Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the potential lost revenue in TV licensing fines if non-payment prosecutions were paused during the cost-of-living crisis.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The BBC is responsible for the collection and enforcement of the licence fee, not the government. The Government is therefore not involved in TV Licensing operations. HM Courts & Tribunals Service is responsible for collecting and enforcing financial penalties imposed by the courts which includes fines imposed for the non-payment of a TV licence.
In 2021, 49,126 people were proceeded against by HM Courts & Tribunals Service for non-payment of the licence fee, and 44,364 were fined. The BBC has recently confirmed that no enforcement or prosecution action has been taken against over-75s who previously held a free licence and therefore no over-75s have been fined. The Department does not hold data on the amount collected from TV licensing fines and will engage with relevant departments to follow up with this information.
The Government is independent from the BBC, and any decision to suspend enforcement action by TV Licensing, or assessment of the impact of this decision, would be a matter for the BBC. Given the BBC’s independence it would not be appropriate for the government to seek to intervene in operational decisions on enforcement action. Nonetheless, the government expects the BBC to collect the licence fee in an efficient and proportionate manner, and to treat all vulnerable people with sensitivity in doing so.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much his Department collected in TV licensing fines in the last year; and what proportion of that money was from over 75s.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The BBC is responsible for the collection and enforcement of the licence fee, not the government. The Government is therefore not involved in TV Licensing operations. HM Courts & Tribunals Service is responsible for collecting and enforcing financial penalties imposed by the courts which includes fines imposed for the non-payment of a TV licence.
In 2021, 49,126 people were proceeded against by HM Courts & Tribunals Service for non-payment of the licence fee, and 44,364 were fined. The BBC has recently confirmed that no enforcement or prosecution action has been taken against over-75s who previously held a free licence and therefore no over-75s have been fined. The Department does not hold data on the amount collected from TV licensing fines and will engage with relevant departments to follow up with this information.
The Government is independent from the BBC, and any decision to suspend enforcement action by TV Licensing, or assessment of the impact of this decision, would be a matter for the BBC. Given the BBC’s independence it would not be appropriate for the government to seek to intervene in operational decisions on enforcement action. Nonetheless, the government expects the BBC to collect the licence fee in an efficient and proportionate manner, and to treat all vulnerable people with sensitivity in doing so.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing a statutory footing for Gaelic language broadcasting in the forthcoming Media Bill.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government recognises the incredibly valuable contribution MG ALBA makes to the lives and wellbeing of Gaelic speakers across Scotland and the UK as a whole, including through its partnership with the BBC in providing BBC ALBA. This contribution has been made since MG ALBA was originally established as the Gaelic Television Committee under the Broadcasting Act 1990. The current partnership between the BBC and MG ALBA must ensure high quality, diverse Gaelic language content continues to be readily available so that Gaelic culture is protected in the years to come.
As part of the changes described in our Broadcasting White Paper, Up Next, we intend, for the first time, to make the importance of programmes broadcast in the UK’s indigenous regional and minority languages – including the Gaelic language – clear in legislation, by including it in our new public service remit for television. This will enhance the statutory footing that already exists for the Gaelic language.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether members of the expert panel in respect of the Future of compute review receive remuneration.
Answered by Damian Collins
The Future of Compute review was launched on 13 June 2022. It will produce recommendations on the UK’s compute capability over the next decade, and report to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. The terms of reference can be found on gov.uk, and outline the objectives, outputs and themes that will be covered by the review.
Zoubin Ghahramani, Professor of Information Engineering at the University of Cambridge and Vice President of Research at Google, was appointed to lead the review. Professor Ghahramani was selected because of his strong credentials in both the applications and fundamentals of computer science, and experience of working in public and private sector capacities.
The lead reviewer will be supported by a panel of experts from across the computing field. These experts will help provide high level oversight and quality assurance of the evidence supporting the final recommendations, similar to the approach taken for previous reviews. Experts were selected to ensure broad expertise in compute applications, including simulation and modelling, and across diverse sections of industry and research communities.
The panellists are:
The lead reviewer and panel members will not receive remuneration.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many members there are of the expert panel for the future of compute review.
Answered by Damian Collins
The Future of Compute review was launched on 13 June 2022. It will produce recommendations on the UK’s compute capability over the next decade, and report to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. The terms of reference can be found on gov.uk, and outline the objectives, outputs and themes that will be covered by the review.
Zoubin Ghahramani, Professor of Information Engineering at the University of Cambridge and Vice President of Research at Google, was appointed to lead the review. Professor Ghahramani was selected because of his strong credentials in both the applications and fundamentals of computer science, and experience of working in public and private sector capacities.
The lead reviewer will be supported by a panel of experts from across the computing field. These experts will help provide high level oversight and quality assurance of the evidence supporting the final recommendations, similar to the approach taken for previous reviews. Experts were selected to ensure broad expertise in compute applications, including simulation and modelling, and across diverse sections of industry and research communities.
The panellists are:
The lead reviewer and panel members will not receive remuneration.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, who the expert panel for the future of compute review reports to.
Answered by Damian Collins
The Future of Compute review was launched on 13 June 2022. It will produce recommendations on the UK’s compute capability over the next decade, and report to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. The terms of reference can be found on gov.uk, and outline the objectives, outputs and themes that will be covered by the review.
Zoubin Ghahramani, Professor of Information Engineering at the University of Cambridge and Vice President of Research at Google, was appointed to lead the review. Professor Ghahramani was selected because of his strong credentials in both the applications and fundamentals of computer science, and experience of working in public and private sector capacities.
The lead reviewer will be supported by a panel of experts from across the computing field. These experts will help provide high level oversight and quality assurance of the evidence supporting the final recommendations, similar to the approach taken for previous reviews. Experts were selected to ensure broad expertise in compute applications, including simulation and modelling, and across diverse sections of industry and research communities.
The panellists are:
The lead reviewer and panel members will not receive remuneration.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when each member of the expert panel for the future of compute review was appointed.
Answered by Damian Collins
The Future of Compute review was launched on 13 June 2022. It will produce recommendations on the UK’s compute capability over the next decade, and report to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. The terms of reference can be found on gov.uk, and outline the objectives, outputs and themes that will be covered by the review.
Zoubin Ghahramani, Professor of Information Engineering at the University of Cambridge and Vice President of Research at Google, was appointed to lead the review. Professor Ghahramani was selected because of his strong credentials in both the applications and fundamentals of computer science, and experience of working in public and private sector capacities.
The lead reviewer will be supported by a panel of experts from across the computing field. These experts will help provide high level oversight and quality assurance of the evidence supporting the final recommendations, similar to the approach taken for previous reviews. Experts were selected to ensure broad expertise in compute applications, including simulation and modelling, and across diverse sections of industry and research communities.
The panellists are:
The lead reviewer and panel members will not receive remuneration.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish the job description for the role of the expert panel member for the future of compute review.
Answered by Damian Collins
The Future of Compute review was launched on 13 June 2022. It will produce recommendations on the UK’s compute capability over the next decade, and report to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. The terms of reference can be found on gov.uk, and outline the objectives, outputs and themes that will be covered by the review.
Zoubin Ghahramani, Professor of Information Engineering at the University of Cambridge and Vice President of Research at Google, was appointed to lead the review. Professor Ghahramani was selected because of his strong credentials in both the applications and fundamentals of computer science, and experience of working in public and private sector capacities.
The lead reviewer will be supported by a panel of experts from across the computing field. These experts will help provide high level oversight and quality assurance of the evidence supporting the final recommendations, similar to the approach taken for previous reviews. Experts were selected to ensure broad expertise in compute applications, including simulation and modelling, and across diverse sections of industry and research communities.
The panellists are:
The lead reviewer and panel members will not receive remuneration.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether members of the expert panel that are leading the future of compute review are receiving remuneration.
Answered by Damian Collins
The Future of Compute review was launched on 13 June 2022. It will produce recommendations on the UK’s compute capability over the next decade, and report to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. The terms of reference can be found on gov.uk, and outline the objectives, outputs and themes that will be covered by the review.
Zoubin Ghahramani, Professor of Information Engineering at the University of Cambridge and Vice President of Research at Google, was appointed to lead the review. Professor Ghahramani was selected because of his strong credentials in both the applications and fundamentals of computer science, and experience of working in public and private sector capacities.
The lead reviewer will be supported by a panel of experts from across the computing field. These experts will help provide high level oversight and quality assurance of the evidence supporting the final recommendations, similar to the approach taken for previous reviews. Experts were selected to ensure broad expertise in compute applications, including simulation and modelling, and across diverse sections of industry and research communities.
The panellists are:
The lead reviewer and panel members will not receive remuneration.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what process was used to appoint members of the expert panel that are leading the future of compute review.
Answered by Damian Collins
The Future of Compute review was launched on 13 June 2022. It will produce recommendations on the UK’s compute capability over the next decade, and report to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. The terms of reference can be found on gov.uk, and outline the objectives, outputs and themes that will be covered by the review.
Zoubin Ghahramani, Professor of Information Engineering at the University of Cambridge and Vice President of Research at Google, was appointed to lead the review. Professor Ghahramani was selected because of his strong credentials in both the applications and fundamentals of computer science, and experience of working in public and private sector capacities.
The lead reviewer will be supported by a panel of experts from across the computing field. These experts will help provide high level oversight and quality assurance of the evidence supporting the final recommendations, similar to the approach taken for previous reviews. Experts were selected to ensure broad expertise in compute applications, including simulation and modelling, and across diverse sections of industry and research communities.
The panellists are:
The lead reviewer and panel members will not receive remuneration.