Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed question first answered question first ministerially corrected answering member label previous answer version answering member constituency answering member printed answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

882424

registered interest
date	13/04/2018
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: Fees and Charges
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 ensure that the forthcoming Consumer Green Paper sets out provisions to ensure that broadband exit fees are charged at a rate that is fair to consumers.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	135486
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/04/2018 answer text <p>The Consumer Green Paper was published on 11 April. It seeks views on how to ensure that modern consumer markets work for all, both now and in the future, including in the telecoms sector. Government will consider the responses to the Consumer Green Paper and, working with independent regulators including Ofcom, will publish a response detailing how they plan to further protect customers.</p><p> </p><p><del class="ministerial">Currently, the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 protect broadband consumers when they enter into contracts with a provider. Ofcom has the power to investigate communicate providers' compliance.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">Currently, contracts entered into on or after 1 October 2015 are covered by the unfair terms in consumer contracts protections in the Consumer Rights Act 2015. There are also protections under Ofcom rules (GC9.3) to ensure that conditions or procedures for contract termination do not act as a disincentive against changing provider. Additionally, Ofcom has the power to investigate communication providers' compliance and have an open enforcement programme on early termination charges: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/bulletins/competition-bulletins/open-cases/cw_01199.</ins></p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 18/04/2018 15:27:54 question first ministerially corrected 23/04/2018 15:12:27 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James previous answer version 52496 answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1012294

registered interest
date	22/11/2018
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	Arts: EU Grants and Loans
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 the Government plans to remain part of Creative Europe after the current funding period concludes in 2020.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	194605
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2018 answer text The UK will always be a European country that advocates for cultural diversity as part of its global identity and is committed to continuing its contribution to and support of European culture. The Government has been clear that will be explore participation in any successor programme to Creative Europe. Where EU funding programmes are to the UK and EU's joint advantage, we want to discuss continued participation as part of the negotiations. Ultimately, the decision on which programmes are in the UK’s interests will be decided as part of the future partnership negotiations, which are ongoing. answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 27/11/2018 19:18:35 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1092202

registered interest
date	20/03/2019
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: Hate Crime
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 bringing forward legislative proposals to prevent social media companies and other online media outlets from assisting in the spreading of hate speech via their platforms.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	234737
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2019 answer text <p>We will publish a joint DCMS-Home Office Online Harms White Paper in the coming weeks setting out a range of legislative and non-legislative measures detailing how we will tackle online harms and setting clear responsibilities for tech companies to keep people safe.</p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 25/03/2019 13:47:39 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
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

1123194

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 his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of creating a mandated system with mandated compensation to address customers' complaints about broadband.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	247607
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2019 answer text <p>Ofcom, as the UK’s regulator for the communications industry, is responsible for issues around consumer compensation for broadband. In March 2017, Ofcom consulted on introducing an automatic compensation scheme for fixed broadband and landline telecoms to protect consumers that suffer from specific service failures. Subsequently, industry agreed to introduce a voluntary automatic compensation scheme, which came into effect from 1 April 2019. It covers new orders placed, or problems reported since 1 April 2019, and sets out compensation amounts for delayed repairs following a loss of service, missed repairs or appointments, as well as delays to the start of a new service.</p><p> </p><p>The largest broadband providers have signed up to the scheme as a result of which Ofcom have indicated that nine in ten landline and broadband customers are already covered by the scheme. They estimate that it will benefit consumers by up to £126m more per year in compensation payments, compared to £16m per year they received previously. Ofcom is satisfied that the voluntary scheme is a fair, effective and sufficient means to ensure telecoms consumers are compensated when service quality falls short, and that it adequately addresses the need to take regulatory action in this area. Ofcom plans to review the effectiveness of this scheme after it has been in place for 12 months.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, where an individual feels that their service fault has been dealt with in an unsatisfactory manner by their telecoms provider, and if their complaint has not been resolved after eight weeks, they can refer their case to an independent Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme. ADR schemes can review individual cases and any decisions they make are binding on telecoms providers. There are two ADR schemes for telecoms, the Ombudsman Services (OS) and the Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (CISAS), and all communications providers must be members of one of these schemes.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 30/04/2019 17:38:57 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

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

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

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

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