Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Vaizey of Didcot and Nicholas Dakin

Thursday 3rd March 2016 Commons Chamber

[Nic Dakin (Scunthorpe) (Lab)]

9. What steps he is taking to bring about the completion of the EU digital single market with regard to telecoms, audio visual policy, IT security and data protection.

[The Minister for Culture and the Digital Economy (Mr Edward Vaizey)]

This Government are a great champion of the digital single market, and I know that all colleagues will have read the Prime Minister’s excellent White Paper. It means, for example, that people will no longer pay roaming charges when travelling across the EU, and once the digital single market is in place, we will see a huge increase in our GDP.

[Nic Dakin]

According to the No. 10 website, we could create £325 billion of additional growth by fostering a digital single market, and it points to the advantages of that for consumers. Given that, why would anybody campaign to leave the EU rather than energetically work to get the best deal for the UK?

[Mr Vaizey]

Why indeed would anyone want to leave the EU? We present a united front in this House on the benefits of EU membership.