Asked by: David Mackintosh (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2016 to Question 30395, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) consumers are aware of the broadband speeds available to them and (b) internet service providers are transparent with consumers about the best speeds available.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Ofcom's Broadband speeds Code of Practice requires that Internet Service Providers provide consumers with clear, accurate information on broadband speeds, including the maximum speeds they can achieve, the estimated speed on their line, and factors that may slow down the speed, such as any fair use or traffic management policies.
In addition, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) provides rules on how headline broadband speed claims are presented to consumers, including requiring the use of the qualification 'up to' when presenting the headline broadband speed, and that the maximum stated speed must be achieved by at least 10% of the relevant customer base.
Asked by: David Mackintosh (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the extent of the rollout of super-fast broadband in the Northampton South constituency.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Based on DCMS modelled estimates and current delivery plans, it is estimated that 99.7% of premises in the Northampton South constituency will have access to superfast broadband by December 2017. Additional funding sources, including Northamptonshire’s share of the £129 million of early gainshare funding that BT will return in response to the high levels of take-up being achieved, will allow coverage to be extended further in Northampton South and the rest of the area covered by the Northamptonshire broadband project.
In addition, the Government's intention to implement a new broadband Universal Service Obligation will give people the legal right to request a broadband connection, no matter where they live, by the end of this Parliament. Our ambition is that this should be set at 10 Mbps.
Current estimates suggest that almost 90% of premises in the Northampton South constituency are subject to commercial rollout, and a further 2,739 premises now have coverage as a result of this Government's superfast broadband programme.
Asked by: David Mackintosh (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what further steps his Department is taking to commemorate the First World War centenary leading up to 2018.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
A national commemorative event will be held on 31 May 2016 to mark the Battle of Jutland and the wider war at sea.
There will be a national commemorative event to mark the centenary of the Battle of the Somme at the Thiepval Memorial in Northern France on 1 July 2016. The Government is working with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission on a £1.6m refurbishment of the Monument to ensure that it endures for future generations and on a lighting installation that will see the Monument lit from 1 July 2016. In addition we are working with partners to encourage Somme commemorative activity across the UK.
There will also be national events to commemorate the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) in 2017 and the end of the conflict in 2018.
In addition Government will continue with established programmes for the conservation, repair and protection of War Memorials; the Cathedral Repairs Fund; Schools Battlefield Tours; and the laying of commemorative paving stones and the restoration of graves of Victoria Cross recipients buried in the UK.
The poppies sculptures 'Wave' and 'Weeping Window' will go to locations throughout the UK starting with the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Woodhorn Museum and Northumberland Archives, and St George's Hall, Liverpool.
There will be a series of school debates beginning next year to look at the causes, conduct and consequences of the War.
We encourage local communities to get involved in commemorating First World War events. Heritage Lottery Fund has recently made available an extra £4m for communities to explore, conserve and share local heritage of the First World War to ensure that these projects can continue throughout the centenary period.
Asked by: David Mackintosh (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to help local theatres over the next five years.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
During the last Parliament the Government launched the Theatre Tax Relief, which supports the theatre sector right across the country, helping to promote economic growth and widening opportunities for people to participate in the arts. The relief also extends the reach of touring organisations so that the whole country can enjoy different productions.
Through the UK Government's public investment in the arts - which is distributed by Arts Council England - we support many regional and local theatres. Many theatres are Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisations, which receive regular funding to support their work and productions. Other theatre organisations also receive National Lottery funding to support productions through the Grants for the Arts programme.
The Arts Council also operates capital programmes of varying size that seek to help organisations become resilient, more sustainable and innovative by improving their existing buildings and equipment and increasing their capacity to engage with digital audiences. One of the beneficiaries in 2014/15 was Watford Palace in the South East, which received £300,000 to enhance their rehearsal facilities, improve energy efficiency and replace specialist equipment.