Asked by: Kirstene Hair (Conservative - Angus)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of enabling mobile phone roaming between mobile service network operators in rural areas.
Answered by Margot James
The Government is committed to extending geographic mobile coverage to 95% of the UK by 2022, as well as providing an uninterrupted mobile signal on all major roads.
Roaming in rural areas has the potential to improve consumer choice and could be a solution for the problem of “partial not-spots.” This is currently mandated for emergency calls so that a 999 call can be made from any mobile in all areas where there is a signal from at least one operator.
The Government’s recently published consultation on our Statement of Strategic Priorities urges Ofcom to fully consider the costs and benefits of roaming as an approach to improving mobile coverage more generally, and to maintain the option of requiring roaming by including appropriate provisions when granting rights of use for spectrum.
Asked by: Kirstene Hair (Conservative - Angus)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress has he made on the Local Full Fibre Networks Programme in rural locations throughout Scotland.
Answered by Margot James
The Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) Programme has the following Scottish projects and potential projects:
LFFN Wave 2 Challenge Fund
Highland Council are planning to use the SWAN Framework to implement a gigabit fibre network to 152 public buildings in Inverness, Fort William, Thurso and Wick - awarded £4.3m BDUK Funding. This project is in preparation stage for the 'Ready to Procure' Assurance Gate.
LFFN Wave 3 Challenge Fund
Shetland Council have successfully passed the LFFN Investment Panel stage and are working on the final Business case to go through Assurance Gate A and if approved will be issued with a letter of offer for £2m BDUK Funding
Tay Cities combined authority are in the dialogue stage regarding a potential LFFN project in their area.
Renfrewshire Council are at the pre-dialogue stage regarding a potential LFFN project in their area
Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme
To the end of September 2018 across Scotland, there have been 87 gigabit vouchers connected (value £243,953). A report up to the end of December 2018 will be released early in February
Asked by: Kirstene Hair (Conservative - Angus)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what his Department's policy is on improving mobile data coverage in rural areas with low levels of fixed superfast broadband coverage.
Answered by Margot James
The Government’s ambition is for there to be good mobile coverage in all areas where people live, work and travel, including areas where there are low levels of superfast fixed broadband coverage.
The Government recognises that industry needs to improve coverage further, particularly in rural areas, as consumers’ experience of mobile coverage falls short of their expectations.The Government has been taking action to drive up coverage, including reforms to the Electronic Communications Code, to encourage investment in the rollout of digital infrastructure by making deployment cheaper.
We also welcome Ofcom’s recent consultation (published on 18th December) which outlined potential new licence obligations targeting rural coverage as part of the upcoming 700MHz spectrum auction. This will help deliver better mobile coverage - including voice and data - and enable more people to benefit from the digital economy.
Asked by: Kirstene Hair (Conservative - Angus)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether an equitable distribution of National Lottery funding throughout the UK will be a criterion in the bidding process for the National Lottery franchise.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
The licence to operate the National Lottery does not cover distribution of good cause funding. The roles of operating the National Lottery and distributing funds to good causes are separate and distinct. National Lottery funding is awarded by 12 distributors working at arm’s length from Government. The distributors generally aim to ensure a wide geographical reach, but ultimately funding is distributed where there is greater need and impact.
The Fourth Licence to run the National Lottery is due to come into force in 2023. Bidding criteria have not yet been set.
Asked by: Kirstene Hair (Conservative - Angus)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions officials in his Department have had with representatives from local authorities in Scotland on the roll-out of superfast broadband.
Answered by Margot James
There is a regular and good working level relationship between DCMS and the Scottish government on the roll-out of superfast broadband.
Discussions cover superfast projects, R100, Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) projects and use of the DCMS Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme which was launched in April. To date, 425 vouchers have been issued totaling just £1.08m.
We are also engaging with Scottish Government and local bodies on the Rural Gigabit Connectivity programme announced at Budget 2018.
Asked by: Kirstene Hair (Conservative - Angus)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of UK television advertising related to junk food products in 2017.
Answered by Margot James
In the second chapter of our childhood obesity plan, launched in June 2018, we have committed to consult on introducing further advertising restrictions, including a 9pm watershed on TV advertising of 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. Further details about the consultation will be available later this year. Officials in government have regular discussions with their counterparts in the Devolved Administrations on improving the health and wellbeing of children and young people, including on tackling obesity. Discussions include domestic strategies and the delivery of UK-wide measures in our childhood obesity plan, such as advertising restrictions.
"Childhood obesity: a plan for action, chapter 2” is available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/childhood-obesity-a-plan-for-action-chapter-2
Asked by: Kirstene Hair (Conservative - Angus)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the devolved administrations on the potential merits of extending junk food advertising restrictions.
Answered by Margot James
In the second chapter of our childhood obesity plan, launched in June 2018, we have committed to consult on introducing further advertising restrictions, including a 9pm watershed on TV advertising of 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. Further details about the consultation will be available later this year. Officials in government have regular discussions with their counterparts in the Devolved Administrations on improving the health and wellbeing of children and young people, including on tackling obesity. Discussions include domestic strategies and the delivery of UK-wide measures in our childhood obesity plan, such as advertising restrictions.
"Childhood obesity: a plan for action, chapter 2” is available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/childhood-obesity-a-plan-for-action-chapter-2
Asked by: Kirstene Hair (Conservative - Angus)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the timescale is for issuing new licences to mobile networks.
Answered by Margot James
Securing optimal use of spectrum is one of Ofcom’s duties. Ofcom plans to award new licences for airwaves in the 700 MHz and 3.6-3.8 GHz bands of the radio spectrum by auction in the second half of 2019. These airwaves are suitable for the provision of mobile services. Ofcom has consulted on proposals to attach coverage obligations to some of the licences to be awarded and will consult on its proposals for the award later this year.
Asked by: Kirstene Hair (Conservative - Angus)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to help eliminate not spots.
Answered by Margot James
We are committed to ensuring that the UK has good quality, consistent connectivity where people live, work and travel. My Department is also working across Government, and with others, to ensure delivery of our manifesto commitment to secure 95% geographic coverage of the UK by 2022.
Alongside this work, Ofcom’s recent consultation outlined potential new licence obligations targeting rural coverage as part of the upcoming 700MHz spectrum auction. This would further help deliver better mobile coverage and enable more people to benefit from the digital economy.
Asked by: Kirstene Hair (Conservative - Angus)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to deliver broadband connectivity that meets the universal service obligation to (a) the constituency of Angus and (b) Scotland.
Answered by Matt Hancock
I refer the hon member to the Written Ministerial Statement entitled Delivery of Universal Broadband issued on 20th December.