Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of compliance within the telecommunications sector with Ofcom General Condition C1.11 relating to contract commitment periods for micro and small enterprises.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Small businesses should feel confident they are treated fairly when buying telecoms services. Ofcom’s General Conditions provide important protections, including on clear contract information, contract summaries, termination rights, contract length and access to alternative dispute resolution.
In April 2026, the Government designated its Statement of Strategic Priorities that emphasised that Ofcom should continue to ensure that businesses across the country, including those in rural areas, are able to access the fast, reliable, and resilient broadband services they need to thrive. The regulator should work to ensure a healthy business connectivity market is treated as a priority.
Government has not made a separate assessment with Ofcom on mis-selling complaints and monitoring compliance, and enforcement are matters for Ofcom. However, Ofcom has provided data showing small business mis-selling complaints of 357 in 2024, 273 in 2025, and 123 in 2026 as of 14 September, representing a gradual decrease over a 3-year period.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of alternative dispute resolution arrangements for micro and small businesses in disputes with telecommunications providers.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Small businesses should feel confident they are treated fairly when buying telecoms services. Ofcom’s General Conditions provide important protections, including on clear contract information, contract summaries, termination rights, contract length and access to alternative dispute resolution.
In April 2026, the Government designated its Statement of Strategic Priorities that emphasised that Ofcom should continue to ensure that businesses across the country, including those in rural areas, are able to access the fast, reliable, and resilient broadband services they need to thrive. The regulator should work to ensure a healthy business connectivity market is treated as a priority.
Government has not made a separate assessment with Ofcom on mis-selling complaints and monitoring compliance, and enforcement are matters for Ofcom. However, Ofcom has provided data showing small business mis-selling complaints of 357 in 2024, 273 in 2025, and 123 in 2026 as of 14 September, representing a gradual decrease over a 3-year period.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has had discussions with Ofcom on the number of complaints it has received from micro and small businesses relating to the mis-selling of telecommunications contracts in each of the last five years.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Small businesses should feel confident they are treated fairly when buying telecoms services. Ofcom’s General Conditions provide important protections, including on clear contract information, contract summaries, termination rights, contract length and access to alternative dispute resolution.
In April 2026, the Government designated its Statement of Strategic Priorities that emphasised that Ofcom should continue to ensure that businesses across the country, including those in rural areas, are able to access the fast, reliable, and resilient broadband services they need to thrive. The regulator should work to ensure a healthy business connectivity market is treated as a priority.
Government has not made a separate assessment with Ofcom on mis-selling complaints and monitoring compliance, and enforcement are matters for Ofcom. However, Ofcom has provided data showing small business mis-selling complaints of 357 in 2024, 273 in 2025, and 123 in 2026 as of 14 September, representing a gradual decrease over a 3-year period.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Ofcom's enforcement of its General Conditions in relation to the sale of telecommunications services to micro and small enterprises.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Small businesses should feel confident they are treated fairly when buying telecoms services. Ofcom’s General Conditions provide important protections, including on clear contract information, contract summaries, termination rights, contract length and access to alternative dispute resolution.
In April 2026, the Government designated its Statement of Strategic Priorities that emphasised that Ofcom should continue to ensure that businesses across the country, including those in rural areas, are able to access the fast, reliable, and resilient broadband services they need to thrive. The regulator should work to ensure a healthy business connectivity market is treated as a priority.
Government has not made a separate assessment with Ofcom on mis-selling complaints and monitoring compliance, and enforcement are matters for Ofcom. However, Ofcom has provided data showing small business mis-selling complaints of 357 in 2024, 273 in 2025, and 123 in 2026 as of 14 September, representing a gradual decrease over a 3-year period.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of protections for micro and small businesses entering into long-term telecommunications contracts.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Small businesses should feel confident they are treated fairly when buying telecoms services. Ofcom’s General Conditions provide important protections, including on clear contract information, contract summaries, termination rights, contract length and access to alternative dispute resolution.
In April 2026, the Government designated its Statement of Strategic Priorities that emphasised that Ofcom should continue to ensure that businesses across the country, including those in rural areas, are able to access the fast, reliable, and resilient broadband services they need to thrive. The regulator should work to ensure a healthy business connectivity market is treated as a priority.
Government has not made a separate assessment with Ofcom on mis-selling complaints and monitoring compliance, and enforcement are matters for Ofcom. However, Ofcom has provided data showing small business mis-selling complaints of 357 in 2024, 273 in 2025, and 123 in 2026 as of 14 September, representing a gradual decrease over a 3-year period.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the prevalence of mis-selling of telecommunications contracts to micro and small businesses.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Small businesses should feel confident they are treated fairly when buying telecoms services. Ofcom’s General Conditions provide important protections, including on clear contract information, contract summaries, termination rights, contract length and access to alternative dispute resolution.
In April 2026, the Government designated its Statement of Strategic Priorities that emphasised that Ofcom should continue to ensure that businesses across the country, including those in rural areas, are able to access the fast, reliable, and resilient broadband services they need to thrive. The regulator should work to ensure a healthy business connectivity market is treated as a priority.
Government has not made a separate assessment with Ofcom on mis-selling complaints and monitoring compliance, and enforcement are matters for Ofcom. However, Ofcom has provided data showing small business mis-selling complaints of 357 in 2024, 273 in 2025, and 123 in 2026 as of 14 September, representing a gradual decrease over a 3-year period.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will issue guidance to local authorities on the proportionate use of taxi and private hire operator suspension powers under the English Devolution Act.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
New powers adopted in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act will enable local authorities to immediately suspend licenses in the interests of public safety, regardless of where a driver is licensed. To support licensing authorities in using this new power, the Government will provide guidance on its use to ensure it is exercised consistently and where justified by the circumstances of the case.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the outcomes of Ireland's Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme; and if she will (a) commission an assessment of a similar pilot in the UK and (b) consider the Isle of Wight as a potential pilot location.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is not currently considering basic income for artists. We believe that British creators are second-to-none and are committed to giving them security and a regulatory and fiscal environment where creativity can flourish. This is exemplified with our recent Employment Rights Act, our appointment of freelance champions Leila D’Aronville and Lizzie Crump and our 5% uplift to National Portfolio Organisations, giving certainty for staff and freelancers.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to make changes to airport slot allocation rules to protect access for dedicated air freight and cargo services.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government recognises the crucial role air freight plays in transporting goods to and from the UK, which benefits consumers and businesses and facilitates growth in large parts of the economy beyond aviation.
Airport Coordination Limited, the UK’s independent slot coordinator is responsible for allocating slots at the UK’s slot coordinated airports. The UK Government is not involved in slot allocation and has no power to intervene in this process.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is currently undertaking its review of the 1991 Traffic Distribution Rules after consulting stakeholders more widely. Once the review has concluded and the CAA has provided its advice, the government will give this careful consideration before determining next steps.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what modifications are required to the trains intended to operate passenger services between Oxford and Milton Keynes on East West Rail; what the estimated cost of those modifications is; and when she expects modification and testing of those trains to be completed.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Modifications are nearing completion and a full testing regime is underway that will support the safety validation process. We will provide further updates on modifications when modifications are complete. The costs for modifications are commercially sensitive and cannot be released currently.