Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how charity-run swimming pools should apply for the additional funding announced at the Spring Budget 2023.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We recognise the importance of ensuring public access to swimming pools, as swimming is a great way for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy. The responsibility of providing this access lies at Local Authority level, and the Government continues to encourage Local Authorities to support swimming facilities.
At the Budget, we announced a dedicated £63 million support package for swimming pools, which is targeted at addressing cost pressures facing public swimming pool providers. It will also help provide investment in energy efficiency measures to reduce future operating costs and make facilities sustainable in the long-term.
Details of the eligibility process will be published shortly, however, this fund will focus on those public swimming pool providers whose cost pressures are most acute, leaving them most vulnerable to closure. The Government intends for community and charitable trusts to be eligible to receive this funding. Sport England will manage a competitive application process and set out further detail on eligibility shortly.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether it is her policy to decriminalise the non-payment of the TV Licence fee.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government consulted on decriminalisation of TV licence evasion in 2020, and published its response in January 2021. The response to the consultation shows that a significant number of people oppose the criminal sanction with some highlighting the considerable stress and anxiety it can cause for individuals, including the most vulnerable in society, such as older people.
However, the consultation also identified that changing the sanction for TV licence evasion would have wide-ranging impacts for licence fee payers, as well as potentially leading to a significant increase in fines for those evading payment.
The Government therefore decided to keep the issue of decriminalisation under consideration.
More broadly, it is necessary to look at the BBC’s funding model as a whole to ensure it is sustainable in the long-term. The Government will set out further detail on its plans regarding the future of the licence fee in due course.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had recent discussions with the Mayor of London on the potential merits of permitting the empty plinth of Trafalgar Square to host a permeant statue of Her late Majesty the Queen.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
No specific conversations have happened between the Secretary of State and the Mayor of London on this topic, however the government is grateful for the many suggestions received to commemorate the life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II. The Government will carefully consider these suggestions as part of thinking about how we remember Her extraordinary legacy. Following the passing of the Deregulation Act 2015, consent from the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is no longer required to erect statues in London.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether it is her policy to rolling out greater broadband access in the UK; and whether her Department is on track to reach the 85 per cent connectivity target by 2025.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Project Gigabit is the government’s £5 billion mission to deliver lightning-fast, reliable broadband across the UK. Its objective is to level up the UK by giving hard-to-reach areas access to gigabit-capable internet speeds and, coupled with commercial gigabit delivery, ensuring almost all of the UK has access to gigabit-capable internet as soon as possible.
Across the UK, over 70% (ThinkBroadband) of premises can now access gigabit-capable broadband, and we remain on track to meet the target of at least 85% gigabit-capable coverage by 2025.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps to help ensure that online registration forms recognise the use of special characters in names, including apostrophes and hyphens.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
It is for individual businesses to provide services that are functional for their clients. Any personal data they collect via online platforms must be processed in accordance with the data protection principles. They include requirements to make sure that any personal data held is accurate and up to date and to take reasonable steps to rectify any mistakes that are identified without delay.
In relation to the public sector, the Cabinet Office requires all government departments to make sure central UK Government online services can be used by everyone. This is a requirement of the Service Standard, set and maintained by the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO). The CDDO assesses government services against this standard and the Cabinet Office provides additional guidance on fields which ask for names, stating that they should support all characters, including numbers and symbols.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to regulate (a) operation and (b) growth in the number of Airbnb properties in residential areas.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The sharing economy has brought many benefits to the tourism sector and wider economy, as well as creating an additional income stream for homeowners. However, we recognise that the increase in short-term letting has also prompted some concerns. These include the impact on the housing market and local communities, and a sense that new entrants in the market are not being held to the same health and safety standards as, for example, hotels and B&Bs.
The Government committed in the Tourism Recovery Plan published in June last year to consider a possible Short Term Accommodation Registration Scheme in England. As a first step in this process, a Call for Evidence was published on 29 June and runs until 21 September.
We want to hear from a wide range of stakeholders, including local authorities, in order to build a much-needed evidence base on these issues and enable us to develop proportionate policy responses for a future consultation. We ideally want to strike a balance between the benefits of the sharing economy and the concerns of the impacts on some communities, alongside ensuring consistency in quality among the range of different tourism accommodation providers.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to investigate the treatment of Liverpool fans at the Champions League final in Paris on 28 May 2022.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
I welcome the fact that, as the Secretary of State and I, and many members of the House of Commons, called for, UEFA have commissioned an independent investigation, and issued an apology to fans who attended the final. I have met with the French Minister for Sport, who has also apologised and has commissioned a review of the delivery of the event.
Liverpool Football Club are collating fan experiences, via their website, to contribute to the investigations, and I urge fans to send accounts of their experiences to the club. DCMS will continue to work closely with the relevant authorities and Liverpool FC on this.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assistance her Department is providing in negotiations between Derby County FC and the English Football League on the future of that club.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government continues to engage closely with the English Football League about Derby County Football Club. Ultimately, it is for the EFL, the administrator and the club to resolve issues to ensure the survival of Derby County FC, but the government has urged pragmatism from all parties to find a solution for the benefit of fans and the community that the club serves. The EFL must equally preserve the integrity of the league on behalf of all member clubs, but all parties want to see one of the founding members of the Football League continue this season and beyond under appropriate ownership.
It is positive that the EFL has granted a 4 week extension to Derby County FC and its administrators to demonstrate proof of funding through to the end of the season. The extension is a vital lifeline for the survival of the club and the opportunity shouldn't be squandered. I am in regular contact with the EFL and administrators about the club's future. Derby County is a proud club with a long history, and this additional time must be utilised to ensure a suitable outcome is reached, with the interests of Derby County's fans in mind.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent progress her Department has made on implementing the recommendations from the Fan Led Review of Football Governance.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises the need for the long-term financial sustainability of football clubs, particularly those in the lower leagues. That is why we have welcomed the Independent Fan Led Review of Football Governance and have endorsed in principle the primary recommendation of the review, that football requires a strong, independent regulator to secure the future of our national game.
The Government is working at pace to review the report in full, including detailed consideration of the recommendations made on improving financial stability and the governance of football clubs across the game.
The Government will continue to engage with stakeholders as we work towards issuing a full response to the report in the Spring.
Asked by: Julian Sturdy (Conservative - York Outer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Government's announcement of 14 June 2021 not to move ahead with Step 4 of the Government's roadmap for the easing of covid-19 restrictions from the 21 June 2021, whether his Department has made an estimate of the value of business that will be lost by the indoor play sector as a result of continued limits on capacity for that sector.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
We recognise the challenging times facing all sectors currently, and continue to support in line the prime minister's roadmap to the full reopening of the economy. The Department has been working closely with stakeholders across the indoor play sector throughout the pandemic to understand both the nature and scale of the impact that this sector has faced.
Since 17 May, indoor play sectors have been able to reopen, with COVID safety guidance in place. We are committed to helping the Indoor play sector reopen fully, and while we know that the loss of some business that may occur as a result of the delay to step 4, public health must remain the top priority. The roadmap sets out a cautious and gradual approach, led by data, not dates.
Throughout the pandemic, businesses have had access to an unprecedented £350 billion package of support including cash grants, government-backed loans, the extended furlough scheme and £5 billion for new Restart Grants.
To ensure that people and businesses have time to plan as the economy reopens in line with the easing of restrictions, schemes such as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will continue until September 2021. Support for businesses through grants and loans, business rates and VAT relief is also still available.