Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice, if any, they have provided to the Royal Household regarding the attendance of members of Bahrain's royal family at this year's Royal Windsor Horse Show; and if so, what Government departments were involved in providing the advice.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
Her Majesty's Government has not provided any such advice. Invitations to this annual event are issued by the Royal Household, and attendees join in a private capacity.
The UK and Bahrain have a close and long-standing relationship. No aspect of our relationship with Bahrain prevents us from speaking frankly about important issues. Long-standing connections and frank engagement underpin our bilateral relationship.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to uphold the EU's moratorium on the use of facial recognition technology in public places after Brexit.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Shadow Minister (Education)
We understand that the EU have been considering a proposal for a moratorium, but no final decisions have been taken. There are no plans to impose a moratorium in the UK, but we will continue to keep the legal framework under review.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements for interoperability will be put in place for the use of Huawei equipment in the 5G network and any related systems.
Answered by Baroness Morgan of Cotes
Interoperability will be one of the three strands of the strategy that the Government is developing to help diversify the supply chain. This will entail the deployment of all the tools at the Government’s disposal. The strategy has three main strands:
Attracting established vendors who are not currently present in the UK;
Supporting the emergence of new, disruptive entrants to the supply chain; and
Promoting the adoption of open, interoperable standards that will reduce barriers to entry.
In addition, the Government’s 5G Testbeds and Trials Programme provides an opportunity to support architectural models that open-up the radio access network, allowing operators to use different vendors for different components of the radio access network.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they contributed to the Great Exhibition of the North.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The Great Exhibition of the North was the biggest event held in England in 2018 and Newcastle-Gateshead welcomed approximately four million people to the city over the summer of 2018.
Government contributed £6m to the Exhibition. Through sponsorship deals and funding bids, we increased the total budget for the Exhibition was £14m.