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1582275

registered interest
date	31/01/2023
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: Conditions of Employment
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 they will take steps to (a) publish an equality impact assessment and (b) consult with trade unions when proposing new HR policies for their Department; and if they will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Glasgow South West
tabling member printed	Chris Stephens
uin	136651
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2023 answer text <p>Whilst there is no legal requirement to publish equality impact assessments, DCMS fulfils its duty as an employer to consider how our policies or decisions affect people who are protected under the Equality Act. The Department conducts equality impact assessments when introducing new HR policy or making significant changes to existing policy. As part of our policy development process, DCMS engages with its Trade Unions and other stakeholders (such as employee networks) when developing new HR policies or making significant changes to existing policies.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 07/02/2023 11:16:35 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4463 label Biography information for Chris Stephens

1582372

registered interest
date	31/01/2023
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	Sportsgrounds: Advertising
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 (a) her Department and (b) bodies directed by her Department have responsibility for ensuring that (i) walls, (ii) advertising hoardings and (iii) other fixed objects around the perimeter of sports pitches are safe for professional sportspeople.
tabling member constituency	Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
tabling member printed	Jamie Stone
uin	136689
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/02/2023 answer text <p>The safety, wellbeing and welfare of everyone taking part in sport is absolutely paramount.</p><p>Sports pitch perimeter safety is primarily the responsibility of the relevant national governing body of the sport, and the relevant competition/event organisers of the fixture.</p><p>It is for individual clubs to carry out risk assessments and put in place mitigations that will improve player safety.</p> answering member constituency Pudsey answering member printed Stuart Andrew question first answered 06/02/2023 17:03:36 answering member 4032 label Biography information for Stuart Andrew
tabling member	4612 label Biography information for Jamie Stone

1582443

registered interest
date	31/01/2023
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	Vacancies
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 she will make an estimate of the (a) number of vacancies and (b) level of skill shortages in (i) broadcast and print media, (ii) theatres, (iii) graphic design, (iv) tourism and (v) sport and leisure.
tabling member constituency	Chesterfield
tabling member printed	Mr Toby Perkins
uin	136592
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2023 answer text <p>While DCMS does not have any estimates on the number of vacancies, the Department has published Experimental Official Statistics for skills shortages (%) in DCMS sectors and sub-sectors. These are for the year 2019, using data from the Employer Skills Survey, carried out by the Department for Education that covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The ESS is a biennial survey, which was delayed by a further year during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, with 2022-23 data expected to be published later this year (also currently scheduled to include Scotland).</p><p>Skills shortage vacancies are defined as vacancies unfilled because applicants did not have the necessary skills. Two measures for skills shortages are published:</p><ul><li><p>Percentage of vacancies that are unfilled due to skills shortages</p></li><li><p>Percentage of businesses with at least one skills shortage vacancy</p></li></ul><p>The “Percentage of businesses with at least one skills shortage vacancy” estimates are impacted by the fact that some businesses will not have had a vacancy. Therefore the “% of businesses with at least one vacancy” figure was also published to help provide context.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Sector/subsector</p></td><td><p>% of vacancies unfilled due to skills shortages</p></td><td><p>% of businesses with at least one skills shortage vacancy</p></td><td><p>% of businesses with at least one vacancy</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Audio Visual (i - Broadcast Media)</p></td><td><p>19.2</p></td><td><p>2.1</p></td><td><p>12.0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Publishing (excluding translation &amp; interpretation activities) (i - Print Media)</p></td><td><p>10.9</p></td><td><p>3.2</p></td><td><p>11.4</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Arts (ii)</p></td><td><p>10.1</p></td><td><p>2.3</p></td><td><p>12.7</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Design and designer fashion (iii)</p></td><td><p>36.8</p></td><td><p>2.9</p></td><td><p>11.4</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Tourism Industries (iv)</p></td><td><p>21.2</p></td><td><p>6.0</p></td><td><p>21.9</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Sport (v)</p></td><td><p>30.1</p></td><td><p>4.4</p></td><td><p>17.2</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Table 1 - Skills shortages in selected sectors. Estimates are not available directly measuring the areas requested. The sectors presented here have been provided as the closest to the requested sectors, for which DCMS have skills shortages data.</p><p>Source: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dcms-sectors-skills-shortages-and-skills-gaps-2019" target="_blank">DCMS Sectors Skills Shortages and Skills Gaps: 2019</a></p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 07/02/2023 11:19:26 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	3952 label Biography information for Mr Toby Perkins

1582567

registered interest
date	31/01/2023
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: Disability Aids
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, (a) whether she is taking steps to make (i) scheduled and (ii) on-demand broadcast content more accessible via high quality and reliable subtitling; (b) if she will take steps to increase the number of broadcast services which are required to provide subtitling; (c) what progress she has made in working to encourage broadcasters voluntarily to improve subtitling; and (d) what plans she has to bring forward relevant regulations under the Digital Economy Act 2017 following Ofsted's Further Statement: Making on-demand services accessible published in July 2021.
tabling member constituency	Norwich North
tabling member printed	Chloe Smith
uin	136542
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2023 answer text <p>The Government recognises the importance of subtitling and supports television being accessible to all. Under the Communications Act 2003 and Broadcasting Acts of 1990 and 1996, broadcasters are already required to meet targets for access services - including subtitling. Statutory targets are set by Ofcom which include five and ten year targets for licensed television services. Ofcom’s<a href="https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/broadcast-codes/tv-access-services" target="_blank"> Code on Television Access Services</a> sets out these obligations and provides guidance and best practice on subtitling for broadcasters.</p><p>The regulator Ofcom assesses which broadcasters - including new channels - have a requirement to provide access services and publishes a list on their website annually, according to principles set out in their Code. Some broadcasters already provide television access services such as subtitling on a voluntary basis, and we would encourage broadcasters to continue to do so where possible.</p><p>The Government is committed to legislate to bring in minimum levels of subtitling, audio description, and signing on video-on-demand services and is currently working with Ofcom to develop a legislative framework for these requirements that is clear and fit for purpose. We intend to legislate when time allows and will set out a timetable for this in due course.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 07/02/2023 11:17:37 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	1609 label Biography information for Chloe Smith

1581724

registered interest
date	30/01/2023
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	Public Libraries
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 she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the closing of the Libraries Taskforce in March 2020 on strategic planning for libraries.
tabling member constituency	Worsley and Eccles South
tabling member printed	Barbara Keeley
uin	135181
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2023 answer text <p>While the taskforce formally ended on 31 March 2020, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport provided a further year of funding for the team based at Arts Council England to manage the ongoing work funded through it, to convene a core group of library stakeholders, and to assist in the delivery of in upcoming strategic development opportunities. (Arts Council England is the national development agency for public libraries in England.)</p><p>Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service and to think long-term and strategically as they plan and transform their library services. <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/libraries-deliver-ambition-for-public-libraries-in-england-2016-to-2021/libraries-deliver-ambition-for-public-libraries-in-england-2016-to-2021" target="_blank">Libraries Deliver: Ambition for Public Libraries in England 2016 to 2021</a>, together with other <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/longer-term-evidence-based-sustainable-planning-toolkit/longer-term-evidence-based-sustainable-planning-toolkit" target="_blank">strategic planning toolkits</a> previously published by the taskforce, remain relevant guidance documents to assist local authorities in delivering this duty.</p><p>In September 2022, the Government appointed Baroness Sanderson of Welton as chairman of a new advisory panel to help develop a new strategy to make sure that public libraries are providing the best possible service for their communities. More detail can be found <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/baroness-sanderson-to-help-develop-new-public-libraries-strategy" target="_blank">here</a>. To date she has had numerous meetings with organisations with an interest in public libraries work, and has led two roundtable sessions. The first, on 13 January in Nottinghamshire, focused on the contribution public libraries make to cultural and creative enrichment and the second, on 27 January in Suffolk, discussed their contribution to health and wellbeing. A further seven roundtables will be held between February and May, in libraries across England, each focusing on a specific theme, based on the seven Strategic Outcomes in Libraries Deliver: Ambition for Public Libraries in England 2016 to 2021, plus sessions on governance and innovation.</p> answering member constituency Pudsey answering member printed Stuart Andrew question first answered 03/02/2023 14:00:24 answering member 4032 label Biography information for Stuart Andrew
tabling member	1588 label Biography information for Barbara Keeley

1581725

registered interest
date	30/01/2023
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	Public Libraries
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 public libraries there were in England in each year since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Worsley and Eccles South
tabling member printed	Barbara Keeley
uin	135182
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/02/2023 answer text <p>This information is not collected by the Department. Arts Council England collects data from local authorities and publishes a basic dataset of information on public libraries in England. The libraries basic dataset 2021 shows the number of static libraries in England (statutory and non-statutory) as at 1 April 2010, 1 July 2016, 31 December 2019 and 31 December 2021. It can be found at: <a href="https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/search?query=basic+dataset&amp;sort_by=titles" target="_blank">https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/search?query=basic+dataset&amp;sort_by=titles</a></p><p>The libraries basic dataset 2022 will be published by Arts Council England later this year.</p><p>Annual library data are also collected by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) from local authorities across Great Britain and include the number of libraries (statutory and non-statutory). Access to these annual library data is available through subscription to CIPFA. The House of Commons Library subscribes to the CIPFA ‘stats+ public libraries statistics dashboard’ which includes figures for library service points.</p> answering member constituency Pudsey answering member printed Stuart Andrew question first answered 03/02/2023 14:01:55 answering member 4032 label Biography information for Stuart Andrew
tabling member	1588 label Biography information for Barbara Keeley

1581750

registered interest
date	30/01/2023
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	Voluntary Work: Age
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 she will make an assessment of trends in the age profile of volunteers with civil society organisations in the period between 2019 and 2023.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	135259
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2023 answer text <p>Data on volunteering is available through the Community Life Survey, up to 2020-21.</p><p>Comparing data from 2019-20 to 2020-21 shows no change in the age profile of those who formally volunteer at least once a month. For both 2019-20 and 2020-21 respondents aged 65-74 were most likely to participate in formal volunteering at least once a month (31% in 2019-20, 22% in 2020-21), while respondents in the age group 25-34 showed lower participation compared to respondents in every other age group. Rates of participation in formal volunteering once a month were lower in 2020/21 than in 2019/20 for every age group, except respondents aged 50-64, for which there was no statistically significant difference. Rates of participation in volunteering during 2020/21 will have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p>Further information on volunteering trends by age can be found at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/community-life-survey-202021-volunteering-and-charitable-giving/volunteering-and-charitable-giving-community-life-survey-202021" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/community-life-survey-202021-volunteering-and-charitable-giving/volunteering-and-charitable-giving-community-life-survey-202021</a></p><p>Latest Community Life Survey data for 2021-22, which will provide an update to these figures, is due to be published on 28th February 2023 at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/community-life-survey--2" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/community-life-survey--2</a></p> answering member constituency Pudsey answering member printed Stuart Andrew question first answered 07/02/2023 10:47:15 answering member 4032 label Biography information for Stuart Andrew attachment 1 file name Attachment_ WPQ 135259 - age profile of volunteers.pdf title WPQ 135259 - Age profile of volunteers
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1581968

registered interest
date	30/01/2023
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: Rural Areas
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to telecommunication providers transitioning from analogue to digital landlines, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of that transition on rural communities.
tabling member constituency	Solihull
tabling member printed	Julian Knight
uin	135333
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2023 answer text <p>The analogue landline network, also known as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is privately owned and the decision to upgrade it has been taken by the telecoms industry. That said, DCMS is working closely with industry to ensure nobody is adversely affected by the upgrade, including the small number of rural areas which have limited digital connectivity. I chaired an industry roundtable in January to discuss how best to raise public awareness for the migration.</p><p>The replacement Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services require a minimum stable connection speed of just 0.5Mbps in order to function correctly. As a result, rural communities with limited digital connectivity can also be upgraded to digital telephony services. For current landline-only customers, it will be possible to order a VoIP landline without purchasing a general internet connection. Moreover, the migration from analogue landlines does not affect the universal service obligations set in the Electronic Communications (Universal Service) Order 2003 which require the designated providers, BT and KCOM, to offer telephony services throughout the UK.</p><p>Ofcom is responsible for ensuring telecoms providers adhere to their regulatory obligations throughout the migration process. Ofcom has published <a href="https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/123118/guidance-emergency-access-power-cut.pdf" target="_blank">guidance</a> which states that providers must take steps to identify and protect at-risk consumers, including consumers in rural communities who are dependent on their landline. This guidance states that providers should have at least one solution available that enables access to emergency organisations for a minimum of one hour in the event of a power outage. The solution should be suitable for customers needs and should be offered free of charge.</p><p>DCMS is also working hard to improve rural connectivity through the £5 billion Project Gigabit programme and the £1 billion Shared Rural Network.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 07/02/2023 10:53:02 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4410 label Biography information for Julian Knight

1581969

registered interest
date	30/01/2023
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: Solihull
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 black and white television licenses were issued in the Solihull constituency in 2022.
tabling member constituency	Solihull
tabling member printed	Julian Knight
uin	135334
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2023 answer text <p>Under the Communications Act 2003 a fee for a television licence is payable to the BBC. The BBC is responsible for the collection and enforcement of the licence fee, not the Government. The Government is therefore not involved in TV Licensing operations and therefore does not hold the data requested.</p><p>The BBC’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2021/22 states that 4,000 black and white (monochrome) licences were in force as of 31 March 2022. The report does not break down this figure on a regional basis, so I recommend that you raise your query directly with the BBC if you wish to request further information about black and white television licences.</p><p>TV Licensing can be contacted by telephone on 0300 790 0368 or in writing at TV Licensing, Darlington, DL98 1TL. Other methods of contacting TV Licensing are set out on its website: <a href="https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/cs/contact-us/index.app" target="_blank">https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/cs/contact-us/index.app</a>.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 07/02/2023 09:59:09 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4410 label Biography information for Julian Knight

1581970

registered interest
date	30/01/2023
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	Commonwealth Games 2022
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 has made an assessment of the economic benefits of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
tabling member constituency	Solihull
tabling member printed	Julian Knight
uin	135335
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2023 answer text <p>DCMS has recently published an independent <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-the-birmingham-2022-commonwealth-games-interim-evaluation-report" target="_blank">interim evaluation report</a> on the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games on gov.uk. This report estimates that the short-term impact of the Games contributed £870.7 million GVA (gross) to the UK economy, with even more positive impact to follow.</p><p>The report focuses on short-term economic impacts for Birmingham, the West Midlands and wider UK economy generated through the planning and delivery of the Games, as well as through visitor spend.</p><p>Findings show over half of the estimated gross GVA (£453.7 million) was generated in the West Midlands, with at least £214.6 million (gross) of this within Birmingham itself.</p><p>This is the second of three reports measuring the short- and medium-term benefits of hosting the Games. The first was published in November 2021, and the final report - which will include the full impact of the Games - will be published in early 2024.</p> answering member constituency Pudsey answering member printed Stuart Andrew question first answered 07/02/2023 10:51:23 answering member 4032 label Biography information for Stuart Andrew
tabling member	4410 label Biography information for Julian Knight