Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published 28 July 2021, what recent steps her Department has taken to work with the Inclusive Tourism Action Group to promote the National Accessible Scheme.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
We have continued to engage with stakeholders to assess how we can support inclusive and accessible tourism as the sector recovers from Covid-19. This includes England’s Inclusive Tourism Action Group, organised by VisitEngland and comprising a range of leading accessible tourism stakeholders.
The Inclusive Tourism Action Group runs the National Accessible Scheme which rates tourist accommodation based on their suitability for guests with accessibility requirements. VisitEngland will shortly undertake a full strategic review of the National Accessible Scheme, which will be informed by new consumer research. Members of England’s Inclusive Tourism Action Group will be key consultees for the review.
The Government is committed to improving the lives of disabled people. In July 2021 the government announced the National Strategy for Disabled People, which includes our ambition to make the UK the most accessible tourism destination in Europe by 2025. The strategy takes into account the impacts of the pandemic on disabled people and focuses on the issues that disabled people say affect them the most in all aspects and phases of life.
I am hosting a meeting with Cross-Government Accessibility Ambassadors next week, including the Accessibility Ambassador for the Tourism sector, as we look to further progress the ambitions set out in the National Strategy for Disabled People.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published 28 July 2021, what recent steps her Department has taken to work with VisitBritain, VisitEngland and other stakeholders in the tourism sector to promote the importance of accessible tourism in the media and to businesses.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Tourism Recovery Plan, published in June 2021, included the government’s commitment to recruit a new Disability and Access Ambassador for Tourism. Following an open recruitment process in 2021, Ross Calladine (Head of Business Support for VisitEngland), was appointed as the Tourism Ambassador in January 2022. The Ambassador role will drive improvement in tourism accessibility and quality of services in facilities for disabled people in the tourism Industry, and help to ensure businesses are doing all they can to support disabled customers.
The Government introduced new building regulations in January 2021, which made ‘Changing Places’ toilets a requirement in all new hotels as well as other public buildings, such as zoos and theme parks with a capacity of over 2000 people and museums. This is a positive step to promote the importance of accessibility in businesses that serve tourists. The Government invited unitary and district local authorities to opt-in to its £30 million Changing Places Fund to increase the provision of Changing Places toilets in toilet buildings.
VisitEngland has developed a dedicated web portal providing tailored business advice to tourism businesses, including guidance on how to welcome guests with different access needs. It has also ensured that its promotional and marketing activities are inclusive. For example, its Escape the Everyday campaign worked in partnership with Channel 4 to launch the Mission: Accessible series, which showcases accessible places to visit across the UK.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published 28 July 2021, what recent steps her Department has taken to (a) build the evidence base on the nature and scale of the inaccessibility of private sector websites and (b) explore how the Government can effectively intervene.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are aware that for people who have a disability, inadequate design of apps or websites - which does not take disabled users into account - is a significant issue. As part of the commitment made in the government’s National Disability Strategy 2021, DCMS commissioned an internal study into the nature and scale of the inaccessibility of private sector websites; the first stage of which was completed in late 2021.
The conclusions of this study are currently being considered by policy teams in collaboration with the government’s disability unit. DCMS is using this evidence to explore how the government can make effective interventions in this space. We aim to conclude our findings and options in spring 2022.
This work will complement the government’s 2018 publication of the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations. Led and monitored by the Government Digital Services (GDS), these regulations require UK public sector websites and apps to be made accessible, unless it would be disproportionate to do so.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Prime Minister's speech at the National Lottery Paralympics GB Homecoming event on 12 September 2021, how the additional funding for disability sports will be allocated.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
On 15th August, the Government publicly committed to providing £232 million to support Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The £232 million Grant In Aid funding will be invested into aspiring Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes as well as their coaches and support staff, in addition to funding from the National Lottery.
UK Sport, the strategic lead body for high performance sport in the UK, will be responsible for allocating the funding to athletes for the Paris cycle. Athletes will benefit through their World Class Programme and Progression Funding, which will provide vital support towards reaching the pinnacle of their sports as preparations begin for Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Prime Minister's speech at the National Lottery Paralympics GB Homecoming event on 12 September 2021, what the source is of the extra funding for disability sports.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
On 15th August, the Government publicly committed to providing £232 million to support Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The £232 million Grant In Aid funding will be invested into aspiring Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes as well as their coaches and support staff, in addition to funding from the National Lottery.
UK Sport, the strategic lead body for high performance sport in the UK, will be responsible for allocating the funding to athletes for the Paris cycle. Athletes will benefit through their World Class Programme and Progression Funding, which will provide vital support towards reaching the pinnacle of their sports as preparations begin for Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, on how many occasions officials in his Department met with David Cameron since July 2016; and what the (a) subject, (b) dates, (c) times and (d) durations of those meetings were.
Answered by Oliver Dowden - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Our records show officials from my Department have not had any meetings with the Rt. Hon David Cameron within this period.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2021 to Question 166491 on Digital Technology: Disability, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure that disabled people have access to the internet.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
To tackle the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on disabled people DCMS launched the £2.5m digital inclusion Digital Lifeline fund on 25 February. The fund will provide 5000 devices, data and support for disabled people to use the devices safely and confidently.
The government is working on the project with leading digital inclusion charities Good Things Foundation and AbilityNet, both highly experienced in helping disabled people boost their mental health and achieve their goals through digital technology.
The Government has worked closely with industry throughout the pandemic and has agreed a set of commitments with the UK’s major broadband and mobile operators to support vulnerable consumers during the Covid-19 period. Providers committed to working with customers who are finding it difficult to pay their bill as a result of Covid-19 to ensure that they are treated fairly and appropriately supported. Supplementary to this work, Ofcom published a Vulnerability Guide for providers, setting out its expectations and good practice on how vulnerable telecoms consumers should be supported.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the prevalence of digital exclusion among disabled people.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
There are several sources that the government uses to understand the prevalence of digital exclusion among disabled people. Ofcom survey data from 2020 suggests that 23% of those with any limitations/impairments don’t use the internet or have home internet access. The ONS publication ‘Exploring the UK’s Digital Divide’ 2019 states that in 2017, 56% of adult internet non-users were disabled. The 2020 Lloyds Consumer Digital Index tells us that people with an impairment are 25% less likely to have the skills to access devices and get online by themselves.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much of the Government's £16.5 million youth covid-19 support fund has been allocated to youth services to date.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Government recognises the important role that youth services play in communities, which is why we recently announced the £16.5 million Youth Covid-19 Support Fund (YCSF) that will protect the immediate future of grassroots and national youth organisations across the country.
£1.7m of the YCSF has already been allocated to vital youth work qualifications and training.
The competition for the remainder of the funding opened on Friday 15 January 2021 and will remain open until 19 February. It will help to mitigate the impact of lost income during the winter period due to the coronavirus pandemic, and ensure services providing vital support can remain viable.
To distribute funding as soon as possible, we will make initial awards on a rolling basis, prioritising those deemed to have the greatest need against the stated criteria. The first tranche of applications will be assessed in the coming fortnight.
Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many youth services organisations have accessed the Government's £16.5 million youth covid-19 support fund to date.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Government recognises the important role that youth services play in communities, which is why we recently announced the £16.5 million Youth Covid-19 Support Fund (YCSF) that will protect the immediate future of grassroots and national youth organisations across the country.
£1.7m of the YCSF has already been allocated to vital youth work qualifications and training.
The competition for the remainder of the funding opened on Friday 15 January 2021 and will remain open until 19 February. It will help to mitigate the impact of lost income during the winter period due to the coronavirus pandemic, and ensure services providing vital support can remain viable.
To distribute funding as soon as possible, we will make initial awards on a rolling basis, prioritising those deemed to have the greatest need against the stated criteria. The first tranche of applications will be assessed in the coming fortnight.