Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what information her Department holds on the number of pensioners who (a) are in poverty and (b) rely on free terrestrial television to watch TV.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The department does not currently hold data that combines TV distribution method, age and poverty.
DCMS is currently undertaking a project to evaluate the future distribution of television over the next decade. This project will continue to consider the impact of any decision on potentially vulnerable groups.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that her Department’s Future of TV Distribution Stakeholder Forum takes account of the needs of rural communities.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS is currently undertaking a project to evaluate the future distribution of television as the sector continues to evolve over the next decade. As part of this project, the Government published independent research led by Exeter University last year that included data on the use of different distribution methods by a range of different demographic groups, which included rural communities. The Government has also commissioned follow up qualitative research to understand in more detail the specific preferences, motivations and barriers regarding TV viewing among a variety of groups including rural households.
A wide range of views are being sought from across the TV sector, audience groups and infrastructure through the Stakeholder Forum. This includes a number of groups representing rural and UK-wide audiences, such as the Rural Services Network.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of digital terrestrial television on rural connectivity.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS is currently undertaking a project to evaluate the future distribution of television as the sector continues to evolve over the next decade. As part of this project, the Government published independent research led by Exeter University last year that included data on the use of different distribution methods by a range of different demographic groups, which included rural communities. The Government has also commissioned follow up qualitative research to understand in more detail the specific preferences, motivations and barriers regarding TV viewing among a variety of groups including rural households.
A wide range of views are being sought from across the TV sector, audience groups and infrastructure through the Stakeholder Forum. This includes a number of groups representing rural and UK-wide audiences, such as the Rural Services Network.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many staff in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have been permitted to undertake diversity-related network time during core working hours.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The majority of staff time spent on diversity staff networks is voluntary and unpaid. We have 11 staff in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport who have been permitted to undertake diversity-related network time during core working hours.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) internal policy reviews, (b) independent reviews, (c) external reviews, (d) taskforces, (e) public consultations, (f) investigations and (g) other reviews their Department launched between 5 July 2024 and 5 January 2025; what the titles were of those reviews; and how many of those reviews have been (i) completed and (ii) published.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
This Government has outlined its ambitions through the Plan for Change, which sets out an ambitious set of milestones – across the missions – for this Parliament.
As the House would expect, the Government continually reviews its work to ensure that it is delivering the best outcomes for the people of the United Kingdom, and that its policies continue to represent the best value for the taxpayer.
Public reviews will be available on Gov.uk as they are published.