Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to enable the safe return of spectators to National League football matches; and what discussions he has had with the (a) League and (b) FA on appropriate financial support for clubs.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The safety and security of players and spectators is of paramount importance.
On Tuesday 22 September it was announced that all sports pilot events currently ongoing would be paused with immediate effect, due to the sharp upward trajectory of Covid-19 cases. A?s set out in our Roadmap, sports events pilots, and the full return of fans to stadia would only ever take place when it was safe to do so.
However, the Government continues to work closely with a whole range of sports to understand the latest thinking that might allow spectators to return. This includes the creation of a new Sports Technology Innovation Working Group of sporting bodies and health experts to analyse new technologies which might support this.
The Government knows that the decision not to reopen stadia to spectators on 1 October will have major consequences for sports and clubs across the country who relied on those fans for income. We are working with those organisations to understand what they need and how we can support them.
Ministers have spoken to all of the major spectator sports, including football, and have asked for detailed financial returns so the Government can understand what support they might need.
Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)
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 support community radio stations during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The Government is strongly supportive of the community radio sector and recognises the great value that it offers to communities across the United Kingdom, in terms of providing quality local news, information and entertainment.
We recognise the challenges that some community stations are facing due to Covid-19 and are currently holding discussions with Ofcom and the Community Media Association (CMA) on possible options to provide urgent support for those stations in greatest need.
Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will estimate the number of businesses in Newton Abbot constituency which have download speeds of 10Mb/s.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
The Government has committed to achieving availability of superfast broadband to 95% of homes and businesses in the UK by the end of 2017. 88 per cent of homes and businesses in Newton Abbott are estimated to have coverage by the end of 2016, and additional funding sources, including the clawback funding that BT have offered in response to the high levels of take-up, will allow coverage to be extended further in Newton Abbot and the rest of the area covered by the Devon and Somerset broadband project. The Government will also launch a public consultation early next year in preparation for the implementation of a new broadband USO by 2020,with the ambition to give people the legal right to request a connection to broadband with speeds of 10 Mbps, no matter where in the country they live.
Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will estimate the number of businesses in Newton Abbot constituency which have superfast broadband of 24Mb/s.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
The Government has committed to achieving availability of superfast broadband to 95% of homes and businesses in the UK by the end of 2017. 88 per cent of homes and businesses in Newton Abbott are estimated to have coverage by the end of 2016, and additional funding sources, including the clawback funding that BT have offered in response to the high levels of take-up, will allow coverage to be extended further in Newton Abbott and the rest of the area covered by the Devon and Somerset broadband project. The Government will also launch a public consultation early next year in preparation for the implementation of a new broadband USO by 2020, with the ambition to give people the legal right to request a connection to broadband with speeds of 10 Mbps, no matter where in the country they live.
Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of Devon has access to superfast broadband; and what estimate he has made of what proportion of Devon will be covered by superfast broadband by the end of (a) 2015 and (b) 2017.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Ofcom is responsible for monitoring the UK broadband market and reported that superfast broadband was available to 45% of premises in Devon by June 2014. This could mostly be attributed to BT’s commercial roll-out.
The Government’s superfast broadband project for Devon and Somerset aims to deliver coverage to 211,000 superfast premises by the end of 2015. The project will increase coverage within the project area to 89% superfast by the end of 2016. This will be made up of commercial and publicly subsidised network build. Coverage beyond the end of the current project will depend on the result of the phase 2 procurement process. The Government has allocated £22.75m for the phase 2 project which the local authorities have committed to match with local and European funding.
In addition, Luxborough in Exmoor, Somerset is hosting a Government funded Market Test Pilot, which will soon be providing superfast satellite broadband services to over 200 premises. This will provide valuable information on how to take coverage even further by demonstrating the delivery of superfast broadband in the most commercially challenging locations.
Asked by: Anne Marie Morris (Conservative - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of superfast broadband in Devon has been implemented by (a) BDUK and (b) BT commercially; and what estimate he has made of such figures at the end of (i) 2015 and (ii) 2017.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Ofcom is responsible for monitoring the UK broadband market and reported that superfast broadband was available to 45% of premises in Devon by June 2014. This could mostly be attributed to BT’s commercial roll-out.
The Government’s superfast broadband project for Devon and Somerset aims to deliver coverage to 211,000 superfast premises by the end of 2015. The project will increase coverage within the project area to 89% superfast by the end of 2016. This will be made up of commercial and publicly subsidised network build. Coverage beyond the end of the current project will depend on the result of the phase 2 procurement process. The Government has allocated £22.75m for the phase 2 project which the local authorities have committed to match with local and European funding.
In addition, Luxborough in Exmoor, Somerset is hosting a Government funded Market Test Pilot, which will soon be providing superfast satellite broadband services to over 200 premises. This will provide valuable information on how to take coverage even further by demonstrating the delivery of superfast broadband in the most commercially challenging locations.