Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many members of staff in his Department are working full-time on preparation for an adequacy assessment by the European Commission following the UK's withdrawal from the EU.
Answered by Margot James
I refer the Hon member to the answer given to PQ 218152 from 20th February.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has plans to appoint a broadband consumer champion.
Answered by Margot James
The interests of telecommunications consumers are currently championed by Ofcom’s independent advisory body, the Communications Consumer Panel (CCP). As part of the government’s consumer green paper, published in April 2018, the government is seeking views on whether the current consumer advocacy arrangements need to change, and if so, in what way.
Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)
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 strengthen the consumer within the telecoms sector.
Answered by Margot James
The Government strengthened Ofcom’s powers to support consumers through the Digital Economy Act 2017. Since then, Ofcom has taken a number of steps to benefit consumers in the telecoms sector, including introducing an Automatic Compensation Scheme for broadline and landline customers, and a text to switch reform to simplify switching for mobile customers. Additionally, the Government’s Consumer Green Paper was published on 11 April 2018. It seeks views on how to ensure that modern consumer markets work for all, both now and in the future, including in the telecoms sector. A copy of the Green Paper can be viewed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consumer-green-paper-modernising-consumer-markets.