Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate her Department has made of the cost to households on fixed incomes of switching from Freeview to broadband television.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Parliament has secured the future of freeview, also known as digital terrestrial television (DTT), until at least 2034 and no decision has been made about what happens beyond this. On 23 June the Government published a Green Paper, Watch this Space: A new strategic direction for UK media which consults on both 2034 and 2044 as possible timeframes to switch off DTT.
The Government recognises that millions of households continue to rely on DTT. At the same time audiences are increasingly choosing internet-based television services (IPTV), and maintaining a traditional broadcast infrastructure for a declining audience is becoming increasingly costly for our public service broadcasters.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, industry and consumer groups to understand the practical and affordability challenges audiences may face in the event of a transition to IPTV. A final decision on the future of TV distribution will be informed by this consultation which sets out that we want to ensure people can continue to access television affordably and are adequately protected so that no one is left behind.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of ending licenses for digital terrestrial television in 2034 on people who rely on Freeview as their primary means of accessing television.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Parliament has secured the future of freeview, also known as digital terrestrial television (DTT), until at least 2034 and no decision has been made about what happens beyond this. On 23 June the Government published a Green Paper, Watch this Space: A new strategic direction for UK media which consults on both 2034 and 2044 as possible timeframes to switch off DTT.
The Government recognises that millions of households continue to rely on DTT. At the same time audiences are increasingly choosing internet-based television services (IPTV), and maintaining a traditional broadcast infrastructure for a declining audience is becoming increasingly costly for our public service broadcasters.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, industry and consumer groups to understand the practical and affordability challenges audiences may face in the event of a transition to IPTV. A final decision on the future of TV distribution will be informed by this consultation which sets out that we want to ensure people can continue to access television affordably and are adequately protected so that no one is left behind.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to extend the Freeview contract beyond 2034.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Parliament has secured the future of freeview, also known as digital terrestrial television (DTT), until at least 2034 and no decision has been made about what happens beyond this. On 23 June the Government published a Green Paper, Watch this Space: A new strategic direction for UK media which consults on both 2034 and 2044 as possible timeframes to switch off DTT.
The Government recognises that millions of households continue to rely on DTT. At the same time audiences are increasingly choosing internet-based television services (IPTV), and maintaining a traditional broadcast infrastructure for a declining audience is becoming increasingly costly for our public service broadcasters.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, industry and consumer groups to understand the practical and affordability challenges audiences may face in the event of a transition to IPTV. A final decision on the future of TV distribution will be informed by this consultation which sets out that we want to ensure people can continue to access television affordably and are adequately protected so that no one is left behind.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what support her Department provides to snooker (a) tournaments and (b) clubs and venues.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to supporting grassroots sport clubs that provide important hubs for communities up and down the country.
The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport through our arm’s length body, Sport England. Since 2023, Sport England has provided £220,774 to multi-sport projects that featured support for snooker clubs.
No funding has been explicitly provided for tournaments as snooker’s governing body is principally self-funded through its own commercial activities. However, we recognise the Crucible Theatre’s unique status as the sport’s spiritual home. We are therefore actively engaging with partners to explore all viable options to keep the World Championship in Sheffield, ensuring this historic venue continues to inspire future generations to pick up a cue.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, on what grounds her Department decided to extend the opening of papers relating to the 1959 murder of Martha Giles to 2055.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
During a review of the records held at The National Archives concerning the murder of Martha Giles, a record was found to contain the personal data of several individuals who are assumed to still be living. Consequently, in accordance with the 100-year principle that is set out in the Guide to Archiving Personal Data, the record in question will be kept closed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for the assumed lifetime of the youngest individual identified (2055).
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help improve support for ex-footballers with chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The safety, wellbeing and welfare of everyone taking part in sport is absolutely paramount. I welcome work by the football industry to protect players from harm and provide practical support to former players who develop neurodegenerative conditions. One example of this is the Professional Footballers’ Association’s Football Brain Health Fund, supported by the Premier League and announced in September 2023, which aims to assist former players and their families who have been impacted by dementia and other neurodegenerative conditions.
The Government continues to take the issue of head injuries very seriously. In December 2021 DCMS published its Command Paper report on concussion in sport; outlining the steps the government is undertaking to help reduce risks associated with head injuries by improving understanding, awareness, prevention and treatment of concussion in sport. As part of this, in April 2023 the Government announced the first UK concussion guidelines for grassroots sport, in conjunction with the Sport and Recreation Alliance. This guidance is intended to be a helpful tool in reducing the risks associated with concussion and marks an important step in making sport safer for thousands of people who enjoy sport at a grassroots level, as well as an aid to professional sports.
Further research on the links between health, dementia and contact sport is needed to better understand the issue. To that end, DCMS established a Sports Concussion Research Forum in July 2022 to identify key research questions that need answering in this important area.
The government remains committed to working with sports to build on the positive work that is already taking place to mitigate the causes and effects of concussion in sport.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to prevent gambling companies contacting individuals who have excluded themselves from gambling platforms by (a) postal marketing and (b) other means.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
As a condition of their Gambling Commission licences, all operators must offer self-exclusion procedures for customers, with multi-operator self-exclusion schemes in place for both online gambling (where all operators must be integrated with the GAMSTOP scheme) and land-based sectors.
As part of the self-exclusion process, licensees must take all reasonable steps to prevent marketing materials being sent to any self-excluded individual, including removing their details from any marketing database within two days of receiving notice of self-exclusion. If a customer has registered with GAMSTOP, all operators are expected to remove them from marketing lists. Operators who fail to comply with self-exclusion requirements are subject to enforcement action from the Gambling Commission.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help protect people who exclude themselves from gambling platforms.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
As a condition of their Gambling Commission licences, all operators must offer self-exclusion procedures for customers, with multi-operator self-exclusion schemes in place for both online gambling (where all operators must be integrated with the GAMSTOP scheme) and land-based sectors.
As part of the self-exclusion process, licensees must take all reasonable steps to prevent marketing materials being sent to any self-excluded individual, including removing their details from any marketing database within two days of receiving notice of self-exclusion. If a customer has registered with GAMSTOP, all operators are expected to remove them from marketing lists. Operators who fail to comply with self-exclusion requirements are subject to enforcement action from the Gambling Commission.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding Arts Council England has provided per capita in (a) South Staffordshire, (b) Birmingham, (c) Kensington and (d) Chelsea in the financial year 2021-22.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Arts Council England (ACE) has advised that between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022 it provided the following funding: (a) South Staffordshire (Non-Metropolitan District) received a total of £38,500 investment representing £0.34 funding per capita; (b) Birmingham (Metropolitan District) received £33,173,995 investment representing £29.09 funding per capita; (c&d) Kensington and Chelsea (London Borough) received £6,398,309 investment representing £40.79 funding per capita.
These data are accurate at the time of writing, but are subject to change due to factors such as underspends, withdrawals, and other similar grant adjustments. The figures include both Lottery and Exchequer funding, including one-off grant schemes, such as the Culture Recovery Fund.
As part of building back more strongly, in February 2022, the government announced a series of measures to significantly increase and better distribute ACE’s funding, transforming the landscape for arts and culture to ensure that it benefits everyone. Additional funding announced at Spending Review 2021 for Arts Council England (£43.5 million) will be invested outside London in levelling up places. This means that access to arts and culture across the country will be transformed with plans to increase and better distribute funding for the sector in areas outside London by around £75 million by 2025.