Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many and what proportion of urban properties are unable to access fibre-to-the-cabinet broadband and qualify for assistance under the universal service obligation.
Answered by Matt Warman
The Ofcom Connected Nations Report 2019 found that 1% of all urban properties (approximately 161,000 premises) in the UK were unable to access a fixed broadband connection that met the minimum speed thresholds under the Universal Service Obligation (USO). However, the vast majority of these premises are likely to be able to access a 4G or 5G mobile service that provides USO level download and upload speeds or higher and will not therefore be eligible for an upgraded connection under the Universal Service Obligation.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the minimum levels of connectivity required for assistance under the universal service obligation.
Answered by Matt Warman
The speed and technical requirements of the Universal Service Obligation (USO) were set on the basis of advice from Ofcom that they would meet broadband requirements of a typical household, including both voice and video calls, and the government’s consultation on the USO. The USO acts as a digital safety net for households unable to access a broadband service that meets these requirements at present. The government is committed to keeping the USO specification under review in light of consumer’s evolving needs and connectivity usage trends.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what (a) businesses and (b) organisations he has met to discuss the effect of the fourth industrial revolution on skills needs; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Margot James
As referenced in the 2017 Digital Strategy, in order “for the UK to be a world-leading digital economy, that works for everyone, it is crucial that everyone has the digital capabilities they need to fully participate in society.” We are working with a wide range of partners across all sectors. This includes working with organisations carrying out research into the skills that are needed by the current and future workforce including Ecorys, Nesta, The Royal Society, the Oxford Internet Institute and Burning Glass amongst many others.
We have also established the Digital Skills Partnership, bringing together organisations from across all sectors to improve digital skills and capability levels across the skills spectrum. Organisations on the DSP’s Board include Google, Microsoft, BT, Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group, AbilityNet, Good Things Foundation, Tech Nation, the Federation of Small Businesses, Microsoft, and Nominet. A priority for the Digital Skills Partnership is to work with regional stakeholders, including SMEs and charitable organisations, and to incentivise the creation of Local Digital Skills Partnerships so that regional partners can better understand the skills needs of their local economies and communities.
Additionally, the Government’s National Retraining Scheme is an ambitious, far-reaching programme to drive adult retraining is driven by a key partnership between business (Confederation of British Industry), workers (Trades Union Congress) and Government, to set the strategic direction of the Scheme and oversees its implementation.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the timetable is for the publication of his Department’s civil society strategy; and what the scope of that strategy will be.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The Civil Society Strategy sets out a vision for how the government will support and strengthen civil society in the years to come, without compromising its independence. It is based on a 12 week long engagement exercise and complementary policy work. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport published the Strategy on 9th August 2018.