Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what research her Department has undertaken into the occurrence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy in professional athletes.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The Government takes player safety seriously in all sports. I expect National Governing Bodies, as the designated authorities with responsibility to regulate their sport, to monitor and act upon player safety as their highest priority, and be able to demonstrate how they are complying with all the relevant health and safety regulations and practices.
The department does not provide advice to medical services on concussion or on the comparative health risks resulting from taking part in major sports.
Medical research into injuries sustained in certain sports is being carried out by staff at the English Institute of Sport, and work in this area is to be published in the near future. However, this will not focus specifically on chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
National Governing Bodies with significant risk of this type of injury in their sport put appropriate plans in place, issue guidance across their membership such as recent RFU and FA publications, and set elite level protocols, as the designated authorities with responsibility to regulate their sport.
In addition, the department is a member of the Sport and Recreation Alliance’s Forum on Concussion which aims to raise awareness and support professionals, students, parents and volunteers to be able to deal better with incidents of concussion.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what advice her Department provides to (a) national governing bodies and (b) medical services on concussion sustained in sporting activities.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The Government takes player safety seriously in all sports. I expect National Governing Bodies, as the designated authorities with responsibility to regulate their sport, to monitor and act upon player safety as their highest priority, and be able to demonstrate how they are complying with all the relevant health and safety regulations and practices.
The department does not provide advice to medical services on concussion or on the comparative health risks resulting from taking part in major sports.
Medical research into injuries sustained in certain sports is being carried out by staff at the English Institute of Sport, and work in this area is to be published in the near future. However, this will not focus specifically on chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
National Governing Bodies with significant risk of this type of injury in their sport put appropriate plans in place, issue guidance across their membership such as recent RFU and FA publications, and set elite level protocols, as the designated authorities with responsibility to regulate their sport.
In addition, the department is a member of the Sport and Recreation Alliance’s Forum on Concussion which aims to raise awareness and support professionals, students, parents and volunteers to be able to deal better with incidents of concussion.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effect of displaying gaming machines in shop windows on the level of gambling in those shops.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
No assessment has been made on of the effect of displaying gaming machines in shop windows on the level of gambling.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effect of locating ATMs in gambling premises on the level of gambling.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The Government is not aware of any specific research on the effect of locating ATMs in gambling premises.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effect of permitting children to gamble in family entertainment centres on future gambling habits.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
Available evidence is inconclusive as to the long-term effect on children playing category D machines in Family Entertainment Centres. However the Government takes the issue of children gambling very seriously and continues to keep the matter under review.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many submissions from (a) employees of media companies and organisations and (b) from those not employed by media companies and organisations, in response to (i) the BBC Charter Review public consultation that closed on 8 October 2015 and (ii) her Department's research since October 2016, expressed (A) support for and (B) opposition to the proposal for 60 per cent tendering in BBC radio.
Answered by Matt Hancock
This information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether any (a) external contractors and (b) consultancy companies engaged by his Department have charged more than the initial price agreed for their services since May 2010.
Answered by Helen Grant
We have not identified cases of external contractors or consultancy companies charging more than the initial price agreed for their services since May 2010.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
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 progress in increasing mobile signal coverage to all areas.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Through the Mobile Infrastructure Project we are investing up to £150 million to improve coverage in areas with no coverage for voice calls or text messages. The project aims to address coverage in the final 0.3-0.4% of the population without basic coverage, and once built most sites in the network will have capability to provide 3G and 4G coverage. The latest site to go live on air was in North Molton in Devon, providing coverage to over 200 premises over approximately 30 square kilometres.
The Government is also looking to improve coverage in areas where there is a signal from one or more of the UK network operators, but not all four. We are working with the industry to find a voluntary solution and on November 5 the Government launched a consultation on proposals including national roaming, infrastructure sharing, reforming virtual networks and a coverage obligation.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the timetable is for the extension of high-speed internet to the South Wales Valleys.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
The Superfast Cymru has already enabled over 230,000 Welsh homes and businesses to access superfast broadband and aims to cover 700,000 (93%) by the end of 2017. The Welsh project team recently announced that all exchanges in Wales will be covered in the programme, with work commencing in all exchanges by September 2015. The programme within in the South Wales Valleys has already connected 24 exchanges in the Caerphilly area, with two remaining exchanges due to be upgraded in December 2014. The final two will be enabled in 2015.