Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken to enable sports stadiums to reopen safely in England.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Government continues to liaise closely with the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) and sporting bodies whilst developing its guidance to support the safe return of spectators to stadia more widely no earlier than October 1st. As announced by the Prime Minister, this remains subject to review. Pilot events will now be capped at 1,000 people.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with (1) Google, (2) Twitter, (3) Facebook, and (4) other social media sites, about (a) the action, and (b) the time, those companies take to remove (i) racist, (ii) anti-Semitic, (iii) abusive, (iv) criminal, and (v) illegal, content online.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Ministers and officials have regular meetings and discussions with social media platforms such as Google, Twitter and Facebook on a range of issues, including hate speech, abusive and illegal online content. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website.
We are aiming to publish the full government response to the Online Harms White Paper consultation later this year which will outline the detailed proposals for keeping users safe online. We will continue to engage with industry representatives as we finalise proposals and move towards legislation.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the future of English regional theatre following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This Government recognises how severely regional theatres, and the Arts sector in general, have been hit by the COVID-19 crisis.
That is why, in order to support the sustainability of the Arts sector, including regional theatres, DCMS has worked closely with Arts Council England (ACE) to provide a tailored package of financial support. In March, ACE announced a £160m emergency response package to complement the financial measures already announced by the Government and to ensure immediate resilience of this vital sector. This package includes £140 million of support for artistic organisations including regional theatres; and £20 million of financial support for individuals, including self-employed theatre practitioners, so they can better sustain themselves, and their work, in the coming months.
On 23 June, the Prime Minister also announced that from 4 July theatres will be able to reopen for rehearsal, pre-production and broadcast, although not yet for live performance with an audience. I believe that this, alongside the work that we are doing with representatives of the entertainment and events industry to develop supporting guidance, represents the first steps in the roadmap to recovery for our nations’ theatres.
The Secretary of State, Minister for Digital and Culture, and officials continue to consult the Arts sector extensively to ensure we fully understand the financial impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on the sector. On the basis of that engagement, DCMS and ACE are continuing to work closely to consider the additional measures that are needed to ensure the long-term recovery and growth of the cultural sector, including regional theatres and theatre practitioners.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support local and regional newspapers following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This Government is clear that local and regional newspapers play an invaluable role in the fabric of our society. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government committed to supporting local and regional newspapers, both through its manifesto, and in response to the 2019 independent Cairncross Review on the future of high quality journalism.
The Cairncross Review looked at the overall state of the news media market, identifying a range of challenges and making nine recommendations for Government, regulators and industry to support sustainability within the sector, including at a local and regional level. The Government response, published in January this year, set out support for the majority of the recommendations, and the Government had already begun taking some of them forward before the onset of the current health crisis.
Covid-19 has exacerbated and accelerated many of the issues identified in the Cairncross Review and, in recognition of the importance of high quality local news provision, the Government has focused both on alleviating the existential threat posed by the pandemic and simultaneously continuing to progress commitments made in our response to the Review.
To date, we have worked with Nesta to develop a £2million pilot innovation fund, launched in October 2019, which seeks to invest in new technological prototypes, start-ups and innovative business models to explore new ways of sustaining the industry. The pilot Future News Fund is due to come to an end in June. The Government is considering options for a full, expanded fund ahead of the next Spending Review.
The Cairncross Review noted that society is increasingly moving online and news publishers are facing significant challenges in transitioning to sustainable digital business models. Covid-19 has expedited these structural changes. As set out in our response to the Review, the Government agrees that codes of conduct that formalise the relationships between news publishers and online platforms may help to rebalance that relationship. We are continuing to consider options in this area in the context of wider work on competition in digital markets, and look forward to the recommendations in the Competition and Market Authority’s final report into the online advertising market, due by 2 July.
The Government will continue to consider all possible options in the interests of promoting and sustaining high-quality news journalism beyond the immediate threat of Covid-19. We are committed to getting this work right, so future generations can engage with and be inspired by a free and vibrant press.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the England and Wales Cricket Board to enable spectators to watch First Class and National Counties cricket safely this summer.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
We are working closely with the sector, including the England and Wales Cricket Board, to facilitate the return of spectators to elite sport. A multidisciplinary working group, including medical directors from a number of sports, has begun to develop Stage 5 guidance around the return of spectators to stadia. Guidance will incorporate medical, sports, and venue expertise as well as the experience of other sectors that will reopen to audiences.
We will continue to be led by wider public health guidance and the working group will reflect on all emerging best practice, both domestically and internationally, in their work.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of data theft in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2020 shows that 46% of businesses and 26% of charities identified cyber breaches or attacks in the last 12 months. Of these, 1% of businesses and 4% of charities had personal data altered, destroyed or taken. In addition, 1% of businesses and charities which experienced a breach or attack said they suffered lost or stolen assets, trade secrets or intellectual property, which may include personal and non-personal data.
Through the National Cyber Security Strategy, the Government is investing £1.9 billion to help organisations stay secure and make the UK the safest place to live and work online.
As part of the current cross-Government Cyber Aware campaign, the National Cyber Security Centre recently launched a Suspicious Email Reporting Service to enable the public to report suspicious emails and help prevent data theft.
We have also strengthened our data protection legislation through the Data Protection Act 2018. The Act includes criminal offences of unlawfully obtaining personal data and/or re-identifying pseudonymised data. The legislation is enforced by the Information Commissioner's Office who can - and do - bring prosecutions where appropriate.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the support provided by the BBC for film production in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The BBC makes an important contribution to film in the UK. The BBC Board is responsible for ensuring the BBC meets the requirements set in the Charter and Framework Agreement, including those on support for film production.
The British Film Institute releases information on Public Investment in Film in the UK and the financial contribution of organisations including the BBC. In 2017/18, BBC Films contributed £11.3m to the public funding available for UK film production.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are giving to non-league football
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Government is committed to supporting all levels of football including non-league. We have an established partnership with the Football Association and the Premier League focused on investment into community facilities, the Government contributing £18m each year.
The three-way partnership sees a combined £70m go to new facilities delivered by the Football Foundation charity each year. The charity has coverage across the country with funding reaching 98% of all local authorities and boroughs in England.
The Government has also committed to investing £550m into grassroots football facilities, for all ages and genders, over the next 10 years to support plans to bid for the 2030 Men’s FIFA Football World Cup.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of staff employed by Premiership or Championship football clubs that are paid less than the living wage.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
DCMS has not made an assessment of the number of staff employed by Premiership or Championship football clubs that are paid less than the living wage.
The National Living Wage is the statutory minimum wage for those aged 25 and over, and the Government is committed to ensuring that everyone entitled to the National Living Wage receives it.
It is up to individual businesses to decide whether they would like to pay employees under the age of 25 the National Living Wage.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are giving to regional theatres in England.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Government funding for arts organisations and individuals is provided through our arm’s length body, Arts Council England (ACE). In the past five years, ACE has invested over £650 million in theatres in England, of which almost £400 million was to theatres outside of London. Theatres across England have also benefited from the introduction of the Theatre Tax Relief (TTR), which is helping to support the increase of theatre productions, especially via touring. Since the introduction of the TTR in 2014, £208 million has been paid out relating to 2,520 claims, which represents 8,395 productions.