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1354862

registered interest
date	13/09/2021
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	Channel Four Television: Privatisation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will publish an impact assessment ahead of the consultation on the privatisation of Channel 4; and what the evidential basis is that the privatisation will lead to more content investment and more jobs.
tabling member constituency	Brent Central
tabling member printed	Dawn Butler
uin	48162
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/09/2021 answer text <p>The government has recently consulted on whether an alternative ownership model for Channel 4 (but one where it retains a public service remit) may be better for the broadcaster, and better for the country.</p><p>We want Channel 4 to continue to be a public service broadcaster, and we want it to continue to contribute socially, economically and culturally to life across the UK. But there is a wealth of evidence - including Ofcom’s recent report - on the future challenges facing our traditional linear TV broadcasters. Linear TV viewing is down almost 60% amongst 16-25 year olds since 2010, whilst 16-34 year olds now spend almost twice as much time on YouTube and subscription VoD services than they do with broadcast content. There are now 315 channels, compared to 5 in 1982 when Channel 4 was established. Linear TV advertising revenues - which constituted <del class="ministerial">over 90</del><ins class="ministerial">74</ins>% of Channel 4’s revenue in 2020 - have declined across the sector at a compound annual rate of 2.5% since 2015.</p><p>Channel 4 is uniquely constrained in its ability to meet these challenges while it remains under public ownership - particularly because its access to capital and ability to pursue strategic partnership opportunities is limited.</p><p>Moving Channel 4 into private ownership could allow it to access new capital, take advantage of international opportunities, and create strategic partnerships only available through the private sector. A thriving, sustainable Channel 4 could offer the best prospects for long-term job creation and support to the wider creative economy.</p><p>Consulting on the broadcaster’s future is therefore about ensuring that Channel 4 can continue to contribute to the UK’s success in public service broadcasting for years to come, and how we ensure its ownership model best supports this aim.</p><p>The consultation opened on 6 July, running for 10 weeks, before closing on 14 September. We are currently analysing responses to our consultation, and evidence received through it, to inform our policy-making decisions. Once we have answered the questions set out in the consultation, we will know what specific impacts to assess and will therefore be in a position to carry out an impact assessment.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 21/09/2021 15:55:41 question first ministerially corrected 28/09/2021 10:52:34 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez previous answer version 22726 answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	1489 label Biography information for Dawn Butler

1354592

registered interest
date	10/09/2021
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	Social Media: Safety
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 (a) YouTube and (b) other social media companies about whether their harmful or dangerous content policies should be extended to cover content including (i) breaking and entering and (ii) vandalism to personal property.
tabling member constituency	St Albans
tabling member printed	Daisy Cooper
uin	47057
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/09/2021 answer text <p>Ministers and officials have regular meetings and discussions with a wide range of stakeholders, including YouTube, on a variety of issues, including dangerous content. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/" target="_blank">GOV.UK</a> website.</p><p>The draft Online Safety Bill sets out proposals to impose a new duty of care on tech companies to tackle illegal and harmful content on their services. Companies such as Youtube will have to identify and remove illegal content and protect children from harmful or inappropriate content.</p><p> </p><p>The big social media companies, such as YouTube, will also need to keep their promises to users by taking action against harmful content that is prohibited under their terms of service. Under the new laws, their terms of service will need to cover content that could cause significant physical or psychological harm to users.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 27/09/2021 08:50:50 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4769 label Biography information for Daisy Cooper

1354610

registered interest
date	10/09/2021
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	Loneliness
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 recent progress he has made on delivering the Loneliness Strategy.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	47015
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/10/2021 answer text <p>Over the last eighteen months, the government has continued to take action in line with the loneliness strategy, including through delivering a response to COVID-19 that recognises the value of social connection.</p><p>We have invested over £34 million in charities focused on reducing loneliness and a further £50 million to organisations supporting people with their mental health. This is part of the government's unprecedented £750 million package of support for the sector during the pandemic, which has benefited over 14,000 charities.</p><p>We also set up the £4 million Local Connections Fund in partnership with the National Lottery Community Fund. Through the Local Connections Fund, we have awarded over 1,300 microgrants to charities and community groups that help people to connect via the things they enjoy. For example, we’ve supported songwriting workshops in Devon, dance classes in Bedfordshire, and online chat services in Durham.</p><p>We established the Tackling Loneliness Network, bringing together over 80 organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors to share expertise and develop innovative ways to tackle loneliness. The Tackling Loneliness Network Action Plan was published in May 2021 and sets out actions that government and Network members are taking to support social connection in response to COVID-19. A copy of this report will be placed in the Libraries of the House and is available online at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/emerging-together-the-tackling-loneliness-network-action-plan" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/emerging-together-the-tackling-loneliness-network-action-plan</a></p><p>We have continued to share practical tips and signpost support through the ‘Let’s Talk Loneliness’ campaign. During Loneliness Awareness Week in June this year, our campaign activity reached over 21 million people, including through partnerships with TikTok, BT, Royal Mail and Electronic Arts.</p><p>The government publishes a report on its work on loneliness every year. The latest was published in January 2021 and is available online at: [<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/loneliness-annual-report-the-second-year/loneliness-annual-report-january-2021" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/loneliness-annual-report-the-second-year/loneliness-annual-report-january-2021</a> ] The next report will be published in early 2022.</p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston question first answered 07/10/2021 16:13:11 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1354615

registered interest
date	10/09/2021
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	National Lottery
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 potential merits of new national lottery terminals offering additional services such as cash withdrawals.
tabling member constituency	Newton Abbot
tabling member printed	Anne Marie Morris
uin	46988
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2021 answer text <p>The Gambling Commission is responsible for regulating the National Lottery, including the operator of the National Lottery and the operation of National Lottery terminals.</p><p>The Gambling Commission in its role as overseer of the National Lottery licence must ensure that the National Lottery is run with all due propriety, the interests of every participant are protected and, subject to these two duties, that good cause returns are maximised.</p><p>There is a wide network of approximately 44,000 retailers that sell National Lottery products across the country, ranging from large chains of supermarkets to independent newsagents.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Maldon answering member printed Mr John Whittingdale question first answered 15/09/2021 15:46:59 answering member 39 label Biography information for Sir John Whittingdale
tabling member	4249 label Biography information for Anne Marie Morris

1354212

registered interest
date	09/09/2021
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	Channel Four Television: Privatisation
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 (a) undertake and (b) publish an impact assessment on the implications of the privatisation of Channel 4.
tabling member constituency	Ashford
tabling member printed	Damian Green
uin	45653
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/09/2021 answer text <p>The government has recently consulted on whether an alternative ownership model for Channel 4 (but one where it retains a public service remit) may be better for the broadcaster, and better for the country.</p><p>We want Channel 4 to continue to be a public service broadcaster, and we want it to and continue to contribute socially, economically and culturally to life across the UK. But there is a wealth of evidence - including Ofcom’s recent report - on the future challenges facing our traditional linear TV broadcasters. Channel 4 is uniquely constrained in its ability to meet these challenges while it remains under public ownership - particularly because its access to capital and ability to pursue strategic partnership opportunities is limited.</p><p>Moving Channel 4 into private ownership could allow it to access new capital, take advantage of international opportunities, and create strategic partnerships only available through the private sector.</p><p>Consulting on the broadcaster’s future has therefore been about ensuring that Channel 4 can continue to contribute to the UK’s success in public service broadcasting for years to come, and how we ensure its ownership model best supports this aim</p><p>The consultation opened on 6 July, running for 10 weeks, before closing on 14 September. We are currently analysing responses to our consultation, and evidence received through it, to inform our policy-making decisions. Once we have answered the questions set out in the consultation, we will know what specific impacts to assess and will therefore be in a position to carry out an impact assessment.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 24/09/2021 08:47:57 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	76 label Biography information for Damian Green

1354262

registered interest
date	09/09/2021
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: Reviews
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 progress his Department has made on delivering the fan-led review into football.
tabling member constituency	Ashfield
tabling member printed	Lee Anderson
uin	45926
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2021 answer text <p>The Fan Led Review of Football Governance is moving at pace to reform our national game for the better.</p><p>The Review has heard over 100 hours of evidence from fan groups, clubs, and stakeholders - including from supporters representing over 130 football clubs; received over 170 submissions from groups, organisations and individuals; and over 20,000 responses from fans to an online survey seeking their views on what needs to change</p><p>The Review published its interim findings in July, and will publish its final report in the autumn.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston question first answered 15/09/2021 11:29:06 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
tabling member	4743 label Biography information for Lee Anderson

1354263

registered interest
date	09/09/2021
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: Nottinghamshire
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 progress his Department has made on the rollout of gigabit broadband in (a) Ashfield constituency and b) Nottinghamshire.
tabling member constituency	Ashfield
tabling member printed	Lee Anderson
uin	45927
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/09/2021 answer text <p>Gigabit coverage in Ashfield has increased significantly in the past 12 months, with 15.33% of premises able to access a gigabit-capable broadband service, compared with 1.8% in September 2020. Additionally, 99.1% of premises in Ashfield have access to superfast broadband (&gt;30Mbps) in Ashfield, which exceeds the national average of 96.9%</p><p>To date, the Better Broadband for Nottinghamshire (BBfN) scheme has delivered 378 gigabit-capable FTTP connections across the constituency. The Hucknall exchange has also been included with Openreach’s latest commercial announcement, with delivery expected to be completed between now and April 2024.</p><p>We are backing Project Gigabit with £5 billion so hard to reach communities are not left out. Nottinghamshire falls within Phase 2 (Lot 10) of Project Gigabit. Preparations for Phase 2 are already well underway and following the Open Market Review and Public Review, formal procurement should start in November 2022 in Nottinghamshire.</p><p>Concurrently, premises in rural areas may also be in line for funding through the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, with up to £210m allocated to the scheme over the next four years to support hard to reach communities. The voucher scheme offers up to £1,500 for homes and £3,500 for businesses to help to cover the costs of installing gigabit broadband to people’s doorsteps when used as part of a group scheme. Home and business owners can check the eligibility of their address and then look up suppliers in their area by going to <a href="https://gigabitvoucher.culture.gov.uk/" target="_blank">https://gigabitvoucher.culture.gov.uk/</a>.</p><p>Nottinghamshire has made good use of the scheme so far, seeing 135 voucher connections worth £340,030, with a further 372 vouchers to be connected, totalling £948,290.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 24/09/2021 08:58:21 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4743 label Biography information for Lee Anderson

1354274

registered interest
date	09/09/2021
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: Disadvantaged
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 potential effect of the absence of pricing standards and regulation for fixed wireless operators on digital exclusion.
tabling member constituency	Ellesmere Port and Neston
tabling member printed	Justin Madders
uin	45852
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/09/2021 answer text <p>Pricing regulation in the telecoms sector is a matter for Ofcom, the independent regulator. However, most providers of fixed wireless access price their services in line with comparable fixed line services and on a national basis.</p><p>In 2019 the Government issued Ofcom with a Statement of Strategic Priorities for telecommunications to which it must have regard when exercising its regulatory functions. This includes tackling harmful industry practices and improving the support available to vulnerable consumers.</p><p>In order to tackle digital exclusion we have introduced the Broadband Universal Service Obligation to provide a digital safety net, ensuring a minimum level of service to participate in society and the economy, based on information provided by Ofcom. The USO came into effect on 20 March 2020, providing consumers with a legal right to request a decent broadband service, providing download speeds of at least 10 Mbps and upload speeds of 1Mbps. Whilst there is still more to do, the evidence suggests this approach is working as Ofcom’s Online Nations 2021 report showed that people are using online services more than ever with the number of UK homes with internet access increasing to about 94%.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 24/09/2021 15:52:59 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4418 label Biography information for Justin Madders

1354293

registered interest
date	09/09/2021
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	Telephone Systems
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 help people without a broadband connection prepare for the closure of the public switched telephone network in 2025.
tabling member constituency	Hackney South and Shoreditch
tabling member printed	Dame Meg Hillier
uin	45815
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/09/2021 answer text <p>The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is privately owned, and the process for its closure is industry-led. The PSTN closure will be undertaken in a phased approach with areas shutting down over the coming years with the final exchange expected to turn off in 2025.</p><p>While PSTN withdrawal is an industry-led process, the Government and Ofcom are working together to ensure consumers and sectors are protected and prepared for the withdrawal process.</p><p>The PSTN network will be replaced with new All-IP technology - such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). This technology is higher quality and more reliable than the existing PSTN network and will guarantee a better quality of service. All-IP requires a stable internet connection of approximately 0.5Mbps. Where it is not possible to deliver such a service to a premise, the service provider will be required to offer an alternative technological solution - such as Single Order Generic Ethernet Access (SoGEA).</p><p>Ofcom has a statutory duty to further and protect the interest of consumers, including those who are vulnerable. As part of this duty, Ofcom has rules in place, known as general conditions, which all providers must follow, that mandate communication providers to have procedures and policies in place to identify and support vulnerable consumers.</p><p>Ofcom has also published a <a href="https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0034/198763/treating-vulnerable-customer-fairly-guide.pdf" target="_blank">Vulnerability Guide</a> for providers, setting out their expectations and good practice on how vulnerable telecoms consumers should be supported. This includes steps providers can take to identify vulnerable consumers, and an expectation that all providers implement specialist teams in order to provide extra support.</p><p>The telecoms industry - via the Broadband Stakeholder Group - have been collaborating on this issue, and in June 2020 launched a consumer-facing website as a resource to inform the public of the process. This website was developed with the support of telecoms companies, Ofcom and DCMS and is funded by TechUK. (<a href="https://www.futureofvoice.co.uk/" target="_blank">https://www.futureofvoice.co.uk/</a>)</p><p>If an individual is concerned about the PSTN withdrawal process, or would like further information, they should contact their telecoms service provider who will be able to provide specific support.</p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Matt Warman question first answered 14/09/2021 15:30:54 answering member 4361 label Biography information for Matt Warman
tabling member	1524 label Biography information for Dame Meg Hillier

1354296

registered interest
date	09/09/2021
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	Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation
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 effectiveness of the governance of the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	45918
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/09/2021 answer text <p>The CDEI is an expert government body within the Department for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport. The CDEI is a team of civil servants supported by an expert advisory board which includes globally recognised practitioners from industry, civil society and academia.</p><p>The CDEI’s current remit, as announced publicly and in Parliament on 10 September 2021, focuses on enabling trustworthy innovation in data and AI in the real-world by developing, testing and refining approaches to data and AI governance. Given this role, and after conducting a consultation on the CDEI’s future functions and statutory status as part of the National Data Strategy, the CDEI’s current governance framework as a team of civil servants supported by an expert advisory board is effective.</p><p>The CDEI is already working on some of the most pressing issues in the field, from helping the Ministry of Defence to develop ethical principles for the use of AI, to partnering with the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles to embed ethical due diligence in the future regulatory framework for self-driving vehicles.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 24/09/2021 15:40:38 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones