Digital, Culture, Media and Sport ministers were answering
questions in the Commons. Subject covered included...
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Youth Services
(Nottingham North)
(Lab/Co-op)
1. When the Government plan to review their guidance on the
statutory duty for local authorities to provide youth services.
[911737]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture,
Media and Sport (Mims Davies)
We are pleased to announce that we will be reviewing the guidance
as part of the civil society strategy published last year, and we
still anticipate launching the review before the summer recess.
In fact, I hope to do it next week.
Up and down the country, there is less and less for our young
people to do. The Government’s own civil society strategy says
that youth work and youth services can be “transformational”, so
why has funding for them fallen by 70% since 2010?
This Government are committed to supporting youth activities and
our young people. In fact, I have had several meetings just this
week on the youth charter and our vision for young people over
the next 10 years. The National Lottery is supporting positive
activities for our young people through £80 million of funding,
and of course we have the National Citizen Service.
(Chipping Barnet)
(Con)
The Government’s serious violence strategy rightly placed
programmes for young people at its heart. Will the Minister
assure the House that that strategy is going to start delivering
those projects on the ground, to divert young people away from
gangs and crime?
I thank my right hon. Friend for her question. The Secretary of
State and I were part of the Prime Minister’s summit on serious
violence in April this year. It is right that we take a
multi-agency approach to tackling knife crime and serious
violence. The Government are investing £200 million in the youth
endowment fund to support interventions with young people, and
particularly those who are at risk.
Mr (Huddersfield)
(Lab/Co-op)
On Independence Day, may I congratulate all my American cousins
on this fine day when they broke away from Britain? I still have
my green card from when I emigrated.
Youth services should learn from what is done in the best cities
in the United States. It is high time that we put proper
Government resources into youth services and stopped relying on
charities, although partnerships are good. The fact of the matter
is that in most constituencies, youth services are on their
knees.
I thank our charity sector for the work that it does in this
area. The hon. Gentleman is right that we should not rely on
charities, although we must learn from and listen to them, and
listen to young people. In terms of lessons from America, one
issue that came up in the knife crime summit was that particular
social media platforms are allowing groups to come together,
organise and cause more problems on our streets. This Department
is determined to ensure that we work together, in both my sector
and that of my hon. Friend the Minister for Digital and the
Creative Industries, to support and keep our young people safe.
(Cleethorpes) (Con)
I agree that local authorities have a role to play in youth
services, as well as the charitable and voluntary sector, but
does the Minister agree that the private sector also has a role?
In my neighbouring constituency of Grimsby, a youth zone is being
proposed, funded by local entrepreneurs. Does she agree that that
is one way forward?
I thank my hon. Friend for raising entrepreneurship, which seems
to be a theme in our party at the moment. Looking again to
America, we can and must learn from altruism and philanthropy. I
thank people for giving directly back to their community, which
we encourage in the civil society strategy.
(Lewisham, Deptford)
(Lab)
I am delighted to see so many of my former Whips Office
colleagues, including the Chief Whip, in the Chamber to hear me
speak at the Dispatch Box for the first time—no pressure.
UK Youth, a leading national charity, estimates that the National
Citizen Service underspent by more than £50 million this year.
Many organisations are desperate to support our young people.
Will the Minister explain what plans the Government have to
reallocate the underspend to the many fantastic charities that
support our wonderful young people?
I welcome the hon. Lady to her post. I know that she is very
passionate about this area and was part of our knife crime summit
in April. I met UK Youth and the NCS yesterday as part of our
youth charter work. Work is going on with the Treasury to ensure
that all our youth sector is supported, including through the
underspend of the NCS.
Superfast Broadband: Rural Areas
(Shrewsbury and Atcham)
(Con)
2. What recent progress his Department has made on increasing
access to superfast broadband in rural areas. [911738]
The Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries (Margot
James)
The Government’s superfast broadband programme has met its target
and is now providing superfast coverage to 97% of premises,
including 94.8% of premises in my hon. Friend’s constituency. In
addition, we have just launched the rural gigabit connectivity
programme, with £200 million of funding, to begin to deliver even
faster, gigabit speeds to the most remote and rural parts of the
UK.
I thank my hon. Friend for that answer. Clearly, improved access
to superfast broadband in places such as Shropshire will reduce
the number of car journeys needing to be made. What assessment
has her Department made of that improvement in helping us to
reach the net zero carbon contribution target we have set?
My hon. Friend makes a very good point. Although we have not
conducted a specific study on the environmental impact of faster
broadband speeds, we have considered it as part of a wider
evaluation. We have found that the use of cloud computing has an
effect in reducing commuting time, and we will be exploring this
more specifically in our superfast broadband programme evaluation
next year.
(Ogmore) (Lab)
May I ask the Minister, in using the word “rural”, not to forget
communities in the south Wales valleys that can be quite socially
isolated? Will she set out what funding she will put in place to
deal with the geography of some of the south Wales valleys, which
are still suffering with painfully slow broadband?
I think the hon. Gentleman asked me a similar question last
summer, and I am delighted to say that his intervention last year
led directly to my recommending to the Chancellor that he include
the Welsh valleys in the first pilot of the roll-out of the rural
gigabit connectivity programme, so the hon. Gentleman can hold us
to that. I also want to mention that the voucher scheme has been
enhanced, so that small and medium-sized enterprises in the Welsh
valleys will now get access to a voucher worth £3,500 and
residents a voucher worth £1,500 to connect on to the public
buildings that the programme will connect.
(Orpington) (Con)
In my hon. Friend’s excellent work in rolling out broadband to
rural areas, will she ensure that we do not inadvertently neglect
urban and semi-urban areas in the London borough of Bromley?
Areas around Down and Farnborough village have woeful access and,
sadly, BT does not have plans to roll out the fibre needed to
upgrade it. Could she possibly help?
I will certainly help my hon. Friend. He points out that suburban
and urban areas have a really worrying lack of access not so much
to superfast, but certainly to decent speeds. We are
incorporating those via incentives to the private sector to
connect. That is now going very well indeed, with Openreach alone
connecting 20,000 premises a week.
(Edinburgh West) (LD)
As more and more of our banks are closing branches across the
country, it is becoming vital for people, particularly in rural
areas, to have access to online facilities and good broadband.
The way this has been rolled out, particularly in Scotland, has
not suited rural communities. Can the Minister assure me that
there will be discussions with the Treasury, the Scottish
Government and the local authorities that will be involved in the
future to ensure that our communities in Scotland actually get a
better service and are able to access finances?
I sympathise with the hon. Lady. Unfortunately, there have been
appalling delays to the procurement system underpinning the
Scottish Government’s R100—Reaching 100%—programme. I am reliably
informed that they are almost at the end of that process and that
they are about to award contracts this autumn. It has been a
painful process, but my officials have been discussing it with
the Scottish Government, and I am confident that it will be
improved. We also have programmes from my Department that are
already rolling out in Scotland.
(Strangford) (DUP)
The Minister will be aware that, under the confidence and supply
agreement with the Democratic Unionist party, the Government have
set aside some hundreds of millions of pounds for rural broadband
across all of Northern Ireland. What discussions has she had with
the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in Northern
Ireland to ensure that that rural broadband roll-out is
completed?
I know that in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency and in the rest
of Northern Ireland there has obviously been a delay in deploying
that budget on account of there being no Government in Northern
Ireland. My officials are in discussions with the Department for
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to ameliorate that
situation, and I will write to him with the latest details.
Algorithms: Inappropriate Use
(Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
(Lab)
3. What steps he is taking to tackle the potential inappropriate
use of algorithms in the (a) public and (b) private sector.
[911739]
The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
(Jeremy Wright)
We have asked the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation to review
the potential for bias in the use of algorithms, and it is
considering usage in both the public and private sectors on crime
and justice, financial services, recruitment and local
government. The centre will publish an interim report later this
month, and it will make recommendations to the Government early
next year. We will then decide how to proceed.
The past 10 years have seen the most revolutionary and rapid
changes in how technology is used in public services, politics,
work and leisure, yet the Government have had to be dragged
kicking and screaming to implement the most basic digital
protections, and they are behind even Google and Facebook in
calling for regulation. The Secretary of State talks about
another review, but algorithmic bias is a threat to all our
citizens in the form of algorithmic rule. Will he take the
opportunity to get on the front foot and put in place regulations
to protect our citizens?
We are on the front foot, and the hon. Lady’s characterisation is
entirely wrong. The world looks to the UK as a leader in this
field. I talk to counterparts across the world about the Centre
for Data Ethics and Innovation, and they are interested in a move
that we are making that no one else has yet made. As the hon.
Lady knows—she has looked carefully at this issue—the online
harms White Paper will deal with a range of issues and produce
regulation that is, once again, world leading.
TV Licences for Over-75s
(Paisley and Renfrewshire
North) (SNP)
4. If he will support the maintenance of free TV licences for the
over-75s. [911743]
(Newport East) (Lab)
8. If he will make it his policy to maintain free TV licences for
the over-75s after 2020. [911747]
(Glasgow East) (SNP)
9. If he will support the maintenance of free TV licences for the
over-75s. [911748]
(Canterbury) (Lab)
11. If he will make it his policy to maintain free TV licences
for the over-75s after 2020. [911750]
Mr (Coventry South) (Lab)
13. If he will make it his policy to maintain free TV licences
for the over-75s after 2020. [911752]
(Cambridge) (Lab)
14. If he will make it his policy to maintain free TV licences
for the over-75s after 2020. [911753]
The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
(Jeremy Wright)
The Government are disappointed with the BBC’s decision on the
licence fee concession for the over-75s. Taxpayers want the BBC
to use its substantial licence fee income in an appropriate way,
to ensure that it delivers for UK audiences. The Government
expect the BBC to consider further ways to support older people,
and I recently met the BBC management to discuss what more it
could do.
The BBC is not a benefits agency. Both Tory leadership contenders
have condemned the proposal to remove free TV licences from the
over-75s, and stated that that must be reversed. The
director-general has rightly said that the Government are
responsible for the TV licence proposal, and that he would be
open to conversations about reversing it. Will the Secretary of
State tell the House when further conversations may happen, and
when will that benefit cut be reversed?
As the hon. Gentleman knows, the decision to transfer that
responsibility to the BBC was taken in 2017 by this House in the
Digital Economy Act 2017. I assure him that conversations about
what more we expect of the BBC will continue, and we expect it to
do more.
Without hiding behind the BBC again, will the Minister explain to
my constituent, who rang up incensed, why his 86-year-old
neighbour, who is a veteran and relies on his TV for company,
should have his TV licence taken away? Last week the
Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Ellwood), who opened the
debate on Armed Forces Day, thought that was unfair—does the
Minister?
Nobody is hiding behind the BBC. Legislation has now provided
that this decision should be for the BBC to take, and if the hon.
Lady listens to the BBC, that is exactly its message—it is its
decision and responsibility. She makes a good point about
veterans, and I have raised that issue with the BBC. I expect it
to be able to do more for veterans, and it should.
In response to my hon. Friend the Member for Paisley and
Renfrewshire North (Gavin Newlands) the Secretary of State
referred to 2017, but in that year his party’s manifesto stated
that there would be no cut to free TV licences. On Monday, people
in Duke Street were infuriated by that move. There are 6,500
over-75s in my constituency. Will the Minister come and visit and
tell them why he is planning to cut their free TV licence?
I am happy to send the message that I share their disappointment,
and I have made that clear on a number of occasions. In fact, we
can go back further than 2017, because in 2015 the arrangement
was made with the BBC that this responsibility would transfer to
it as part of the charter settlement. The BBC has known about
this for some time, and it had the opportunity to prepare for it.
In our view, it needs to do better.
In my constituency of Canterbury, there are some 6,250 households
at risk of losing their free TV licence. Why are the Government
failing to live up to their responsibility to older residents? Is
it simply the case that they are entirely complacent about
receiving their support in any upcoming general election?
No, I do not accept that for one moment. The Government’s record
on support for older people has been remarkable. We have been
able to provide £1,600 more per year for those on the state
pension than was managed in 2010 under a Labour Government. We
have done more on loneliness than any Government before us. We
introduced a Minister with responsibility for tackling
loneliness. For the first time, we have a strategy on loneliness
and we have put our money where our mouth is with £20 million of
investment. I am afraid the Labour party in government did none
of those things.
Mr
If it was a decision for the BBC, why did the Government put it
in their manifesto? Does the Minister not think he has a moral
obligation to make up the difference if the BBC has a problem?
Many pensioners suffer from loneliness and for them the BBC is a
lifeline to the world.
The hon. Gentleman is right to raise the issue of loneliness, and
I will repeat the points I have just made. The Government have
done a huge amount to combat this very substantial social
problem. The truth is that we still expect the BBC to do better
in this area, but it is the BBC’s responsibility. The
responsibility was transferred to the BBC in 2017, after it was
agreed with it in 2015. The BBC itself has made it clear that
this is now its responsibility.
In the London Evening Standard on 11 June, there was a very
interesting headline on page two, stating:
“Tax campaigners defend axing of free TV licences for wealthy
OAPs”.
Wealthy old-age pensioners? Will the Secretary of State join me
in condemning the slippery language used by the editor of the
London Evening Standard, an architect of this debacle? My 5,000
pensioners who risk losing their free TV licence in Cambridge are
not wealthy.
As the hon. Gentleman says, wealthy pensioners are not the only
ones who will lose their TV licence. That is certainly right.
That is exactly why we continue to say to the BBC that it needs
to do better than it is doing at the moment.
There are some very interesting statistics that I should perhaps
share with the House at this point. Last year and this financial
year, the BBC has been sharing with the Government the cost of
the over-75 licence concession. Last year, the cost of the
concession was £677 million. The Government paid £468 and the BBC
paid £209 million. This financial year, the cost is £700 million.
The Government paid £247 million and the BBC paid £453 million.
The cost of the concession as the BBC intends to operate it from
2020 onwards is, by its estimate, £260 million. That is
substantially less than the BBC is paying towards to the
concession this financial year. The BBC would say, and I would
agree with it, that it is able to supply a good service this year
while still paying £453 million towards that concession. That
seems to be an interesting statistic.
Mr (Kettering) (Con)
Why not get rid of TV licences altogether for everyone and force
the BBC to compete for its revenues like every other broadcaster?
The supermarket equivalent would be forcing everyone, under
threat of criminal sanction, to spend £150 in Tesco even if they
shop at Aldi, Sainsbury’s, Co-op or elsewhere.
I cannot agree with my hon. Friend. In previous years we looked
carefully at whether this is the right way to fund the BBC, and
the conclusion reached was that it is. The Government have no
plans to change that fundamental funding model.
Sir (Derbyshire Dales)
(Con)
Does the law allow the BBC to discriminate? If it does, should it
not be the BBC that is responsible for bringing prosecutions, not
the state?
My right hon. Friend raises an interesting point. As I have said,
it is of course a matter for the BBC to decide how this
concession should be structured. It is open to the BBC, as it has
demonstrated, to choose a model that does not offer a free TV
licence to every over-75 year old. The question of enforcement is
an interesting one that we will go on considering. I would hope
very much that the BBC will take seriously the comments of my
right hon. Friend and others about how this obligation should be
properly enforced in the future.
(West Bromwich East) (Lab)
Perhaps the most difficult part of growing old is the loss of a
husband, wife or partner—the person you have shared your every
day and every thought with, often over a lifetime. There are
nearly 600,000 widowed men and 1.5 million widowed women over the
age of 75. An estimated seven out of 10 widows and widowers will
lose their free TV licence. That is nearly 1.5 million people who
have lost their life partner who will now be stripped of the
comfort of their television by this Conservative Government. Can
the Secretary of State live with that?
The decision that has been made is to transfer that
responsibility to the BBC. How the BBC chooses to exercise its
responsibility is, as it and we say, its responsibility. The
point that the hon. Gentleman makes is a fair one, and it needs
to be heard by the BBC as it decides what more it can do to help
those who are in particular need or are particularly vulnerable.
That is exactly the conversation that I am having with the BBC at
the moment, and that we will continue. The decision for the hon.
Gentleman is how he intends to back up the pledges that he has so
far made to take that responsibility back to the taxpayer, and
how he intends to fund that change.
Youth Services
(East Worthing and Shoreham)
(Con)
5. What recent steps he has taken to improve the quality of local
youth services. [911744]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture,
Media and Sport (Mims Davies)
I am excited and proud to be working cross-Government, with this
Department leading, on developing a new youth charter for our
young people—the Government’s vision for the next 10 years—and
that work has continued this week. The Government invest in the
Centre For Youth Impact to support sector-led evaluation and to
build evidence of the impact of local youth services, and we are
working with the National Youth Agency and partners to renew the
youth worker qualifications and review that curriculum.
“Positive for Youth” was the Government’s last comprehensive
youth policy document. It contained many good examples of joint
project working between local authorities and charities and
philanthropic businesses, a pledge to youth-proof Government
policy, and a pledge to publish annually a set of national
measures to demonstrate progress in improving outcomes for young
people. When does the Minister plan to update the House on that
progress?
I thank my hon. Friend for his pertinent reminder to the
Government and the House to focus on our youth. I believe that
the youth charter will reaffirm the Government’s commitment. It
will state that our young people should have a strong voice, and
that we must listen to it and take note of the issues that they
care about. It will set out how we should act on what they tell
us and, more importantly, it will state that we are actively
involving them in key policy making. It is vital that we do that.
I had the youth steering group in with me just this week. So the
sector is very much being heard, and will be reported back and
listened to.
Commercial FM Radio
(Morecambe and Lunesdale)
(Con)
6. What steps he plans to take to increase the provision of FM
frequencies for commercial radio in (a) the UK and (b) Morecambe
Bay. [911745]
The Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries (Margot
James)
The UK’s independent broadcasting regulator, Ofcom, is
responsible for radio spectrum planning, and Ofcom’s view is that
due to the general scarcity of FM spectrum, the scope for
additional frequency resources to be made available to commercial
radio is extremely limited. Ofcom’s current priority for the use
of remaining FM spectrum is community radio, and I hope that will
be of benefit to Morecambe Bay.
Will the Minister carry out an investigation of the audit
suitability for FM spectrum in the north of Lancashire as soon as
possible, to free up any spectrum service that should be
licensed, to facilitate a new local service, as we need more
local services in that region?
I agree with my hon. Friend that we need more local services, but
there is more than one route to that. I cannot undertake to
commence a review of the north-west specifically, and it is for
the independent regulator Ofcom to distribute remaining FM
frequency, but I would like to reassure my hon. Friend that the
development of small-scale DAB multiplexes will provide many
opportunities for community radio stations, not least in the
Lancaster and Morecambe area.
Tackling Loneliness
(Chichester) (Con)
7. What steps his Department is taking to help tackle loneliness.
[911746]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture,
Media and Sport (Mims Davies)
As we have heard this morning, the UK is a world leader in
tackling loneliness, and the first Government loneliness strategy
was launched last October. It has been globally recognised, and
includes the £11.5 million building connections fund, announced
over Christmas, which is a partnership between the Government,
the National Lottery and the Co-op Foundation. The first progress
report is due later this year. Last month, we launched the Let’s
Talk Loneliness campaign, which is all about reducing stigma. The
hashtag alone has had 5.5 million impressions globally.
I am proud of the work that the Government are doing on
loneliness, but according to Age UK more than 2 million people in
England over the age of 75 live alone. Loneliness is thought to
be as harmful to our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. In
Chichester, we have some fantastic projects such as the Rotary
Club’s Building A Generation, in which every two weeks older
people go into Chichester College and meet, and share experiences
with, college students. What more support is available to
encourage such innovative, community-based solutions for tackling
loneliness and to help to spread them more quickly across the
country?
I thank my hon. Friend for all the work done by all the great
charities in her community to tackle loneliness at all ages.
Support is available for community-based projects, including two
pots of Government funding. There is £1 million for the Tech To
Connect challenge—I know my hon. Friend is interested in tech—to
address social isolation, and the fund will be managed by Nesta.
We also have the Space To Connect fund, which will be
part-managed by the Co-op and will have £1.6 million to open up
community spaces. Everything happening in Chichester is helping
people come together, and I welcome that.
Mr Speaker
These Chichester people seem very decent folk indeed. I think it
is partly the effect of the Member.
(Blaydon) (Lab)
Earlier this year, the Minister was good enough to come to a
meeting of the all-party parliamentary group on suicide and
self-harm prevention and speak to us about the loneliness
strategy. What steps will she take in response to the Samaritans’
paper on loneliness in young people, which is a particular
concern?
I particularly remember that meeting and I welcomed the
opportunity to join her. We currently have 60 different policies
across nine Departments, but I would like to point out that
loneliness and isolation can affect people at any age and at any
time—including young carers and care leavers. We need to support
everybody of every age and every gender. I hope that the new
policies that we are working on and will announce later this year
will have a youth focus.
Commercial Local Radio
(Keighley) (Lab)
10. What recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of
the regulation of commercial local radio. [911749]
The Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries (Margot
James)
The regulatory framework for commercial radio on FM and AM set
nearly 30 years ago has not kept pace with market changes, and we
have taken steps to address that. I welcome Ofcom’s October 2018
changes to the localness guidance, which will reduce the burdens
on commercial radio while maintaining requirements for local
stations to provide local news and other content.
Given that media giant Global has cut no fewer than 11 local
radio studios in England, despite making massive profits, is
there not a danger that under those weaker Ofcom regulations
commercial local radio will increasingly lose its localness, and
broadcasts will be made from London or several regional centres?
I understand the hon. Gentleman’s concern, but the localness
guidelines are strict and tough, and will require large
commercial radio corporations to have local studios. They will
have to provide a serious amount of local news content, weather,
driving information and so on, so I do not share his concern. It
is up to Ofcom to police this, and it is doing a good job. We
must remember that for local commercial radio, and indeed
community radio, to be sustainable, they needed a lighter touch
regulatory regime.
(Cardiff West) (Lab)
May I briefly beg your indulgence, Mr Speaker, to congratulate St
Fagans Museum in my constituency on winning the museum of the
year award, which was presented last night in a ceremony at the
Science Museum?
The hon. Member for Morecambe and Lunesdale (David Morris) said
earlier that we needed more local radio, but the results of this
deregulation have been job cuts and fewer stations in what is a
profitable commercial sector. Is it not time for the decision to
be reviewed to assess its impact on localness, and to ensure that
local radio does not just become national commercial radio?
The localness guidelines were published as recently as October
last year, so I think it would be premature to announce a review
of their impact, but I can reassure the hon. Gentleman that they
were welcomed by both commercial and community radio stations.
Ofcom has received about 700 expressions of interest in the
small-scale DAB multiplexes for which we legislated last month.
We hope to be able to complete that legislation by the end of the
year so that Ofcom will be able to start issuing licences to
hundreds of community radio stations up and down the country. I
think that we will see a great growth in this fantastic sector.
2022 Commonwealth Games
(Walsall North) (Con)
12. What steps he is taking to ensure that the 2022 Commonwealth
Games in Birmingham benefit (a) neighbouring boroughs and (b)
Walsall. [911751]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture,
Media and Sport (Mims Davies)
The Commonwealth Games in Birmingham will be the biggest sporting
event ever held in the west midlands. Last week the Government
announced that the region would benefit from nearly £800 million
of investment. The venues for the games will extend from Royal
Leamington Spa to Coventry and to Cannock Chase. There will be 11
days of sport across the west midlands, along with cultural and
business engagement, trade and volunteering. The hon. Gentleman
should keep his diary clear, because the event will be showcased
at the Walsall shopping centre on 20 July.
(Walsall North) (Con)
I understand that the training venues will be announced later
this year. Will the Minister put in a good word for the British
judo Centre of Excellence in Walsall?
The available training venues are currently being reviewed. I
understand that there has already been an initial meeting with
representatives of the British judo Centre of Excellence and the
University of Wolverhampton regarding the possible use of their
facilities. Many great sporting facilities in the west midlands
and, indeed, across the United Kingdom will want to host training
events, and I am sure that they will receive a very warm welcome
from my hon. Friend.
(Stoke-on-Trent Central)
(Lab/Co-op)
Five junctions up the M6 from Walsall is the great city of
Stoke-on-Trent, which stands ready to play its part. How will the
Minister ensure that the benefits to which she has referred are
felt throughout our region and not just in the conurbation, and
what strategy does her Department have for a long-lasting legacy
programme so that those benefits do not disappear once the games
have ended?
The hon. Gentleman has made an important point about the joy that
will be felt not only in the west midlands but in the whole of
our country. We should bear in mind the economic impact of the
games in Glasgow in 2014, which brought more than £740 million to
Scotland’s economy, and the £1.3 billion boost for the Gold Coast
following the games in Queensland. We expect the Birmingham games
to bring jobs and opportunities such as volunteering, with up to
45,000 people involved in delivering the event. This is a
catalyst for a legacy in terms of facilities and on the ground,
and I am working towards that result as we head towards “three
years out”.
Topical Questions
(Bristol West) (Lab)
T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental
responsibilities. [911754]
The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
(Jeremy Wright)
Semi-finals are dangerous places for England’s sports teams. I am
sure that the whole House will wish to offer its commiserations
to the Lionesses following Tuesday’s result, but also our huge
congratulations on their performance throughout the World cup
competition. Although it did not produce the result that we
wanted, Tuesday’s match attracted the largest live television
audience so far this year, and the team has sparked a significant
change in the visibility of, and support for, women’s football
and women’s sport generally. That in itself is a fantastic
achievement. We also send our best wishes to the England men’s
cricket team for their semi-final next week in a world cup that
has given people around the world another good reason to visit
the United Kingdom this year.
Tourism is a significant but often overlooked part of our
economy, and last week we launched the tourism sector deal, the
first of its kind. The coming together of industry and Government
will mean more investment in accommodation, skills and
apprenticeships and data to ensure that we attract even more
tourists and business visitors. We also intend to ensure that
everyone can visit by making the UK the most accessible tourism
destination in Europe by 2025. Tourism matters greatly in many of
our constituencies, and the sector deal will give it the
long-overdue Government recognition that it deserves.
May I associate myself with the remarks of the Secretary of State
about the Lionesses, and also of course wish good luck to the
England cricket team?
The epidemic of appalling online bullying demonstrates that the
online world is effectively not abiding by the same rules as the
offline world, and people are suffering right now, so now that
the consultation on the White Paper on online harms has closed,
will the Secretary of State urge the new Prime Minister to
prioritise legislative time so that we can sort this law out and
protect people who are suffering right now?
Yes. I believe that this is a priority, and I believe that the
next Government should see it as such, and I believe that we
should see legislation coming forward in the next parliamentary
Session. The hon. Lady is right; the consultation on the White
Paper concluded yesterday, but as she will have heard me say
before, I believe that this is a groundbreaking change that we
need to get right, so the Government intend to continue to
listen, notwithstanding the fair point she makes about the
urgency of the situation.
Several hon. Members rose—
Mr Speaker
Order. I want to take this opportunity—I hope the House will join
me as I do so—to congratulate the hon. Member for Bristol West
(Thangam Debbonaire) and the other three members of the string
quartet known as Statutory Instruments on their magnificent
performance in Speaker’s House on Tuesday lunchtime; it was a
virtuoso display of outstanding music—stirring, inspiring and
admirable in every way. If you haven’t heard them, you haven’t
lived.
(Bury St Edmunds) (Con)
Particularly the cellist.
Mr Speaker
Yes, particularly the cellist, as the Government Whip on duty
chunters from a sedentary position to very considerable public
benefit.
(East Worthing and Shoreham)
(Con)
Will the Minister update the House on the prospect of the Bayeux
tapestry coming to this country on loan after Bayeux museum is
temporarily closed after 2020?
We very much look forward to that prospect. Of course, as my hon.
Friend will recognise, there are some technical challenges to be
overcome to ensure that the tapestry can be properly displayed
and protected, but this is an example of Anglo-French
co-operation of which we expect to see a great deal more in the
future.
(Livingston) (SNP)
More than 6 million people watched England take on Scotland in
the women’s World cup and, as the Secretary of State just said,
nearly 12 million people watched England take on the USA, and we
send our condolences to the Lionesses. We have had some iconic
and memorable moments. Hayley Lauder from my Livingston
constituency got her 100th cap, and none of us will forget that
magnificent celebration from Megan Rapinoe that made women and
girls everywhere across the world say, “You can take up space;
you can celebrate and you can be in sport.”
However, a recent study found that 65% of broadcast sport in
Scotland was taken up by men’s football alone, and, as the
Secretary of State knows, only 2% of print media is about women’s
sport. We must do more to capitalise on the incredible results
from the women’s World cup to make sure that women’s sport, and
particularly women’s football, continues to be recognised in the
way it has been.
I agree with the hon. Lady; she has been a passionate advocate
for this for as long as she has been in the House, and I am sure
long before, and she is right. But I think we should recognise
that some significant progress has been made over the last few
weeks and months; even six months ago, if we had said in this
House that we expected a women’s football match to have the
largest live TV audience of the year so far, standing as we are
in July, I do not think any of us would have believed it. So
significant progress is being made. It was great to be able to
see that match on the BBC on Tuesday and for there to be such a
large audience for it. It is, as the hon. Lady says, inspiring
girls and women to play more sport, and that is exactly what we
want to see more of.
(Dudley South) (Con)
Does the Minister agree that one of the crucial aspects of
tackling loneliness is raising awareness of the services, support
and activities that are available in local communities, and what
are the Government doing to achieve this?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture,
Media and Sport (Mims Davies)
I thank my hon. Friend for raising this point, because it is so
important. Nobody walks around with an arrow on their head saying
that they are lonely. There are times in our life when we feel
lost or isolated and we need someone to turn to, so the 1,000
social prescribers will be very helpful. I know that my hon.
Friend has done something directly in his own constituency with
an older people’s fair—an event around loneliness—to do just
that, and I welcome all constituencies doing this.
Dr (Tooting) (Lab)
On behalf of all my colleagues on the Benches behind me, I would
like to wish the very best of luck to the England cricket team.
We also wish the best of British to all our British tennis
players at Wimbledon, and we would like to thank the Lionesses
for inspiring a generation.
Our children are facing a deadly obesity crisis. Obesity is
rivalling smoking as a leading cause of cancer. Being healthy is
about keeping fit and having a healthier diet, but the sugar tax
has also been very welcome in promoting a healthier lifestyle,
especially for children and young people. The Sports Minister has
a responsible role to play in tackling obesity, so will she today
publicly commit to resisting any call to scrap the sugar tax,
even from her favoured candidate for Prime Minister?
I thank the hon. Lady for raising this issue. She and I share a
great passion for getting and keeping our young people active. I
hope to announce the school sports action plan, alongside
colleagues in the Department of Health and Social Care and the
Department for Education, before the summer recess. We are very
close to this. All money that comes into PE and sport from the
premium—the levy has doubled this—is important. I hope to see
Government investment in school sport continue in any way, shape
or form.
(Mid Worcestershire)
(Con)
As this is 4 July, Independence Day, and despite this week’s
football result, will the Secretary of State, who like me has an
American spouse, comment—positively, of course—on the very many
benefits of our special relationship with the US?
Neither my hon. Friend nor I would dare to do anything else,
today or on any other day. He is right to suggest that this
remains a very special relationship, not just in our households
but across the nation.
(Swansea East) (Lab)
T2. I welcome this week’s announcement from the big five gambling
companies that they will pay towards treatment in acknowledgement
of the harm that they have caused, but given the industry’s track
record, I am sceptical about their reliability. Will the Minister
please look at a “polluter pays” mandatory levy? [911755]
The hon. Lady passionately believes, as do I, in ensuring that
help gets to those who need it. Those who are affected by problem
gambling, and whose lives are ruined thereby, need help as
quickly as they can get it. The reason that I think it
appropriate to welcome the moves that have been made by those
five companies, as she has done, is that this will deliver help
quickly and in the sort of amounts that a mandatory levy was
always designed to deliver. Having said all that, if those
voluntary commitments are not met, the Government will reserve
the right to pursue a mandatory route instead. But let’s get the
help to those who need it as quickly as we can.
Mr (Kettering) (Con)
Manned by local volunteers, the local heritage centres in
Desborough, Burton Latimer and Rothwell in the borough of
Kettering do much to encourage an interest in local heritage in
small communities that have seen much change as a result of new
housing developments. What importance does the Department attach
to encouraging the promotion of such venues?
The answer is huge importance. My hon. Friend makes the important
point that heritage is local as well as national. We can
transform our communities in a number of ways, one of which is to
give people clearer insights into the wonderful heritage around
them. The heritage high streets fund will do that, as will many
of the other measures that have been referred to.
Mr (Coventry South) (Lab)
T3. The Secretary of State will know that Coventry will be the
city of culture in 2021. However, the Priory Visitor Centre in
Coventry has closed through lack of funding. Will he talk to the
relevant authorities to ensure that the Priory centre is
adequately funded? Equally importantly, the House must remember
that, at the time of the Wars of the Roses, the Parliament of
Devils was held in Coventry. [911757]
I will certainly look at what is happening at the Priory centre,
but I know that the hon. Gentleman will appreciate, as I do, that
£8 million was found in the Budget to support Coventry city of
culture, and we both look forward to it being a tremendous
success.
(Stoke-on-Trent North)
(Lab)
T4. As we head towards the long summer holidays, sports centres
are becoming increasingly important for families. Two years ago,
Staffordshire County Council pulled the plug on my pool at the
Kidsgrove Sports Centre. After lots of false starts and
undelivered promises, we are still without a swimming pool. Will
the Minister meet me to discuss how we can actually deliver a
pool for my constituents? [911759]
I would be happy to meet the hon. Lady. Sport England is active
in communities to ensure that nobody is barred from getting
involved in sport, and swimming is crucial as we come to the
summer holidays.
Sir (Twickenham) (LD)
T5. Ministers are aware of the nervousness about Brexit in the
creative industries. What assurances can they give that the
copyright protections in the European directive will be fully
preserved? [911760]
The Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries (Margot
James)
We applauded the decision to pass the EU copyright directive, and
I have met with bodies from the creative industries to discuss
how best to implement it in the UK. That will take a certain
amount of time, but we will be looking to protect the
intellectual property and artistic creations of our designers and
this country’s brilliant creative industries.
