Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what her timescale is for provision of total mobile network coverage in Bishop Auckland constituency; and which operator will provide the network in that constituency.
Answered by Matt Warman
On 25 October 2019, the Government announced in-principle support for a Shared Rural Network (SRN) programme, which is a proposal from the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to collectively increase 4G mobile coverage throughout the United Kingdom to 95% by 2025, underpinned by a legally binding coverage commitment from each operator to have reached more than 92% by 2026. The Government’s in-principle support remains subject to detailed negotiations with the MNOs, but our ambition is to reach a formal agreement on the SRN in the coming months.
The exact site deployment plans and timescales will be managed by the MNOs themselves in order for them to best deliver the agreed coverage outcomes. So until the operators’ final radio planning exercise is complete, neither the Government nor the operators will know the precise location or number of new or upgraded masts. However, the operators will be consulting with local communities as they do so. The MNOs’ intention is to deliver this programme by the end of 2025.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what preparations her Department are undertaking to celebrate the opening of the first public railway in Stockton and Darlington in 1825.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Through the Heritage Action Zone initiative, Historic England, Government’s adviser on the historic environment, is helping to breathe new life into old places that are rich in heritage and full of promise. The Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) has been established to help rejuvenate and restore the historic railway and to help realise its potential to become a major heritage attraction in the build-up to its 2025 bicentenary. The aim is to provide the impetus for long term economic growth and regeneration in the area.
The preparations for celebrating the bicentenary are central to the HAZ. The HAZ is part of a much wider initiative around celebrating the anniversary, led by Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA), and there are extensive plans in place to mark the anniversary. A lot of well-developed planning on the S&DR HAZ has taken place involving all the key partners including local government partners as well as industry partners, such as National Rail and others. The partners are working together not just on the overall management of the project, but also on the planning of a highly ambitious cultural programme for 2025. Extensive groundwork has taken place to develop the corridor of the S&DR HAZ into a coherent attraction with all key partners working on plans to celebrate 2025 as the anniversary of a great moment in our shared history. The partners’ intention is to create a permanently enhanced cultural attraction across the S&DR HAZ area in order to leave a lasting legacy.
The National Railway Museum, part of the DCMS-Sponsored Science Museum Group, will also be celebrating this monumental anniversary. The Railway Museum in York and its sister site, Locomotion in Shildon, are being transformed in order to reimagine the way they share the inspirational story of Britain’s railways with future generations, and visitors from around the world. These redevelopments, supported by £18.6m of government funding, will culminate in significant celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 2025.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether it is her policy to lay before Parliament the statutory instruments required to give legal effect to the regulations on age verification for commercial pornography sites by 3 October 2019.
Answered by Matt Warman
The British Board of Film Classification Guidance on Age Verification Arrangements is still in the standard three month standstill period under the EU Technical Standards and Regulatory Directive and the earliest it will complete is 2nd October 2019. We will provide further details once the standstill period has finished.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether steps have been taken to improve the child protection regime in martial arts; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
On 1 March 2018 I announced the launch of a new Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts, to recognise clubs or providers who have reached and maintained excellent safeguarding standards. This new code will help empower parents and carers to make informed decisions when selecting a martial arts club or provider for their child. The Code was developed by Sport England through close consultation with representatives from martial arts governing bodies, the Child Protection in Sport Unit and those with years of expertise in safeguarding. Clubs and providers can pledge to work towards the Code now, with the Code becoming fully operational in the summer.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will publish the Heritage Action Zones designated by Heritage Lottery Fund in each constituency since 2010.
Answered by Michael Ellis
Heritage Action Zones are a Historic England initiative. The scheme was a commitment in the Culture White Paper and has run since 2017, with ten Heritage Action Zones designated to date. These are in Appleby, Coventry, Elsecar, Hull, King's Lynn, Nottingham, Ramsgate, Sunderland, Sutton and Weston-super-Mare. A further eight Heritage Action Zones are in development now.
The Heritage Action Zones scheme aims to unleash the power in England's historic environment to create economic growth and improve quality of life in villages, towns and cities.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many libraries have closed in each constituency since 2010.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport monitors proposed changes to library service provision throughout England, but does not hold complete figures on the number of public libraries closed in each constituency since 2010.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) theatres and (b) cinemas have closed in each constituency since 2010.
Answered by Margot James
We do not hold the information requested.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many public swimming pools have closed in each constituency since 2010.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
Information on the number of swimming pools that have closed and opened in each of the last 5 years is available via Sport England’s Active Places Power database which can be accessed here:https://www.activeplacespower.com/. The information is not held at constituency level but is available at local authority level.
Between 2017 and 2021 Sport England is investing £12.16 million in Swim England to get more people swimming, and £27.5 million through its Strategic Facilities Fund to construct 21 new state of the art leisure facilities which include swimming pools. Government has set up an implementation group to explore the recommendations from the school swimming report published by the Swim Group in 2017, including how we can work with local authorities and private operators to make better use of facilities.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding will be provided by Arts Council England to (a) the North East and (b) England in the (i) period 2018 to 2022 and (ii) previous funding period.
Answered by Matt Hancock
Information regarding Arts Council England's National Portfolio can be found at: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/NPO.
Asked by: Helen Goodman (Labour - Bishop Auckland)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister of State for Digital and Culture of 28 November 2016, column 1345, when that Minister plans to write to the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland on amendments 25 and 26 to the Digital Economy Bill.
Answered by Matt Hancock
A response was submitted to the hon. Member on January 23rd 2017.