Asked by: Lord Vaizey of Didcot (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the NSPCC regulatory proposals, published on 12 February 2019, whether legislation outlined in the forthcoming online harms White Paper will propose a sanctions regime for social media providers that fail to comply with legislation.
Answered by Margot James
We are considering the full range of possible solutions to address existing and emerging issues relating to online safety, including legal and regulatory changes where necessary. We will, in the coming weeks, publish a joint DCMS-Home Office Online Harms White Paper which will set out a range of legislative and non-legislative measures detailing how we will tackle online harms and setting clear responsibilities for tech companies to keep people safe.
Asked by: Lord Vaizey of Didcot (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the forthcoming workforce implementation plan will include a plan to grow the workforce in key specialties for diagnosing and treating cancer.
Answered by Steve Brine
My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has commissioned Baroness Dido Harding, working closely with Sir David Behan, to lead a number of programmes to engage with key National Health Service interests to develop a detailed workforce implementation plan. These programmes will consider detailed proposals to grow the workforce rapidly, including staff working on cancer, consider additional staff and skills required, build a supportive working culture in the NHS and ensure first rate leadership for NHS staff.
Asked by: Lord Vaizey of Didcot (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the forthcoming workforce implementation plan will include a plan to increase the number of general practitioners.
Answered by Steve Brine
The NHS Long Term Plan, published 7 January 2019, sets out a vital strategic framework to ensure that over the next 10 years the National Health Service will have the staff it needs. This included the commitment to deliver a net increase of 5,000 general practitioners (GPs) as soon as possible.
The publication of ‘Investment and evolution: A five-year framework for GP contract reform to implement the NHS Long Term Plan’ in January 2019 confirmed that NHS England will now extend a number of general practice programmes for a five year period until 2023/24 to help deliver against this commitment.
Further plans to support delivery will be set out in the NHS workforce implementation plan due to be published later this year. This plan will build on the General Practice Forward View to increase the number of doctors working in general practice and will also continue recent provision for a range of other roles.
Asked by: Lord Vaizey of Didcot (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to lay the statutory instrument required for the licensing of small-scale DAB radio.
Answered by Margot James
The small scale DAB licensing consultation closed on 28 February 2018 and the government response was published on 13 October 2018.
We are working with Ofcom to develop the details of the new legislative framework and we intend to bring the Order forward later this year when Parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Lord Vaizey of Didcot (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has plans to assess the eligibility of music venues for discounted business rates.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Budget 2018 announced a two-year business rates discount of one third for small retailers. As set out in the published guidance, the government considers retail to mean properties being used as shops, cafes, restaurants, and drinking establishments. It will be for local authorities to implement the discount and decide whether properties are similar in nature to those listed as eligible in the guidance. Music venues will only be eligible where they are similar in nature to those properties listed as eligible.
This discount is part of Our Plan for the High Street, a £1.5bn support package. All ratepayers are benefitting from recent wide-ranging reductions to business rates; in total, cuts announced since Budget 2016 are worth more than £13bn to businesses over the next five years.
Asked by: Lord Vaizey of Didcot (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with the European Commission on UK’s future involvement in Creative Europe and Horizon2020.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Following productive discussions with the EU, a clear vision for the UK’s future relationship with the EU has been set out in the recent Political Declaration. This included an agreement that both parties will establish general principles, terms and conditions for the UK’s participation in future EU programmes in areas of shared interest, including in areas such as science and innovation, culture and education. The next generation of EU programmes are currently under negotiation in the EU. The Government will decide whether to participate in specific programmes in light of these negotiations and wider UK priorities.
Furthermore, under the terms of the proposed Withdrawal Agreement, UK entities' right to participate in EU programmes during the current Multiannual Financial Framework period, such as Horizon 2020 and Creative Europe, will be unaffected by the UK's withdrawal from the EU for the lifetime of projects financed by the current MFF. According to the Withdrawal Agreement, UK based organisations and individuals will be able to bid for funding, participate in and lead consortia, until programme closure.
Asked by: Lord Vaizey of Didcot (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps have been taken to ensure that international broadcasters in the UK will continue to be able to broadcast to the EU under an Ofcom licence.
Answered by Margot James
The government is committed to sign and ratify the Withdrawal Agreement, which will allow for the Implementation Period until December 2020. During the Implementation Period, UK-based broadcasters will be free to broadcast to the EU with their Ofcom licence, and the government will be given an opportunity to negotiate the details of the future relationship between the EU and the UK.
Broadcasting is not excluded or carved out of the political declaration, which is typically the case for trade agreements. Furthermore, the UK is a signatory to the Convention on Transfrontier Television which means that films and TV programmes made or produced in the UK will continue to have the status of European Works, which is of significant importance for industry.
Ultimately, the future relationship with the EU on broadcasting, including on licensing arrangements, will depend on the exit negotiations. The UK is committed to seek the best possible arrangement for broadcasting that will work for UK businesses and audiences, and we will work closely with the sector to update them on any new developments. At the same time, the government will continue to do the responsible thing and prepare for all eventualities, including a no deal scenario.
Asked by: Lord Vaizey of Didcot (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps have been taken to maintain cross-border cooperation on copyright after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Margot James
The Government’s White Paper on the future relationship sets out that future cooperation on intellectual property would provide important protections for rightsholders, giving them a confident and secure basis from which to operate in and between the UK and the EU.
As we establish our future partnership with the EU, we aim to agree continued cooperation on intellectual property, where there is mutual benefit for the UK and EU. We are open to exploring whether this should include certain cross-border copyright mechanisms and arrangements, which will need to be the subject of negotiation.
The UK recognises and values the importance of the creative industries to the UK economy. Over and above our future arrangements with the EU, the UK is a member of many international treaties and agreements protecting copyright. This means that the majority of UK copyright works (such as films, music, books and photographs) are protected around the world, irrespective of our relationship with the EU.
Asked by: Lord Vaizey of Didcot (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of a freelance visa for the creative industries.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
We are taking account of the needs and interests of the creative sector and others in our future immigration system, details of which will be published in our forthcoming White Paper. We are looking to develop a system that works for all sectors.
Asked by: Lord Vaizey of Didcot (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has plans to legislate to provide for compensation to be payable to owners of animals in cases where the animal has been the victim of a dog attack that has resulted in substantial vet bills.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
A claimant can make an application to the County Court to claim money they are owed by a person or business and this is relevant to cases involving dog attacks. The Civil Procedure Rules (Practice Direction 7A How to Start Proceedings, Part 8 Alternative Procedure for Claims and Part 27 The small claims track) set out the avenues that a claimant can use depending on whether the amount being claimed is known or not known. Given it is already possible to make a claim against persons owing them money, there are no plans for further legislation in this area.