Asked by: John Nicolson (Scottish National Party - Ochil and South Perthshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will introduce a reciprocal touring artist visa waiver programme with the EU to ensure (a) artists, (b) musicians and (c) performers can tour freely.
Answered by Oliver Dowden - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Government recognises the importance of touring for UK musicians and other creative professionals. We acknowledge that there will be some additional processes for those in creative industries working across the EU now that the transition period has come to an end. However, our agreement with the EU contains Transparency and Procedural Facilitation measures that will help ensure visa processes are as prompt and smooth as possible.
During our negotiations with the EU, the UK proposed measures, reflecting the views of the music industry itself, that would have allowed musicians to travel and perform in the UK and the EU more easily, without needing work-permits. Specifically, we proposed to capture the work done by musicians, artists and entertainers, and their accompanying staff through the list of permitted activities for short-term business visitors.
In practice this would have delivered an outcome that is closer to the UK’s approach to incoming musicians, artists and entertainers from non-visa national countries, such as EU Member States and the US, who can come to perform in the UK without requiring a visa. Unfortunately, these proposals were repeatedly rejected by the EU.
The EU did not propose and wouldn’t accept a tailored deal for musicians, artists and their support staff to tour across the EU and UK.
Going forward, we will continue our close dialogue with the creative and cultural sectors to ensure that they have the support they need to thrive.The Government recognises the importance of touring for UK musicians and other creative professionals, and has engaged extensively with the creative industries and arts sector since the announcement of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement to ensure they are aware of the new requirements.
Asked by: John Nicolson (Scottish National Party - Ochil and South Perthshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of the Advertising Association's proposals for an advertising tax credit for local radio stations and news publications.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Advertising is a central driver of the UK economy and government is committed to supporting the continued growth of the industry across the whole of the UK. Government is evaluating a range of measures to meet this goal, including an advertising tax credit.
Asked by: John Nicolson (Scottish National Party - Ochil and South Perthshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to publish further details on how the Government will achieve its target Gigabit-capable connectivity for all by 2025; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Matt Warman
The Government is committed to delivering nationwide coverage of gigabit capable broadband as soon as possible and believes that the best way to do this is to promote network competition and commercial investment wherever possible, and to intervene with public subsidy where necessary.
The Government is taking action to remove barriers to commercial deployment including, for example, through the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold) Property Bill, which will make it easier to connect tenanted properties with an unresponsive landlord. We are also committed to legislating to mandate gigabit connectivity in new build homes. For harder to reach areas, we have committed to invest a record £5 billion to support gigabit capable broadband deployment. We will be publishing more details in due course.
Asked by: John Nicolson (Scottish National Party - Ochil and South Perthshire)
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 protect people with epilepsy from being targeted by social media posts designed to trigger a seizure with flashing images; and if he will bring forward amendments to the Online Harms Bill to criminalise that matter.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The government intends to introduce world-leading Online Harms legislation to make the UK the safest place to be online. We intend to establish in law a new duty of care on companies towards their users which will be overseen by an independent regulator. The Government published its Initial Consultation Response to the Online Harms White Paper in February 2020, and this set out our direction of travel on a number of key areas. We are aiming to publish a full government response to the Online Harms White Paper consultation later this year, and this will include more detailed proposals on online harms regulation.
In addition to this new legislation, it is important to make sure that the criminal law is fit for purpose to deal with online harms. DCMS and the Ministry of Justice have engaged the Law Commission on a second phase of their review of abusive and offensive online communications. The Law Commission will review existing communications offences and make specific recommendations about options for reform, to ensure that criminal law provides consistent and effective protection against such behaviour.
Asked by: John Nicolson (Scottish National Party - Ochil and South Perthshire)
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 contribution of the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill towards meeting the Government's target of delivering gigabit-capable connectivity for all by 2025.
Answered by Matt Warman
The Government remains committed to providing gigabit-capable connections to every home and business in the country as soon as possible.
The Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill contributes to that commitment. It creates a faster, cheaper process than that which currently exists, so as to allow operators to apply to courts for rights under the Electronic Communications Code (“the Code”) to install infrastructure and provide a connection. It applies only where a landowner (or otherwise ‘required grantor’) is repeatedly unresponsive to an operator’s attempts to agree to those rights for access.
It is also necessary for those attempts to have been prompted in the first place by a request made to the operator by a tenant, for the operator to provide a service.
The Bill applies to multiple dwelling buildings (e.g. blocks of flats) of which there are an estimated 450,000 in the UK and housing around 10 million people. Information provided by the industry indicates that approximately 40% of operators’ notices to the owners of multiple dwelling buildings attempting to agree permission to install infrastructure receive no response. This leaves residents in those properties unlikely to receive faster, more reliable, more resilient broadband. The Bill addresses this issue by providing for a specific process allowing operators to apply for rights under the Code.
As regards any further changes to the legislation regulating operator rights to build infrastructure on privately owned land, my department is working closely with stakeholders to understand whether the existing statutory framework supports delivery of the 2025 targets. This includes assessing whether Government interventions - including possible further legislative reforms - may be of assistance in achieving the 2025 targets.
Asked by: John Nicolson (Scottish National Party - Ochil and South Perthshire)
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 need to revise legislation in respect of the rights of telecoms operators to build infrastructure on privately owned land in order to meet the Government's target of delivering gigabit-capable connectivity for all by 2025; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Matt Warman
The Government remains committed to providing gigabit-capable connections to every home and business in the country as soon as possible.
The Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill contributes to that commitment. It creates a faster, cheaper process than that which currently exists, so as to allow operators to apply to courts for rights under the Electronic Communications Code (“the Code”) to install infrastructure and provide a connection. It applies only where a landowner (or otherwise ‘required grantor’) is repeatedly unresponsive to an operator’s attempts to agree to those rights for access.
It is also necessary for those attempts to have been prompted in the first place by a request made to the operator by a tenant, for the operator to provide a service.
The Bill applies to multiple dwelling buildings (e.g. blocks of flats) of which there are an estimated 450,000 in the UK and housing around 10 million people. Information provided by the industry indicates that approximately 40% of operators’ notices to the owners of multiple dwelling buildings attempting to agree permission to install infrastructure receive no response. This leaves residents in those properties unlikely to receive faster, more reliable, more resilient broadband. The Bill addresses this issue by providing for a specific process allowing operators to apply for rights under the Code.
As regards any further changes to the legislation regulating operator rights to build infrastructure on privately owned land, my department is working closely with stakeholders to understand whether the existing statutory framework supports delivery of the 2025 targets. This includes assessing whether Government interventions - including possible further legislative reforms - may be of assistance in achieving the 2025 targets.
Asked by: John Nicolson (Scottish National Party - Ochil and South Perthshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to his announcement on 20 May 2020 that £150m released from dormant bank accounts would benefit charitable causes,: whether funds from those bank accounts registered in Scotland contributed to that figure; and whether charities in Scotland benefit from that release of funds.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The dormant assets scheme enables banks and building societies to voluntarily transfer dormant accounts into the scheme from across the UK, and for customers to reclaim their money at any point. Surplus funds unlocked through the scheme are apportioned among England and each of the devolved administrations to be directed to social or environmental causes of each nation’s choosing. Dormant assets funds are apportioned to each nation according to the Distribution of Dormant Account Money (Apportionment) Order 2011, which was based on the Barnett formula.
The £150m announced on 20th May is the English portion of currently available funds, £71m of which is new funding alongside £79m of previously announced funds that have been repurposed to respond to Covid-19. Approximately £25m is currently available to the devolved administrations, of which circa £13m is available for Scotland. We understand The National Lottery Community Fund is working with ministers and officials in Scotland to determine how the Scottish government wishes to direct their portion.
Asked by: John Nicolson (Scottish National Party - Ochil and South Perthshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Department makes an assessment of the working practices of overseas companies from which the Government procures imported telecommunications infrastructure and technology.
Answered by Matt Warman
The Government conducted a comprehensive, evidence-based review of the Telecoms Supply Chain to ensure the security and resilience of 5G in the UK. The Review was published in July 2019 and the final conclusions of the Review in relation to high risk vendors were announced in January 2020. The Review was informed by expert technical advice from the NCSC, economic analysis and discussions with industry and UK’s international partners.
The conclusions from the Review have outlined the Government’s three priorities for the future of telecommunications: stronger cyber security practices; greater resilience in telecoms network; and diversity in the market.
The Government has also set out its expectations of businesses in the UK National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights and continues to encourage all British businesses to undertake appropriate levels of due diligence before deciding to do business or invest in foreign companies. The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights advises UK companies to respect human rights wherever they operate including adopting appropriate due diligence policies to identify, prevent and mitigate human rights risks, and commit to monitoring and evaluating implementation.
Asked by: John Nicolson (Scottish National Party - Ochil and South Perthshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many and what proportion of staff in his Department are paid less than the living wage.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
No staff in DCMS are paid less than the living wage.