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Written Question
Telecommunications Systems
Tuesday 14th September 2021

Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department has taken to help people without a broadband connection prepare for the closure of the public switched telephone network in 2025.

Answered by Matt Warman

The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is privately owned, and the process for its closure is industry-led. The PSTN closure will be undertaken in a phased approach with areas shutting down over the coming years with the final exchange expected to turn off in 2025.

While PSTN withdrawal is an industry-led process, the Government and Ofcom are working together to ensure consumers and sectors are protected and prepared for the withdrawal process.

The PSTN network will be replaced with new All-IP technology - such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). This technology is higher quality and more reliable than the existing PSTN network and will guarantee a better quality of service. All-IP requires a stable internet connection of approximately 0.5Mbps. Where it is not possible to deliver such a service to a premise, the service provider will be required to offer an alternative technological solution - such as Single Order Generic Ethernet Access (SoGEA).

Ofcom has a statutory duty to further and protect the interest of consumers, including those who are vulnerable. As part of this duty, Ofcom has rules in place, known as general conditions, which all providers must follow, that mandate communication providers to have procedures and policies in place to identify and support vulnerable consumers.

Ofcom has also published a Vulnerability Guide for providers, setting out their expectations and good practice on how vulnerable telecoms consumers should be supported. This includes steps providers can take to identify vulnerable consumers, and an expectation that all providers implement specialist teams in order to provide extra support.

The telecoms industry - via the Broadband Stakeholder Group - have been collaborating on this issue, and in June 2020 launched a consumer-facing website as a resource to inform the public of the process. This website was developed with the support of telecoms companies, Ofcom and DCMS and is funded by TechUK. (https://www.futureofvoice.co.uk/)

If an individual is concerned about the PSTN withdrawal process, or would like further information, they should contact their telecoms service provider who will be able to provide specific support.


Written Question
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Staff
Wednesday 8th September 2021

Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many and what proportion of the staff of his Department are politically restricted.

Answered by Caroline Dinenage

Data is provided in the table below for those Civil servants in “the politically restricted” category. As set out in the Civil Service Management code this is members of the Senior Civil Service and civil servants at levels immediately below the Senior Civil Service, plus members of the administrative and European Fast Stream Development Programmes.

DCMS Grade

Headcount

Proportion of total workforce

Permanent Secretary

1

0.06%

Director General

4

0.22%

Director

28

1.57%

Deputy Director

89

5.01%

Grade 6

201

11.30%

Grade 7

602

33.86%

Fast-streamer (Grade B)

16

0.90%

*This data reflects officially published 2020/21 data submitted to the Cabinet Office Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES) report. Fast-stream numbers include all fast-streamers at DCMS not just those on administrative and European schemes.


Written Question
Events Industry: Beverage Containers
Friday 21st May 2021

Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when the use of reusable cups at outdoor events will be permitted as covid-19 restrictions are eased.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Department has produced a number of high level guidance documents in partnership with stakeholders on how relevant sectors should operate in a Covid secure environment as restrictions are eased.

However, it is for event organisers to determine whether to use reusable cups at outdoor events. There is no government guidance which prevents the use of reusable cups.


Written Question
Youth Review
Thursday 29th April 2021

Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when his Department plans to publish the findings from its Youth Review, which closed on 7 March 2021.

Answered by Matt Warman

As announced at the 2020 spending review, DCMS is undertaking a Spring review of all DCMS support for out-of-school services for young people. Whilst the external engagement exercise closed on 7 March, the review is still ongoing and findings will be published in due course.


Written Question
Gambling
Wednesday 31st January 2018

Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking in response to the finding by the Gambling Commission that 2 million people in the UK are addicted to gambling.

Answered by Tracey Crouch

A report from NatCen, published by the Gambling Commission in August 2017, estimated the number of adult problem gamblers in Great Britain as approximately 430,000, 0.8% of the population. The surveys that underpinned this also identified people who are at risk of problems related to their gambling behaviour but who are not classified as problem gamblers. The number of moderate-risk gamblers was 555,000, and the number of low-risk gamblers was approximately 1,430,000. Both headline rates of problem gambling and at-risk rates have been relatively stable for many years.

In October the government published a consultation on Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility across the industry. This closed on 23 January, and we will consider all responses and publish our response and next steps in due course.


Written Question
Photographs: Disclosure of Information
Monday 15th January 2018

Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if her Department will assess the effectiveness of legislation governing photographic consent.

Answered by Margot James

Government recognises that the legislation governing photographic consent raises complex issues. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport are discussing this area of legislation with the Ministry of Justice and will write to the Rt Hon member following the outcome of these discussions. A copy of the letter will be placed in the House library.


Written Question
Photographs: Disclosure of Information
Monday 15th January 2018

Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if the Secretary of State has any plans to update the law on consent to be photographed.

Answered by Margot James

Government recognises that the legislation governing photographic consent raises complex issues. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport are discussing this area of legislation with the Ministry of Justice and will write to the Rt Hon member following the outcome of these discussions. A copy of the letter will be placed in the House library.


Written Question
Photographs: Disclosure of Information
Monday 15th January 2018

Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will change the law to make it illegal to take a photograph of someone naked without their consent.

Answered by Margot James

Government recognises that the legislation governing photographic consent raises complex issues. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport are discussing this area of legislation with the Ministry of Justice and will write to the Rt Hon member following the outcome of these discussions. A copy of the letter will be placed in the House library.


Written Question
Mobile Phones
Thursday 20th November 2014

Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, on what grounds he decided that the consultation on tackling partial not-spots in mobile telephone coverage should last for three weeks.

Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on the 17th November to the Hon. Member for Inverclyde.


Written Question

Question Link

Thursday 1st May 2014

Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effects of betting shops located in areas with high levels of deprivation on those areas.

Answered by Helen Grant

The Health Surveys for England and Scotland show that the relationship between gambling related harm and deprivation is mixed. The proposals I announced yesterday will ensure that betting shop customers are subject to greater protections wherever they are based – whether that be areas of deprivation or otherwise.