Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to address allegations of cyber bullying in the UK.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to addressing cyberbullying and online abuse in the UK and the Online Safety Bill will deliver strong protections for UK users online. This Bill was introduced to Parliament on 17 March 2022, and has now passed second reading.
The Bill will require all companies in scope to tackle illegal abuse on their services, by making sure it is taken down quickly and by using tools to minimise the risk of similar material appearing. Services which are likely to be accessed by children will also need to protect them from legal but harmful content and activity, such as cyberbullying. Companies will have to ensure that reporting mechanisms are easily accessible, and parents and children should expect to see platforms responding quickly and effectively to reports of cyberbullying. The Bill will also require the largest and highest risk services to set out in terms and conditions their approach to addressing harmful content for adults, such as online abuse which does not meet a criminal threshold. Ofcom will be able to take enforcement action, including large fines, against companies that fail to comply.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to prevent betting companies from being sponsors of Premier League football clubs.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is looking closely at the evidence regarding the impacts of sports sponsorship by gambling operators, including in the Premier League, as part of the wide-ranging Review of the Gambling Act. We will publish a White Paper setting out our conclusions and next steps in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help ensure that casinos are not able to take advantage of gambling addicts.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Casinos like other licensed gambling operators must comply with provisions in the Gambling Commission’s licence conditions and codes of practice which are intended to protect children and vulnerable people from harm and exploitation. For instance, they must monitor play and intervene to protect a customer where there is risk of harm. Breaches of provisions in the Commission’s social responsibility code may lead it to review an operator’s licence with a view to suspension, revocation or the imposition of a financial penalty. Our Gambling Act Review is considering the powers and resources of the Commission as well as the wider regulatory framework, including around land-based gambling.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with representatives of telecommunication firms on preventing potential Russian interference in telecommunications networks.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, as the Lead government department for telecommunications, works closely with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure and with telecoms owners, operators and regulator to assess and promote the security and resilience of the sector. DCMS disseminates best practice guidance, products and policy advice to further enhance the sector's security and resilience.
The NCSC, as the UK’s technical authority on cyber, engages closely with the sector to ensure it is alert to any evolving threats, is aware of the support available from NCSC and is taking the necessary actions to strengthen security postures.
Recent legislation will also enable the government to protect our public telecoms networks and services against security threats, both now and for the future. The Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021 introduces a stronger security framework placing new security duties on public telecoms providers and new national security powers to address the risks posed by high risk vendors. The National Security and Investment Act 2021 protects the UK economy, including the telecoms sector, by giving the government powers to scrutinise and intervene in acquisitions which raise national security concerns by blocking or setting conditions where necessary.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to encourage sports students to continue with their sporting passions after they leave education.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Sports and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health and all generations and communities should be able to enjoy the health, wellbeing, social and other benefits of being active.
Since the government launched its sports strategy, Sporting Future in 2015, Sport England has allocated over £1.5 billion to nearly 5,000 grassroots organisations across the UK to support everyone to continue to participate in sport and physical activity.
The Government also funds the Diploma in Sporting Excellence, a unique qualification that allows student athletes to combine sport and education, so that they have the skills, knowledge and qualifications to pursue a dual career in high level sport alongside separate paid employment in the future.
Through this work we will continue to provide opportunities for sports students to continue with their sporting passions after they leave education.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with the devolved Administrations to promote and enhance access to historical and heritage assets across the UK.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The UK Government is committed to promoting and enhancing access to historical and heritage assets across the UK. My Department has regular discussions at an official and ministerial level with the devolved administrations and other bodies and organisations across the UK about heritage matters.
In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, heritage policy is devolved however the DA’s work closely with the UK Government on matters of mutual interest and on international issues relating to heritage. We work closely with the devolved administrations on stewardship of our UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the recent addition of Gracehill Moravian Church in County Antrim to the UK's tentative list.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that swimming pools and leisure facilities have adequate disabled access.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government recognises there are barriers which exist and prevent some people from participating in sport and physical activity, including access to facilities. We want to continue to do all that we can to tackle these.
We continue to work with our arm’s length bodies, Sport England and UK Sport, and sector partners to encourage sport bodies to make sport and facilities more accessible. Sport England's new ten year strategy 'Uniting the Movement' reinforces their commitment to increasing participation in sport and physical activity for those from under-represented groups, including disabled people.
Sport England is also developing a new plan called ‘Accessible and Inclusive Sports Facilities’ and that will be published this year.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to promote staycations to support the tourism sector.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The government is committed to supporting the recovery of the UK’s tourism industry and promoting domestic tourism. The Tourism Recovery Plan, published in June 2021, sets out a comprehensive framework for rebuilding the sector.
The plan set out ambitious and stretching targets, which were at least a year faster than independent forecast predictions, in which to recover domestic tourism to pre pandemic levels. A target of 99 million overnight trips and spend of £19 billion by the end of 2022 was set, as well as aiming to return inbound visitor volume to return to 41 million and £28 billion spend by the end of 2023.
The TRP also announced plans for a new rail pass, which we hope to launch this year, to help make it easier and more sustainable for domestic tourists to get around Scotland, England, and Wales.
The National Lottery Days Out Campaign offers people the chance to redeem a lottery ticket for a £25 voucher for attractions around the whole of the UK. The campaign is designed to support domestic tourism by stimulating off-season demand from domestic day trips. As of 21 March, 187,117 vouchers have been redeemed. This campaign ends on 31 March.
2022 also promises a host of unmissable events, including Her Majesty’s Jubilee, with a programme of events over the extended Jubilee Bank holiday; Unboxed, which aims to engage millions of people through in person and digital events; as well as the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, which will drive visitors to the region.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with Northern Ireland Screen and other producers on support for the film industry in the devolved Administrations.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
My department continues to work closely with its Arm’s Length Body, the British Film Institute (BFI), and the Devolved Administrations to ensure a wide range of funding and initiatives are available to support the film industry in all UK Nations. This includes the UK-wide screen sector tax reliefs, and the UK Global Screen Fund which will invest nearly £30 million in the international growth of independent screen companies across the UK. In addition, the government’s £500 million Film and TV Production Restart Scheme has supported over 1,100 productions around the UK, representing over £2.9 billion of production budgets with over 95,000 jobs supported.
Examples of government support that have been provided to the Northern Irish film industry include the National Lottery-supported talent development programme BFI NETWORK. Northern Ireland Screen also receives Lottery funding from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, which it has used to prioritise script development and short films, and receives funding for the Irish Language Broadcast Fund and Ulster Scots Broadcast Fund via the BFI. Furthermore, the BFI will continue to consult colleagues from Northern Ireland Screen as part of the UK Film Skills Review, alongside those from other key bodies in the Devolved Administrations.
The British Film Commission (BFC), a national body predominantly funded by DCMS, also supports and promotes UK-wide film and high-end television production, including in all Devolved Administrations, and works in close partnership with the national and regional screen agencies.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to raise public awareness of the danger of gambling addiction.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
A variety of initiatives are in place across the gambling regulatory framework, health services, and the educational curriculum to protect individuals and the wider public from harmful gambling and raise awareness of its risks.
As part of the statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum in England, young people are taught about the risks relating to gambling, including the accumulation of debt. To support teachers to deliver these topics safely and with confidence, the Department for Education has also developed a series of training modules, one of which has a specific section on gambling.
The Gambling Commission requires all gambling operators to make information available to customers on how to gamble safely and how to access information on problem gambling and the support available. Most operators signpost to the charity GambleAware’s begambleaware.org site, which contains a wide range of information on risks as well as links to advice and support, including the 24 hour National Gambling Helpline. The NHS webpage 'Help for problem gambling' covers common indicators which suggest that individuals may be experiencing harmful gambling, as well as advice and links to treatment services. Work is also being done to raise awareness through frontline practitioners, with GambleAware publishing a competency framework for primary care practitioners to improve the awareness and responsiveness of Primary Care to gambling harms.
Since 2019, GambleAware’s ‘Bet Regret’ campaign, a commitment from the government’s last Gambling Review, has effectively encouraged awareness of risky betting behaviours and action to help regain control, as well as signposting to further support. Members of the Betting and Gaming Council have also committed 20% of their advertising on TV and radio to safer gambling messaging and the Industry Code for Socially Responsible Advertising requires social responsibility messaging throughout the length of all broadcast gambling adverts.
The Government’s Review of the Gambling Act 2005 aims to ensure gambling regulation is fit for the digital age. As part of the wide scope of that Review, we called for evidence on the effectiveness of safer gambling messaging across a number of media, and we are considering the evidence carefully. We will publish a white paper in the coming weeks.