Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to protect television signal infrastructure following the Bilsdale transmitter fire and the time taken to restore television services.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Arqiva - a private infrastructure company - operates the UK’s terrestrial broadcast transmitter sites which carry BBC and commercial operators’ TV services. We remain in close contact with Arqiva and broadcasters who are working as fast and as safely as they can to restore TV and radio services in the areas served by Bilsdale by using existing and new alternate transmission sites.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the recommendations of the Senedd’s Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee’s report, Exploring the devolution of broadcasting.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The government responded to the recommendations made by the Senedd Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee report on 6 April.
In the response, the government reaffirmed its manifesto commitments to continue to support S4C and support the Welsh Government’s ambition for one million Welsh speakers by 2050.
However, the response made clear that broadcasting policy will remain a reserved matter and that there are no plans to establish an independent funding commission for the TV licence.
In addition, the government continues to consider carefully the future of the public service broadcasting landscape, including the regional Channel 3 licences, and the appropriate regulatory structure for commercial radio.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Goldie on 10 December 2020 (HL10934), what assessment they have made of whether UK ocean-going merchant ships will be able to use the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) in the event of the failure of satellite-based communications, and whether those ships will be able to use the GMDSS to communicate in the event that commercial coast stations are closed.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
UK-registered ocean-going merchant ships operate under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention which contains common rules for radio equipment installations. The International Maritime Organization’s view is that it is important to maintain medium frequency (MF)/ high frequency (HF) communication systems in case of failure of satellite systems.
The UK relies on the IMO’s assessment of the availability of maritime HF communications in its ongoing review and modernisation of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS). The availability of coast stations for general communications is considered adequate.
Should a coast station close, nation State search and rescue services will continue to respond to HF GMDSS Distress, Urgency and Safety radio traffic. Should the IMO consider the provision of service through HF GMDSS coast stations to be a concern and that could only be addressed at the international level, then it would take action.
Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support hauliers transporting goods internationally.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
A number of measures are in place to support hauliers transporting goods internationally. These include the haulier border readiness campaign, which advertises across digital, radio, trade press, online and outdoor areas, including billboards and advertising vans. This is supported by 46 Information and Advice Sites which provide training on use of the Check an HGV service. 35 of these sites are also providing drivers of HGVs and vans with free COVID-19 tests.
The haulier handbook is readily available on GOV.UK and translated into 13 languages to ensure EU hauliers are aware of requirements to cross the border. The government also delivered seminars at EU industry days and has had exhibition stands at physical and virtual events and conferences across the EU, targeting commercial drivers and haulage firms.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what data and information his Department holds on trends in the level of (a) original programming hours and (b) broadcast hours produced as (i) Programmes for schools and colleges and (ii) other educational content for school-age children by (A) the BBC, (B) ITV and (C) other broadcasters.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The department does not hold this information.
Ofcom data indicates that in 2018, public service broadcasters (PSBs, in this context the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5) collectively broadcast 125 hours of content in 2018 meeting the description of “formal education”. Of this, 65 hours were considered original content.
This output was supplemented by content available on-demand, online, on podcasts and radio, as well as less formal educational content such as documentaries and broader children’s content.
Between 2010 and 2018, the total amount of educational content broadcast by PSBs fell considerably (2010: 725 hours). Over the same period, the amount of original educational content broadcast by PSBs remained relatively constant (2010: 70 hours), albeit with considerable year-to-year fluctuation. Data covering 2019 and 2020 is not yet available.
Ofcom data suggests that commercial multi channels broadcast 40 hours of original content classified as ‘other’ in 2018 (2014: 0 hours). This classification includes formal education.
Further information can be found on Ofcom’s website.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what information his Department holds on trends in the level of (a) original programming hours and (b) broadcast hours of (i) programmes for schools and colleges and (ii) other educational content for school-age children on (A) the BBC, (B) ITV and (C) other broadcasters.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The department does not hold this information.
Ofcom data indicates that in 2018, public service broadcasters (PSBs, in this context the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5) collectively broadcast 125 hours of content in 2018 meeting the description of “formal education”. Of this, 65 hours were considered original content.
This output was supplemented by content available on-demand, online, on podcasts and radio, as well as less formal educational content such as documentaries and broader children’s content.
Between 2010 and 2018, the total amount of educational content broadcast by PSBs fell considerably (2010: 725 hours). Over the same period, the amount of original educational content broadcast by PSBs remained relatively constant (2010: 70 hours), albeit with considerable year-to-year fluctuation. Data covering 2019 and 2020 is not yet available.
Ofcom data suggests that commercial multi channels broadcast 40 hours of original content classified as ‘other’ in 2018 (2014: 0 hours). This classification includes formal education.
Further information can be found on Ofcom’s website.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much the Government has spent since March 2020 on advertising regarding the need for public vigilance during the covid-19 outbreak on (a) local and national commercial radio, (b) local and national commercial television, (c) national newspapers, (d) regional, provincial or local newspapers, and (e) commercial online platforms.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
I refer the Hon. member to the answers given to PQ 33512 on 23 March 2020, PQ 40655 on 27 April 2020, and to PQ 45460 on 11 May 2020.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
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 provide financial support to (a) smaller and (b) independent media organisations during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Small and independent media organisations provide a vital service - supplying information about local public affairs, holding decision-makers to account, and helping to ensure the healthy plurality of our media.
It has been a priority for the government to support such organisations during this crisis, including local newspapers and commercial and community radio. In terms of financial support, the government brought forward the zero-rating of VAT on e-newspapers to May 2020 and we have also brokered significant support from the transmission operator, Arqiva, for small local commercial radio stations. We have also made available a small grant scheme for commercial stations that do not use Arqiva’s networks. In addition to these financial support measures, some media organisations have benefitted from government advertising campaigns, which is designed to deliver important messages to UK citizens on coronavirus. Over 100 independent newspaper titles are included in the partnership, and the majority of expenditure, 60%, is allocated to regional, local and BAME titles. Government messaging has also been delivered through a targeted partnership with small commercial and community radio stations serving BAME communities.
In addition, small and independent media organisations may have been able to receive support from wider government measures, such as the job-retention scheme which the Government has extended until the end of March 2021.
We continue to work closely with stakeholders from across the media landscape regarding the ways in which the Government can support them through the current crisis and beyond.
Asked by: Sally-Ann Hart (Conservative - Hastings and Rye)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department is making on the development and roll out of the Emergency Services Network; and when rural communities will be able to connect to that network in order to have mobile connectivity in areas where there is otherwise none.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Home Office’s Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP), is building a new Emergency Services Network (ESN) to replace the current Airwave network used by the Emergency Services as well as a range of other users.
The software that ESN runs on is being provided by Motorola Solutions and the infrastructure is being built by EE; created by upgrading their existing network, including deploying more 4G radio frequencies in rural areas.
To maximise coverage for the emergency services the government will build 292 further sites in the most remote and rural areas of Britain. These sites will also form part of the Shared Rural Network.
To support ESN, we need to activate these masts before ESN goes live for emergency services users. Detailed plans are still being refined but we currently expect ESN to be fully operational during 2025. As individual masts are activated as part of the ESN programme, they will be available to EE’s commercial customers immediately, even before ESN itself is live. Wherever possible, we have chosen a “future-proofed” design for these mast structures, meaning that they can be easily upgraded to allow access by all of the UK’s commercial mobile operators to improve coverage to communities.
ESMCP remains a complex and challenging programme. Over the past year, core elements of the technology have been delivered. The ‘push-to-talk’ solution now works with ESN devices connected to EE’s commercial network. The Air-to-Ground solution, interworking with Airwave and Control Room integration have all been successfully demonstrated. A ‘data only’ service is also in operational use by an increasing number of emergency services users. The programme is now working to complete development of the core technology, and deliver additional coverage including for rural areas and London Underground. We currently expect to switch off Airwave during 2025 once we have completed the technology delivery and proving and then deployment to users.
Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with Arqiva on an additional relief package for small commercial radio broadcasters.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The government fully recognises the vital role that small commercial radio stations have played during the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of the provision of national and local news and information, as well as community engagement and entertainment. We are acutely aware of the ongoing impact of the pandemic on commercial radio revenues, and we are continuing to work with all parts of the radio industry to explore ways to support the ongoing sustainability of stations.