Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department provides guidance to navigation authorities on attaining World Heritage Status for canal systems.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is responsible for nominating sites across the United Kingdom, the Overseas Territories, and the Crown Dependencies to UNESCO for World Heritage Status. The Department last updated the Tentative List of prospective World Heritage nominations in 2022/23.
Following the conclusion of this exercise, guidance was published on GOV.UK, which sets out the process for sites seeking World Heritage Status and advises those interested to contact the heritage agency responsible for heritage in their part of the UK (or the relevant Government authority if overseas) in the first instance.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to make it easier for public notices to be published in non print publications; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Policy responsibility for each specific type of public notice lies with a range of different government departments. The Government is mindful of the potential effect that any changes to the existing publicity requirements for public notices might have on transparency and local democracy, as well as the potential effect on the sustainability of the local news sector as a whole. We recognise the continued importance of print local newspapers to the communities they serve and that there will continue to be a need to reach out to people who cannot digitally access information.
At the same time, to help address the desire for more digitalisation and greater audience reach in the publication of public notices, the local newspaper sector has been working with Google to develop an online Public Notice Portal. The Portal is intended to take advantage of print publishers’ growing digital audiences, providing a centralised resource for all types of public notice. The Government is monitoring the Portal’s development, and the effect that it has on the transparency of public notices.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what his timetable is for bringing forward the necessary legislation to grant the Digital Markets Unit powers required to tackle competition issues posed by tech giants.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Government consulted on our proposed approach to a new pro-competition regime, overseen by the Digital Markets Unit, last year. The consultation closed in October, and we are carefully considering the responses. We will set out the final design of the regime in our response in due course, and will introduce legislation to put the Digital Markets Unit on a statutory footing as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
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 bring forward primary legislative proposals for the relevant statutory framework for the Digital Markets Unit during 2022.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Government consulted on our proposed approach to a new pro-competition regime, overseen by the Digital Markets Unit, last year. The consultation closed in October, and we are carefully considering the responses. We will set out the final design of the regime in our response in due course, and will introduce legislation to put the Digital Markets Unit on a statutory footing as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Ofcom with regard to staff from the regulator moving to jobs at organisations regulated by Ofcom.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Ofcom is responsible for the recruitment, retention and terms and conditions of its staff and as such is not a matter for the Secretary of State to discuss with Ofcom.
Ofcom has a robust and comprehensive conflict of interest policy, managed and regularly reviewed by its Executive Board, that upholds high regulatory standards of independence, impartiality and integrity. The policy and procedures in place enable Ofcom’s Executive to take swift and appropriate action should a situation emerge where an employee leaves to join a company it regulates.
In the past two years Ofcom has placed circa six staff on immediate garden leave as they have left to join companies which Ofcom regulates or will regulate in the future. Ofcom does not have data immediately available for a five year period but can provide this on request once available.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the number of Ofcom staff who have left Ofcom to work for organisations that are regulated by Ofcom over the last five years.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Ofcom is responsible for the recruitment, retention and terms and conditions of its staff and as such is not a matter for the Secretary of State to discuss with Ofcom.
Ofcom has a robust and comprehensive conflict of interest policy, managed and regularly reviewed by its Executive Board, that upholds high regulatory standards of independence, impartiality and integrity. The policy and procedures in place enable Ofcom’s Executive to take swift and appropriate action should a situation emerge where an employee leaves to join a company it regulates.
In the past two years Ofcom has placed circa six staff on immediate garden leave as they have left to join companies which Ofcom regulates or will regulate in the future. Ofcom does not have data immediately available for a five year period but can provide this on request once available.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Ofcom’s conflict of interest policies to curb regulators moving to jobs at the organisations that they regulated while at Ofcom.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Ofcom is responsible for the recruitment, retention and terms and conditions of its staff and as such is not a matter for the Secretary of State to discuss with Ofcom.
Ofcom has a robust and comprehensive conflict of interest policy, managed and regularly reviewed by its Executive Board, that upholds high regulatory standards of independence, impartiality and integrity. The policy and procedures in place enable Ofcom’s Executive to take swift and appropriate action should a situation emerge where an employee leaves to join a company it regulates.
In the past two years Ofcom has placed circa six staff on immediate garden leave as they have left to join companies which Ofcom regulates or will regulate in the future. Ofcom does not have data immediately available for a five year period but can provide this on request once available.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
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 to discourage mobile phone companies in the UK from introducing roaming charges in the (a) EU and (b) EEA for UK-based customers.
Answered by Matt Warman
Since the end of the Transition Period the UK is no longer part of Roam Like at Home so surcharge-free roaming for UK consumers in the EU is no longer guaranteed. Mobile operators are now able to impose a surcharge on UK consumers travelling abroad to the EU for their mobile phone usage.
Ministers have regular discussions with senior representatives of mobile operators on a range of issues, including on the issue of mobile roaming, and the government will continue to promote a competitive marketplace that serves the interests of consumers.
Regarding the EEA, the UK recently announced a new agreement with Norway and Iceland for the first ever trade provision which will reciprocally cap the costs mobile operators are allowed to charge each other for international mobile roaming between these countries. This cap is the gateway to allowing surcharge-free roaming for everyone travelling between these countries.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to issue a medal to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee on 6 February 2022; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
On Thursday 12 November 2020 plans were announced to mark Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June 2022. This will include the issue of a Platinum Jubilee medal. The medal will be awarded to people who work in public service including representatives of the Armed Forces, the emergency services and the prison services.
Asked by: Michael Fabricant (Conservative - Lichfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what financial support is available for local councils to maintain swimming pools while they remain closed; and if he will allow public swimming pools to open subject to protections being in place to prevent covid-19 contagion.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Financial Secretary (Treasury)
Sports and physical activity facilities play a crucial role in supporting adults and children to be active. Outdoor swimming pools have been able to open from 11 July, and from 25 July indoor gyms, leisure centres (including sports halls) and swimming pools in England should be able to reopen. These facilities will be able to offer on-site services to customers, provided they are COVID-secure and follow Government guidance.
Sport England have announced a £195 million package of support to help community clubs through this crisis. It recently boosted its Community Emergency Fund by a further £15 million to meet the demand, taking the total up to £210 million.
The income scheme announced on Thursday 2 July by the Secretary of State for Local Government, aims to support local authorities who have incurred irrecoverable loss of income from sales, fees and charge which they had reasonably budgeted for. Further guidance will follow on the principle of the scheme.