Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to tackle racism in sport.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
There is absolutely no place for racism in sport or anywhere in society. Sport clubs and fans must continue to embrace diversity and tackle racism whenever they encounter it. As I announced in the House on 4 February 2019, I will be bringing together football authorities and other organisations with an interest in the coming weeks, to agree what action must be taken to stamp out all forms of discrimination at sports events.
Sport is a devolved issue but the cross-government sport strategy ‘Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation’ seeks to ensure that access to sport is equal for all. Government is supportive of anti-racism initiatives from grassroots to elite sport, including Show Racism the Red Card and Kick It Out. Grassroots sport also receives support in tackling racism from our national sport council, Sport England, who provide free support and learning through its "Club Matters" programme.
Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the volume of advertising of fast food companies on television after school hours.
Answered by Margot James
We know that despite current advertising restrictions for products high in fat salt or sugar (HFSS) on TV around children’s programming, children’s viewing time peaks between 6-9pm and half of their viewing takes place during adult commercial programming where restrictions on HFSS advertising are weaker.
That is why, in the second chapter of the Government's Childhood Obesity Plan, we committed to consult on introducing a 9pm watershed on TV advertising of HFSS products and similar protection for children viewing adverts online - with the aim of reducing children’s exposure to HFSS advertising, and incentivising sugar and calorie reduction.
We will be launching the consultation at the earliest opportunity.
Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions has he had with music promoters on the ability to bring musicians from (a) EU and (b) other countries to the UK after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Margot James
While the government is clear that free movement will end when we leave the UK, we are aware that continued access to international talent to work and tour in the UK is a key concern for the music industry.
As part of our wider preparations for EU Exit, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is working closely with the music industry to understand potential impacts and opportunities of EU Exit for the sector. The Department will continue to build on this engagement.
The government takes into account the needs of the whole of the UK, including the music industry, when setting migration policy. The new system will be rolled out once we have left the EU and after the implementation period ends in 2021.
Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what his Department's policy is on limiting gambling advertising during televised sports events.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
There are strict controls on the content of all gambling advertisements, including broadcast adverts. Gambling operators who advertise in the UK must comply with the advertising codes, which aim to ensure gambling advertising does not appeal particularly to children or young people or exploit vulnerable people.
We considered advertising as part of our Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility and our response set out a package of measures to strengthen protections further. These include strengthened guidance from the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) on protecting vulnerable people, tougher sanctions for operators who breach advertising codes and a multi-million pound safer gambling advertising campaign.
The Industry Group for Responsible Gambling has announced that it will extend its voluntary commitment not to advertise on TV before 9pm to include advertising during sporting events. Its industry-wide code for socially responsible advertising also requires all TV adverts to feature a responsible gambling message for the duration of the advert. These are welcome moves and we encourage all those who benefit from gambling advertising to think about how they can promote safer gambling
Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions has he had with Huawei regarding security concerns from other nations.
Answered by Margot James
The UK government works with Huawei and other telecoms suppliers to manage cyber security risks while ensuring the UK can continue to benefit from new technology. The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has met with Huawei on a range of matters.
Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with mobile phone networks on preventing under-18s accessing inappropriate material.
Answered by Margot James
Ministers and officials have regular meetings and discussions with mobile network operators on a range of issues, including safeguarding children. Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website.
Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) provide a filter to restrict access to content that is unsuitable for customers under the age of 18. This has been the practice since the trade association, Mobile UK, first published a UK code of practice in 2004. The MNOs set these filters in accordance with a framework developed by the British Board of Film Classification.
Through the Digital Economy Act (2017), we are introducing the requirement for commercial providers of online pornography to have robust age verification controls in place to prevent under 18s accessing pornographic material. These controls will be at network level and effective regardless of the type of device being used.
Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the effect of the UK leaving the EU on mobile roaming charges in the EU.
Answered by Margot James
Ministers have a range of meeting with their Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, including the effect of the UK leaving the EU on mobile roaming charges in the EU.
Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has plans to encourage advertisers to promote healthy body images.
Answered by Margot James
We recognise that the pressure on young people to achieve an idealised body image is a serious issue, with wide-reaching consequences for their mental and physical wellbeing.
As set out in in the recently published Government response to the Internet Safety Strategy Green Paper, we are taking forward work on positive body image. This work will build on the commitments made in the Government response to the recent Youth Select Committee report which highlighted that increased time spent online can lead to increased exposure to images of unattainable and unrealistic beauty. The Government is also developing a package of work to tackle harmful gender norms which can occur both online and offline. This will include work with the advertising industry to encourage stereotype-free advertising.
Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has plans to encourage sports clubs to offer family package deals on match tickets.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The cost of attending live sport for all ages is something that must be kept under constant review, and we support a fair deal for fans, but respect that ticket-pricing policies should remain a matter for event hosts.
The Government's sport strategy, Sporting Future, recognises how attending live sporting events can benefit individuals, communities and the wider sporting economy. Ten major sporting events supported by UK Sport saw over 1.1 million people attend in 2017, including the IAAF World Championships in London, where over 100,000 children under 16 attended at a ticket price of £9.58, signifying Usain Bolt's 100m world record. The World Para Athletics Championships similarly saw over 100,000 schoolchildren attend, with 30,000 children being transported free of charge by Transport for London as part of a two session ring-fenced school project. The men's and women's World Series Triathlons held in Leeds in June also attracted over 50,000 spectators who were able to enjoy the events for free.
Football clubs are also offering concessions on ticket prices and associated costs for all fans, including younger supporters, which the recent BBC Price of Football 2017 study highlighted. Overall, English Football League (EFL) figures show that junior season ticket sales have increased by 37% over the past 10 years with 20% of all EFL club match attendees now under 16 years old. Premier League clubs have capped the cost of away tickets to £30 up until 2019, and clubs are helping more with concessions on travel.
Asked by: David Simpson (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to support the expansion of the hospitality sector.
Answered by Michael Ellis
We are committed to supporting the continued growth of the Tourism and Hospitality industry. We continue to work closely with key stakeholders in the sector to develop initiatives that will share the economic and job creation benefits of this vibrant sector across the UK.