Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the proposals in his Department's White Paper, A BBC for the future, published in May 2016, what discussions he has had with the BBC on reducing the level of salary arrangements for managerial and celebrity appointments.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
I have had discussions with the BBC throughout the Charter Review process. Although the level at which the BBC pays its managerial and talent appointments is a matter for the BBC, the Government's White Paper, A BBC for the future: a Broadcaster of Distinction, sets out that the BBC will maintain the current cap on talent spend of a maximum of 16 per cent of internal content costs. As part of their duty to ensure the BBC delivers value for money, the new BBC board will also have a duty to manage talent costs and conduct and report on a rolling programme of talent pay reviews, with independent, expert advice. The new Board's remuneration committee will have to approve salaries above £250K and publish the names of those paid over £450K.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to increase tourism in Yorkshire from (a) domestic and (b) foreign visitors.
Answered by David Evennett
Yorkshire had a record breaking year for inbound tourism in 2014 following the Grand Depart, and there were 1.29 million visits from international tourists to the region in 2015. Domestic overnight trips to Yorkshire were also strong in 2015: £1.92 billion was spent by these tourists in that year - an 11% increase on spending in 2014. Yorkshire also benefited from the £1m staycation campaign run early in 2016 to attract domestic visitors to the area following that winter's floods.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many gambling licenses were issued for premises in (a) Calderdale and (b) West Yorkshire in each year between 2005 and 2016.
Answered by David Evennett
The requested information is not held centrally. Local authorities are responsible for the issuing of gambling premises licences in accordance with the Licensing Objectives and their own Statement of Licensing Policy. Local Authority license registers listing the number of licences in each borough are available to access by the public. More information from Calderdale Council can be found at http://www.calderdale.gov.uk/business/licences/gambling-act/index.html
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the proposals in his Department's White Paper, A BBC for the future, published in May 2016, what discussions he has had with the BBC on challenging a perceived culture of political bias at the corporation.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
I have had discussions with the BBC throughout the Charter Review process. Under the plans in the White Paper, 'A BBC for the future: a broadcaster of distinction', the BBC's obligations for impartiality and accuracy will, for the first time, be regulated by an external body, Ofcom. The culture of the BBC will be a matter for the new unitary board in delivering its new mission 'To act in the public interest, serving all audiences with impartial, high-quality and distinctive media content and services that inform, educate and entertain.'
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to work with the Football Association to raise awareness of doping issues at all levels of football.
Answered by David Evennett
The Football Association operates a sport-specific anti-doping education programme for players of all ages. UK Anti-Doping - the relevant Arm's Length Body of DCMS - works closely with the Football Association on this programme.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding his Department has allocated to arts groups in Calder Valley in each of the last three years.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Calder Valley has received the following Arts Council funding over the last three years – £378,238 in 2013/14; £355,900 in 2014/15; and £300,298 in 2015/16 (year to date 8 March).
This investment from Arts Council England has supported a number of projects, including the Lamplighter Festival, Mytholmroyd Arts Festival and the Routes into Theatre project.
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent representations he has made to (a) the Premier League, (b) the Football League and (c) the Football Association to encourage football clubs to offer affordable tickets to supporters.
Answered by David Evennett
Ticket prices are a matter for clubs, and we therefore welcome the recent announcement by those in the Premier League to cap the price of away tickets to £30 for the next three seasons. In my regular meetings with the football authorities, I will continue to ask that all clubs keep under review ticket prices, as well as ways to ensure greater engagement in clubs by supporters