Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussion he has had with his counterparts in other EU member states on cyber security risks relating to 5G mobile networks.
Answered by Margot James
5G will introduce technologies which operate and communicate in innovative ways that have not been deployed at scale before, but which are anticipated to become commonplace in the next decade. Security is an important aspect of any new technology, not least digital connectivity.
The Government’s National Cyber Security Strategy (2016-2021) sets out ambitious policies to protect the UK in cyberspace, backed with £1.9 billion investment. The UK remains fully engaged with our EU counterparts, and we have been discussing the security aspects of the European Electronic Communications Code with member states. The DCMS 5G Testbeds and Trials Programme will also include £10 million to create capabilities where the security of 5G Networks can be tested and proven, working with the National Cyber Security Centre.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland authorities on the roll-out of superfast and ultrafast broadband in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Margot James
Superfast broadband is now available to over 86% of homes and businesses in Northern Ireland. The current publicly-funded superfast broadband roll-out project in Northern Ireland is due to complete this month and will have provided coverage to 41,000 premises. The UK government funding for this project was £7.054 million. Given the scale of the challenge in delivering broadband coverage in Northern Ireland, the UK government allocated a further £150 million for ultrafast broadband in Northern Ireland in the June 2017 funding agreement for Northern Ireland.
The government has regular discussions with the Northern Ireland authorities on both the delivery of the current project and proposals for taking forward new funding.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the contribution of the growth in the creative industries in Northern Ireland to UK-wide tourism.
Answered by Michael Ellis
According to VisitBritain, over a third of visitors to the UK are drawn to locations which have been used in films and TV series.
In Northern Ireland, the television series Game of Thrones has been a great draw, encouraging visitors to locations such as Giant’s Causeway and the Dark Hedge.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will publish guidelines to encourage improvements in access to digital services for people with sensory loss.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Government recognises the importance of Digital Inclusion. The Government Digital Service launched the Government’s Digital Inclusion Strategy in April 2014. The Strategy sets out 10 actions that Government and partners from the public, private and voluntary sector will take to reduce digital exclusion.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the quality of access to on demand television content for people with sensory loss.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
The Government is committed to ensure the quality of the access continues to improve. We have been monitoring progress of the provision of access services for Video on Demand (VoD) content since 2013 through engagement with the Authority for Television on Demand (ATVOD), platform operators and content providers. As part of our continuing assessment of access to such services for VoD content, we will use information from a variety of sources and engagement with relevant parties to develop a target that we would expect to see reached by mid-2016.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has held with television broadcasters on improving services for people with sensory loss.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
The UK is a world leader in the extent and the quality of TV access services, which include subtitles, audio description and signing. UK broadcasters and content providers are committed to meeting the needs of disabled people and want to ensure that this remains the case in the future.
Sections 303 to 305 of the Communications Act 2003 require Ofcom to draw up a Code which provides guidance as to the extent to which television services should provide access services. Ofcom monitors the provision of access services and publishes reports reflecting licensees’ performance against the target. Ofcom has the power to take action against broadcasters who fail to meet their target.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the BBC about the funding of the BBC and its regional programming.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
I have not held any recent discussions with the BBC regarding future funding.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions his Department has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the all-Ireland bid to host the Rugby World Cup in 2023.
Answered by Helen Grant
Officials in DCMS have regular discussions on a range of issues with the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, the Northern Ireland Executive's Non-Departmental body responsible for securing a major event programme for Northern Ireland. The matter of an all-Ireland Rugby World Cup bid has been raised.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the future of the BBC and the future of the licence fee.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
No such discussions have taken place. The Government has said that the right time to consider all questions around the BBC is the Charter Review; this will not be starting in advance of the Election in 2015.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps to disseminate information on the Royal British Legion Every Man Remembered database and encourage further commemorate projects.
Answered by Helen Grant
The Government fully supports the Royal British Legion’s Every Man Remembered website project. This project encourages those alive today to remember all the men and women who lost their lives in the First World War, using data provided by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The Legion is effectively disseminating such information through its local branches and associated publicity campaigns, alongside encouraging schools and other community groups to help remember the remaining 977,172 servicemen who have yet to be commemorated. I am pleased to note that DCMS has offered assistance with the Legion’s communication strategy.