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Written Question
BBC
Monday 21st November 2022

Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government is taking steps to support the BBC with preventing cuts to (a) BBC News, (b) BBC World Service and (c) other BBC television channels.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

As set out in its Charter, the BBC has a vital role to play in enabling all audiences to engage fully with major local, regional, national, and global issues and participate in the democratic process, at all levels, as active and informed citizens.

The BBC is operationally and editorially independent, and decisions over how it delivers its services are for the BBC to make. However, the government is clear that the BBC must continue to deliver its Mission and Public Purposes. It should prioritise using its £3.8 billion annual licence fee income as necessary to deliver that remit.

On top of its licence fee income, FCDO is continuing to provide the BBC World Service with over £94 million annually for the next three years, supporting services in 12 languages and improving key services in Arabic, Russian and English. This is in addition to nearly £470 million FCDO have already provided through the World2020 programme since 2016. In 2022-23, the Government is also providing the BBC with an additional £4.1 million in emergency funding, to support the World Service in continuing to deliver services in Ukraine and Russia.

More broadly, it is important to recognise that the broadcasting sector is changing rapidly, with changes in audience viewing habits and increasing competition posing challenges for all of our Public Service Broadcasters. The BBC needs to be forward looking so it can meet the challenges of modern broadcasting, both at home and abroad.

The Government is committed to working with the BBC and supporting it in pursuing necessary reforms so that it can continue to best serve audiences and remain a global beacon long into the future. We will continue to work with the BBC as we progress this Government’s Roadmap for Reform of the BBC in preparation for the next Charter Review, and as we deliver much needed reform to the ‘compact’, the balance of benefits and obligations conferred on our public service broadcasters, to ensure they can continue to deliver for audiences across the United Kingdom.


Written Question
Press: Conduct
Tuesday 27th September 2022

Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)

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 is taking to safeguard bereaved families from abusive press attention.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government is committed to a free and independent press, and does not intervene in what the press can and cannot publish. We are clear, however, that with this freedom, comes responsibility, which media organisations must take seriously. There is an independent self regulatory regime to ensure that the press adheres to a wide set of clear and appropriate standards, and to offer individuals a means of redress where these are not met.


Written Question
Internet: Safety
Monday 6th June 2022

Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential effects of the Online Safety Bill on requirements for voice recognition or other voice services to (a) remove illegal content from their services and (b) set terms and conditions to address legal but harmful content.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Online Safety Bill will apply to all companies that allow users to post content online or to interact with each other. This will include a broad range of websites, apps and services, some of which will enable voice recognition. The Bill will make sure that the UK is the safest place to be online, requiring all in-scope companies to take robust action against illegal content.

Additionally, the largest and riskiest services will face additional duties, including specifying in their terms and conditions what measures they are taking for the most harmful content to adults, and must enforce these rules consistently.


Written Question
Internet: Safety
Thursday 26th May 2022

Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for what reason Section 103, Chapter 8 of the Draft Online Safety Bill, relating to Media Literacy did not appear in the Online Safety Bill introduced on 11 May 2022; and if she will make a statement.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

Ofcom has an existing statutory duty to promote media literacy under section 11 of the Communications Act (2003). Clause 103 of the draft Online Safety Bill clarified Ofcom’s responsibilities under this duty but did not grant Ofcom any new powers or duties. On 6 December 2021, ‘Ofcom’s Approach to Online Media Literacy’ was published. This strategy document published by Ofcom outlined its plans to expand its media literacy programme in a manner which substantially met the responsibilities set out in the draft Bill. As such, it is no longer necessary to include these clarifications in primary legislation.

The Online Safety Bill increases Ofcom’s powers relating to media literacy. Ofcom’s transparency reporting and information gathering powers cover media literacy and give Ofcom enhanced oversight on industry spend and activity. DCMS’s Secretary of State has powers to direct Ofcom’s media literacy activity in special circumstances, for example where there is a significant threat to public health as a result of health misinformation. The Bill also directs in-scope companies to consider measures to promote users’ media literacy as part of the risk assessment process.

Media literacy remains a vital part of the government’s agenda to support online safety. In April 2022 the government published its second Media Literacy Action Plan which sets out an ambitious expansion of its media literacy programme, supported by over £2m of funding.


Written Question
Tennis: Russia
Friday 18th March 2022

Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to help prohibit all Russian players from the Wimbledon Tennis Championship 2022.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Russia’s assault on Ukraine is an unprovoked, premeditated and barbaric attack against a sovereign democratic state. President Putin must not be allowed to exploit major sporting and cultural events on the world stage to seek to legitimise his regime’s invasion.

In response, the UK Government, alongside 36 other nations, issued a joint statement calling on international sporting federations to endorse the principles that:

  • Russia and Belarus should not be permitted to host, bid for or be awarded any international sporting events.

  • Individual athletes selected by Russia and Belarus, administrators and teams representing the Russian or Belarusian state should be banned from competing in other countries, including those representing bodies, cities or brands that are effectively representing Russia or Belarus, such as major football clubs.

  • Wherever possible, appropriate actions should be taken to limit sponsorship and other financial support from entities with links to the Russian or Belarusian states.

The issue of Russian or Belarusian individual sports persons participating in a truly neutral capacity - in the UK and overseas - adds further complexity, and our position will have the greatest impact if it is taken in line with other nations.

We are engaging with national governing bodies, including the All England Lawn Tennis Club, and international counterparts in order to reach an agreed position that can be implemented as consistently as possible.


Written Question
Sports: Security
Wednesday 2nd March 2022

Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to breaches in the security of Wembley Stadium during the Euro 2020 final, what steps she is taking to help ensure that large sports fixtures are not susceptible to security breaches by people without tickets.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The UK Government has been working with relevant departments and external organisations to ensure lessons are learned from the disorder on 11 July. This includes working with partners - including sports grounds (and their safety management teams), who are ultimately responsible for safety within the grounds, the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA), the Football Association and the police, who are responsible for safety outside of sports grounds - to ensure action is taken based on the findings of the review conducted by Baroness Casey of Blackstock.


Written Question
National Lottery: Public Appointments
Monday 21st February 2022

Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)

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 names of the members of the Advisory Assessment Panel for the appointment of the Chair of the National Lottery Fund.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The appointment of the Chair of the National Lottery Community Fund is made by the Secretary of State. The appointment is made in accordance with the Governance Code for Public Appointments, which is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Membership of the Advisory Assessment Panel has been publicly available since the campaign launched in August 2020 at https://publicappointments.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/. The Panel for this campaign was chaired by Sam Lister, Director General for Strategy and Operations at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. He was joined by Senior Independent Panel Member Fionnuala Jay-O'Boyle and Emma Boggis, Vice-Chair of the National Lottery Community Fund.


Written Question
Crime Prevention: Young People
Tuesday 11th January 2022

Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if the Government will increase the number of youth clubs and sports clubs to support young people engaged in or at risk of involvement in gangs and youth violence.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

£130.5 million has been made available to tackle serious violence this year. This investment will support Violence Reduction Units to deliver a range of early intervention and prevention programmes for young people, including funding support workers, youth and sports clubs. It will also provide funding for early intervention programmes, including trauma-informed training for frontline professionals as well as therapy and specialist support for children and young people in crisis moments.

Universal youth services, including youth and sports clubs, help to reduce the risk factors associated with involvement in gangs and youth violence. Following the 2021 Spending Review, we are investing £560 million in youth services in England over the next 3 years, to support young people. This investment will provide up to 300 new or refurbished youth facilities in deprived areas across the country and create hundreds of thousands of positive activities for young people.

In addition, we set out our commitment to grassroots sports, investing £205 million to build or transform up to 8,000 multi-use sports facilities; £21.9 million to refurbish park tennis courts; and up to £30 million per year to increase access to school facilities.

We are continuing to provide bursaries to help increase the number of qualified youth workers available to support young people. Over the past two years we have worked with the National Youth Agency to help more than 900 youth workers gain qualifications.

Furthermore, the government has made a £200 million investment over 10 years in the Youth Endowment Fund, to test what works in preventing young people from becoming involved in violence.


Written Question
Crime Prevention: Young People
Tuesday 11th January 2022

Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if the Government will increase the number of support workers available to support young people engaged in or at risk of involvement in gangs and youth violence.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

£130.5 million has been made available to tackle serious violence this year. This investment will support Violence Reduction Units to deliver a range of early intervention and prevention programmes for young people, including funding support workers, youth and sports clubs. It will also provide funding for early intervention programmes, including trauma-informed training for frontline professionals as well as therapy and specialist support for children and young people in crisis moments.

Universal youth services, including youth and sports clubs, help to reduce the risk factors associated with involvement in gangs and youth violence. Following the 2021 Spending Review, we are investing £560 million in youth services in England over the next 3 years, to support young people. This investment will provide up to 300 new or refurbished youth facilities in deprived areas across the country and create hundreds of thousands of positive activities for young people.

In addition, we set out our commitment to grassroots sports, investing £205 million to build or transform up to 8,000 multi-use sports facilities; £21.9 million to refurbish park tennis courts; and up to £30 million per year to increase access to school facilities.

We are continuing to provide bursaries to help increase the number of qualified youth workers available to support young people. Over the past two years we have worked with the National Youth Agency to help more than 900 youth workers gain qualifications.

Furthermore, the government has made a £200 million investment over 10 years in the Youth Endowment Fund, to test what works in preventing young people from becoming involved in violence.


Written Question
Music and Theatres: Coronavirus
Friday 7th January 2022

Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with representatives of (a) live music venues and (b) theatres on Government support since the publication of Government guidance on the transmission of the Omicron covid-19 variant on 8 December 2021.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government remains committed to working closely and collaboratively with all our sectors whilst we mitigate the risks of the coronavirus pandemic. Ministers meet regularly with representatives from the music and performance arts sectors to discuss the impacts of Covid-19. A ministerial roundtable was held on 17 December, which included attendees from HM Treasury, to listen to and understand the challenges faced by our sectors at this time.