Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is tacking to tackle the level of nuisance calls from foreign call centres.
Answered by Margot James
We have been clear that there is no place for nuisance calls in our society and we continue to work on practical solutions to this problem.
In December 2018, we introduced new rules that enable company directors to be held personally liable for the nuisance calls their company makes. These rules apply to international marketing calls made on behalf of UK companies.
We also secured over £600k in the Autumn Budget which we have used to provide vulnerable people with call blocking devices. This measure has protected the most vulnerable in society from nuisance calls scams including those originating from overseas call centres.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the implications for the independence of the media of the recommendations of the Isle of Man Tynwald Select Committee on Public Service Media's November 2018 report .
Answered by Margot James
The Isle of Man Tynwald Select Committee on Public Service Media provided recommendations to the High Court of Tynwald. Responding to the recommendations is a matter for the Isle of Man Government. The UK government will engage with the Isle of Man Government on these issues where appropriate.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to respond to the Isle of Man Tynwald Select Committee on Public Service Media's November 2018 report; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Margot James
The Isle of Man Tynwald Select Committee on Public Service Media provided recommendations to the High Court of Tynwald. Responding to the recommendations is a matter for the Isle of Man Government. The UK government will engage with the Isle of Man Government on these issues where appropriate.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits for the Government's policies of the recommendations made by the Isle of Man Tynwald Select Committee on Public Service Media in their November 2018 report; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Margot James
The Isle of Man Tynwald Select Committee on Public Service Media provided recommendations to the High Court of Tynwald. Responding to the recommendations is a matter for the Isle of Man Government. The UK government will engage with the Isle of Man Government on these issues where appropriate.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps his Department has taken to encourage tourism in the north of England.
Answered by Michael Ellis
VisitBritain and VisitEngland are responsible for promoting the UK as a tourist destination, which it does through a range of different initiatives and campaigns. There are a number of projects in the £40m Discover England Fund which are based in the north of England, including two which aim to make Manchester a gateway to England: London and Manchester: Gateways to England and Growing Manchester as an International Gateway to the North.
The Coastal Communities Fund has funded 48 projects worth £54 million in the Northern Powerhouse area since 2012. At least two thirds of this expenditure has been awarded to projects supporting tourism and the visitor economy.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if his Department will take steps to encourage more foreign tourists to visit the north of England.
Answered by Michael Ellis
VisitBritain and VisitEngland are responsible for promoting the UK as a tourist destination, which it does through a range of different initiatives and campaigns. There are a number of projects in the £40m Discover England Fund which are based in the north of England, including two which aim to make Manchester a gateway to England: London and Manchester: Gateways to England and Growing Manchester as an International Gateway to the North.
The Coastal Communities Fund has funded 48 projects worth £54 million in the Northern Powerhouse area since 2012. At least two thirds of this expenditure has been awarded to projects supporting tourism and the visitor economy.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to support research developments on artificial intelligence in the UK.
Answered by Margot James
AI and data-driven research is a priority for government, and is critical to responding to the AI and Data Grand Challenge outlined in the Industrial Strategy. The Autumn Budget announced£75m specifically for AI and Data – including 450 additional AI research PhD places by 2021, and a Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation looking at issues around data, including use for AI – a world-first. An overall increase in £4.7bn R&D funding by 2021, including money made available through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, will also stimulate AI-based solutions – for example through the Robotics and AI Extreme Environments programme. Government continues to fund primary research in computer science and data analytics through the research councils, and from 1 April, UK Research and Innovation. The joint DCMS/BEIS Office for AI will work with a new AI Council on skills, technology adoption and AI workforce diversity.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer 28 November to Question 113183, how her Department plans to monitor uptake and observance of the code of practice for social media companies provided for in the Digital Economy Act 2017.
Answered by Matt Hancock
The Internet Safety Strategy consultation closed on 7 December. We are now analysing the responses and we will be working with technology companies, charities and other interested stakeholders to develop the code of practice. We will consider plans to monitor uptake and observance of the code of practice ahead of its publication in 2018.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what meetings her Department has had with (a) Facebook and (b) Twitter on (i) fake news and (ii) methods of removing fake news before it becomes viral.
Answered by Matt Hancock
Ministers and officials have regular meetings and discussions with social media companies on a range of issues including cyber bullying. Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website.
We are looking at the prevalence of fake news and the role that platforms play in the news environment, as part of our digital charter.
Asked by: Andrew Percy (Conservative - Brigg and Goole)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will discuss with telephone providers reasons to make it easier for people to identify direct marketing calls and choose whether to accept them.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
This Government is taking forward a range of measures to tackle nuisance calls, which will increase consumer protection and choice by strengthening the Information Commissioner's Office's (ICO) ability to take enforcement action against organisations that break the law. This includes lowering the threshold under the the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulation 2003 (PECR) to make it easier for the ICO to take action against organisations that break the law, resulting in £3,420,000 worth of fines issued.
The Government also recently made an amendment to the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR), requiring direct marketing companies registered in the UK, to display Calling Line Identification. This new measure will both improve consumer choice, by making it easier for people to refuse and report unwanted marketing calls; and make it easier for the Information Commissioner’s Office to investigate and take enforcement action against organisations who breach the rules.
The Department has held conversations with telephone providers on the identification of direct marketing callers and will continue do so as part of its strategy to tackle nuisance calls.