Asked by: Craig Williams (Conservative - Montgomeryshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support (a) community based businesses, (b) social enterprises and (c) trading charities in contributing to growth in the local economy.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Government strongly supports the social enterprise sector’s contribution to society and the economy.
Social enterprises create jobs for those excluded from the labour market, directly address social challenges and build social capital within communities.
Policy relating to social enterprise is devolved. In England the government will continue to support the sector through access to finance including social investment, growing participation in public services and effective regulation.
Work is also underway to meet the commitments made in the Levelling Up White Paper around:
encouraging social organisations and entrepreneurship to flourish in left-behind places and generating evidence on what works;
building on and augmenting existing support for the sector;
encouraging the next generation of social entrepreneurs.
Asked by: Craig Williams (Conservative - Montgomeryshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to support the tourism sector in Mid Wales as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston
We recognise that COVID-19 has significantly impacted the tourism sector across the UK, including in Mid Wales. I hold regular discussions with my counterparts in the Welsh Government, the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive to assess COVID-19’s impact on tourism across the UK. We will continue to engage with the Devolved Administrations to assess how we can most effectively support the sector’s recovery from COVID-19.
As tourism is devolved, the Welsh Government is responsible for how and when lockdown restrictions are eased for the tourism sector in Wales, and for targeted financial initiatives to support the sector.
Asked by: Craig Williams (Conservative - Montgomeryshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
What steps his Department is taking to ensure the effective delivery of broadband and telecommunications.
Answered by Matt Warman
The Government wants to deliver nationwide coverage of gigabit capable broadband as soon as possible.
We are introducing a range of measures to deliver this ambition. The Leasehold Property Bill will make it easier for operators to deploy broadband in blocks of flats. We announced that we would be legislating to mandate gigabit connectivity in new build homes, and that we will be investing £5 billion in bringing gigabit broadband to the hardest to reach areas of the UK. To improve mobile coverage, we are investing £200 million into the 5G testbeds and trials programme. We have also announced the £1 billion Shared Rural Network deal with the mobile network operators to increase 4G coverage throughout the UK to 95% by the end of 2025.
Asked by: Craig Williams (Conservative - Montgomeryshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will issue guidance to (a) content providers, (b) platform operators and (c) other participants in the video on demand supply chain to specify who has the responsibility for providing access services on video on demand services.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
It would be the responsibility of Ofcom, the regulator for video on demand services, to issue such guidance.
Asked by: Craig Williams (Conservative - Montgomeryshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the obstacles to the increased provision of access services on video on demand content.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Ofcom, the regulator for video on demand services, is reviewing how to improve the provision of access services on video on demand services.
Asked by: Craig Williams (Conservative - Montgomeryshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what objectives his Department has set Ofcom for the provision of access services on video on demand content.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
The Audio Visual Media Services Directive, which the UK adheres to, sets out the principles that Ofcom is required to ensure are met with respect to the provision of access services on video on demand services.