Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent progress her Department has made on improving online safety.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Online Safety Bill will drive a step-change in online safety by holding tech companies to account.
Following the conclusion of the pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Bill, we are carefully considering the Joint Committee’s recommendations and thank the Committee for its work.
The Government is committed to introducing the Bill as soon as possible.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
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 effectiveness of the self-regulatory approach used for alcohol marketing and its effectiveness of protecting children from exposure to alcohol marketing.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
UK Government has measures in place to protect children and young people from alcohol advertisements. Material in the Committee of Advertising Practice and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice Codes (CAP and BCAP codes) relating to the advertising and marketing of alcohol products is exceptionally robust and to date, very effective.
The government, along with regulators, recognises the social imperative of ensuring that alcohol advertising is responsible and in particular that children and young people are suitably protected. If new evidence emerges that clearly highlights major problems with the existing Codes, then the Advertising Standards Authority has a duty to revisit the Codes and take appropriate action.
Asked by: Christian Wakeford (Labour - Bury South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking with telecommunications companies to provide IT equipment for people who are isolated, with no access to a phone or computer.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
My Department has been promoting the DevicesDotNow campaign, which is working with community organisations to distribute devices to vulnerable adults and help them get online. As part of this, I have also written to a number of industry Chief Executives of organisations to ask them to donate devices and funding to the DevicesDotNow campaign. to help vulnerable and digitally excluded adults.The aim is to enable elderly and vulnerable people, particularly those who are shielding, to communicate with the outside world and get access to vital services.
As part of Government’s response to Covid-19, we have already agreed a package of measures with the UK’s major fixed and mobile providers to support and protect consumers with their connectivity needs. This package was agreed on 29 March 2020, with further companies signing up on 18 May. As part of the commitments, providers have agreed to provide new and generous offers to their vulnerable customers, ranging from free mobile data boosts to free landline calls.