Lord Watson of Wyre Forest

The Secretary of State has spoken with the BBC leadership on this matter and wider workplace culture issues, to seek assurances that there are robust processes in place to deal with complaints.

The Secretary of State set out her view at the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee on the 10th December that we are seeing too many of these cultures of silence and issues being swept under the rug across the sector.

In relation to the complaints against Gregg Wallace it is essential that staff and the wider public have confidence that the BBC takes these issues seriously, and it’s right that a thorough investigation has been launched by Baniijay, the production company behind MasterChef.

The BBC is operationally and editorially independent of the Government. The BBC is currently undertaking a workplace culture review, which must deliver clear and timely recommendations.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) plays an important role in supporting local journalism. LDRS reporters have been able to uncover stories that publishers may have otherwise been unable to discover due to increasing constraints on their resources. This is an area of reporting that is often significantly under provided but is essential to journalism’s role of holding those in authority to account.

The Secretary of State has recently announced her plans to develop a Local Media Strategy, in recognition of the importance of this vital sector. We are working across Government and with the sector and other stakeholders as we develop this strategy, and recognise the continued importance of the LDRS.

Our department’s hybrid working policy expects the majority of our staff to spend at least 60% of their time in our offices or meeting key stakeholders.

To monitor the effectiveness of this policy, all Government departments publish HQ Office Occupancy data on a quarterly basis which shows the monthly average number of staff working in Civil Service Headquarters (HQ) buildings.

In September, which is the most recent monthly average published on gov.uk, our department had a 65% attendance at our London Headquarters.

The government is committed to a free and independent media. Having a free and fair press that is completely independent of the Government, is important to ensure the public have access to accurate and trustworthy information from a range of different sources. We are clear, however, that with this freedom comes responsibility, which the media must take seriously. An independent self-regulatory regime is important to ensure the press adheres to clear and high standards, and offers individuals a means of redress where these are not met. These regulators enforce codes of conduct which provide guidelines on a range of areas, including discrimination, accuracy, privacy, and harassment. If they find that a newspaper has broken the code of conduct, they can order corrections. IPSO can also order critical adjudications and Impress can levy fines.

Ofcom is the UK’s regulator for broadcasting and by law carries out its duties independently of the Government. Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code contains rules to ensure that broadcast news is reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality. It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator, to determine whether there has been a breach of their rules and whether to apply sanctions.

The Secretary of State met with the Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the National Citizen Service Trust to communicate the decision verbally prior to the announcement to the House.

There are no plans to make any further provision of public lavatories as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade programme inherited from the previous Government. Public lavatories will be replaced where the programme modifies or removes public lavatories at stations to facilitate works.

We respect the independence of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is the primary international institution for investigating and prosecuting the most serious crimes of international concern. The Government regularly engages with other States Parties to the Rome Statute on our obligations to the Court. It is for all ICC States Parties to consider how to meet their obligations under the Rome Statute.

This is a Government of service that will always stand up for those who serve our country. As part of the Minister for Veterans and People’s role, he will regularly meet and engage with veterans including UK nuclear test veterans, to learn about their experiences and understand how the Government can provide the right support to them.

The Minister for Veterans and People has engagements planned in the coming weeks to discuss specific concerns raised by nuclear test veterans.

The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that Local Authorities should assess the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community, and reflect this in Local Plan policies. Each Local Plan is subject to a public examination in front of an independent inspector, who plays an important role in examining plans to ensure they are consistent with national policy, supported by evidence and take the views of local people into account. The overall housing targets set by central government do not specify the proportion or type of dwelling that should be provided.