Asked by: Peter Grant (Scottish National Party - Glenrothes)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Online Advertising Taskforce action plan, published on 30 November 2023, what her Department's expected timeline to publish its further consultation on the online advertising programme policy package.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
In the Government response to the Online Advertising Programme consultation, published in July 2023, we committed to bringing forward online advertising legislation when Parliamentary time allows. We will consult further on the details of proposed regulation in due course.
The Online Advertising Taskforce, which brings together industry and government to drive non-legislative action, met for the first time in the same month and will run for at least a year. Taskforce members are working to progress commitments in its action plan, including building the evidence base and promoting and expanding industry initiatives and good practice. As outlined in the action plan, the Taskforce will publish a progress report following the end of the 12-month period.
To support the aims of the Online Advertising Programme and Taskforce to improve the evidence base around illegal advertising harms, the Government has also commissioned research to understand the prevalence and range of online users’ experiences of these, as well as other advertising harms. We expect that it will be completed by the end of this year.
Asked by: Peter Grant (Scottish National Party - Glenrothes)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress her Department has made implementing the objectives set out in its online advertising taskforce action plan, published on 30 November 2023.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
In the Government response to the Online Advertising Programme consultation, published in July 2023, we committed to bringing forward online advertising legislation when Parliamentary time allows. We will consult further on the details of proposed regulation in due course.
The Online Advertising Taskforce, which brings together industry and government to drive non-legislative action, met for the first time in the same month and will run for at least a year. Taskforce members are working to progress commitments in its action plan, including building the evidence base and promoting and expanding industry initiatives and good practice. As outlined in the action plan, the Taskforce will publish a progress report following the end of the 12-month period.
To support the aims of the Online Advertising Programme and Taskforce to improve the evidence base around illegal advertising harms, the Government has also commissioned research to understand the prevalence and range of online users’ experiences of these, as well as other advertising harms. We expect that it will be completed by the end of this year.
Asked by: Peter Grant (Scottish National Party - Glenrothes)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Online Advertising Taskforce action plan, published on 30 November 2023, what her Department's expected timeline is to undertake research on online users’ experiences of advertising harms.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
In the Government response to the Online Advertising Programme consultation, published in July 2023, we committed to bringing forward online advertising legislation when Parliamentary time allows. We will consult further on the details of proposed regulation in due course.
The Online Advertising Taskforce, which brings together industry and government to drive non-legislative action, met for the first time in the same month and will run for at least a year. Taskforce members are working to progress commitments in its action plan, including building the evidence base and promoting and expanding industry initiatives and good practice. As outlined in the action plan, the Taskforce will publish a progress report following the end of the 12-month period.
To support the aims of the Online Advertising Programme and Taskforce to improve the evidence base around illegal advertising harms, the Government has also commissioned research to understand the prevalence and range of online users’ experiences of these, as well as other advertising harms. We expect that it will be completed by the end of this year.
Asked by: Peter Grant (Scottish National Party - Glenrothes)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
What steps she has taken to implement the recommendations of the Draft Online Safety Bill Joint Committee.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government introduced the Online Safety Bill on 17 March, alongside our response to the Joint Committee’s report, which has significantly influenced the final Bill.
We have taken forward over 60 recommendations, including to:
put priority offences onto the face of the Bill
bring scam advertising into scope
include Law Commission recommendations on communications offences and cyberflashing
introduce a standalone provision to protect children from pornography on dedicated sites as well as social media.
Asked by: Peter Grant (Scottish National Party - Glenrothes)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what her policy is on the devolution of broadcasting powers.
Answered by Matt Hancock
Broadcasting is and should remain a reserved matter.
Asked by: Peter Grant (Scottish National Party - Glenrothes)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of privatisation of Channel 4.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
The Government wants to ensure Channel 4's future sustainability and ability to deliver against its remit.
No decisions have been made about Channel 4’s future. The government is looking at a wide range of options, including those proposed by Channel 4’s leadership.
Asked by: Peter Grant (Scottish National Party - Glenrothes)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, on how many occasions his Department applied the exemption in section 38(1)(b) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (disclosure likely to endanger the safety of any individual) in wholly or partly refusing a freedom of information request in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Statistics on the use of Freedom of Information exemptions are published by the Ministry of Justice (Table 10 of annual reports). They are available here https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.
These statistics provide the number of times section 38 as a whole has been used by each government department. More detailed figures for the constituent parts of section 38 are not readily available because our systems are not designed to provide a more detailed breakdown than is required for the published statistics.
Asked by: Peter Grant (Scottish National Party - Glenrothes)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, on how many occasions his Department applied the exemption in section 38(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (disclosure likely to endanger the physical or mental health of any individual) in wholly or partly refusing a freedom of information request in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Statistics on the use of Freedom of Information exemptions are published by the Ministry of Justice (Table 10 of annual reports). They are available here https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.
These statistics provide the number of times section 38 as a whole has been used by each government department. More detailed figures for the constituent parts of section 38 are not readily available because our systems are not designed to provide a more detailed breakdown than is required for the published statistics.
Asked by: Peter Grant (Scottish National Party - Glenrothes)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what instructions have been given to staff in his Department dealing with freedom of information requests on the application of Freedom of Information Act Awareness Guidance No. 19, issued by the Information Commissioner's Office, in considering whether to apply the exemptions in section 38 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
No guidance has been issued to staff on the application of Freedom of Information Act Awareness Guidance No.19, issued by the Information Commissioner's Office, about the application of section 38 of the Act. However, the Ministry of Justice has published its own guidance on the use of this exemption. This is available here: http://www.justice.gov.uk/information-access-rights/foi-guidance-for-practitioners/exemptions-guidance.