answered 16/06/2020 14:28:24 answering member 4361 label Biography information for Matt Warman
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1202821

registered interest
date	11/06/2020
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
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 support he will provide to full fibre broadband operators to encourage urban deployment over the next 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	58704
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government is committed to delivering nationwide coverage of gigabit capable broadband as soon as possible. We believe that the best way to do this is to promote network competition and commercial investment wherever possible, and to intervene with public subsidy where necessary.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Government is taking action to support broadband operators in all areas of the country, including urban areas, through the removal of barriers to deployment including, for example, the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill, which will make it easier to connect multi-dwelling buildings where there is a repeatedly unresponsive landowner. We will also legislate to mandate gigabit connectivity in new build homes in England and are working with local highways authorities on a more collaborative and standardised approach to Street Works.</p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Matt Warman question first answered 18/06/2020 10:48:09 answering member 4361 label Biography information for Matt Warman
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1202822

registered interest
date	11/06/2020
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	Theatre Royal Newcastle upon Tyne: Coronavirus
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 additional financial support he plans to allocate to Newcastle’s Theatre Royal in the event that the theatre is not able to hold public events for the remainder of 2020.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	58705
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government recognises that this is an incredibly challenging time for those in the cultural sector and that there are many organisations who are currently facing challenging and uncertain circumstances. We are very alert to this issue, and are working to find solutions that support this vital sector.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Government has provided the cultural sector with an unprecedented financial support package, in particular through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and Self-Employment Income Support Scheme. In addition, Arts Council England has put together a £160 million emergency response package for the cultural sector which is available to publicly-funded organisations as well as those not usually in receipt of public funding .</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Secretary of State, Ministers and officials continue to consult the cultural sector extensively to ensure they fully understand the potential impacts of the Covid-19 outbreak on the sector. DCMS is regularly engaging with HMT to feed in their assessment of the potential impacts and to ensure the needs of the cultural sector are factored into the developing economic response, and that DCMS sectors are supported throughout this time.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Gosport answering member printed Caroline Dinenage question first answered 17/06/2020 15:35:10 answering member 4008 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Dinenage
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1202823

registered interest
date	11/06/2020
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	Local Broadcasting: Radio
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 he has made of the effect on (a) jobs in the creative industries and (b) representation of northern voices on radio in the North East of Bauer medias takeover of local radio stations.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	58706
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2020 answer text <p>Whilst no such assessment has been made, we note Bauer Media’s existing presence in the North East, through its ownership of Metro Radio and TFM, which were acquired by Bauer in 2008.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The government places a very high value on local commercial radio stations retaining their local character, and Ofcom retains its regulatory powers to secure that these stations continue to provide an appropriate amount of locally made programmes and programmes including local material. Ofcom's localness guidelines can be found here: <a href="https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/information-for-industry/radio-broadcasters/localness" target="_blank">https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/information-for-industry/radio-broadcasters/localness</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Maldon answering member printed Mr John Whittingdale question first answered 17/06/2020 15:22:10 answering member 39 label Biography information for Sir John Whittingdale
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah