Fan-led Review and Football White Paper

Debate between Lord Grocott and Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay

Tuesday 21st February 2023 Lords Chamber

[Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con)]

We want everybody to enjoy the national game, whether they are spectating or playing it; great work is being done to open the game up and ensure that, no matter their background, everybody can do so. There is our review of women’s football, which is finally receiving the attention that it has deserved for so long and inspiring young girls around the country to play football. All of this is important.

[Lord Grocott (Lab)]

My Lords, is not one of the most crucial factors affecting football clubs—indeed, the whole of the professional game—the chasm that exists between the Premier League and everyone else, as my noble friend mentioned? I just want to know what, if anything, the Government plan to do to deal with this. It has a catastrophic effect on clubs being relegated from the Premier League, which lose not only money but, nine times out of 10, their attendances and their best players. We also know about the multi-million-pound game in the play-offs, which results in a team getting into the Premier League, or not, from the Championship. This really is a poison at the heart of the system. I suppose I should declare an interest as a long-time season ticketholder at Stoke City.

[Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con)]

We are proud to have many world-class players and clubs in this country. We are grateful to those who invest in them and nurture rising talent in the game, but an important part of doing that is ensuring that the finances flow through the pyramid and inspire people at every level. More details will be set out in the White Paper.

Channel 4

Debate between Lord Grocott and Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay

Wednesday 11th January 2023 Lords Chamber

[Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con)]

We know how important our independent production sector is, not just to British television but to our creative industries more widely. We are absolutely committed to ensuring that Channel 4 plays its part in supporting what is a £3 billion sector. We will increase the level of Channel 4’s independent production quota, and, in doing so, we are looking at the potential for introducing specific protections for smaller independent producers.

[Lord Grocott (Lab)]

My Lords, while the Minister must not let all those congratulations go to his head, I too certainly welcome the Statement. In particular, the reference in the document to increased investment in skills is to be welcomed, but can the Minister give some reassurance that he is bearing in mind that the recruitment of people into this sector should not come so much, as it has done in the past, from a relatively narrow section of the community? It needs to be broadly based, so that people come into it who do not necessarily have a background in broadcasting and do not see that as a career opportunity. On the other question about jobs outside London—which, again, I certainly welcome—it is not clear, when it says “from 300 to 600”, whether that is referring to a net increase in employment in Channel 4 or simply to a movement of staff from London to the other parts of the country.

[Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con)]

The noble Lord is absolutely right about ensuring that all of our public service broadcasters faithfully represent the country that they serve. We want Channel 4 to increase the opportunities that it offers young people, from all parts of the country and from all sorts of backgrounds, to get a foot in the door of our creative industries. It will be doubling its investment in its 4Skills training programme from £5 million to £10 million in 2025, and that includes new job opportunities and doubling its number of roles outside of London to 600 in 2025.

Football Governance

Debate between Lord Grocott and Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay

Thursday 3rd November 2022 Lords Chamber

[Lord Grocott (Lab)]

My Lords, we have had two attempts on this side, first from my noble friend Lord Faulkner and then from my noble friend Lady Taylor, to get an answer to a specific question, which is whether the Government stand by their commitment earlier this year and endorse the principle that football requires a strong, independent regulator. If I ask the Minister a third time, might it be third time lucky?

[Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con)]

I may disappoint the noble Lord by repeating that we are looking at that and all the recommendations that Tracey Crouch and the fan-led review made. He should not read anything more into it than that we are taking the time to give those complex recommendations the thought and attention they deserve, and the White Paper will provide the answers to his question.

Heritage Steam Sector: Coal

Debate between Lord Grocott and Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay

Wednesday 18th May 2022 Lords Chamber

[Lord Grocott (Lab)]

My Lords, I think that the Minister appreciates that we are talking about very small amounts—relatively speaking—of coal towards a heritage sector that simply cannot function without it. So I would like him to give an answer on the principle of this: for these very small amounts, is it not surely better to acquire them somewhere on these islands than to bring them here from long distances abroad? I declare an interest as the president of the Telford Steam Railway.

[Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con)]

I pay tribute to the noble Lord in that important capacity. He is right. We discussed this with the sector and, as has been noted by other noble Lords, the coal must be of the right type and suitably bituminous. That cannot always be provided from the British Isles, but we will continue to discuss this with the sector to ensure that they have the supplies they need.

Channel 4 Privatisation

Debate between Lord Grocott and Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay

Tuesday 5th April 2022 Lords Chamber

[Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con)]

Channel 4 did a fantastic job in broadcasting the Paralympics, and indeed in bringing the entire country together to cheer on Emma Raducanu in the US Open final. We want it to keep doing that fantastic job in the years to come, and that is why we want to set it on the right path, so that it is a sustainable and successful organisation.

[Lord Grocott (Lab)]

I have been trying to follow the Minister’s logic over the last 14 minutes. Basically, he is saying that it is a wonderful company, doing a fantastic job, and so we need to change it fundamentally—that does not follow.

[Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con)]

It is a wonderful company doing a fantastic job, but the last 40 years look very different from the next 40 years, and it is the job of a responsible Government to make sure that Channel 4 is fit to face those next 40 years.

Broadcasting White Paper

Debate between Lord Grocott and Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay

Monday 14th March 2022 Lords Chamber

[Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con)]

This is an area in which only five years ago smart speakers were not available and now they are now widely available in people’s houses. The Government are keeping pace with that very rapid change, conducting thorough reviews with stakeholders and considering it carefully. A five-year timeframe for technology that did not previously exist shows that we are acting swiftly in this area.

[Lord Grocott (Lab)]

My Lords, I know that the Minister has to be careful with the language that he uses. He politely referred to President Putin’s propaganda. The right word is not “propaganda”, as that might contain an element of truth; surely it should be President Putin’s “lies”.

[Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con)]

Yes, I would be happy to say that lies are being disseminated from the Kremlin about what is going on in Ukraine. That is why we have taken action to stop the poisonous propaganda that RT has been propagating on Vladimir Putin’s behalf.