Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
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 on household costs of a transition from digital terrestrial television to IPTV, in the context of the requirement for broadband subscriptions to access television services.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that television services remain affordable and accessible to all households, and that universal access to free-to-air public service broadcasting is maintained.
No decisions have been taken on the future of TV distribution. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to consider the full range of factors relevant to the future of digital terrestrial television.
Any future decisions would take into account the impact on household costs, including in the context of broadband requirements, and the need to ensure that audiences can continue to access public service content easily and affordably, while maintaining universal access to free-to-air television.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of how universal access to free-to-air television would be guaranteed under any IPTV-only system.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that television services remain affordable and accessible to all households, and that universal access to free-to-air public service broadcasting is maintained.
No decisions have been taken on the future of TV distribution. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to consider the full range of factors relevant to the future of digital terrestrial television.
Any future decisions would take into account the impact on household costs, including in the context of broadband requirements, and the need to ensure that audiences can continue to access public service content easily and affordably, while maintaining universal access to free-to-air television.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of the gap between broadband availability and household take-up in the context of a transition from digital terrestrial television to IPTV.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that television services remain affordable, reliable, and accessible to all households. The Government’s Future of TV Distribution project is undertaking work to assess the future of digital terrestrial television after 2034 and no decisions have been made at this time.
As part of the project, officials from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology are working closely together to consider the range of issues that could arise under different long‑term scenarios, including implications for how households access television and questions of affordability, reliability and accessibility.
Through commercial and subsidised delivery, the Government is ensuring future-proofed and reliable, gigabit-capable connections are available to 99% of UK premises, and are monitoring and supporting market development for alternative technologies to deliver reliable broadband to more remote premises.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing funding to support households with broadband connectivity costs in a transition from digital terrestrial television to IPTV.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that television services remain affordable, reliable, and accessible to all households. The Government’s Future of TV Distribution project is undertaking work to assess the future of digital terrestrial television after 2034 and no decisions have been made at this time.
As part of the project, officials from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology are working closely together to consider the range of issues that could arise under different long‑term scenarios, including implications for how households access television and questions of affordability, reliability and accessibility.
Through commercial and subsidised delivery, the Government is ensuring future-proofed and reliable, gigabit-capable connections are available to 99% of UK premises, and are monitoring and supporting market development for alternative technologies to deliver reliable broadband to more remote premises.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the reliability of broadband networks, including the frequency and duration of outages, for the delivery of television services compared to terrestrial broadcast networks.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that television services remain affordable, reliable, and accessible to all households. The Government’s Future of TV Distribution project is undertaking work to assess the future of digital terrestrial television after 2034 and no decisions have been made at this time.
As part of the project, officials from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology are working closely together to consider the range of issues that could arise under different long‑term scenarios, including implications for how households access television and questions of affordability, reliability and accessibility.
Through commercial and subsidised delivery, the Government is ensuring future-proofed and reliable, gigabit-capable connections are available to 99% of UK premises, and are monitoring and supporting market development for alternative technologies to deliver reliable broadband to more remote premises.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has assessed the extent to which switching off digital terrestrial television could require households to take out broadband subscriptions in order to access television services.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that television services remain affordable, reliable, and accessible to all households. The Government’s Future of TV Distribution project is undertaking work to assess the future of digital terrestrial television after 2034 and no decisions have been made at this time.
As part of the project, officials from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology are working closely together to consider the range of issues that could arise under different long‑term scenarios, including implications for how households access television and questions of affordability, reliability and accessibility.
Through commercial and subsidised delivery, the Government is ensuring future-proofed and reliable, gigabit-capable connections are available to 99% of UK premises, and are monitoring and supporting market development for alternative technologies to deliver reliable broadband to more remote premises.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
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 BBC on the level of legal fees that may be incurred in connection with the dispute with President Trump.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This is a matter for the BBC, whose lawyers are now dealing with the issue. The BBC is independent of the UK government and so it is a matter for them and the US President.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
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 BBC on legal fees incurred in connection with President Trump.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This is a matter for the BBC, whose lawyers are now dealing with the issue. The BBC is independent of the UK government and so it is a matter for them and the US President.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will commission an impact study on the potential impact of visitor levies on levels of inbound tourism.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Chancellor continually keeps the tax system under review.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Sport, what engagement her Department has had with the national football associations across the UK regarding a joint bid for the UEFA European Championships in 2028.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
On Wednesday 23 March 2022, the five football associations of the UK and Ireland submitted a joint expression of interest to host the UEFA European Championships 2028. The UK Government supported this step and we believe that hosting EURO 2028 would be a fantastic opportunity for the whole of the UK and Ireland.
My officials have worked closely alongside the football associations, the government of Ireland and the Devolved Administrations throughout this process, and we will continue to engage closely as we develop our potential bid.