Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (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 capability of UK regulators (1) to maintain existing statutory protections relating to harmful online content, and (2) to ensure effective enforcement of these protections, between the end of the transition period for the UK’s departure from the EU and the enactment of their proposed online harms legislation.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Government is firmly committed to making the UK the safest place in the world to be online and the end of the transition period will not affect this. Regulations transposing the revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMS Directive) came into force on the 1st of November 2020 and require UK-established video sharing platforms (VSPs) to have systems and processes in place to protect the public, including minors, from illegal and harmful material. Ofcom has the power to take enforcement action against UK-established VSPs which do not take adequate appropriate measures, or which do not implement the measures adequately, in order to protect UK users.
VSPs established in the European Economic Area will not be regulated by Ofcom and will be regulated by the Member State that they are established in. As the regulation under this VSP regime is systems regulation and not content regulation, we expect platforms based outside of the UK to set up and invest in systems in order to comply with the AVMS Directive. It is anticipated that these same systems will also be introduced for their UK subsidiaries particularly in anticipation of the incoming online harms regime. Regulation provided by other EU Member States will therefore be effective and robust enough to provide protection to UK users until such time as the online harms regime is in place.
As the AVMS Directive aligns well with the Government’s plans to tackle online harms, the VSP regime will be repealed and superseded by the online harms regulatory framework, once it comes into force. We will publish the Full Government Response to the Online Harms White Paper consultation later this year, which will contain more detailed proposals on online harms regulation.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) any governance and regulatory gaps in online harms protections that will emerge at the end of the transition period for the UK’s departure from the EU, and (2) the risks to young people from any further delay to the publication of proposed online harms legislation.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As the Government has transposed all relevant legislation, there will not be any gaps in online harms protection at the end of the transition period. The government is also working at pace to deliver online harms legislation next year, which will introduce comprehensive protections for young people.
The Government transposed the revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive into domestic law on the 30th September and the Regulations came into force on the 1st of November 2020. UK-established video sharing platforms are required to take appropriate measures to protect minors from content which may impair their physical, mental or moral development, and all users from illegal content.
The AVMS Directive aligns well with the Government’s plans to tackle online harms, in particular in its requirements on UK-established video sharing platforms to have systems in place to protect users, especially minors. It should be noted that the video sharing platform regime will be repealed and will be superseded by the online harms regulatory framework, once it comes into force.
The Government is firmly committed to making the UK the safest place to be online and is working at pace to introduce this legislation. We will publish the Full Government Response to the Online Harms White Paper consultation later this year, which will contain more detailed proposals on online harms regulation and will be released alongside interim voluntary codes on tackling online terrorist and child sexual exploitation and abuse content and activity. This will be followed by legislation, which will be ready next year.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken in the last three months to progress their proposed online harms legislation; and whether such legislation will be subject to pre-legislative scrutiny.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is firmly committed to making the UK the safest place to be online, and DCMS and the Home Office are working at pace to introduce this legislation. We will publish a Full Government Response to the Online Harms White Paper later this year. This will be followed by legislation in 2021, when parliamentary time allows.
It is vital that we get this legislation right and we will make a final decision on pre-legislative scrutiny nearer the time of introduction. We are mindful of the need to balance speed and scrutiny when introducing these measures, and we will continue to engage with parliamentarians as we prepare legislation.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial support they intend to provide to (1) the England and Wales Cricket Board, and (2) other governing bodies for cricket.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Sport England, the national sports council for England, has provided £9m to the England and Wales Cricket Board for 2017- 2021 period, plus an additional £1.2m of funding for a specific volunteering project linked to the Cricket World Cup in 2019. As part of Sport England’s flexible support to system partners during Covid-19, they have committed to rolling over funding for a further year (details about this can be found on Sport England’s website (https://www.sportengland.org/how-we-can-help/coronavirus/funding-innovation-and-flexibility).
Other national governing bodies of cricket are outside the remit of Sport England funding.
The Government recognises the impact that Covid-19 is having on the sporting sector. The Chancellor announced an unprecedented package of measures to help businesses during this period, including £330 billion worth of government-backed and guaranteed loans to support businesses across the UK. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, and Self-Employed Income Support Scheme have supported businesses across the UK and in every sector, including sport.
In addition, Sport England, announced £210 million of funding to help sport and physical activity organisations deal with the short and long term effects of the pandemic.
The Minister for Sport, Tourism and Heritage has been engaging with the England and Wales Cricket Board to ensure they are aware of the assistance available to the sport and how it can be accessed. We know this is a challenging period for all sports and we continue to work closely with the whole sector to understand the issues they face and how we can best support them through this difficult time.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) whether they will publish the scientific evidence that cricket balls are a potential vector for COVID-19; (2) when this information was shared with the England and Wales Cricket Board; and (3) which mitigation measures were discussed with the Board.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Officials are working very closely with the ECB and their medical experts to understand the unique qualities of cricket. We are working at pace to shape guidance that will allow the safe return of competitive cricket and other team sports. Any shared sporting equipment may risk transmission, but these risks can be mitigated with good hygiene practice as being adopted across a wide range of sectors.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) which measures should be brought forward to restore grassroots cricket to at least its pre-COVID-19 levels of activity; (2) what plans they have to develop a national strategy; and (3) who they plan to consult on any such strategy.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Officials are working very closely with the England and Wales Cricket Board on plans to deliver the safe return of club cricket as soon as possible. We are working at pace to shape guidance that will allow the safe return of competitive cricket and other team sports. Any shared sporting equipment may risk transmission, but these risks can be mitigated with good hygiene practice as being adopted across a wide range of sectors. I hope to make further progress on this in the coming weeks so that teams can enjoy a great cricketing summer.
In terms of developing and consulting on a national strategy for grassroots cricket, this is a matter for the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to developing a post-COVID-19 recovery strategy for (1) elite, and (2) grass roots, level sports.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is having regular discussions with sector and industry bodies to understand the impact of COVID-19 on sport and how we can provide support. This includes the Minister for Sport, Tourism and Heritage chairing a fortnightly meeting with over 25 sporting organisations. Sport is also represented on the department’s Cultural Renewal Taskforce, which is looking at ways to get sectors across the department back up and running.
Government has already published three stages of guidance for the return of elite sporting competition, and guidance for the return of outdoor grassroots sport and recreation. These are available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-phased-return-of-sport-and-recreation
Further guidance will be published in due course to help sporting organisations understand how they can operate safely as lockdown restrictions are further eased in the future.
This is in addition to financial support that has been made available to the sector. The Chancellor announced a host of measures to help businesses, with £330 billion worth of government backed and guaranteed loans to support businesses across the UK. In addition, Sport England, has also announced £210 million of funding to help sport and physical activity organisations deal with the short and long term effects of the pandemic.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (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 (1) Football Association, (2) Premier League, and (3) English Football League, to ensure the provision of a police presence at venues where closed football matches are due to take place to discourage the congregation of fans and to enforce social distancing outside such venues.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is having regular discussions with sector and industry bodies to understand the impact of COVID-19 on sport and how we can provide support. This includes the Minister for Sport, Tourism and Heritage chairing a fortnightly meeting with over 25 sporting organisations. Sport is also represented on the department’s Cultural Renewal Taskforce, which is looking at ways to get sectors across the department back up and running.
Government has already published three stages of guidance for the return of elite sporting competition, and guidance for the return of outdoor grassroots sport and recreation. These are available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-phased-return-of-sport-and-recreation
Further guidance will be published in due course to help sporting organisations understand how they can operate safely as lockdown restrictions are further eased in the future.
This is in addition to financial support that has been made available to the sector. The Chancellor announced a host of measures to help businesses, with £330 billion worth of government backed and guaranteed loans to support businesses across the UK. In addition, Sport England, has also announced £210 million of funding to help sport and physical activity organisations deal with the short and long term effects of the pandemic.
Asked by: Lord Bassam of Brighton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, as part of their review of press sustainability in the UK, they will conduct research into (1) sales figures for local and national newspapers since 2010, and (2) which local and regional newspapers have ceased publication since 2010; and if so, whether they will publish any such research.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie
The review of the sustainability of high-quality journalism is being led by an external chair, Dame Frances Cairncross, with support from an advisory panel of industry experts. It is for the Chair to determine what analysis and research will be carried out to inform her final report.
Alongside the review, DCMS have commissioned a piece of sector analysis, looking at the changing state of the press market and assessing new business models being deployed by news publishers at a national, regional and local level. We will publish this research in due course.