Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ashton of Hyde on 17 November (HL3046), what has been the reaction of the French, German and Dutch regulators to the representations made by Ofcom; and what further discussions they will be having with other European countries to ensure that future spectrum allocations do not have unintended consequences for the Programme Making and Special Events sector.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
At the current time, other European countries believe there will be enough capacity within the 470-694MHz band to meet the requirements of the Programme Making & Special Events industry so, other than the UK, there are currently no plans in other countries to allocate alternative spectrum for PMSE.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ashton of Hyde on 17 November (HL3043), whether a contingency plan for the Programme Making and Special Events sector exists; if not, when they will start to draft a contingency plan; and which stakeholders will be consulted as the contingency plan is compiled.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
Analysis has shown that enough spectrum has been made available for PMSE to meet all demand. It is, therefore, up to industry to decide how they work within the constraints of the allocated spectrum and to plan their events accordingly.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to other European administrations about allocating the 960–1164MHz band of spectrum for use by audio Programme Making and Special Events.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
DCMS has not made representations.
Ofcom has been very active in making representations to other administrations and regulators about the opportunities for utilising the 960-1164 MHz band. Ofcom has shared its analysis with the European Commission and the Conference of European Post and Telecommunications (CEPT) as well as making direct contact with spectrum regulators in France, Germany, Greece, The Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which European administrations or regulators have expressed an intention to allocate the 960–1164MHz band of spectrum for use by audio Programme Making and Special Events.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
Ofcom has been very active in making representations to other administrations and regulators about the opportunities for utilising the 960-1164 MHz band. Ofcom has shared its analysis with the European Commission and the Conference of European Post and Telecommunications (CEPT) as well as making direct contact with spectrum regulators in France, Germany, Greece, The Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with Ofcom about the decision against allocating the 1525–1559MHz band for audio Programme Making and Special Events use.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The Government has heard Ofcom’s reasons for allocating the 960-1164 MHz band for PMSE rather than the 1525-1559 MHz band, as set out in Ofcom’s decision published on 10 March 2016. Ofcom’s assessment shows that the 960-1164 MHz band offers a better option for sharing spectrum as well as more long-term stability to PMSE users than the 1525-1559 MHz band.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with Ofcom about contingency plans for the audio Programme Making and Special Events (PMSE) sector should no audio PMSE equipment be available for use in the 960–1164MHz band by Q2 2020 when the 700MHz band is cleared of PMSE users.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
Ofcom provides monthly updates to DCMS on its work to encourage development of equipment for use in the 960-1164 MHz band. DCMS and Ofcom are also holding meetings with PMSE representatives and equipment manufacturers.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential financial cost to the UK creative industries and wider economy should no audio Programme Making and Special Events (PMSE) equipment be available for use in the 960–1160MHz band by Q2 2020 when the 700MHz band is cleared of PMSE users.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
DCMS has not made any formal assessment beyond noting Ofcom’s published analysis.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of live events that it would not be possible to stage in their current form should no audio Programme Making and Special Events (PMSE) equipment be available for use in the 960–1164MHz band by Q2 2020 when the 700MHz band is cleared of PMSE users.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
DCMS has not made any formal assessment but has noted the analysis published by Ofcom in May 2014, and that since May 2014 additional spectrum has been made available for audio PMSE in the 800 MHz and 1800 MHz duplex gaps, for which equipment is already available.
Ofcom is working with manufacturers to encourage development of PMSE audio equipment for use in the 960-1164 MHz band.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the percentage of spending by Arts Council England that goes to supporting children's participation in the arts.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
A large number of arts and cultural organisations funded by Arts Council England work to ensure that all children get the opportunity to visit, experience and participate in arts and cultural activities. In 2012 –15, 65% of National Portfolio Organisations offered work for, by or with children and young people. During 2015-18 this number will increase to 82%.
In addition to this, the Arts Council provide £10 million a year to fund a network of Bridge organisations and recently launched the Cultural Education Challenge. Both of these initiatives aim to link up the cultural and education sectors, to give children and young people access to great arts and cultural opportunities.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to ensure that children's media continue to contribute to the social cohesion and cultural development of society.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Government recognises the important contribution children’s television makes to promoting British culture and the UK economy. In April, the Government introduced a new tax relief for children's ‘live action’ television productions to attract inward investment and support our domestic market. We have noted the issues identified by Ofcom and will continue to monitor the sector and consider whether further measures are needed.