Lobby and Media Briefings: Journalists' Access Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Lobby and Media Briefings: Journalists' Access

Dehenna Davison Excerpts
Tuesday 4th February 2020

(4 years, 2 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Urgent Questions are proposed each morning by backbench MPs, and up to two may be selected each day by the Speaker. Chosen Urgent Questions are announced 30 minutes before Parliament sits each day.

Each Urgent Question requires a Government Minister to give a response on the debate topic.

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Chloe Smith Portrait Chloe Smith
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Because the hon. Lady is wrongly describing the situation. The Prime Minister stands by those words, as do I.

Dehenna Davison Portrait Dehenna Davison (Bishop Auckland) (Con)
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While the Labour party, true to form these days it seems, is obsessing about the London bubble, will my hon. Friend confirm that the Treasury is looking at how best it can support the media across the country? What impact does she believe that the recently announced business rates relief for local newspaper offices will have, particularly on great Bishop Auckland organisations, such as the Teesdale Mercury and The Northern Echo?

Chloe Smith Portrait Chloe Smith
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My hon. Friend makes a helpful wider point, which is how we, as a Government, can use policy and indeed scrutinise it here in this place—I say this as the Budget and other such vehicles come up—to look at ways to support the vibrancy of our press and media across the country. I referenced the Cairncross review earlier. These things, together with fiscal measures, are important in that debate.