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 report by Ofcom published on 9 July 2021, entitled Further Statement: Making on-demand services accessible, Informing requirements to make On-Demand Programme Services more accessible to disabled people, when he plans to respond to the recommendations in that report.

Under the Communications Act 2003, the Secretary of State has the power to impose requirements on service providers regulated in the UK, for the purpose of ensuring that Video-on-Demand services are accessible to people with disabilities.

As part of the implementation process, the Government asked Ofcom to provide recommendations on how legislation could make on-demand services more accessible. Ofcom published an initial report in December 2018, and published further recommendations on 9 July 2021, following a request from DCMS. We will give Ofcom’s latest proposals careful consideration and will set out next steps in due course.