Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to publish the Annual Social Media Transparency Report.
Answered by Margot James
We have engaged with a number of companies who have supplied information which we are using to inform our future approach to transparency reporting. Further details of this work will be set out in our forthcoming Online Harms White Paper.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether it remains his policy that the provisions of the restrictions on the advertising of high fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) products apply to (a) broadcast and (b) online media.
Answered by Margot James
In the second chapter of our Childhood Obesity Plan, published in June 2018, we committed to consult on introducing further advertising restrictions, including a 9pm watershed on TV advertising of foods high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) products and similar protection for children viewing adverts online, with the aim of limiting children’s exposure to HFSS advertising, and incentivising sugar and calorie reduction. We will explore options to ensure that any restrictions are proportionate, help to incentivise reformulation in line with the aims of the sugar and calorie reduction programmes, and consider a focus on those products that children consume and most contribute to the problem of childhood obesity.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has plans to introduce legislative proposals to enable the Advertising Standards Authority to ensure that online platforms have the same level of accountability as Television broadcasters in relation to online advertising.
Answered by Margot James
We are engaging with regulators, online platforms and advertising companies to ensure that the principles that govern advertising in traditional media apply and are enforced online more broadly.
Thee White Paper on online harms will be published in winter 2018/19. This will consider the full range of possible solutions to address issues relating to online safety and ensure industry takes responsibility for harms, including legal and regulatory changes where necessary.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to prevent internet service providers from advertising using the term fibre when their network uses copper wiring.
Answered by Margot James
Ofcom’s Connected Nations report states that full fibre networks (FTTP connections) can provide a better quality of broadband than part-fibre connections, such as FTTC. FTTP offers more stable performance, especially at peak times, and can therefore more easily meet advertised headline speeds. Ofcom also states that, compared to copper-based networks (like standard broadband and FTTC connections), full fibre networks are more reliable and resilient and suffer five times fewer faults. Full fibre can also deliver both download and upload speeds of 1Gbps, making it significantly faster than existing services delivered over part-copper networks.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) reviewed the use of the term ‘fibre’ to describe part-fibre and full-fibre broadband. As part of its decision in November 2017, it concluded that the term 'fibre' is unlikely to mislead consumers as currently used in the advertising of part-fibre broadband services. In June, the Administrative Court granted CityFibre permission to proceed with its Judicial Review of the ASA's decision.
The ASA also recognised there are differences between broadband services, and said that:
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 10 September 2018 to Question 167873 on Broadband: Advertising, what steps he is taking to ensure consumers have clear, concise and accurate information to make an informed choice on the differences between (a) FTTC and (b) FTTP broadband.
Answered by Margot James
Ofcom’s Connected Nations report states that full fibre networks (FTTP connections) can provide a better quality of broadband than part-fibre connections, such as FTTC. FTTP offers more stable performance, especially at peak times, and can therefore more easily meet advertised headline speeds. Ofcom also states that, compared to copper-based networks (like standard broadband and FTTC connections), full fibre networks are more reliable and resilient and suffer five times fewer faults. Full fibre can also deliver both download and upload speeds of 1Gbps, making it significantly faster than existing services delivered over part-copper networks.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) reviewed the use of the term ‘fibre’ to describe part-fibre and full-fibre broadband. As part of its decision in November 2017, it concluded that the term 'fibre' is unlikely to mislead consumers as currently used in the advertising of part-fibre broadband services. In June, the Administrative Court granted CityFibre permission to proceed with its Judicial Review of the ASA's decision.
The ASA also recognised there are differences between broadband services, and said that:
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the differences in (a) speed and (b) reliability of (i) FTTC and (ii) FTTP broadband connections.
Answered by Margot James
Ofcom’s Connected Nations report states that full fibre networks (FTTP connections) can provide a better quality of broadband than part-fibre connections, such as FTTC. FTTP offers more stable performance, especially at peak times, and can therefore more easily meet advertised headline speeds. Ofcom also states that, compared to copper-based networks (like standard broadband and FTTC connections), full fibre networks are more reliable and resilient and suffer five times fewer faults. Full fibre can also deliver both download and upload speeds of 1Gbps, making it significantly faster than existing services delivered over part-copper networks.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) reviewed the use of the term ‘fibre’ to describe part-fibre and full-fibre broadband. As part of its decision in November 2017, it concluded that the term 'fibre' is unlikely to mislead consumers as currently used in the advertising of part-fibre broadband services. In June, the Administrative Court granted CityFibre permission to proceed with its Judicial Review of the ASA's decision.
The ASA also recognised there are differences between broadband services, and said that:
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what monies have been allocated from the public purse to commemorate the role of women in World War 1 at centenary events.
Answered by Michael Ellis
We have committed more than £10 million in LIBOR funds to support the National Commemorative events delivered by my Department, which mark the key milestones of the First World War Centenary. These have commemorated the Gallipoli Campaign, the battles of Jutland, the Somme and Passchendaele, and a variety of events to be delivered in 2018. All of the events have included female voices, and have reflected the roles played by women and the impact of the war on women.
The Government’s wider programme is designed to support communities and organisations in telling stories of greatest relevance to them through commemorative events, exhibitions and other projects. Projects across the country supported by Government funding and other sources of public funding have commemorated the role of women in the First World War.
The Imperial War Museums’ Centenary Partnership has delivered ‘WomensWork100’, which is specifically focusing on the role of women during the First World War, holding events at the IWM in Lambeth and around the country. 14-18 NOW, the Government’s Cultural delivery partner, has also commemorated the role played by women.
There is also an extensive programme of events taking place in 2018 to commemorate the centenary of the Representation of the People Act 1918.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the value is of Barnett consequential funding allocated to the Scottish Parliament as a result of National Citizenship Service funding.
Answered by Rob Wilson
National Citizen Service (NCS) funding allocations for the years 2016-17 onwards were made at the 2015 Spending Review and revised in 2017. At Spending Review 2015 the Barnett Formula was applied in the normal way to spending allocations of UK Government departments and not to individual spending programmes such as NCS.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department plans to promote the works of Robert Burns as part of the UK-Russia Year of Language and Literature 2016.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
The UK programme in Russia for the 2016 UK Russia Year of Language and Literature is being led by the British Council in partnership with the FCO, UKTI and Visit Britain and other UK organisations.
The programme reflects the literary heritage of all parts of the United Kingdom, including Robert Burns, whose work already enjoys great popularity in Russia.
In addition the British Council is using the Year of Language and Literature to promote contemporary Scottish literature in Russia. Scottish poets will visit Russia to collaborate with Russian poets, Scottish writers will feature in the 'New Writing from the UK' award and a Scottish writer will take part in the British Literature Seminar at Tolstoy’s home in September.