Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that youth arts are sufficiently funded to help young people with mental health problems.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Her Majesty’s Government recognises the benefits that non-medical interventions can have on physical and mental health.
Arts Council England works with Bridge Organisations and Music Education Hubs which play a key role in working with local authorities and schools to support the good health of children and young people. They are also working in partnership with the Youth Endowment Fund on research into the links between creativity and improved mental health.
The Arts Council also funds a number of organisations across the country which provide arts programmes that aim to help and support young people with mental health problems. These include the Knotted Project in Cumbria, the Thriving Communities project delivered by Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council, and the North Tyneside Cultural Education Partnership which is piloting cultural social prescribing delivered through schools for 5-19 year olds.
In addition, DCMS will be providing £560 million of taxpayer’s money to deliver the National Youth Guarantee which includes the delivery of up to 300 new and refurbished youth spaces and services in areas of the country which may not have benefitted as much as they should have done in the past.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have agreed (1) a budget, and (2) a programme, to support the legacy of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Birmingham and the West Midlands region will benefit from a £778 million investment to stage the 2022 Commonwealth Games, including £594 million of funding from central government. This significant investment is driving legacy opportunities across both the West Midlands and UK, including job creation, community and sports facilities and a timely boost to businesses.
An additional £24 million investment from the government and the West Midlands Combined Authority to create a Tourism, Trade and Investment Programme will ensure the city, region and the UK can take advantage of the economic opportunities hosting the Games provides.
Games legacy is being planned and delivered by a collaboration of Games partners including the Department for Digital Culture, Media and Sport, Birmingham City Council, the West Midlands Combined Authority and the Organising Committee. A Legacy Plan is being prepared and will be published later in 2021.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the need to regulate the relationship between technology companies and the Government.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Government’s approach to governing digital technologies seeks to drive growth and innovation across the UK, while ensuring the safety and security of the UK's citizens and promoting our democratic values.
Our approach to governing digital technology companies will be pro-innovation, agile and proportionate and we will ensure our regulators are equipped for the digital age. This will build confidence and clarity for businesses and consumers, boost innovation and investment, and reinforce the UK’s position as a global leader in innovation-friendly regulation.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to establish a UK National Capability which treats data held by public bodies in the UK as a national asset.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Data is a critical resource for government, which enables more efficient, effective public services. The Public Accounts Committee held an inquiry in the use of data across government in June 2019. Government accepted many of its recommendations in late January 2020. DCMS and Cabinet Office are aiming to write to the Committee to set out our plans for the use of data across government.
While there are no specific plans for establishing a UK National Capability, DCMS is continuing to lead cross-government work to progress the UK's National Data Strategy, so that we can fully and responsibly unlock the power of data, for people and organisations across the UK.
We are not waiting for the strategy to refine our approach to data as a strategic asset. One recent example is the announcement in the March 2020 Budget that HM Land Registry, which holds location data that is important for the government and the economy, will be provided with £392 million to transition from a Trading Fund into part of central government.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the government of the United States’ Cloud Smart strategy; and what consideration they have given to adopting a similar strategy.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Emerging technologies can enable effective use of data for improving public services. DCMS is continuing to lead cross-government work to progress the UK's National Data Strategy, so that we can fully and responsibly unlock the power of data, for people and organisations across the UK.
The Government Digital Service (GDS) conducted extensive user research in August 2019 on the UK's Cloud Strategy which concluded that Cloud First is as relevant to government today as it was when it was introduced, and will remain a flagship technology policy.
This research considered international cloud strategies, such as Cloud Smart in the US, but concluded that Cloud First was a better fit for the UK government. This is for a number of reasons, including that many departments consider Cloud First to be a core part of their technology strategy, and that there is a need for government to provide a strong cloud message from the centre to encourage transformation. The user research showed that Cloud Smart was seen as “watering down” the high-level cloud message and many participants considered the name “Cloud Smart” to be confusing.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the government of Germany’s GAIA-X strategy; and what consideration they have given to adopting a similar strategy.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Up-to-date infrastructure and governance models are important parts of effective government data use. DCMS is continuing to lead cross-government work to progress the UK's National Data Strategy, so that we can fully and responsibly unlock the power of data, for people and organisations across the UK.
The Cabinet Office has recently published guidance for government departments on choosing a cloud strategy, and continues to regularly review similar strategies taken by other countries to assess their relevance for the UK government.
DCMS and Cabinet Office are also focused on producing a plan for the use of data across government. Initiatives like Germany’s GAIA-X strategy will be important to consider as my officials continue to develop our policy in this area.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any potential conflicts of interest in grant decisions by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, including for the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music is a registered charity (charity number 292182). The Charity Commission for England and Wales expects charities to have and adhere to a robust conflict of interests policy.
The Charity Commission is aware of, and assessing, concerns raised about the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action, if any, they intend to take to prohibit the use of mystery boxes in online games.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
Mystery boxes in video games, also known as loot boxes do not fall under gambling law where the in-game items acquired are confined for use within the game and cannot be cashed out. However, the Government is aware of concerns that loot boxes could encourage gambling-like behaviour and longer term lead to gambling related harm, especially amongst children, and will continue to look closely at any evidence around this issue.
In September 2018, 16 regulators from Europe and the USA, including the Gambling Commission signed a declaration which outlined common concerns around gaming and gambling. The regulators agreed to work together to monitor the characteristics of video games and social gaming and where there is potential cross-over into gambling.
We welcomed the introduction last year by the VSC Ratings Board and PEGI of a new label for video games to warn parents where they include the opportunity to make in-games purchases such as loot boxes. Microtransactions in games—including loot boxes—are further subject to the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 which protect against misleading or aggressive marketing.
DCMS is working closely with the games industry, agencies such as the Video Standards Council (VSC) and others to improve online safety in games, including promoting healthy and responsible gaming. To better understand the relationship between social media and the mental health of children and young people up to 25 years old, the Chief Medical Officer will be leading a systematic review to examine all relevant international research in the area.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Children’s Commissioner about mystery boxes in online games; and whether those boxes encourage online gambling by children.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
Mystery boxes in video games, also known as loot boxes do not fall under gambling law where the in-game items acquired are confined for use within the game and cannot be cashed out. However, the Government is aware of concerns that loot boxes could encourage gambling-like behaviour and longer term lead to gambling related harm, especially amongst children, and will continue to look closely at any evidence around this issue.
In September 2018, 16 regulators from Europe and the USA, including the Gambling Commission signed a declaration which outlined common concerns around gaming and gambling. The regulators agreed to work together to monitor the characteristics of video games and social gaming and where there is potential cross-over into gambling.
We welcomed the introduction last year by the VSC Ratings Board and PEGI of a new label for video games to warn parents where they include the opportunity to make in-games purchases such as loot boxes. Microtransactions in games—including loot boxes—are further subject to the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 which protect against misleading or aggressive marketing.
DCMS is working closely with the games industry, agencies such as the Video Standards Council (VSC) and others to improve online safety in games, including promoting healthy and responsible gaming. To better understand the relationship between social media and the mental health of children and young people up to 25 years old, the Chief Medical Officer will be leading a systematic review to examine all relevant international research in the area.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will take action to ban the sale of child-tracking smartwatches following research which has found that devices neither encrypt the data used nor secure each child’s account.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
We take the protection of personal data very seriously, particularly when it relates to children and young people. Organisations that process personal data collected by smartwatches must comply with the the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. The GDPR imposes strict obligations on organisations to process people’s data fairly and lawfully and to ensure that any data collected is held securely. Organisations which fail to comply may be subject to enforcement action by the Information Commissioner’s Office.
We do not intend to ban the sale of smartwatches, but we have issued a Code of Practice for organisations involved in the development, manufacturing and retail of products linked to the ‘Internet of Things’ to ensure that products are designed securely and keep consumers safe. In parallel, we have published consumer guidance to raise public awareness about setting-up, managing and improving the security of their consumer devices.
The code of practice and the guidance for consumers can be viewed at the following links: