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1535309

registered interest
date	24/10/2022
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	Mermaids
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the actions of the charity Mermaids; and what steps they intend to take as a result of any such assessment.
tabling member printed	Lord Blencathra
uin	HL2802
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/11/2022 answer text <p>Protecting people and adhering to safeguarding responsibilities should be a governance priority for all charities. It is a fundamental part of operating as a charity for the public benefit.</p><p>Following concerns raised about Mermaids’ approach to safeguarding young people, the Charity Commission has opened a regulatory compliance case into the charity and has contacted its trustees. The opening of a compliance case is not itself a finding of wrongdoing.</p><p>As an independent regulator, the Charity Commission carries out its functions independent of ministerial or government control. It would therefore not be appropriate to comment further whilst the Charity Commission's investigation is ongoing.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay question first answered 07/11/2022 15:53:17 answering member 4728 label Biography information for Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
tabling member	497 label Biography information for Lord Blencathra

1347060

registered interest
date	14/07/2021
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	Television Licences: Payments
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is legislation which stipulates that TV licences can be paid for only (1) by cheque for the full amount, or (2) Direct Debit for quarterly payments.
tabling member printed	Lord Blencathra
uin	HL1994
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/07/2021 answer text <p>The regulations which set the frequency and amount of instalments by which TV licence fees can be paid are the Communications (Television Licensing) Regulations 2004. The Communications (Television Licensing) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 amended instalment amounts for the period beginning 1 April 2021.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Regulations allow for a range of payment options. For example, the TV Licensing website sets monthly, quarterly and annual payment options for direct debit plans: <a href="https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/pay-for-your-tv-licence/ways-to-pay/direct-debit" target="_blank">https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/pay-for-your-tv-licence/ways-to-pay/direct-debit</a>.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>It also sets out that licence fee instalment amounts for a weekly or fortnightly payment licence are set out in an individual payment plan when a customer signs up for a Payment Card: <a href="https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/pay-for-your-tv-licence/ways-to-pay/payment-card" target="_blank">https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/pay-for-your-tv-licence/ways-to-pay/payment-card</a>.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>There is no provision in the Communications (Television Licensing) Regulations 2004 which specifies payments must be made by a certain method. The BBC is responsible for the collection and enforcement of the licence fee, including methods of payment.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 20/07/2021 14:55:41 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	497 label Biography information for Lord Blencathra

1314964

registered interest
date	17/05/2021
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	Politics and Government
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to defend British (1) history, (2) culture, and (3) values, from individuals and organisations that see themselves as 'woke'.
tabling member printed	Lord Blencathra
uin	HL260
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/05/2021 answer text <p>Government does not condone airbrushing of our history by removing memorials to our complex past. Government has been clear that rather than erasing objects, we should seek to contextualise or reinterpret them in a way that enables the public to learn about them in their entirety, however challenging this may be. This position is supported by the government’s statutory advisor on heritage matters, Historic England.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 26/05/2021 11:12:37 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	497 label Biography information for Lord Blencathra

1289353

registered interest
date	24/02/2021
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: Press
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the introduction of a mandatory news media bargaining code by the government of Australia, what plans they have, if any, to introduce legislation to compel social media companies to pay for news content taken from other news outlets.
tabling member printed	Lord Blencathra
uin	HL13656
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/03/2021 answer text <p>The UK government is committed to supporting the sustainability of trusted journalism.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>We have announced plans to introduce a new code of conduct to govern the relationships between powerful online platforms and the businesses which depend on them. It will cover the relationships between publishers and platforms to ensure they are fair, and help support the sustainability of the press. The code will be overseen by a new Digital Markets Unit and we will consider all options as we consult on its form and function later this year. No decisions have yet been taken.</p><p><strong><br></strong>We are also engaging with the Australian government to develop our understanding of the progress they are making, and are closely monitoring the reaction from both publishers and platforms.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 09/03/2021 17:10:55 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	497 label Biography information for Lord Blencathra

1289123

registered interest
date	23/02/2021
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	Email: Surveillance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce legislation to ban tracking pixels in emails.
tabling member printed	Lord Blencathra
uin	HL13568
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2021 answer text <p>The use of tracking technology is already regulated by the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation. This legislation gives individuals specific privacy rights in relation to organisations’ use of cookies, tracking pixels and similar technologies that track information about people accessing a website or other electronic services. It also requires organisations to give people clear and comprehensive information about the use of tracking technologies, and a choice about whether or not they are applied on devices.</p><p> </p><p>The ICO has produced the attached guidance for organisations on the use of tracking technologies, available on its website at:</p><p><a href="https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-pecr/guidance-on-the-use-of-cookies-and-similar-technologies/what-are-cookies-and-similar-technologies/#cookies5" target="_blank">https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-pecr/guidance-on-the-use-of-cookies-and-similar-technologies/what-are-cookies-and-similar-technologies/#cookies5</a></p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 02/03/2021 12:35:25 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran attachment 1 file name guidance-on-the-use-of-cookies-and-similar-technologies-1-0.pdf title Cookies Guidance
tabling member	497 label Biography information for Lord Blencathra

1248991

registered interest
date	04/11/2020
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: Fees and Charges
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 3 November (HL9410), (1) whether they will now answer the question put, namely, which regulations set the frequency and amount of instalments by which TV licence fees can be paid; what are the prescribed (a) weekly, (b) monthly, and (c) quarterly, instalment amounts of such fees, and (2) whether there is any prohibition in the regulations governing the TV licence fee on the payment of the fee by cheque.
tabling member printed	Lord Blencathra
uin	HL9980
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/11/2020 answer text <p>The regulations which set the frequency and amount of instalments by which TV licence fees can be paid are the Communications (Television Licensing) Regulations 2004. The Communications (Television Licensing) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 provided the amended instalment amounts for the period beginning 1 April 2020.</p><p>However, the actual frequency and amount of the instalments for a TV licence may be affected by the payment method chosen or the individual circumstances of the customer, such as the date of renewal or whether the customer had a period of unlicensed use before the renewal. Payments may also be affected if the customer is in the first year of their TV licence, which is often paid for over the first 6 months of the licence period, and in some cases must be paid for upfront.</p><p>The TV Licensing website sets out that licence fee instalment amounts for a weekly or fortnightly payment licence are set out in an individual payment plan when a customer signs up for a Payment Card: <a href="https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/pay-for-your-tv-licence/ways-to-pay/payment-card" target="_blank">https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/pay-for-your-tv-licence/ways-to-pay/payment-card</a>.</p><p>The TV Licensing website also sets the monthly, quarterly and annual payment instalments for direct debit plans: <a href="https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/pay-for-your-tv-licence/ways-to-pay/direct-debit" target="_blank">https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/pay-for-your-tv-licence/ways-to-pay/direct-debit</a>.</p><p>For customers moving to the BBC’s 75+ payment plan, the BBC issued a general notice setting out the weekly, fortnightly or monthly instalment amounts which are payable: <a href="https://www.bbc.com/aboutthebbc/reports/consultation/age-related-tv-licence-policy/general-notice" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.com/aboutthebbc/reports/consultation/age-related-tv-licence-policy/general-notice</a></p><p>Certain customers can also pay for their TV licence in monthly or fortnightly instalments as part of the Simple Payment Plan, which is a payment instalment scheme specifically designed for people who struggle to pay the TV licence fee. These instalments can be found in the Communications (Television Licensing) (Amendment) (No.2) 2020.</p><p>There is no provision in the Communications (Television Licensing) Regulations 2004 which prohibits the payment of the TV licence fee by cheque. However it is the BBC, not the government, that administers these schemes and is responsible for the collection and enforcement of the licence fee, including methods of payment. TV Licensing’s website explains that, at present, only annual licence fee payments can be made by cheque: <a href="https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/pay-for-your-tv-licence/ways-to-pay/cheque-or-postal-order" target="_blank">https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/pay-for-your-tv-licence/ways-to-pay/cheque-or-postal-order</a>.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 18/11/2020 16:11:28 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	497 label Biography information for Lord Blencathra

1245647

registered interest
date	21/10/2020
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: Fees and Charges
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government which regulations set the frequency and amount of instalments by which TV licence fees can be paid; what are the prescribed (1) weekly, (2) monthly, and (3) quarterly, instalment amounts of such fees; and whether those instalments can be paid by cheque.
tabling member printed	Lord Blencathra
uin	HL9410
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2020 answer text <p>The payment instalment schemes for the TV licence fee are set out in the Communications (Television Licensing) Regulations 2004.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Schedule 2 of the Communications (Television Licensing) Regulations 2004 detail the instalment amounts and their frequency as prescribed by each instalment scheme.</p><p> </p><p>It is the BBC, not the government, that administers these schemes and is responsible for the collection and enforcement of the licence fee, including methods of payment. TV Licensing’s website explains that, at present, only annual licence fee payments can be made by cheque: <a href="https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/pay-for-your-tv-licence/ways-to-pay/cheque-or-postal-order" target="_blank">https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/pay-for-your-tv-licence/ways-to-pay/cheque-or-postal-order</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 03/11/2020 12:06:27 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	497 label Biography information for Lord Blencathra

1228097

registered interest
date	28/07/2020
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	World Heritage Sites
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made with regard to the applications for World Heritage Status for (1) Chatham Dockyard and its Defences, (2) Creswell Crags, (3) Darwin’s Landscape Laboratory, (4) Flow Country, (5) Great Spas of Europe, (6) Island of St Helena, (7) Mousa, Old Scatness and Jarlshof: the Zenith of Iron Age Shetland, (8) Slate Industry of North Wales, (9) The Twin Monastery of Wearmouth Jarrow, and (10) Turks and Caicos Islands.
tabling member printed	Lord Blencathra
uin	HL7430
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/08/2020 answer text <p>UNESCO World Heritage inscription is recognition that a cultural or natural site is of Outstanding Universal Value to humanity. As such, the process for achieving this status is highly rigorous. Each State Party to the World Heritage Convention is responsible for maintaining a tentative list of sites from which nominations may be developed.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The sites mentioned in this question are all on the UK’s current tentative list. As each country may only nominate a maximum of one site per year from this list, the UK government will only submit nominations which clearly demonstrate that a site meets the criteria, authenticity, integrity and management required. In January 2020, the Government nominated the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales to UNESCO for potential inscription in 2021. The Great Spas of Europe, which includes Bath, was nominated in 2019 alongside 11 other spa towns throughout Europe and will be considered for inscription at the next World Heritage Committee meeting. Additionally, the Flow Country has passed a UK expert evaluation, and now may proceed to develop a nomination. Other sites on this list are at earlier stages in the process, or have determined that they do not intend to move forward with the development of a nomination at this stage.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 03/08/2020 12:20:38 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	497 label Biography information for Lord Blencathra

1187905

registered interest
date	25/03/2020
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	Social Media: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to discuss with social networking companies what steps they are taking to restrict (1) comments by, and (2) the accounts of, users with high numbers of followers which give (1) false information, or (2) advice counter to official medical advice, about COVID-19.
tabling member printed	Lord Blencathra
uin	HL2919
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/04/2020 answer text <p>The Government is working very closely with social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter and Google in response to Covid-19. This is helping us understand what is happening on their platforms and the steps they are taking so we can effectively tackle misinformation and disinformation together. It also allows social media platforms to be informed where harmful information is identified.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Social media companies have taken a range of steps to limit misinformation and disinformation on their platforms. This has included updating their policies in response to Covid-19, to enable them to take action on false and misleading content where it has the potential to cause harm.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Alongside the removal or downranking of misinformation and disinformation, platforms are also working with Government and the NHS to take action to promote accurate information. Measures have been introduced across almost all major platforms to ensure users see accurate information on Covid-19, including links to NHS and other authoritative sources.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 07/04/2020 15:11:20 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	497 label Biography information for Lord Blencathra

1182880

registered interest
date	04/03/2020
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	Sports: Transgender People
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the participation of those who are transgender in women’s sport.
tabling member printed	Lord Blencathra
uin	HL2203
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2020 answer text <p>Sport England collects data on transgender status through its Active Lives surveys, which measure the activity levels of people across England. However, the number of transgender responses received to the survey is so low that the figure is not statistically reliable.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Sport England also funded Pride Sports, a UK organisation which helps improve LGBT+ access to sport, to gather information on transgender participation in all sport and physical activity. Pride Sports reported in 2016 that there were very low rates of transgender participation and the report’s findings helped to inform Sport England’s current work on transgender inclusion.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The report ‘Sport, Physical Activity and LGBT: A Study by Pride Sports for Sport England’ can be found here: <a href="https://sportengland-production-files.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/pride-sport-sport-physical-activity-and-lgbt-report-2016.pdf#page=1" target="_blank">https://sportengland-production-files.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/pride-sport-sport-physical-activity-and-lgbt-report-2016.pdf#page=1</a></p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Barran question first answered 18/03/2020 12:02:44 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran attachment 1 file name pride-sport-sport-physical-activity-and-lgbt-report-2016.pdf title SPORT, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY & LGBT
tabling member	497 label Biography information for Lord Blencathra