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Written Question
Mermaids UK
Wednesday 12th June 2019

Asked by: David T C Davies (Conservative - Monmouth)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the charitable status of Mermaids UK will be reviewed.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

In England and Wales, an organisation is a charity if it meets a number of legal tests; namely that it is established for exclusively charitable purposes for the public benefit and that it falls within the jurisdiction of the High Court regarding charities. The charitable status of an organisation is a matter of law and the Charity Commission cannot remove the charitable status of a charity if it meets the legal test. There are no plans to review the charitable status of Mermaids UK.


Written Question
West Bromwich Albion Football Club
Thursday 3rd May 2018

Asked by: David T C Davies (Conservative - Monmouth)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April 2018 to Question 135890 on West Bromwich Albion Football Club, whether the Sports Ground Safety Association recommended approval of the application by West Bromwich Albion to install rail seating at The Hawthorns.

Answered by Tracey Crouch

Spectator safety at sports grounds remains the priority for Government. The Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) is the regulatory body responsible for overseeing and advising on safety at sports grounds. I and my officials meet with and receive advice from the SGSA as part of the normal process of policy development. With regard to the application by West Bromwich Albion (WBA) to install rail seating at the Hawthorns, the Sports Grounds Safety Authority did not make a specific recommendation on whether Ministers should or should not approve the application by West Bromwich Albion.


Written Question
West Bromwich Albion Football Club
Tuesday 24th April 2018

Asked by: David T C Davies (Conservative - Monmouth)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what advice the Sports Ground Safety Association provided to his Department on the application by West Bromwich Albion to introduce a safe standing area at that club's stadium.

Answered by Tracey Crouch

Spectator safety at sports grounds remains the priority for Government. The Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) is the regulatory body responsible for overseeing and advising on safety at sports grounds. My officials meet and receive advice from the SGSA as part of the normal process of policy development. The Sports Grounds Safety Authority provided technical advice and background information on the proposal from West Bromwich Albion FC to install rail seating at The Hawthorns.


Written Question
BBC: Political Impartiality
Thursday 3rd March 2016

Asked by: David T C Davies (Conservative - Monmouth)

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 ensure that the BBC upholds its obligations under the charter relating to impartiality during the EU referendum campaign.

Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot

In June 2015 I wrote to the Chairs of the BBC Trust and Ofcom on this subject. Their replies set out their plans. The Trust has since consulted on and published guidelines for covering the referendum.


Written Question

Question Link

Thursday 8th May 2014

Asked by: David T C Davies (Conservative - Monmouth)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with Freeview about reasons to extend full Freeview services to (a) Monmouth constituency and (b) all other parts of the UK that are currently not provided with such services.

Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot

Ofcom estimates that 98.5% of UK households have access to 17 channels including those from the public service broadcasters (PSBs) on the digital terrestrial TV (DTT, or Freeview) platform, and that approximately 90% of UK households are also able to receive additional commercial DTT channels. Around 1.5% of UK households cannot easily receive DTT services with less than 0.5% not able to receive DTT services at all. However, DTT, cable and satellite digital television services together cover practically 100% of UK households, so that in all but the most exceptional of cases, everyone should be able to get digital television by one means or another. As well as subscription services, digital satellite TV offers non-subscription reception options for a one-off equipment and installation cost, but with no on-going monthly payments.

We have had no discussions with Freeview or Digital UK, who manage the DTT platform, about extending services and there are no plans to require broadcasters to improve the DTT coverage levels agreed for digital television switchover in 2006.

Purely commercial DTT services are not subject to the ‘near-universal' coverage requirements which apply to PSB DTT services, and while the operators of the commercial DTT services were given the opportunity to extend their networks at the time of digital switchover, the operators determined that it was not commercially viable for them to build-out their services to additional transmitter sites.


Written Question

Question Link

Thursday 8th May 2014

Asked by: David T C Davies (Conservative - Monmouth)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions the Government has had with representatives of Freeview about improving the number of channels on offer for people in rural areas.

Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot

Ofcom estimates that 98.5% of UK households have access to 17 channels including those from the public service broadcasters (PSBs) on the digital terrestrial TV (DTT, or Freeview) platform, and that approximately 90% of UK households are also able to receive additional commercial DTT channels. Around 1.5% of UK households cannot easily receive DTT services with less than 0.5% not able to receive DTT services at all. However, DTT, cable and satellite digital television services together cover practically 100% of UK households, so that in all but the most exceptional of cases, everyone should be able to get digital television by one means or another. As well as subscription services, digital satellite TV offers non-subscription reception options for a one-off equipment and installation cost, but with no on-going monthly payments.

We have had no discussions with Freeview or Digital UK, who manage the DTT platform, about extending services and there are no plans to require broadcasters to improve the DTT coverage levels agreed for digital television switchover in 2006.

Purely commercial DTT services are not subject to the ‘near-universal' coverage requirements which apply to PSB DTT services, and while the operators of the commercial DTT services were given the opportunity to extend their networks at the time of digital switchover, the operators determined that it was not commercially viable for them to build-out their services to additional transmitter sites.


Written Question

Question Link

Thursday 8th May 2014

Asked by: David T C Davies (Conservative - Monmouth)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans the Government has to ensure that places where repeater transmitters are situated receive a full Freeview service.

Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot

Ofcom estimates that 98.5% of UK households have access to 17 channels including those from the public service broadcasters (PSBs) on the digital terrestrial TV (DTT, or Freeview) platform, and that approximately 90% of UK households are also able to receive additional commercial DTT channels. Around 1.5% of UK households cannot easily receive DTT services with less than 0.5% not able to receive DTT services at all. However, DTT, cable and satellite digital television services together cover practically 100% of UK households, so that in all but the most exceptional of cases, everyone should be able to get digital television by one means or another. As well as subscription services, digital satellite TV offers non-subscription reception options for a one-off equipment and installation cost, but with no on-going monthly payments.

We have had no discussions with Freeview or Digital UK, who manage the DTT platform, about extending services and there are no plans to require broadcasters to improve the DTT coverage levels agreed for digital television switchover in 2006.

Purely commercial DTT services are not subject to the ‘near-universal' coverage requirements which apply to PSB DTT services, and while the operators of the commercial DTT services were given the opportunity to extend their networks at the time of digital switchover, the operators determined that it was not commercially viable for them to build-out their services to additional transmitter sites.