Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what guidance his Department has published on swimming pools reopening during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government recognises the importance of re-opening our indoor and outdoor pools and we agree that swimming is a great way for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy. The consideration of different venues and the activities involved are underpinned by an understanding of the risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 associated with particular activities. There are concerns about transmission around points of contact within such facilities, like changing rooms due to the high volume of contacts. As such, we need to provide reassurance that these facilities will be safe, and are working hard to achieve this in the coming weeks.
The government is actively working towards a safe way to re-open these facilities, with supporting guidance.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will hold discussions with representatives of the BBC on reinstating the TV licence concession for the over-75s.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The Secretary of State has met with the Chairman of the BBC Board and the Director-General of the BBC and asked them to do more to help those affected by its decision
The Government is disappointed with the BBC's decision to restrict the over 75 licence fee concession to only those aged over 75 and in receipt of Pension Credit.
We recognise the value of free TV licences for over-75s and believe that they should be funded by the BBC.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government plans to take to help protect vulnerable older people from prosecution for unpaid TV licences.
Answered by Margot James
The BBC is responsible for the collection and enforcement of the licence fee, not government.
The BBC set out in its decision document on the future of the over 75 licence fee concession that enforcement action would be a last resort, and that it will consider ‘people’s vulnerability'.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to support the delivery of a full-fibre roll-out in towns and cities throughout the UK.
Answered by Margot James
The Government has ambitious targets for world class digital infrastructure with 15 million premises connected to full fibre by 2025, and national coverage by 2033. The Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, published in July 2018, set out the overall strategy for how to achieve these targets.
The Review concluded the most effective way to deliver these ambitions is to promote competition between fibre networks where possible intervene where necessary. The Review’s analysis suggests that commercial investment will be viable for up to 90% of premises in the UK. To ensure deployment is as cheap and easy as possible, the Barrier Busting Task Force has been established to remove issues like wayleaves, planning and streetworks.
The Local Full Fibre Networks programme, launched in November 2017, will have invested almost £300 million to stimulate commercial full fibre investment across the UK by the end of the programme in 2021, while
Government is also supporting competitive commercial investment through the £400 million Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund, which is expected to unlock over £1 billion investment in full fibre.
Industry have continued to respond with commitments to full fibre rollout with CityFibre, Hyperoptic and Openreach all making significant announcements to deploy full fibre in a number of towns and cities across the UK as well as new entrants also entering the market. We are now seeing full fibre coverage increase at pace with 7% of premises in the UK now able to connect to full fibre, up from 4% around 12 months ago.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when will the timetable is for the reduction in the maximum stake on fixed odds gambling machines to be implemented.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The Government published its response to the consultation on changes to gaming machines and social responsibility measures on 17 May. The Government will engage with the gambling industry to ensure they are given sufficient time to implement and complete the technological changes for the reduction in maximum stake for Fixed-Odds Betting Terminals. The Government will deliver the reduction in stake through secondary legislation in due course.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to stimulate growth in the creative sector in all parts of the UK.
Answered by Matt Hancock
We recognise the huge role the creative sector plays in driving local economic growth. We support this growth via tax credits, regional growth programmes, the relocation of Arms Length Bodies and working across Government to ensure ‘place’ is considered fully within the Industrial Strategy.
As part of the Industrial Strategy, we commissioned Sir Peter Bazalgette to pull together bold ideas to bolster the creative industries UK-wide. We are working with the sector to explore his recommendations.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that football ground staff are equipped with clear lines of complaint and procedures for dealing with victims of crime within football grounds.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
Stewards and ground staff play a vital role in ensuring the safety and security of spectators. Operational delivery of sports grounds safety at individual grounds is ultimately a matter for the ground management. Local Safety Advisory Groups are the multi-agency forums where ground management, police and other local agencies come together to develop a corporate approach to site specific spectator safety, including ensuring that stewards have the necessary training and that incident reporting lines, including those relating to potentially criminal incidents, are clear to all staff.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that travel companies comply with the recommendations of the 2015 independent inquiry into customer health, safety, welfare, relations and crisis management of Thomas Cook.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The government continues to work closely with Thomas Cook and the rest of the industry on the revising of consumer protections, including the Package Travel Directive, which will improve the safety of tourists at home and abroad.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to make it an offence to sell or attempt to sell a ticket for more than its original cost price.
Answered by Matt Hancock
The Government has a continuing interest in the area of secondary ticketing, and recognises the process of distributing and buying tickets can often be a cause for public frustration and concern.
An independent review of consumer protection measures was commissioned by the Government in 2015, undertaken by Professor Waterson, which was published in May 2016. The Government published its response to the review on 13th March 2017, which welcomed the Review and accepted all nine recommendations contained in the review in full. Professor Waterson specifically considered the issue of a cap on ticket resale prices, and we agree with his conclusion that it should not be taken forward as it would raise a number of practical considerations and be of limited effect, as it would be extremely difficult to enforce.
As part of our response, and in response to a series of roundtable discussions with industry and law enforcement agencies, we have tabled an amendment to the Digital Economy Bill which will give us the power to create a specific offence of using a ticketing bot to purchase more tickets than the maximum permitted, to put beyond doubt the illegality of this practice. Those found guilty of this offence will face an unlimited fine in England and Wales.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to tackle the use of computer systems by ticket tout companies to purchase multiple tickets for events.
Answered by Matt Hancock
The Government has a continuing interest in the area of secondary ticketing, and recognises the process of distributing and buying tickets can often be a cause for public frustration and concern. We are determined to crackdown on unacceptable behaviour and improve fans’ chances of buying tickets at a reasonable price.
An independent review of consumer protection measures was commissioned by the Government in 2015, undertaken by Professor Waterson, which was published in May 2016.
The report recognised that the use of computer software or ticketing ‘bots’ deprives fans of the chance to acquire tickets at the price established by the event organiser.
The Government published its response to the review on 13th March 2017, which welcomed its findings and accepted its nine recommendations in full. As part of our response, and in response to a series of roundtable discussions with industry and law enforcement agencies, we have tabled an amendment to the Digital Economy Bill which will give us the power to create a specific offence of using a ticketing bot to purchase more tickets than the maximum permitted, to put beyond doubt the illegality of this practice. Those found guilty of this offence will face an unlimited fine in England and Wales.