Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff in her Department have responsibilities relating to the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Matt Hancock
The Department for Exiting the European Union is doing detailed work with departments to prepared for the upcoming negotiations by understanding the risks and opportunities of leaving the EU and coordinating planning. Staff within the DCMS EU Team lead on providing advice to Ministers on EU Exit and related issues. Members of staff across the Department also provide advice and analyses on EU Exit issues as required. Given the interactions between EU exit work and the Department's other priorities, it would not be possible to give an accurate figure.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Welsh Office on the Government's review of S4C.
Answered by Matt Hancock
We strongly support S4C. We work closely and collaboratively with the Welsh Government on areas of common interest - including the proposed review of S4C.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how she plans to ensure that the review of S4C is independent.
Answered by Matt Hancock
The Government is committed to a comprehensive review of S4C in 2017 covering remit, funding and governance. Further details including the name of the reviewer, terms of reference and process will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to make an announcement as to who will lead the independent review of S4C.
Answered by Matt Hancock
The Government is committed to a comprehensive review of S4C in 2017 covering remit, funding and governance. Further details including the name of the reviewer, terms of reference and process will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Welsh Government on the review of S4C.
Answered by Matt Hancock
The Department and Ministers meet regularly with the Welsh Government on areas of common interest - including the proposed review of S4C.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what information his Department holds on superfast broadband connectivity rates in each parliamentary constituency in Wales.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Ofcom has published fixed broadband data by UK unitary authority and English county council as of June 2014 at http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/infrastructure/2014/Fixed_local_authority.csv and by postcode at http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/research/ir/Fixed_postcode.zip including “Take-up of lines > 30 Mbit/s (number of lines)”. The House of Commons Library has analysed some of the Ofcom data by parliamentary constituency in its Standard Note Fixed Broadband: Policy and Speeds SN06643 at http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/research/briefing-papers/SN06643Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent review he has made of the arrangements that ensure that customers can easily switch contracts between telecom providers.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
We set out our thinking on switching in the Connectivity, Content and Consumers [CCC} Strategy Paper, published in July 2013. In December 2013 Ofcom announced that gaining-provider led (GPL) switching would be mandated for broadband and fixed telephony over the Openreach network. Full implementation of this will be completed by June 2015. In July 2014, Ofcom published a call for inputs (which closed in September) on switching providers of broadband, pay-TV, mobile voice and data services and bundled services, in order to gauge the impact of these processes on consumers’ experience and on competition. Ofcom is conducting further research and holding discussions with industry and consumer organisations. It will publish a document setting out its findings in the first half of 2015