Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government has plans to bring forward legislative proposals to provide the Digital Markets Unit with statutory powers in the parliamentary session 2022-23.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
We will legislate to put the Digital Markets Unit (DMU) on a statutory footing as soon as parliamentary time allows. The Draft Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill was announced as part of the Queen’s Speech in May this year. This draft legislation will set out new competition rules for digital markets and the largest digital firms.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when the Government plans to publish the responses in full to the consultation on a change of ownership of Channel 4 Television Corporation.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government consulted extensively on a change of ownership of Channel 4, and the views and evidence gathered from a wide range of stakeholders has informed the government’s assessment of any potential impact of a change of ownership.
The Government will publish a sale impact analysis shortly. It will also publish its response to the consultation. This will include a summary of the responses received.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether a full impact assessment was carried out before the decision was made to privatise Channel 4.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government consulted extensively on a change of ownership of Channel 4, and the views and evidence gathered from a wide range of stakeholders has informed the government’s assessment of any potential impact of a change of ownership.
The Government will publish a sale impact analysis shortly. It will also publish its response to the consultation. This will include a summary of the responses received.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking with the Department for Education to promote early years cyber security education.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
DCMS works closely with the Department for Education and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to ensure that children across the UK can freely access cyber security learning and resources. This includes the ‘CyberSprinters’ online game for 7-11 year olds, developed by NCSC, and ‘Cyber Explorers’, our recently launched online learning platform for 11 -14 year olds. Cyber Explorers supports teachers by complementing the school curriculum whilst widening the diversity of pupils who may be open to considering a future career in cyber security. We are not currently offering cyber security education to children under 7 years of age though online safety is taught to pupils from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 4 (age 5 – 16) as part of the computing curriculum. The curriculum covers the principles of e-safety with progression in content to reflect the different and escalating risks that young people face in life. The e-safety content focuses on the underpinning knowledge and behaviours that can help pupils to navigate the online world safely and confidently, regardless of device, platform or app.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of Netflix’s loss of 200,000 subscribers and more than 35 per cent fall in market value in the first quarter of 2022 compared with Channel 4’s streaming growth of 23 per cent in 2021.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Netflix’s first quarter results for 2022 saw overall subscriber numbers decline for the first time in many years. The company put this down to a number of factors including increased competition from new streaming services.
These results highlight the ever more competitive environment that even well-funded global players face.
Though Channel 4 has been reporting strong digital growth, its current ownership and operating model constrain its ability to respond to these market dynamics. The Government believes that having greater access to capital under private ownership and the ability to produce and sell its own content will give Channel 4 the best range of tools to succeed for decades to come.
The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has consulted with Cabinet colleagues on their decision to pursue a change of Channel 4’s ownership model. The Government will set out the future plan for Channel 4 in a White Paper shortly.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential economic impact of the privatisation of Channel 4.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government consulted extensively on a change of ownership of Channel 4, and the views and evidence gathered from a wide range of stakeholders has informed the Government’s assessment and wider policy-making.
Following this consultation, the Secretary of State has come to a decision that, although Channel 4 as a business is currently performing well, public ownership is holding it back in the face of a rapidly-changing and competitive media landscape. The Secretary of State has consulted with Cabinet colleagues on that decision.
The Government will set out its plan for Channel 4 in a White Paper shortly. The Government will also publish a response to its consultation.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effect of the content produced by BBC Sounds on the quality of output of commercial radio.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government has received representations from the commercial radio sector about the impact of BBC radio and audio services, including new services being launched on BBC Sounds. It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator, to assess whether particular BBC services have an impact on the provision of commercial radio and audio services.
The Mid-Term Review of the BBC’s Royal Charter offers an opportunity for the government to consider whether current governance and regulatory arrangements for the BBC are working effectively. We will be publishing more details about the Mid-Term Review shortly.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether Ofcom will be allocated extra resources when the regulation of social media platforms becomes part of its remit.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The positive funding outcome secured through the 2021 Spending Review enables us to deliver against the government’s commitment to make the UK the safest place to be online. Ofcom will receive a total of £88.64m for the financial years 2022/23 and 2023/24. In 2024/25 Ofcom should be self-funding its online safety work through an annual fee on industry.
This funding will ensure that Ofcom has the resources it needs to establish its online safety functions for the successful implementation of the Online Safety legislation which has now been introduced in Parliament.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when the Government will publish its response to the digital radio and audio review.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government expects to publish its response to the Digital Radio and Audio Review within the coming weeks.
Asked by: Chris Elmore (Labour - Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to continue the £1 million-a-year of support it provides to the Audio Content Fund as part of the Government’s creative industries investment programme.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The three-year pilot phase of the Audio Content Fund is due to end in March 2022. There will be a full evaluation of the pilot to determine its impact on the provision and plurality of public service content on commercial and community radio, and any future action in this area will be informed by that evaluation.
The Government is committed to ensuring that audiences benefit from a modern system of public service broadcasting that remains relevant and can continue to meet the needs of UK audiences in the future. The potential of further investment of public funding will be assessed against the Fund evaluation and alongside future public service broadcasting needs.