Asked by: Gary Sambrook (Conservative - Birmingham, Northfield)
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 been made of the potential impact of the 2017 Electronic Communications Code on rental payments to telecommunications equipment site providers.
Answered by Julia Lopez
The 2017 reforms to the Electronic Communications Code were intended to make it easier for digital communications operators to deploy and maintain their networks. Those changes included the introduction of a statutory valuation regime, which reflected the government’s view that the cost of acquiring rights to install digital infrastructure on private land prior to 2017 was too high and needed to be addressed. The valuation regime introduced in 2017 is more closely aligned to those for utilities such as water and electricity and reflects the fact that access to good quality digital services is an increasingly critical part of daily life for residents across the UK.
The Government continues to believe that the framework strikes the correct balance between ensuring individual landowners receive fair payments for allowing their land to be used and encouraging the industry investment needed for consumers across the UK to have access to fast, reliable digital services. Data provided to DCMS shows that so far this year agreements have been reached on 107 new sites, with heads of terms being agreed on a further 66. In relation to existing sites, 533 renewal agreements have been concluded so far this year, with heads of terms agreed on a further 119 sites. The data also shows that there has been a year on year increase in the number of concluded agreements since 2020. We think this reflects informal feedback we have received from all stakeholders suggesting that the market is adapting to the valuation framework.
Since the introduction of the reforms in 2017 we have engaged with and listened to stakeholders to understand the impact of the reforms in practice. This has included a formal consultation on further changes to the Code, which led to the provisions in the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Bill, as well as ongoing (and continuing) engagement with stakeholders throughout the passage of the Bill.
In parallel, DCMS officials have convened monthly Access to Land Workshops over the last 12-18 months, which cover a number of workstreams and attract attendance from stakeholders across the telecommunications industry, including site provider representatives. I am pleased to say that these workshops have made excellent progress and one of the outputs of this work is the creation of a new industry body, the National Connectivity Alliance, which in time will continue this work independently of DCMS.
Any impacts on the rights of individual property owners have been carefully considered and balanced against the public benefits of improved connectivity. In particular, where measures in the Bill have the potential to be applied retrospectively, the rights of landowners were given careful consideration.
The Government does not intend to separately or specifically review the Electronic Communications Code rental payments market. However, the government will continue to carefully monitor the effectiveness of this legislation. For example, officials will continue to engage with stakeholders in the period leading up to the Bill’s implementation and subsequently, to understand how the new provisions are working in practice.
Asked by: Gary Sambrook (Conservative - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the announcement that the National Lottery will form a commercial partnership with the Rugby Football League, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the allocation of funds from the National Lottery promotional fund to that partnership on the ongoing Fourth National Lottery Licence Competition.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The National Lottery's partnership with the Rugby Football League is a commercial arrangement entered into by the current operator of the National Lottery under the terms of its current (third) licence. Promotional deals are a valuable part of the National Lottery proposition as they strengthen the National Lottery brand and associated positivity.
The Gambling Commission, as the independent regulator, approved the release of funding for a range of promotional deals such as this, as they were satisfied that in the short term, they would benefit National Lottery players (through relevant prizes), while over the longer term, they would generate benefits for the National Lottery brand. The budget is from a promotional fund, and is therefore separate from the money allocated to National Lottery good causes.
The Gambling Commission launched the competition for the 4th licence on 28 August 2020. The next licence comes into force in August 2023.
Asked by: Gary Sambrook (Conservative - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the National Lottery operates with the highest regard for player protection both on and offline.
Answered by John Whittingdale
I refer my hon. friend to the answer given on 24th May, in response to question 4020.
Asked by: Gary Sambrook (Conservative - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of including (a) scratch cards and (b) instant win games in the National Lottery portfolio on (i) sales growth, (ii) returns to good causes and (iii) providing an entry point to problem gambling among players.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The decision by the operator to withdraw all £10 Interactive Instant Win Games in 2020, followed research, commissioned by the Gambling Commission, which found a correlation between players of Interactive Instant Win Games at the £10 price point and some problem gambling behaviours. The research did not show causation. The precautionary actions taken in this respect are indicative of the strong player protection policies in place on the National Lottery.
'Instants games’ have been part of the National Lottery portfolio for a majority of the time since the National Lottery was launched in 1994. Scratchcards were introduced in 1995 and online Interactive Instant Win Games in 2003. A broad portfolio ensures the National Lottery continues to appeal to a wide range of people and can provide substantial contributions for good causes every week. This has helped the National Lottery contribute over £1.2 billion to the UK wide response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
All games, including instants games, are licenced by the independent regulator, the Gambling Commission. In determining whether to licence games, the Commission will consider the potential impact on players and the player protection mechanisms which are in place to protect players from harm.
Evidence from the latest (2018) Health Survey for England shows that National Lottery games were associated with the lowest rates of problem gambling of all gambling products considered. Problem gambling rates for National Lottery draw-based games were 0.9% while the figure for Scratchcards was 1.4%.
Asked by: Gary Sambrook (Conservative - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of National Lottery’s decision to withdraw £10 online instant win games amid problem gambling concerns.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The decision by the operator to withdraw all £10 Interactive Instant Win Games in 2020, followed research, commissioned by the Gambling Commission, which found a correlation between players of Interactive Instant Win Games at the £10 price point and some problem gambling behaviours. The research did not show causation. The precautionary actions taken in this respect are indicative of the strong player protection policies in place on the National Lottery.
'Instants games’ have been part of the National Lottery portfolio for a majority of the time since the National Lottery was launched in 1994. Scratchcards were introduced in 1995 and online Interactive Instant Win Games in 2003. A broad portfolio ensures the National Lottery continues to appeal to a wide range of people and can provide substantial contributions for good causes every week. This has helped the National Lottery contribute over £1.2 billion to the UK wide response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
All games, including instants games, are licenced by the independent regulator, the Gambling Commission. In determining whether to licence games, the Commission will consider the potential impact on players and the player protection mechanisms which are in place to protect players from harm.
Evidence from the latest (2018) Health Survey for England shows that National Lottery games were associated with the lowest rates of problem gambling of all gambling products considered. Problem gambling rates for National Lottery draw-based games were 0.9% while the figure for Scratchcards was 1.4%.
Asked by: Gary Sambrook (Conservative - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
What steps his Department is taking to help the voluntary sector co-ordinate its response to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Matt Warman
The voluntary sector plays a vital role in the response to Coronavirus, with millions of people stepping up to help. My Department is supporting the Voluntary and Community Sector Emergencies Partnership, which is coordinating the voluntary sector response to the crisis.
The Partnership is co-chaired by the British Red Cross and National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA), and brings together key organisations across the voluntary sector. It is helping to identify needs, match the country’s strong base of volunteers with demands, and coordinate voluntary sector activity nationally and locally.