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 grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1306330

registered interest
date	25/03/2021
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	Culture Recovery Fund
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) a Seat Out to Help Out scheme to support live entertainment and (b) providing individual funding for musicians and other freelancers in England via the Cultural Recovery Fund on a similar basis to the support available in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
tabling member constituency	Ealing Central and Acton
tabling member printed	Dr Rupa Huq
uin	175950
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/04/2021 answer text <p>The ‘COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021’ announced by the Prime Minister on the 22 February provides a roadmap out of the current lockdown in England, including for live events. Once theatres and live entertainment venues are able to reopen, we want the public to show their support by attending events, and we will continue to review all viable options to ensure the successful reopening of the live entertainment sector.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>DCMS continues to engage with HM Treasury to ensure the needs of our sectors are factored into the developing economic response, and that DCMS sectors, including the music sector, are supported throughout this time. The Government recognises the significant challenge the current pandemic poses to many individuals and freelancers working in the music industry, and we are working very hard to help freelancers in this sectors access support, including through Arts Council England and the Self Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) which will continue until September with a fourth and fifth grant. Individuals will be able to qualify for the new grants based on their 2019-20 tax returns. This means that over 600,000 self-employed individuals may be newly eligible for the SEISS, including many new to self-employment in 2019-20.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Gosport answering member printed Caroline Dinenage question first answered 13/04/2021 11:31:52 answering member 4008 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Dinenage
tabling member	4511 label Biography information for Dr Rupa Huq

1306346

registered interest
date	25/03/2021
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	Zoos: 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 steps his Department plans to take to encourage visits to zoos as soon as relevant covid-19 restrictions are eased.
tabling member constituency	Dudley North
tabling member printed	Marco Longhi
uin	176057
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/04/2021 answer text <p>My Department plans to take a number of steps to encourage a range of tourism activities following the easing of restrictions.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The Global Travel Taskforce last year committed the Government to publish a Tourism Recovery Plan in support of the sector. The Government intends to set out proposals in the Spring, including plans for a marketing campaign to welcome visitors back to the UK as soon as it is safe to do so.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>When holidays are permitted again, we will work with VisitBritain, VisitEngland and local partners to champion the UK’s diverse tourism offer once again - just as we did with last year’s Enjoy Summer Safely and Escape The Everyday campaigns.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>We will continue to work with industry to provide assurance regarding when people can safely visit attractions - as demonstrated through the We’re Good to Go industry standard, which has been used by over 45,000 businesses, including several zoos.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston question first answered 13/04/2021 15:50:31 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
tabling member	4789 label Biography information for Marco Longhi

1306447

registered interest
date	25/03/2021
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	English Language: Education
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 financial effect of covid-19 travel restrictions on the operation of English Language Teaching Centres.
tabling member constituency	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
tabling member printed	Alan Brown
uin	175929
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/04/2021 answer text <p>We recognise that COVID-19 restrictions are significantly impacting tourism across the country, and that these remain extremely challenging conditions for businesses such as English Language Teaching Centres, which are important to the supply chain.</p><p> </p><p>English Language Schools have been, and are, able to benefit from a wide variety of Government support, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which has been extended until September, a variety of generous Government backed loan schemes and grants through the Additional Restrictions Grant scheme, although this is for England only.</p><p> </p><p>The guidance for the Additional Restrictions Grant funding was updated on 22 March to include the £425m top-up from 1 April 2021. This states that Local Authorities are encouraged to support businesses from all sectors that may have been severely impacted by restrictions, but are not eligible for the Restart Grant scheme. The document states that this may include English Language Schools, alongside a number of other businesses.</p><p>Although funding issued under the Additional Restrictions Grant scheme is ultimately issued at the discretion of Local Authorities, we encourage and expect them to be sympathetic to applications from English Language Schools, as well as other businesses in the tourism supply chain which have been affected by COVID-19 restrictions.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston grouped question UIN 175930 question first answered 13/04/2021 15:43:08 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
tabling member	4470 label Biography information for Alan Brown

1306448

registered interest
date	25/03/2021
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	English Language: Education
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 sectoral support has recently been provided to the operators of English Language Teaching Centres.
tabling member constituency	Kilmarnock and Loudoun
tabling member printed	Alan Brown
uin	175930
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/04/2021 answer text <p>We recognise that COVID-19 restrictions are significantly impacting tourism across the country, and that these remain extremely challenging conditions for businesses such as English Language Teaching Centres, which are important to the supply chain.</p><p> </p><p>English Language Schools have been, and are, able to benefit from a wide variety of Government support, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which has been extended until September, a variety of generous Government backed loan schemes and grants through the Additional Restrictions Grant scheme, although this is for England only.</p><p> </p><p>The guidance for the Additional Restrictions Grant funding was updated on 22 March to include the £425m top-up from 1 April 2021. This states that Local Authorities are encouraged to support businesses from all sectors that may have been severely impacted by restrictions, but are not eligible for the Restart Grant scheme. The document states that this may include English Language Schools, alongside a number of other businesses.</p><p>Although funding issued under the Additional Restrictions Grant scheme is ultimately issued at the discretion of Local Authorities, we encourage and expect them to be sympathetic to applications from English Language Schools, as well as other businesses in the tourism supply chain which have been affected by COVID-19 restrictions.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston grouped question UIN 175929 question first answered 13/04/2021 15:43:09 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
tabling member	4470 label Biography information for Alan Brown

1306476

registered interest
date	25/03/2021
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: Rural Areas and Small Businesses
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 broadband provision for (a) isolated rural areas and (b) small business owners operating from their homes in (i) Congleton constituency and (ii) England.
tabling member constituency	Congleton
tabling member printed	Fiona Bruce
uin	175811
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/04/2021 answer text <p>The government is committed to gigabit capable broadband to everyone in the UK by stimulating investment, busting barriers and driving competition. The UK is on track for one of the fastest rollouts in Europe and for half of all households to have access to gigabit speeds by the end of the year. It is a huge leap forward from 2019, when it was just one in ten.</p><p>The government is investing £5 billion in Project Gigabit to ensure that gigabit capable broadband reaches all communities across the UK. Further detail on our approach is set out in our Project Gigabit - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/project-gigabit-phase-one-delivery-plan" target="_blank">Phase One Delivery Plan</a> published on 19 March 2021, including using subsidised procurements to extend gigabit broadband coverage and providing up to £210m to fund a new voucher from the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme and up to £110m to connect rural GP surgeries, libraries and schools.</p><p>We will begin a national Open Market Review by July 2021 for telecoms providers to give us a picture of where the market plans to invest in gigabit networks over the next three years and to confirm where we need to intervene so places are not left out.</p><p>4,000 premises in Cheshire will also benefit from access to gigabit capable broadband as a result of a £4.5million investment under the Superfast Broadband programme that was agreed in December 2020.</p><p>For those in the most isolated areas, where the costs of delivering broadband rise exponentially, the government has issued a <a href="https://dcms.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bEMHlvftH6oiYjc" target="_blank">Call for Evidence</a> for users and suppliers to share their current experiences, needs and views. We are also asking suppliers to provide further information on technologies coming to market that may support delivery of improved broadband to these locations.</p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Matt Warman question first answered 13/04/2021 14:05:02 answering member 4361 label Biography information for Matt Warman
tabling member	3958 label Biography information for Fiona Bruce

1306504

registered interest
date	25/03/2021
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	Broadcasting: Wales
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 implications for its policies of the recommendations of the Senedd’s Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee’s report, Exploring the devolution of broadcasting.
tabling member constituency	Ceredigion
tabling member printed	Ben Lake
uin	175983
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/04/2021 answer text <p>The government responded to the recommendations made by the Senedd Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee report on 6 April.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>In the response, the government reaffirmed its manifesto commitments to continue to support S4C and support the Welsh Government’s ambition for one million Welsh speakers by 2050.</p><p> </p><p>However, the response made clear that broadcasting policy will remain a reserved matter and that there are no plans to establish an independent funding commission for the TV licence.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>In addition, the government continues to consider carefully the future of the public service broadcasting landscape, including the regional Channel 3 licences, and the appropriate regulatory structure for commercial radio.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Maldon answering member printed Mr John Whittingdale question first answered 13/04/2021 13:57:19 answering member 39 label Biography information for Sir John Whittingdale
tabling member	4630 label Biography information for Ben Lake

1306506

registered interest
date	25/03/2021
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	Project Gigabit: Wales
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 discussions his Department has had with the Welsh Government on the continuation of the top-up to the gigabit broadband voucher scheme in Wales for 2021-22.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	175961
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/04/2021 answer text <p>Building Digital UK has regular discussions with all Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme Top-Up partners, including the Welsh Government, and during the development of the UK Gigabit Voucher these discussions have included options for topping up the new voucher.</p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Matt Warman question first answered 13/04/2021 13:52:51 answering member 4361 label Biography information for Matt Warman
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1306551

registered interest
date	25/03/2021
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: Dwyfor Meirionnydd
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 made of the affordability of quoted excess costs for consumers who have requested a universal service connection in Dwyfor Merionnydd since January 2020.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	175963
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/04/2021 answer text <p>The Department is aware that some BT quotations for connection under the Universal Service Obligation (USO) are significantly above the Reasonable Cost Threshold of £3,400 per premise. In September 2020, I wrote to Ofcom’s Chief Executive, Dame Melanie Dawes to outline my concerns with some of the quotes and how BT was aggregating demand from USO eligible premises.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>In October 2020, Ofcom opened an investigation into BT’s compliance with its obligations as a Universal Service Provider. In January 2021, Ofcom issued a statement, stating that they had completed their initial information gathering, would be gathering additional evidence and expected to provide an update by the end of March.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Alongside the USO, the government is investing £5 billion to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to the hardest to reach 20% of premises in the UK. The government recognises that the UK has some very remote places - around 0.3% of the country or less than 100,000 premises - that may be too expensive to build a gigabit-capable broadband network to, even with substantial public subsidy. These premises are also likely to be significantly above the USO’s Reasonable Cost Threshold. On 19 March, the government launched a call for evidence to explore the barriers to improving the broadband of these premises and how innovative new technologies could help.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Matt Warman question first answered 13/04/2021 09:43:59 answering member 4361 label Biography information for Matt Warman
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

1306576

registered interest
date	25/03/2021
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	Cricket
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 has taken to diversify participation in cricket and to promote the sport among underrepresented groups.
tabling member constituency	Stockport
tabling member printed	Navendu Mishra
uin	176089
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/04/2021 answer text <p>The Government is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in sport and physical activity, including cricket. Our strategy ‘Sporting Future’ sets out a clear ambition to increase levels of physical activity amongst under-represented groups, working closely with national bodies to achieve this. Sport England’s recently launched new ten year strategy, “Uniting the Movement”, reinforces their commitment to increasing diversifying participation in grassroots sport and physical activity.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Sport England funding has directly contributed to a number of cricket participation projects with an equality, diversity and inclusion focus run by the English and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). This includes a recent £2 million investment into the South Asian Action Plan, focused on opening up access to cricket, and the development of a new disability strategy, delivered by the ECB.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston question first answered 13/04/2021 15:44:47 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
tabling member	4811 label Biography information for Navendu Mishra

1306578

registered interest
date	25/03/2021
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	Pets: Travel
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 make an assessment of the potential effect of the EU Pet Travel Regulations on levels of tourism to (a) the UK and (b) Northern Ireland.
tabling member constituency	Stockport
tabling member printed	Navendu Mishra
uin	176091
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/04/2021 answer text <p>The Government is engaging with stakeholders in the tourism sector to hear their priorities for the UK’s future relationship with the EU, and continues to assess issues raised by stakeholders.</p><p> </p><p>The UK has been formally listed as a Part 2 third country for the purposes of the EU Pet Travel Regulations, which means that new rules now apply to pet movements from Great Britain to the EU and Northern Ireland. These rules are set out under the EU Pet Travel Regulations. Under the Northern Ireland Protocol, EU rules also apply to the non-commercial movements of pets into Northern Ireland from Great Britain. There have been no changes to the current pet travel health requirements for entry into Great Britain and we will continue to accept EU pet passports.</p><p> </p><p>We will continue to press the European Commission in relation to securing Part 1 listed status, recognising that achieving this would alleviate some of the new requirements for pet owners and assistance dog users travelling to the EU and to Northern Ireland. We are clear that we meet all the animal health requirements for this, and we have one of the most rigorous pet checking regimes in Europe to protect our biosecurity.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is engaging with the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) to explore means to streamline pet travel between Great Britain and Northern Ireland recognising the high standards of animal health that we share. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has also written to the European Vice-President seeking to ensure that an agreement can be made to address the barriers imposed on pet travel between Great Britain, Northern Ireland and Ireland.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Mid Worcestershire answering member printed Nigel Huddleston question first answered 13/04/2021 15:48:31 answering member 4407 label Biography information for Nigel Huddleston
tabling member	4811 label Biography information for Navendu Mishra