Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps is he taking to ensure that all villages are included the rollout of broadband infrastructure.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to the rollout of fast, reliable broadband to all parts of the UK. So far we have over 30 Project Gigabit contracts in place, filling in gaps that are not being met commercially, predominantly in rural areas. This includes a contract across South Oxfordshire which will provide approximately 3,500 premises in the Henley and Thame constituency with access to gigabit-capable broadband.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what further steps he plans to take to help ensure the safety of children on (a) social media apps and (b) other online platforms, in the context of the use of virtual private networks by criminals to target vulnerable young people.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Online Safety Act makes search and user-to-user services, including social media services, responsible for their users’ safety on their platforms. The Act contains strong protections for children, safeguarding them from harmful and illegal activities online, even when these are proliferated by users using virtual private networks.
The regulatory regime is designed to be tech-neutral, allowing Ofcom to revise its codes and guidance as new risks emerge.