Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

The Government is taking a number of steps to support inbound tourism’s recovery from the pandemic. In total, at least £25 billion has been provided to the leisure, tourism and hospitality sector so far over the course of the pandemic - saving jobs and businesses across the UK.

The Tourism Recovery plan sets out the Government’s aim to recover domestic overnight trip volume and spend to 2019 levels by the end of 2022, and inbound visitor numbers and spend by the end of 2023 – both at least a year faster than independent forecasts predict. We will work with VisitBritain to welcome back international visitors as soon as it is safe to do so.

We are regularly engaging with travel industry bodies - such as UKInbound and the European Tour Operators Association - to monitor the pandemic’s impact and to further support the sector’s recovery.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) aims to empower local volunteering and ensure national efforts to encourage volunteering do not detract from locally-led responses.

DCMS is closely engaged with the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England & NHS Improvement on NHS volunteer programmes, including the national NHS Volunteer Responders programme. In the course of those discussions, we consider local volunteering mechanisms, and how best to ensure that national NHS volunteering works with those, and that NHS volunteers and recipients of NHS volunteer services can be referred to local organisations.

In recognition of the vital role that local organisations have played in the volunteer response to COVID-19, DCMS has commissioned research on local models of mobilising volunteers across England during the pandemic. The research aims to improve the evidence base of the various models of coordinating volunteers at a local level, including the ways in which local organisations collaborated with national volunteering programmes to support community volunteering.

DCMS continues to work closely with the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector to assess the needs of the sector and how the government can best support it to continue its vital work. The Minister for Civil Society and DCMS officials are engaging regularly with civil society stakeholders to highlight and address key issues for the sector in responding to the COVID-19 crisis.

The Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) has already set out the technical requirements needed for seats with barriers or independent barriers in the current (6th) edition of its Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (Green Guide). Additionally, the SGSA’s current all-seater policy enforcement approach details, amongst other things, how to identify risks to spectator safety arising from persistent standing in seated areas, and potential mitigation for such risks.

It is for a football club to decide, in consultation with the relevant local authority and other partners, which parts of its ground would benefit from seats with barriers or seats with independent barriers to address the identified risks to spectator safety.

The Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) has already set out the technical requirements needed for seats with barriers or independent barriers in the current (6th) edition of its Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (Green Guide). Additionally, the SGSA’s current all-seater policy enforcement approach details, amongst other things, how to identify risks to spectator safety arising from persistent standing in seated areas, and potential mitigation for such risks.

It is for a football club to decide, in consultation with the relevant local authority and other partners, which parts of its ground would benefit from seats with barriers or seats with independent barriers to address the identified risks to spectator safety.

The Government recognises the significant challenges that the pandemic has created for our creative industries and our support to the sector has been unwavering throughout.

We know the move to Step 4 will come as welcome news to our creative sectors but we also recognise that many organisations are still in need of emergency support. This is why we recently announced the final £300 million of the Government’s £2 billion Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) in late June. In particular, portals are currently open for the Emergency Resource Support element of this round, which will provide further support for organisations in need of urgent funding as the cultural, heritage and creative sectors move towards reopening at full capacity.

This extra support is on top of the £1.2 billion that has already been awarded to over 5,000 individual organisations and sites in previous rounds of the CRF. Throughout the pandemic, we have introduced an unprecedented package of pan-economy support including generous employment schemes, grants, loans, a reduction in VAT and business rate relief, in addition to other sector specific support such as the Film and TV Production Restart Scheme. Our Plan For Jobs has also supported jobs and businesses with over £400 billion of economic support – one of the most generous and comprehensive packages in the world.

The draft Online Safety Bill, published in May 2021, will ensure companies design their platforms to be safer for users, and particularly for children. The new laws will apply to companies that allow users to post content online or to interact with each other, which includes social media companies. The draft bill will be subject to pre-legislative scrutiny in this session. The Joint Committee that will scrutinise the draft Bill has now been set up, and members from both Houses have now been appointed.

The strongest protections in the legislation are for children. Unless social media companies are able to prove that children are not accessing their service, they will need to conduct a child safety risk assessment and provide safety measures for child users, keeping these under regular review. As part of the risk assessment, companies will need to assess how the design and operation of the service may increase or reduce the risks identified.

The government has also published voluntary Safety by Design guidance in June 2021 that will help companies design safer online services. In addition, the Information Commissioner’s Age Appropriate Design Code, which will come into force in September 2021, will set out specific protections for children’s personal data that companies will need to build in when designing online services likely to be accessed by children.

The Government is deeply concerned about the growth and scale of online fraud. We know that the best way to tackle these scams is to ensure that the public have all the advice and support they need to detect these frauds and avoid them. That is why we have published guidance on GOV.UK containing easy-to-follow steps and useful resources. This can currently be accessed here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-fraud-and-cyber-crime

As well as this, Action Fraud, the national reporting service for all victims of fraud and cybercrime, also regularly provide fraud alerts via their website including on common and newly seen fraud schemes. This can currently be accessed here: www.actionfraud.police.uk/news

The Online Safety Bill, published on the 12th May, will require companies in scope of regulation to take action to tackle fraud, where it is facilitated through user-generated content (for example by social media posts) or via search results. We expect the regulatory framework to have a particular impact on specific types of fraud, such as romance scams, which are estimated to cost over £60 million a year and cause significant psychological harm to victims.

As you are aware, DCMS will be considering how online advertising is regulated through its Online Advertising Programme. This work will look at ensuring that standards about the placement and content of advertising are effectively applied and enforced online to reduce consumers’ exposure to harmful or misleading advertising. This work will look at the role advertising can play in enabling online fraud and help inform our future efforts to tackle it. We will be consulting on this issue later this year.

Published in June, the Tourism Recovery Plan states that the Government will launch a consultation on the introduction of a Tourist Accommodation Registration Scheme in England.

The Government is committed to hearing the views of all interested parties on the merits and drawbacks of a Registration Scheme, and how any potential scheme could be implemented proportionately to avoid placing a significant regulatory burden on the sector or risking a reduction in supply.

Further details of the timescale for this consultation will be announced in due course.

The Impact Assessment published alongside the Government’s consultation response for the 2019 and 2020 consultations on further restricting the advertising of food and drinks products high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS) on TV and online estimates that advertisers, including manufacturers, retailers and out of home businesses will have lower returns of around £39m per year as a result of the restrictions.

The restrictions will apply to all companies advertising to UK consumers, whether or not they are UK companies.

The Government is cognisant of the revenue impacts to UK business, but we must act now to reduce the risks obesity presents to us all and act to protect our NHS. It is estimated that obesity-related conditions are currently costing the NHS £6.1 billion per year. The total costs to society of these conditions have been estimated at around £27 billion per year.

Throughout this policy’s development we have been keen to mitigate the impacts on business whilst balancing the vital need to improve the nation’s health. Part of this includes the number of exemptions which are part of the policy. By including these exemptions, such as for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), it keeps the policy proportionate.

CircleLoop’s 'Connected Countries’ report ranks countries using average download speed data, rather than the maximum speed available. Given the pace of the gigabit rollout in the UK, it is understandable that in some cases consumers may wish to wait until their current contract ends before seeking higher speeds.

The government remains committed to delivering nationwide gigabit connectivity as soon as possible. Today, over two in five premises can access gigabit-capable networks, up from just one in ten in November 2019. By the end of the year, 60% will have access to a gigabit network, and we are on track to achieving a minimum of 85% gigabit-capable coverage by 2025.

It is the government's view that the best way to achieve nationwide gigabit coverage is to remove barriers to deployment and create a competition-friendly environment in areas where deployment is commercially viable, while focussing government funds on the 20% of the country where commercial deployment is unlikely. To support the hardest-to-reach areas, we have launched Project Gigabit, our £5bn programme to ensure these areas receive gigabit coverage within the same timescales as the rest of the country.

5G Network deployment plans are a matter for the mobile network operators, but the government is undertaking a number of actions to support this. We will shortly publish our response to the consultation on potential reforms to the Electronic Communications Code, which sought views on how we can better facilitate the deployment of new networks, including 5G. Alongside this, we have also consulted on reforms to the planning system to support 5G deployment and extend mobile coverage, and we intend to publish our response to the consultation and bring forward legislation in the Autumn.

We are confident that through these actions we will achieve our 5G rollout ambitions for the majority of the population to have access to a 5G signal by 2027.

The Review of the Gambling Act 2005 was launched on 8 December with a wide-ranging Call for Evidence, which closed on 31 March. We received c.16,000 submissions from a range of stakeholders and members of the public, which we are considering carefully. The government aims to publish a white paper setting out and consulting on next steps by the end of the year.

The Secretary of State has appointed Malcolm Sheehan QC to lead the independent review into the regulation of BetIndex Limited, the operators of Football index. The review is expected to provide a report for publication in the summer. Its findings will form part of the evidence informing the government’s ongoing Review of the Gambling Act 2005, which was announced in December 2020.

Businesses have played a significant role in supporting charities up and down the country during the pandemic. Officials in my department and across government, have held a number of conversations with business and charity sector representatives throughout the pandemic.

Government has published guidance for businesses setting out how they can best support the charity sector, and separate guidance for civil society organisations on how to access support. This included information on pro-bono professional services, digital support to aid service transformation, enabling staff volunteering, and funding. Government has also linked up businesses with suitable brokers, including Business in the Community and Volunteering Matters. These brokers have specialist skills in making connections between businesses and charities.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has not held any discussions with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) about the level of resources needed by Councils for Voluntary Service to shadow Integrated Care System boards.

Each government department is responsible for considering how the resourcing needs for civil society partners are impacted by policy decisions. As DHSC is responsible for Integrated Care Systems policy, it is for DHSC to decide what, if any role there will be for civil society partners, and whether this requires additional resources.

As the department with overall responsibility for civil society, DCMS regularly brings together other government departments to discuss civil society, with the aim of ensuring that the views and needs of the sector are considered in the development of policy across government.

Government recognises the huge contribution of charities and civil society in the national effort against coronavirus, and the significant challenges that many have experienced. This is why we made available a multi billion pound package of support, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the £750 million package for charities and voluntary organisations.

DCMS is committed to working with sector representatives on shared priorities for supporting a strong, sustainable and healthy sector during the covid-19 pandemic and beyond. We have also awarded grant funding to the VCS Emergency Partnership to help provide vital on-going coordination and insights-building within the voluntary sector. This included funding to the National Association of Voluntary and Community Associations (NAVCA) of more than £1.5 million for onward grants to over 200 local grassroots organisations.

My department is also working across government to understand how they are working with and supporting key subsectors, such as community services. We will continue to have ongoing conversations with both the charity sector and key government partners to help monitor the health and resilience of the charity sector.

The UK Government has worked closely with the Football Association (FA) over the course of the Euro 2020 competition. The FA, as owner of Wembley Stadium, is responsible for safety and stewarding within the stadium footprint. Stewards scheduled to work at the Wembley Euro 2020 final who tested positive for COVID-19 or who were instructed to isolatedo so by the NHS COVID app were instructed to follow isolation procedures and not attend work.

At the EURO 2020 final at Wembley, the FA had 1,977 stewards rostered to work, with 1,937 stewards reporting for work at the start of their shift. This meant that there was a drop out of 40 stewards (this number being within the allocated contingency). The FA do not hold the data for how many of these missed work because they were self-isolating due to a positive COVID-19 test, or having been instructed to do so by the NHS COVID app.

This government recognises the importance of our world leading creative and cultural industries. That is why the UK took an ambitious approach during negotiations with the EU that would have ensured that touring musicians, performers and their support staff did not need work-permits to perform in the EU. Regrettably, our proposals were rejected by the EU, but our door remains open if the EU wants to reconsider its position.

A bespoke visa waiver agreement with the EU would require the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) to be renegotiated. The TCA is the basis of our trading relations with the EU, and this is not going to be renegotiated. Furthermore, the Commission would be likely to argue that any EU-wide visa waiver agreement can only be part of a wider package with a binding non-discrimination clause and a reciprocal visa waiver agreement covering all current and future Member States. This was what the Commission proposed in the negotiations and would be incompatible with our manifesto commitment to retain control of our borders.

Our focus is now on engaging with Member States, who are principally responsible for deciding the rules governing what work UK visitors can undertake in the EU. We have spoken to every Member State, involving British Embassies and DCMS ministers. We have established that musicians and performers do not require visas or work permits for short-term tours in at least 19 out of 27 Member States, including France and Germany.

We are now working closely with individual Member States that do require visas or permits for short-term touring to encourage them to adopt a more flexible approach, in line with the UK’s own rules which allow creative professionals to tour easily here. These countries are Spain, Portugal, Greece, Croatia, Malta, Bulgaria, and Romania. We are also still confirming the details of requirements with Cyprus.

This government recognises the importance of our world leading creative and cultural industries. That is why the UK took an ambitious approach during negotiations with the EU that would have ensured that touring musicians, performers and their support staff did not need work-permits to perform in the EU. Regrettably, our proposals were rejected by the EU, but our door remains open if the EU wants to reconsider its position.

A bespoke visa waiver agreement with the EU would require the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) to be renegotiated. The TCA is the basis of our trading relations with the EU, and this is not going to be renegotiated. Furthermore, the Commission would be likely to argue that any EU-wide visa waiver agreement can only be part of a wider package with a binding non-discrimination clause and a reciprocal visa waiver agreement covering all current and future Member States. This was what the Commission proposed in the negotiations and would be incompatible with our manifesto commitment to retain control of our borders.

Our focus is now on engaging with Member States, who are principally responsible for deciding the rules governing what work UK visitors can undertake in the EU. We have spoken to every Member State, involving British Embassies and DCMS ministers. We have established that musicians and performers do not require visas or work permits for short-term tours in at least 19 out of 27 Member States, including France and Germany.

We are now working closely with individual Member States that do require visas or permits for short-term touring to encourage them to adopt a more flexible approach, in line with the UK’s own rules which allow creative professionals to tour easily here. These countries are Spain, Portugal, Greece, Croatia, Malta, Bulgaria, and Romania. We are also still confirming the details of requirements with Cyprus.

The England team enjoyed a magnificent run in Euro 2020 and I once again pass on my huge congratulations to the team for their work on and off the pitch.

We continue to work closely with the FA on ensuring their players get the appropriate recognition, and recognise that they are already focused on qualification for the Qatar World Cup next year.

Gambling operators are only allowed to provide facilities in the way their Gambling Commission licence and licence conditions allow. If an operator is able under the terms of its licence to accept bets via a messaging platform or social media, it must abide by all the regulatory controls of its licence. Requirements include the need for checks so it is clear who is placing the bet, systems to identify those at risk of harm, and compliance with GDPR regulations on data collection and retention.

The Independent Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is aware that criminal organisations and individuals have used the Covid-19 outbreak for fraudulent activity, for example by taking advantage of the economic downturn to encourage innocent victims to apply for financial relief funds in exchange for their personal details.

The ICO remains ready to investigate any complaints about organisations taking advantage of the current pandemic, providing they fall within their remit on the mis-use of personal data. If the complaint falls outside of their remit, the ICO will refer them to their partners in law enforcement, Action Fraud, Trading Standards or other relevant bodies.

The ICO acknowledges that it began the last financial year carrying vacancies in its operational areas, but this has now been addressed and should allow them to deal with cases quicker. The ICO was still able to deal with around 84% of cases within six months of receipt and expects to improve that significantly during the financial year 2021/ 2022. The ICO have also implemented a new casework management system, which they expect to provide efficiencies as they develop its functionality in the coming year.

A full analysis of how the ICO responded to the challenges of Covid-19 will be covered in a separate report to Parliament, which will be published over the summer. The report will include details of the lessons learned that will inform the ICO's future approach.

The Government is legislating in the Health and Care Bill to introduce a restriction on paid-for advertising of food and drinks products high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS) online and a 9pm watershed on TV. This watershed will also apply to all On-Demand Programme Services (ODPS) under the jurisdiction of the UK. ODPS that do not fall under the UK’s jurisdiction will be included in the online restriction of paid-for HFSS advertising. These measures will come into force simultaneously at the end of 2022. It is not the Government’s intention to legislate to restrict HFSS advertising in public spaces. This form of advertising is subject to advertising codes regulated by the Advertising Standards Authority which include restricting HFSS advertising in media directed at children under 16.

We recognise that there are significant opportunities for the UK’s research community through sharing and accessing large datasets.

The National Data Strategy (NDS), published in September 2020, set out our vision to harness the power of responsible data use to boost productivity, create new businesses and jobs, improve public services, support a fairer society, and drive scientific discovery, positioning the UK as the forerunner of the next wave of innovation. As part of Mission One of the NDS - unlocking the value of data across the economy - DCMS is thinking about how we can support the development of infrastructure that promotes the availability of data for research and development purposes. We will engage key experts, academics and other stakeholders to develop our thinking.

The UK notes the European Commission’s Proposal for a Regulation on a European approach for Artificial Intelligence (AI) with interest. The future of EU regulation on AI is a matter for the Commission, the Member States and European Parliament.

The UK is playing a leading role in international discussions on AI ethics and potential regulations, such as work at the Council of Europe, the OECD, UNESCO and the Global Partnership on AI.

We will publish a new National AI Strategy later this year. Under this strategy we will continue to work with international partners including the EU to support the development of the rules around the use of AI for the benefit of our societies and economies.

We are monitoring developments across the world, including in the EU, to assess whether and how those developments can inform our own laws and practices. The independent Regulatory Horizons Council (RHC) has also been appointed to scan the horizon for new technological innovations and provide the government with impartial, expert advice on the regulatory reform required to support AI’s rapid and safe introduction, while protecting citizens and the environment.

We recognise the importance of ensuring public access to indoor and outdoor pools and we agree that swimming is a great way for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy.

Government has provided a range of support for swimming pools during the pandemic. The £100 million National Leisure Recovery Fund supported the reopening of local authority swimming pools throughout the country. In addition, Sport England have made 127 Covid support awards to the Swimming & Diving community (totalling £1,100,560), and a further 20 awards to multi-sport projects (totalling £211,171) where swimming and diving are expected to benefit.

Beyond Covid, Sport England have awarded £8,529,154 to swimming and diving projects since April 2017, and have provided £16,123,002 of funding to Swim England in the same period.

The England team enjoyed a magnificent run in Euro 2020 and I once again pass on my huge congratulations to the team for their work on and off the pitch.

We continue to work closely with the FA on ensuring their players get the appropriate recognition, and recognise that they are already focused on qualification for the Qatar World Cup next year.

On 19 July, England moved to Stage 4 of the Roadmap with many of the remaining legal restrictions being lifted. However, given the continued risks of the virus, the Government has been clear that this is not yet a return to normal and that people should remain cautious given the continued risks of the virus.

While there is no perfect time to relax existing restrictions, moving to step 4 means that relaxations coincide with the end of the school term, and will take place over the summer when both more activities can take place outdoors and pressures on the NHS are lower than in the autumn and winter months.

The Government may need to take measures to help manage the virus during periods of higher risk, such as winter, but will as far as possible prioritise strengthened guidance and seek to avoid imposing restrictions that have significant economic, social and health costs.

On 19 July, England moved to Stage 4 of the Roadmap with many of the remaining legal restrictions being lifted. However, given the continued risks of the virus, the Government has been clear that this is not yet a return to normal and that people should remain cautious given the continued risks of the virus.

While there is no perfect time to relax existing restrictions, moving to step 4 means that relaxations coincide with the end of the school term, and will take place over the summer when both more activities can take place outdoors and pressures on the NHS are lower than in the autumn and winter months.

The Government may need to take measures to help manage the virus during periods of higher risk, such as winter, but will as far as possible prioritise strengthened guidance and seek to avoid imposing restrictions that have significant economic, social and health costs.

We recognise that COVID-19 continues to have a significant impact on the tourism industry. We will keep gathering sector intelligence to monitor pandemic-related trends over the summer in order to support the sector’s safe reopening and recovery.

In total, over £25bn has been provided during the pandemic to the tourism, leisure and hospitality sectors in the form of grants, loans and tax breaks. In May, we published the Tourism Recovery Plan to help the sector recover back to pre-pandemic levels and build back better for the future. The plan aims to recover domestic tourism to pre pandemic levels by 2022 and international tourism by 2023; both at least a year faster than independent forecasts predict.

The Government is committed to levelling up digital connectivity across the country, including by delivering a minimum of 85% gigabit-capable broadband coverage by 2025.

We are proud to work closely with the telecoms sector in achieving this goal and Ministers regularly support relevant industry announcements, such as the launch of IX Wireless’ broadband network in June. Other recent examples include my visit on 7 July to Dorset with Excelerate Technology and the Chancellor of the Exchequer to an Openreach facility in May.

This event was handled by the departmental officials in the usual way.

Ofcom has been the national regulator for the video-sharing platform (VSP) regime since the Audiovisual Media Services Regulations came into force on 1 November 2020. For the first time, these regulations require UK-established VSPs, such as OnlyFans, to comply with new rules around protecting users from harmful content. Throughout the implementation of this novel regulation, Ofcom has been actively engaging with OnlyFans and other VSPs to ensure they understand their regulatory obligations and the steps they may need to take to ensure compliance.

However, if Ofcom were to find a VSP provider in breach of the VSP requirements, it has the ability to investigate using its information gathering powers. Ofcom is also able to take robust enforcement action which can include imposing significant financial penalties and, in the most serious instances, issuing a direction to suspend or restrict a platform provider from providing a service.

The racist abuse targeted at Sir Lewis Hamilton and other sportspeople is unacceptable. Under the draft Online Safety Bill, services in scope will need to minimise and remove illegal content. Major platforms will also need to address legal but harmful content for adults. The Bill has been published in draft for pre-legislative scrutiny. The process to formally set up the Joint Committee that will scrutinise the draft Bill has begun.

The Government’s sport and physical activity strategy ‘Sporting Future’ sets out a clear ambition to increase diversity, and tackle racism and inequality in sport.

In addition, Sport England, UK Sport and the other home nations’ sports councils recently published the results of a detailed, independent review into tackling racism and racial inequality in sport. Each Council is now developing its own action plans to deliver on commitments relating to people; representation; investment; systems and insight.

We recognise the importance of carrying out routine repairs and maintenance in order to reduce the need for major remedial works in places of worship, and the great challenge to raise funding to carry out this work, particularly at the present time. Listed places of worship represent some of the nation's finest heritage, and we support them through the DCMS run Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which makes grants equal to the VAT paid on maintenance and repairs. The scheme will continue to benefit listed places of worship across the country, all of which have provided a much needed space for rest, contemplation and well-being during these difficult times, when they have been able to be open.

Listed places of worship may also benefit from the latest round of Cultural Recovery Funding with the £300 million package announced in June representing the latest and final tranche of funding for the CRF. The National Lottery Heritage Fund is distributing £40m in partnership with Historic England, based on criteria set by DCMS.

There are a number of sources of funding available for places of worship. The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports a broad range of projects that connect people and communities to the national, regional and local heritage of the UK. This includes historic buildings, monuments and the historic environment. This funding can be used for repairs and conservation.

Ministers will use a range of digital forms of communication for discussions in line with relevant guidance on information handling and security.

Ministers will have informal conversations from time to time, in person or remotely, and significant content relating to government business from such discussions is passed back to officials.

The Cabinet Office has previously published guidance on how information is held for the purposes of access to information, and how formal decisions are recorded for the official record. Ministers are also given advice on the security of electronic communications.

In 2019, the Government made a commitment to work with fans and clubs to introduce safe standing at football stadia. The Government is working closely with the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) on planning the next steps for implementing this manifesto commitment. In June 2021, the SGSA published its research into the Safe Management of Persistent Standing in Seated Areas at Football Stadia, which found that the installation of barriers or rails can have a positive impact on spectator safety, particularly in mitigating the risk of a progressive crowd collapse.

The technical requirements for seats with barriers or independent barriers are detailed in the current (6th) edition of SGSA’s Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (Green Guide). Football clubs may, in consultation with the relevant local authority and other partners, install such types of spectator accommodation in any part or all of their grounds as part of their management strategies for persistent standing.

As the all-seater policy remains in place, these areas are licensed as seating areas only at present.

In 2019, the Government made a commitment to work with fans and clubs to introduce safe standing at football stadia. The Government is working closely with the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) on planning the next steps for implementing this manifesto commitment. In June 2021, the SGSA published its research into the Safe Management of Persistent Standing in Seated Areas at Football Stadia, which found that the installation of barriers or rails can have a positive impact on spectator safety, particularly in mitigating the risk of a progressive crowd collapse.

The technical requirements for seats with barriers or independent barriers are detailed in the current (6th) edition of SGSA’s Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (Green Guide). Football clubs may, in consultation with the relevant local authority and other partners, install such types of spectator accommodation in any part or all of their grounds as part of their management strategies for persistent standing.

As the all-seater policy remains in place, these areas are licensed as seating areas only at present.

In 2019, the Government made a commitment to work with fans and clubs to introduce safe standing at football stadia. The Government is working closely with the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) on planning the next steps for implementing this manifesto commitment. In June 2021, the SGSA published its research into the Safe Management of Persistent Standing in Seated Areas at Football Stadia, which found that the installation of barriers or rails can have a positive impact on spectator safety, particularly in mitigating the risk of a progressive crowd collapse.

The technical requirements for seats with barriers or independent barriers are detailed in the current (6th) edition of SGSA’s Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (Green Guide). Football clubs may, in consultation with the relevant local authority and other partners, install such types of spectator accommodation in any part or all of their grounds as part of their management strategies for persistent standing.

As the all-seater policy remains in place, these areas are licensed as seating areas only at present.

In 2019, the Government made a commitment to work with fans and clubs to introduce safe standing at football stadia. The Government is working closely with the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) on planning the next steps for implementing this manifesto commitment. In June 2021, the SGSA published its research into the Safe Management of Persistent Standing in Seated Areas at Football Stadia, which found that the installation of barriers or rails can have a positive impact on spectator safety, particularly in mitigating the risk of a progressive crowd collapse.

The technical requirements for seats with barriers or independent barriers are detailed in the current (6th) edition of SGSA’s Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (Green Guide). Football clubs may, in consultation with the relevant local authority and other partners, install such types of spectator accommodation in any part or all of their grounds as part of their management strategies for persistent standing.

As the all-seater policy remains in place, these areas are licensed as seating areas only at present.

In 2019, the Government made a commitment to work with fans and clubs to introduce safe standing at football stadia. The Government is working closely with the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) on planning the next steps for implementing this manifesto commitment. In June 2021, the SGSA published its research into the Safe Management of Persistent Standing in Seated Areas at Football Stadia, which found that the installation of barriers or rails can have a positive impact on spectator safety, particularly in mitigating the risk of a progressive crowd collapse.

The technical requirements for seats with barriers or independent barriers are detailed in the current (6th) edition of SGSA’s Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (Green Guide). Football clubs may, in consultation with the relevant local authority and other partners, install such types of spectator accommodation in any part or all of their grounds as part of their management strategies for persistent standing.

As the all-seater policy remains in place, these areas are licensed as seating areas only at present.

In 2019, the Government made a commitment to work with fans and clubs to introduce safe standing at football stadia. The Government is working closely with the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) on planning the next steps for implementing this manifesto commitment. In June 2021, the SGSA published its research into the Safe Management of Persistent Standing in Seated Areas at Football Stadia, which found that the installation of barriers or rails can have a positive impact on spectator safety, particularly in mitigating the risk of a progressive crowd collapse.

The technical requirements for seats with barriers or independent barriers are detailed in the current (6th) edition of SGSA’s Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (Green Guide). Football clubs may, in consultation with the relevant local authority and other partners, install such types of spectator accommodation in any part or all of their grounds as part of their management strategies for persistent standing.

As the all-seater policy remains in place, these areas are licensed as seating areas only at present.

First aid skills, including how to administer CPR, are important life skills for everyone. Recent events at UEFA EURO 2020 have demonstrated the immense value of first aid training and access to Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) for anyone involved in professional sport.

Sports have a responsibility to make the safety and welfare of players their top priority, including through access to life-saving first aid equipment and relevant training and education. It is for the relevant national governing body or professional league to determine what education programmes may be appropriate for participants and support staff in their sport.

A number of sports do provide relevant education, including football. The Minister for Sport and Tourism welcomed the Premier League’s announcement in June 2021 of their new Defibrillator Fund, which will fund AEDs at thousands of football clubs and facilities across the country. Each grant recipient will be required to have at least one person successfully complete The FA Education’s free online Sudden Cardiac Arrest course.

It is not possible to provide estimates of the average rental payments to landowners as these are commercial matters.

The price paid for rights to install digital infrastructure is, in the first instance, a matter for negotiation between operators and site providers. But reforms relating to the legislation underpinning these rights were introduced in 2017. Those changes were intended to strike a balance between ensuring individual landowners do not incur losses and making network deployment and maintenance more cost effective. In our view, prices being paid for rights to install communications apparatus prior to 2017 were too high and reflected the increase in demand that had taken place for digital services. With digital communications becoming an increasingly critical part of daily life, changes were made to the valuation regime to address this. The pricing regime now in place is more closely aligned to those for utilities like water, electricity and gas. The recent consultation on further changes to the Code made it clear that the government is not revisiting the valuation regime introduced in 2017.

Responses to the recent consultation are currently being considered. We will carefully consider the impact of our proposals on all stakeholders and will carry out a full assessment of the impacts, in line with the usual processes.

Discussions are regularly held between the department and the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on a range of issues including telecoms matters. However, I have not had specific conversations regarding the impact of the changes to rental negotiations on local government finances and the provision of public services.

It is not possible to provide estimates of the average rental payments to landowners as these are commercial matters.

The price paid for rights to install digital infrastructure is, in the first instance, a matter for negotiation between operators and site providers. But reforms relating to the legislation underpinning these rights were introduced in 2017. Those changes were intended to strike a balance between ensuring individual landowners do not incur losses and making network deployment and maintenance more cost effective. In our view, prices being paid for rights to install communications apparatus prior to 2017 were too high and reflected the increase in demand that had taken place for digital services. With digital communications becoming an increasingly critical part of daily life, changes were made to the valuation regime to address this. The pricing regime now in place is more closely aligned to those for utilities like water, electricity and gas. The recent consultation on further changes to the Code made it clear that the government is not revisiting the valuation regime introduced in 2017.

Responses to the recent consultation are currently being considered. We will carefully consider the impact of our proposals on all stakeholders and will carry out a full assessment of the impacts, in line with the usual processes.

Discussions are regularly held between the department and the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on a range of issues including telecoms matters. However, I have not had specific conversations regarding the impact of the changes to rental negotiations on local government finances and the provision of public services.

We have always acknowledged that the end of freedom of movement would have consequences for touring musicians and performers. That is why, as the Secretary of State has said, we have moved at pace and with urgency to provide greater clarity about the current position, including working with our friends in EU Member States, to support the creative sectors tour in Europe with ease.

Member States are principally responsible for deciding the rules governing what work UK visitors can undertake in the EU, and we have spoken to every Member State. We have established musicians and performers do not need visas or work permits for short-term tours in at least 19 out of 27 Member States. This includes France, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and many more. The length of tour permitted without a visa or permit varies across Member States. For many Member States it is for up to 90 days, which will capture the vast majority of tours.

We are continuing to speak to all Member States to encourage them to ensure their rules and guidance are clear and accessible. And we are now working closely with those Member States that do require visas or work permits for short-term tours to encourage them to adopt a more flexible approach, in line with the UK’s own rules which allow creative professionals to tour here easily. Formal approaches have been made to those Member States, and DCMS ministers will play an active role in discussions.