Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
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 has taken to support the live music industry in (a) Manchester and (b) the UK.
Answered by Margot James
The live music industry is a vital part of the UK’s music ecosystem, contributing £1bn to the economy in 2016. We have undertaken a number of measures to support live music, most recently we announced that the Agent of Change principle will be included in the National Planning Policy Framework, helping to protect music venues when new housing is built.
Government is investing £78 million in a new theatre and arts complex in Manchester, the Factory, which will have live music as part of its offer. Arts Council England provides funding support for Band on the Wall a key venue for Manchester’s live music scene.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effect of restricting High in Fat, Salt or Sugar (HFSS) food advertising during all programmes before the 9pm watershed relative to existing restrictions on such advertising on (a) children's exposure to HFSS food and (b) children's obesity rates.
Answered by Matt Hancock
The Government recognises the importance of tackling childhood obesity, which is caused by a number of complex factors. The Childhood Obesity Plan for Action, published in August, considered a number of different policy responses to address this problem. Additional advertising restrictions were considered as part of this process, but current restrictions in the UK are amongst the toughest in the world and the plan focuses on those areas which experts tell us are most effective.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
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 effect on consumers of the time taken to implement switching in the mobile market to a gaining provider-led system.
Answered by Matt Hancock
Ofcom consulted on mobile switching and mobile contracts notice periods earlier this year and is currently considering responses to those consultations, with an expectation to make a statement on mobile switching in spring 2017. The Government would like to see consumers starting to benefit from these switching process measures as soon as possible. The Digital Economy Bill will make it easier for consumers to switch by requiring communications providers to follow any new procedures set by Ofcom when customers wish to change provider.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what information she holds of when Ofcom plans to bring forward its proposals to reform switching in the mobile market.
Answered by Matt Hancock
Ofcom consulted on mobile switching and mobile contracts notice periods earlier this year. Ofcom is now considering responses to those consultations and expects to make a statement on mobile switching in spring 2017.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
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 effect on vulnerable consumers of the current switching regime in the mobile market.
Answered by Matt Hancock
The Government is committed to making switching communications provider easier for all consumers, including for vulnerable people. The Digital Economy Bill will make it easier for consumers to switch by requiring communications providers to follow any new procedures set by Ofcom when customers wish to change provider.
Ofcom consulted on mobile switching and mobile contracts notice periods earlier this year. Ofcom is now considering responses to those consultations and expects to make a statement on mobile switching in spring 2017.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effect on consumers of the practice by certain mobile phone companies of enforcing a two-week wait before customers can receive their unlock codes in order to change provider.
Answered by Matt Hancock
At Autumn Statement 2015, we challenged the mobile phone industry to improve their handset unlocking practices; since then operators have committed to unlocking many more of their customers’ handsets for free, and as of this autumn, no major mobile provider will charge a customer to unlock their phone outside of an initial contract period.
During the Government assessment of handset unlocking practices in early 2016, the major mobile providers were challenged on their turnaround times for issuing unlock codes. Although many providers state that it can take up to 10 working days to issue an unlock code, this is only in the instance that the provider has to contact the handset manufacturer to obtain the unlocking code. In the majority of cases, providers are able to issue unlock codes within 1-3 working days.