Julie Elliott

The pilot Young Audiences Content Fund was allocated Licence Fee underspend to test a new way of financing public service TV content for a three-year period. This three-year period will conclude on 31 March 2022 and then a full evaluation will take place to determine its impact on the children’s television industry and the provision and plurality of public service content for young audiences across the UK.

The potential for any further investment of public funding will be assessed against the Fund evaluation and alongside future public service broadcasting needs.

The Government welcomes the Independent Fan Led Review of Football Governance and has endorsed in principle the primary recommendation of the review, that football requires a strong, independent regulator to secure the future of our national game.

The Government will now work at pace to review the report in full, including the recommendations made on a dedicated review of women’s football.

The Government will continue to engage with stakeholders as we work towards issuing a full response to the report in the Spring.

The Government published an impact assessment in May 2021 alongside the draft Online Safety Bill. The impact assessment considered the economic and social impacts of the draft Bill and included an assessment of impacts on freedom of expression, privacy and other wider societal impacts. The Government is currently working on a final stage impact assessment for the Online Safety Bill which will be published before the Bill is laid in Parliament.

The overall impact assessment includes considerations on the impact of harm on children where relevant and the strongest protections in the Bill will be for children. In-scope services which are likely to be accessed by children will need to conduct a child safety risk assessment and provide safety measures for child users. Services will need to keep risk assessments up-to-date and update them before making a significant change to the design or operation of their service. Ofcom will have a duty to issue guidance to assist providers in carrying out their risk assessments.

Preventing children from accessing harmful content such as online pornography is a priority for the government and the strongest protections in the draft Online Safety Bill are for children. The draft Bill covers many of the most visited pornography sites, social media platforms, video-sharing sites, forums and search engines - thereby capturing many of the sites through which children access pornography.

The Government recognises that a large amount of pornography is available on the internet with little or no protection to ensure that those accessing it are old enough to do so and that this is changing the way young people understand healthy relationships, sex and consent. Research published by the British Board of Film Classification in 2020, showed that the three most likely routes for children’s intentional viewing of pornography are image or video search engines (53% of children who intentionally sought out pornography have seen it here), social media sites (44% of children who intentionally sought out pornography have seen it here), and dedicated pornography sites (43% of children who intentionally sought out pornography have seen it here). While these figures only account for where children have seen pornography and not the total number or frequency of visits, it does highlight that children use a range of sources to access pornography.

My department has also commissioned research recently to develop the evidence base on the prevalence and impact of harmful content online to children, which includes online pornography.

Preventing children from accessing harmful content such as online pornography is a priority for the government and the strongest protections in the draft Online Safety Bill are for children. The draft Bill covers many of the most visited pornography sites, social media platforms, video-sharing sites, forums and search engines - thereby capturing many of the sites through which children access pornography.

The Government recognises that a large amount of pornography is available on the internet with little or no protection to ensure that those accessing it are old enough to do so and that this is changing the way young people understand healthy relationships, sex and consent. Research published by the British Board of Film Classification in 2020, showed that the three most likely routes for children’s intentional viewing of pornography are image or video search engines (53% of children who intentionally sought out pornography have seen it here), social media sites (44% of children who intentionally sought out pornography have seen it here), and dedicated pornography sites (43% of children who intentionally sought out pornography have seen it here). While these figures only account for where children have seen pornography and not the total number or frequency of visits, it does highlight that children use a range of sources to access pornography.

My department has also commissioned research recently to develop the evidence base on the prevalence and impact of harmful content online to children, which includes online pornography.

As set out in its response of 3 December, the government is unable to share commercially sensitive data related to the Live Events Reinsurance Scheme.

As set out in its response of 3 December, the government is unable to share commercially sensitive data about the events that have purchased eligible policies. We can confirm the scheme has provided cover to a broad range of events, including conferences and Christmas events.

The Government recognises the important contribution that the live events sector makes to the UK’s culture and economy, and the significant challenges the sector has faced as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Live Events Reinsurance Scheme will provide live events across the country - such as music festivals, conferences and business events with the confidence to plan for future events, and as such will support the UK’s post-Covid economic recovery.

We are unable to share commercially sensitive data including the name of events who have secured policies but we can say that a broad range of events located across the UK have purchased cover through this scheme.

The scheme recently welcomed a sixth participating insurer and £800M of cover is available to support the live events sector.

The Government recognises the important contribution that the Live Events sector makes to the UK’s culture and economy, and the significant challenges the Covid-19 pandemic has presented. The Live Events Reinsurance Scheme is designed to provide confidence to event organisers and enable them to plan future events, thereby supporting the economic recovery out of Covid-19.

The scheme is a reinsurance scheme whereby insurers provide cover to purchasers, and eligible policies are then reinsured under a reinsurance contract with the government - the terms of which are publicly available. As such the government does not receive applications to the scheme: policies are either eligible or ineligible. We cannot share specific operational data due to the commercial sensitivity of the information.

The high level of demand for cyber security skills identified in the Harvey Nash report is consistent with findings of the annual DCMS-commissioned surveys of the labour market. Some of the skills clusters identified through DCMS research, using Burning Glass data (2019), were: productivity software, software and programming and data science.

The government has introduced various qualifications such as digital T levels in digital production, design and development; digital apprenticeships which provide work based training in technical occupations; and digital bootcamps as a way for people to take up digital skills training. The government is also offering 33 Level 3 digital skills courses from May 2021 to adults aged 19-24. As well as this, HMG is supporting young people to take up digital skills training. For example, people aged between 11-18 can sign up to CyberFirst extracurricular activities to build understanding of digital and technical skills.

Government supports the development of regional digital skills capability through its Local Digital Skills Partnerships. These partnerships are now operating in seven regions and bring together local cross-sector partners to design, develop and coordinate the delivery of digital skills programmes to upskill the current workforce, tackle digital exclusion and raise awareness of the importance of digital skills regionally. An 8th Local Digital Skills Partnership in Hull and East Yorkshire will formally launch in early December 2021.

The government recently published its first National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy, setting out how we can ensure everyone in every region of the UK has the skills, understanding and opportunities to benefit from AI technologies. This will include: continuing to support future skills through Turing Fellowships, Centres for Doctoral Training and Postgraduate Industrial Masters and AI and Data Science Conversion Courses; publishing research into what skills are needed to enable employees to use AI in a business setting; and identify how national skills provision can meet those needs.

The National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE), with £84m of government funding, is also aiming to improve the teaching of the computing curriculum in schools. The National AI Strategy will also support the NCCE to ensure programmes for children in AI are accessible.

Ministers and officials have regular meetings with a wide range of stakeholders, including social media platforms, on a variety of issues, including eating disorders content. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website.

Under the draft Online Safety Bill, services in scope will need to minimise and remove illegal content, including illegal online abuse. In addition, services which are “likely to be accessed” by children will be required to provide further protections for children from content and activity which is legal but harmful. Major platforms will also need to address legal but harmful content for adults. The government will set out priority categories of legal but harmful material in secondary legislation, for example content which encourages or promotes eating disorders.

The NHS Long-Term plan, published in January 2019, announced the creation of up to 15 specialist gambling clinics by 2023/24. Work continues on the phased expansion of these services, enabling the NHS to explore how best to use existing treatment models to reach those most in need of support. In June 2020, the largest five (now four) gambling operators committed £100m over four years to problem gambling treatment services through the charity GambleAware, which is consulting with DHSC on the most effective way to use that money.A range of specialist support services for women are also available, such as GamCare’s Women’s Programme and Gordon Moody’s Retreat & Counselling Programme. Gordon Moody will also open a bespoke residential treatment centre for women this autumn.

The government launched its Review of the Gambling Act 2005 on 8 December with the publication of a Call for Evidence. The Review will be wide-ranging and evidence-led and aims to make sure we have the right protections in place to make gambling safer for all.

Library services are a statutory responsibility of local government and each library authority determines how best to deliver its services and allocate funding for the benefit of its communities in a manner which is “comprehensive and efficient”. Library services already play a vital role in bridging the digital divide.

Libraries Deliver: Ambition, the Government’s strategy for public libraries included improved digital access and literacy as one of the seven outcomes that libraries deliver for their communities. Information and Digital is one of the four Universal Library Offers recognised by the libraries sector, and libraries are flagged in the 2017 UK Digital Strategy. More recently their vital role was recognised through an exemption under the National Restrictions to enable provision of access to public PCs for people to use essential services during lockdown; we are aware that this was highly valued and used.

The Government is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in sport and physical activity, including gender inclusivity. Our strategy ‘Sporting Future’ sets out a clear ambition to increase levels of physical activity, particularly amongst all under-represented groups. We welcome the efforts of the sport sector and use of a variety of methods to achieve this.

We are determined to get more women and girls active including through mixed gender sports. We recognise that Covid-19 has brought new challenges to the way people are able to engage in physical activity. I am keen that we do all we can to break down the barriers that still exist and I welcome the work of Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign which has inspired 3.9 million women to take part since its launch in 2015. Sport England’s “Join the Movement” campaign has also provided some great tools to keep everyone active during the lockdown.

The publicly funded Young Audiences Content Fund will be supported into its third year, ensuring young audiences have access to engaging and relevant content that reflects UK society and their own diverse experiences wherever they live in the country.

The success of the Fund is evaluated against the criteria set out at launch, including: quality; innovation; additionality; nations and regions; diversity; new voices; plurality and audience reach. Assessments of the fund are ongoing, but the fund has already published its year one analysis, and will be publishing its year two analysis later this year. Year one analysis is available here.

One of the primary aims of the Fund is to increase the provision of content which is reflective of the cultural identity across the UK nations and regions. Merit is therefore awarded to productions that are representative of the nations and regions, both on and off air. UK indigenous language content is also eligible for funding with a target aspiration of 5% of the awards distributed.

As set out in the Year 1 analysis, 71% of projects awarded production funding in Year 1 were set in recognisable UK locations outside of London and the South East, in every home nation. Furthermore, the majority of production companies that were awarded support were based outside of London and the South East.

The recent Year 3 funding award of £10.7 million is a continued commitment from the government to support the Young Audiences Content Fund and the production of UK originated children’s television programming in a challenging financial climate. Year three analysis will be published in due course.

The publicly funded Young Audiences Content Fund will be supported into its third year, ensuring young audiences have access to engaging and relevant content that reflects UK society and their own diverse experiences wherever they live in the country.

The success of the Fund is evaluated against the criteria set out at launch, including: quality; innovation; additionality; nations and regions; diversity; new voices; plurality and audience reach. Assessments of the fund are ongoing, but the fund has already published its year one analysis, and will be publishing its year two analysis later this year. Year one analysis is available here.

One of the primary aims of the Fund is to increase the provision of content which is reflective of the cultural identity across the UK nations and regions. Merit is therefore awarded to productions that are representative of the nations and regions, both on and off air. UK indigenous language content is also eligible for funding with a target aspiration of 5% of the awards distributed.

As set out in the Year 1 analysis, 71% of projects awarded production funding in Year 1 were set in recognisable UK locations outside of London and the South East, in every home nation. Furthermore, the majority of production companies that were awarded support were based outside of London and the South East.

The recent Year 3 funding award of £10.7 million is a continued commitment from the government to support the Young Audiences Content Fund and the production of UK originated children’s television programming in a challenging financial climate. Year three analysis will be published in due course.

As set out in our response to Question 7173 on 7 June 2021, we will respond to the consultation on adding women’s sporting events to the listed events regime, which closed on 11 December 2019, in due course. The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on sport, in particular women's sport, and this work has been paused until the situation with Covid-19 stabilises.

The Government recognises that more can be done to improve the diversity of the listed events regime and to support the broadcasting of disability and women’s sport. This is why we have added the Paralympic Games to the list, recognising that it is an event of ‘special national significance’.

We have also consulted on the addition of the women’s equivalent of men’s events already on the list. This consultation closed on 11 December 2019. Since then the Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on sport, in particular women's sport and this work has been paused. We will set out our response and next steps in due course, when the situation with Covid-19 stabilises.

The Government believes all artists have a right to exercise their profession free from harassment, bullying and discrimination and we also recognise that it is important that artists are fairly remunerated for their work. We are aware of the concerns that have been raised recently with regards to musicians’ wellbeing and incomes.

The music industry already has routes for tackling welfare issues and providing advice on financial matters through codes of conduct and independent advice services.

For instance, the Musicians' Union has a Safe Space facility to enable individuals to confidentially report incidents without fear of unwanted consequences, and also provides a Contract Advisory Service to assist musicians starting out on their careers to have any contracts they are offered checked by independent and respected industry lawyers.

In this context, the creation of a new regulatory body would need to be carefully considered to ensure that it is not duplicating industry efforts to address these issues and does not create undue burden on either the creative workforce or employers.

We are actively engaging with the industry to better understand how effective these industry initiatives are at a) supporting the wellbeing of artists, and b) providing advice on financial matters.

Following this engagement, we will consider what further steps are necessary and how the Government can support the sector and artists.

The Events Research Programme is examining risk of transmission of Covid-19 from attendance at events, and exploring ways to enable people to attend a range of events safely.

Our Science Board agreed that admission of participants to our pilot events in April and May was subject to evidence of a negative Lateral Flow Device test result for Covid-19. The ERP will publish its research findings shortly, including independent scientific reports. This research will cover the testing protocol for the pilot events. These reports will feed into decision making on removing restrictions safely ahead of step 4.

The Events Research Programme is examining risk of transmission of Covid-19 from attendance at events, and exploring ways to enable people to attend a range of events safely. The research findings will be published on GOV.UK shortly and will feed into decision making on removing restrictions safely ahead of step 4.

The Government has been working at pace on the review, including appointing the Honourable Member for Chatham and Aylesford as Chair and publishing the Terms of Reference.

The first meeting of the advisory panel has been held, and we have announced that we expect an interim report from the review before the summer and a full report in the autumn.

Football clubs form a vital part of our local communities and must be protected. The Secretary of State announced the launch of the fan-led review of football governance in the House of Commons on 19th April 2021.

We will publish the Terms of Reference imminently but I can confirm that it will be chaired by the Honourable Member for Chatham and Aylesford.

We recognise the significant challenge the current pandemic poses to the live events industry.

The Office for National Statistics estimates that there has been a 47.6% drop in the Index of Services in 2020 from 2019 for Creative arts and entertainment activities and a 26.1% drop for Arts, entertainment and recreation activities.

The Government has not forecast losses for 2021, but officials have been working closely with live events industry stakeholders to understand the challenges they face and help them access support through these challenging times and through recovery.

The ‘COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021’ announced by the Prime Minister yesterday provides a roadmap out of the current lockdown in England, including for live events.

The design of the roadmap has been informed by the latest scientific evidence and seeks a balance between our key social and economic priorities, whilst preserving the health and safety of the country.

The Government aims to allow spectators to attend some large events, including live music events, from Step 3, subject to a cap on attendance and local authority approval.

Pilots will run as part of the Events Research Programme to examine how large events, such as festivals, can take place without the need for social distancing using other mitigations. Subject to the outcome, the Government aims to reopen the remaining closed settings, including large events, at Step 4.

We are aware of the concerns which have been raised about securing insurance for live events.

Understandably, the bar for considering Government intervention is set extremely high. Given the high costs involved in setting up a scheme HMT need to make sure it is the most effective use of funds at a time when we are looking at how best to support the sector.

The evidence of market failure must clearly demonstrate that such a scheme is the only barrier to staging events. At the moment, progress with the vaccine rollout and beating the virus is crucial in achieving the next stages for large events as set out in the roadmap. As such, we do not believe that now is the right time for an insurance intervention.

We are working closely with the sector to determine the appropriate and most effective response within the public health context.

The ‘COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021’ announced by the Prime Minister yesterday provides a roadmap out of the current lockdown in England, including for live events.

The design of the roadmap has been informed by the latest scientific evidence and seeks a balance between our key social and economic priorities, whilst preserving the health and safety of the country.

The Government aims to allow spectators to attend some large events, including live music events, from Step 3 subject to a cap on attendance and local authority approval.

Pilots will run as part of the Events Research Programme to examine how large events, such as festivals, can take place without the need for social distancing using other mitigations. Subject to the outcome, the Government aims to reopen the remaining closed settings, including large events, at Step 4.

I will send copies of all of my correspondence with the National League to the Hon Member’s office, as well as my letter to the Shadow Minister for Sport on 5 February 2021 on this matter.

The correspondence primarily relates to the Sports Winter Survival Package. I gave a statement to the House on Thursday 19 November 2020 on the details of this package, which have remained the same throughout.

The £300m Sports Winter Survival Package provides a lifeline to sports organisations that would otherwise not survive the winter period as a result of the restriction on spectators announced from 1 October. Funding is , which is primarily made up of loans, provided on the basis of what a sport needs to survive, with decisions made by an independent Board.

On 19 November 2020, the government announced a £300 million Sports Winter Survival Package (SWSP) to provide a lifeline to organisations that would otherwise not survive the winter as a result of the restriction on spectators announced from 1 October.

A provisional allocation of £28 million was made to support football, covering women’s football (£3 million), National League Steps 1-2 (£11 million) and Steps 3-6 (£14 million). Preliminary allocations of funding from the SWSP were made on a needs based assessment process which reflected the submissions made from individual sports last autumn.

Decisions on how much each sport receives through the Survival Package are made by an independent board based on a rigorous assessment of need. We will announce details of those decisions in due course.

Football is our national game and it is vital that clubs at all levels are protected.

The Government has provided unprecedented support to businesses through tax reliefs, cash grants and employee wage support, which many football clubs have benefited from. The Treasury estimates that around £1.5 billion of public money has gone into sports.

As part of this, Sport England has provided £220m directly to support community sport clubs and exercise centres through this pandemic, via a range of funds including their £35m Community Emergency Fund. This support is available to both men’s and women’s clubs with the latest figures showing £10.5m has already been awarded to over 1,500 football clubs. This sector support was recently boosted by an extra £50m to help grassroots sports clubs and organisations as part of Sport England’s new strategy Uniting the Movement.

Men’s and women’s spectator sports, severely impacted by the restrictions around fans over the winter, are also being supported through the £300m Sports Winter Survival Package. This aims to protect the immediate futures of major spectator sports in England over the winter period and includes a provisional allocation of £25m for clubs in the National League System (at steps 1-6) as well as £3m for women’s football. Provisional allocations are subject to change based upon a detailed assessment of need, and final funding decisions are still in the process of being made by the Package’s Independent Board, supported by Sport England.

Sport and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health, and are a vital weapon against coronavirus. As the Prime Minister said on 23 November national restrictions will end on Wednesday 2 December and grassroots sport can resume in all tiers. This is providing social distancing remains in place, although there will be some restrictions on highest-risk activity in tier three areas.

In tier one areas indoor sports can take place within the rule of six. This will mean people from different households could play 3 on 3 volleyball, or four people from different households could play doubles tennis or badminton. Group activities such as training sessions and exercise classes can take place in larger numbers, provided that people are in separate groups (up to 6 people) which do not mix.

In tier two areas, indoor sport can take place within households, and people can take part in group activity like exercise classes as long as there is no mixing between households. People can play certain sports which do not involve close proximity or physical contact against one person from another household, such as a singles tennis match or badminton match.

In tier three areas, indoor sport will be restricted to within your household only, and there should be no group activity such as exercise classes.

Further details are to be announced imminently.

The Government has worked closely with the football authorities throughout the pandemic. The strict COVID protocols that both men’s and women’s elite football could enforce, has enabled them to continue training and playing matches during the period of national restrictions.

Subject to football’s application of the current regulations, youth talent football may continue where the individuals are aged 15 and above and on a development pathway, or where delivered in a genuine educational setting. The fact that some girls’ academies could not operate alongside comparable boys academies has highlighted, once again, the need to set these academies on an equal footing, with regards to funding and resources, in the future.

I met with Baroness Campbell from the Football Association on 18 November where we discussed this issue. On 26 November I will be meeting CEO of Women in Football, Jane Purdon, to find out what more can be done to help the women's game.

Government welcomes the introduction of new regulations by FIFA, agreed with FIFPRO, that protect the rights of female professional footballers who want to have children. We want to see the popularity of women’s sport continue to thrive and having regulations such as these in place is key to that. It is important that women in sport have the opportunity to progress their career and reach their full potential.

Tourism makes a vital contribution to the UK economy, with the industry contributing around £60 billion to the economy each year prior to COVID and directly employing 1.6 million people. The Government has not calculated the specific contribution of small and medium-sized travel companies to the UK tourism sector’s overall value.

We recognise that Government measures to control the spread of Covid-19 are significantly impacting travel companies. We continue to engage with travel and tourism stakeholders, including UKInbound and the Association of British Travel Agents, to assess how we can best support the inbound and outbound sector’s as well as domestic recovery.

The Government is committed to supporting sport clubs and helping their recovery through the pandemic. That is why the Government provided an unprecedented financial support package, which many football clubs benefited from.

We have noted the report. We will continue to utilise a whole range of resources whilst we analyse how best to support the sport economy during these difficult times, and will work closely with the sector, including professional athletes representative bodies.

We are committed to getting spectators back into stadia as soon as it is safe to do so. The 12 pilot spectator events were crucial in trialling the concept, but unfortunately rising infection rates across the country meant that the Government had to act and we could not proceed with a wider reopening on the 1 October.

We will continue to work closely with a whole range of sporting bodies, including the English Football League, to understand the latest thinking that might allow spectators to return. This includes the creation of a new Sports Technology Innovation Working Group of sporting bodies and health experts to analyse new technologies which might support this.

We will take the earliest opportunity to look again at getting spectators safely back into stadia but this must clearly be very carefully judged against the prevailing health conditions.

We are committed to getting spectators back into stadia as soon as it is safe to do so. The 12 pilot spectator events were crucial in trialling the concept, but unfortunately rising infection rates across the country meant that the Government had to act and we could not proceed with a wider reopening on the 1 October.

We will continue to work closely with a whole range of sporting bodies, including the English Football League, to understand the latest thinking that might allow spectators to return. This includes the creation of a new Sports Technology Innovation Working Group of sporting bodies and health experts to analyse new technologies which might support this.

We will take the earliest opportunity to look again at getting spectators safely back into stadia but this must clearly be very carefully judged against the prevailing health conditions.

The listed events regime strikes a balance between retaining free-to-air sporting events for the public while allowing rights holders to negotiate agreements in the best interests of their sport.

The government recognises that more can be done to improve the diversity of the listed events regime and to support the broadcasting of disability and women’s sport.

This is why we have added the Paralympic Games to the list, recognising that it is an event of ‘special national significance’ on par with the Olympic Games. We have also consulted on the addition of the women’s equivalent of men’s events already on the list and we will respond to this consultation in due course.

Loot boxes do not fall under gambling law where the in-game items acquired are confined for use within the game and cannot be cashed out. However, the government is aware of concerns that loot boxes in video games could encourage gambling-like behaviour. The government committed in its manifesto to tackle issues around loot boxes, and in its response to the report of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee on immersive and addictive technologies, has announced that it will be issuing a call for evidence to inform next steps. This call for evidence is expected to launch shortly.

The government has committed to review the Gambling Act 2005 to ensure it is fit for the digital age, and further details will be announced in due course. Operators are required both by law and by licence conditions to prevent underage gambling and the Gambling Commision has strengthened requirements to complete age and identity checks before allowing anyone to deposit money and gamble.

Loot boxes do not fall under gambling law where the in-game items acquired are confined for use within the game and cannot be cashed out. However, the government is aware of concerns that loot boxes in video games could encourage gambling-like behaviour. The government committed in its manifesto to tackle issues around loot boxes, and in its response to the report of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee on immersive and addictive technologies, has announced that it will be issuing a call for evidence to inform next steps. This call for evidence is expected to launch shortly.

The government has committed to review the Gambling Act 2005 to ensure it is fit for the digital age, and further details will be announced in due course. Operators are required both by law and by licence conditions to prevent underage gambling and the Gambling Commision has strengthened requirements to complete age and identity checks before allowing anyone to deposit money and gamble.

Football clubs are the heart of local communities, they have unique social value and many with a great history. It is vital they are protected.

The Owners’ and Directors’ Tests are administered by the football authorities and consider the objective suitability of prospective owners and directors. They are not subjective tests of intentions or capability. However, the Government is committed to undertaking a fan led review of football governance, which will include consideration of the Owners’ and Directors’ test.

I recently met with the EFL to discuss the progress of their own review into club governance and will continue to work closely with the football authorities as we decide the scope and structure of the government review.

Football clubs are the heart of local communities, they have unique social value and many with a great history. It is vital they are protected.

The Owners’ and Directors’ Tests are administered by the football authorities and consider the objective suitability of prospective owners and directors. They are not subjective tests of intentions or capability. However, the Government is committed to undertaking a fan led review of football governance, which will include consideration of the Owners’ and Directors’ test.

I recently met with the EFL to discuss the progress of their own review into club governance and will continue to work closely with the football authorities as we decide the scope and structure of the government review.

The government has worked with telecoms providers to agree a package of measures to support vulnerable consumers through Covid-19, including those who have been asked to shield. We have not, so far, provided funding specifically for the purchase of devices or connectivity for vulnerable adults asked to shield, but as previously mentioned in answer 38575, 38576, 38577 we continue to assess what needs to be done to address issues faced by vulnerable people who may also be digitally excluded.

My Department has been promoting the DevicesDotNow campaign, which is working with community organisations to distribute devices to vulnerable adults and help them get online. The aim is to enable elderly and vulnerable people, particularly those to who are shielding, to communicate with the outside world and get access to vital services. The Minister for Digital and Culture wrote to a number of industry Chief Executives to raise awareness of the campaign and to encourage them to donate tablets and laptops.

The government has worked with telecoms providers to agree a package of measures to support vulnerable consumers through Covid-19, including those who have been asked to shield. We have not, so far, provided funding specifically for the purchase of devices or connectivity for vulnerable adults asked to shield, but as previously mentioned in answer 38575, 38576, 38577 we continue to assess what needs to be done to address issues faced by vulnerable people who may also be digitally excluded.

My Department has been promoting the DevicesDotNow campaign, which is working with community organisations to distribute devices to vulnerable adults and help them get online. The aim is to enable elderly and vulnerable people, particularly those to who are shielding, to communicate with the outside world and get access to vital services. The Minister for Digital and Culture wrote to a number of industry Chief Executives to raise awareness of the campaign and to encourage them to donate tablets and laptops.

The Government is aware that charities are experiencing financial challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic, whilst dealing with increased demand for services. Organisations that are not supporting the response to Covid-19 will have access to the range of horizontal economic support measures announced by HM Treasury in March, which are available across all sectors equally, such as the furloughing scheme or VAT deferral.

We will continue to work closely with the sector to assess how we can further support charities in doing their important work.

In response to the Covid-19 outbreak, my Department has agreed a package of measures with the UK’s major fixed and mobile providers to protect vulnerable consumers, and those who may become vulnerable due to circumstances arising from Covid-19.

In relation to mobile services, all the signatory providers have agreed to offer new packages to support vulnerable consumers, including free data boosts and free calls from mobiles, and to support their customers in financial difficulties.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-agrees-measures-with-telecoms-companies-to-support-vulnerable-consumers-through-covid-19

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to her on 27 April to Question 38579:

https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2020-04-21/38579/

Ofcom report that 94% of individuals 16+ year olds in the UK use a mobile phone and 87% of UK households have internet access. The government has already agreed a set of commitments with telecoms companies to support and protect vulnerable consumers and those who may become vulnerable due to circumstances arising from Covid-19. The government is working with the NHS, schools, local authorities and charities to further address digital exclusion, including the Devices Dot Now Campaign.

The Government understands the importance of digital skills and the ability to access the internet in building a world-leading economy that works for everyone.

We work with the Lloyds Consumer Digital Index and Ofcom survey data, which provide estimates of the proportion of people by age group that have all the essential digital skills for life, and their internet connection take-up.

In addition, DCMS funded the 2019 Oxford Internet Survey (OxIS), a large scale survey of internet users, non-users and ex-users, to provide further insights into internet and ICT access and use, attitudes to technology and supporting demographic and geographic information. This highlighted that:

• Internet use has expanded in all age groups, although the increase is small over the past 6 years.

• Almost everyone is online up to about the age of 50. After 50 there is a sharp decline in Internet use of about 2 percentage points per year.

Table 1: Essential Digital Skills for Life by Age Group

Source: Lloyds Bank UK Consumer Digital Index 2019 (https://www.lloydsbank.com/banking-with-us/whats-happening/consumer-digital-index.html)

Table 2: Internet Connection Take up by Age Group

Source: Ofcom Communications Market Report 2019: Market in context - device and service take up -Telecoms (https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/multi-sector-research/cmr/interactive-data)

We want to see the popularity of women’s sport continue to thrive. We have seen record audiences tune in or turn up to watch international women’s events, for example over 28 million viewers watched the BBC coverage of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup on television and online. Football is also a popular choice for women and girls to get active: it is the second most popular team sport in terms of participation for adult women in England, and the top ranked team sport in terms of participation for girls.

Football clubs form an integral part of this country and it is important they are given as much support as possible during these difficult times. In light of this, the Government announced a comprehensive and sizable package of direct fiscal support for business through tax reliefs, cash grants and employee wage support. Alongside this, Sport England has issued guidance to the sport and leisure sector as well as announcing £195 million of funding, including a £20 million Community Emergency Fund, to help the sector.

The government is also looking forward to the UK hosting the rescheduled women’s UEFA European Championships in 2022, and working to ensure this tournament builds on the fantastic momentum we have seen within the womens’ game in recent years.

The Government will continue to liaise closely with all the football authorities to further understand any difficulties clubs may be experiencing.

The Government understands that those who are most vulnerable may also lack the access to technology, connectivity and basic digital skills to be able to fully participate while following social distancing advice. We are currently working at pace, in partnership with the tech sector and civil society organisations, to understand the effect on people who do not have access to the internet and to develop solutions to these challenges, as well as providing support to vulnerable people.

HMT and DCMS ministers meet frequently to cover a range of issues as part of the normal process of policy development and delivery. The government is working to address issues faced by vulnerable people who may also be digitally excluded.

The government has worked with the UK’s major telecommunications providers to agree measures to support connectivity for vulnerable consumers in general and those who may become vulnerable due to circumstances arising from Covid-19.

We are currently working with Futuredotnow, a coalition of companies and civil society organisations working to improve digital skills, on a campaign called DevicesDotNow. The campaign will work with the government to ensure that devices go where they are most needed to support better health and social care outcomes for the digitally excluded, to support remote working and to promote wider wellbeing.

Government also recently announced that vulnerable and disadvantaged children across England are to receive laptops, tablets and 4G routers to make remote education accessible. We are also working with the major telecommunications providers to make it easier for families to access selected educational resources by temporarily exempting these sites from data charges.

The Government understands that those who are most vulnerable may also lack the access to technology, connectivity and basic digital skills to be able to fully participate while following social distancing advice. We are currently working at pace, in partnership with the tech sector and civil society organisations, to understand the effect on people who do not have access to the internet and to develop solutions to these challenges, as well as providing support to vulnerable people.

HMT and DCMS ministers meet frequently to cover a range of issues as part of the normal process of policy development and delivery. The government is working to address issues faced by vulnerable people who may also be digitally excluded.

The government has worked with the UK’s major telecommunications providers to agree measures to support connectivity for vulnerable consumers in general and those who may become vulnerable due to circumstances arising from Covid-19.

We are currently working with Futuredotnow, a coalition of companies and civil society organisations working to improve digital skills, on a campaign called DevicesDotNow. The campaign will work with the government to ensure that devices go where they are most needed to support better health and social care outcomes for the digitally excluded, to support remote working and to promote wider wellbeing.

Government also recently announced that vulnerable and disadvantaged children across England are to receive laptops, tablets and 4G routers to make remote education accessible. We are also working with the major telecommunications providers to make it easier for families to access selected educational resources by temporarily exempting these sites from data charges.

The Government understands that those who are most vulnerable may also lack the access to technology, connectivity and basic digital skills to be able to fully participate while following social distancing advice. We are currently working at pace, in partnership with the tech sector and civil society organisations, to understand the effect on people who do not have access to the internet and to develop solutions to these challenges, as well as providing support to vulnerable people.

HMT and DCMS ministers meet frequently to cover a range of issues as part of the normal process of policy development and delivery. The government is working to address issues faced by vulnerable people who may also be digitally excluded.

The government has worked with the UK’s major telecommunications providers to agree measures to support connectivity for vulnerable consumers in general and those who may become vulnerable due to circumstances arising from Covid-19.

We are currently working with Futuredotnow, a coalition of companies and civil society organisations working to improve digital skills, on a campaign called DevicesDotNow. The campaign will work with the government to ensure that devices go where they are most needed to support better health and social care outcomes for the digitally excluded, to support remote working and to promote wider wellbeing.

Government also recently announced that vulnerable and disadvantaged children across England are to receive laptops, tablets and 4G routers to make remote education accessible. We are also working with the major telecommunications providers to make it easier for families to access selected educational resources by temporarily exempting these sites from data charges.

Our national sports council, Sport England, is investing £2 million per year into the Football Association (FA) to support their work to make their coaching workforce more representative of wider society. This includes providing bursaries to support women and people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds to develop their coaching abilities from the grassroots to the elite levels of the game.

Government’s Sporting Future strategy recognised the important role coaching plays in helping people become and stay active. Sport England, evaluated the coaching landscape and developed a new coaching plan for England, ‘Coaching in an Active Nation’, which was published in November 2016. This was developed following consultation with coaches, coach educators and national governing bodies of sport, including the FA, and looks to increase diversity in coaching to better reflect underrepresented groups.

We are determined to encourage more women and girls to get active, something we set out in our sport strategy, Sporting Future. Football is a popular choice for women and girls to get active: it is the second most popular team sport in terms of participation for adult women, and the top ranked team sport in terms of participation for girls. It is also growing in appeal for spectators with a record total audience of 28.1 million tuning in to watch the BBC coverage of last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Through our national sports council, Sport England, the government is investing £24.6m in The Football Association over the course of 2016-21 for its work on grassroots participation, the football talent pathway, and coaching programmes. Within this, there is no specific ring-fencing of funding between men's and women's programmes, apart from £2.6m which is specifically reserved for women and girls talent programmes.

Sport England has also awarded The FA £544,500 to date to deliver The FA FIVES national promotion programme, a mass participation five a side football competition linked to EURO 2020. Its aim is to provide opportunities throughout England for men and women to take part in a fun, friendly football event.

Separately, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport invested £18m in football facilities through the Football Foundation in each of 2017, 2018 and 2019. It is not possible to separate out the investment amounts by gender.

In September 2019 the government consulted on whether to add women’s equivalents of men’s events currently on the list to both group A and group B categories. The consultation closed on 11 December 2019. The government is now carefully considering the responses in detail and we will respond in due course.

The government has put in place a number of financial and other measures to support organisations, both public and private, during the COVID-19 outbreak. These are intended to be temporary, timely and targeted, to support public services, people and businesses through this period of disruption.

The ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): financial support for education, early years and children’s social care’ guidance sets out the financial support that is available for early years providers in England, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. It is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-financial-support-for-education-early-years-and-childrens-social-care/coronavirus-covid-19-financial-support-for-education-early-years-and-childrens-social-care#sector-specific-guidance.

There are also targeted arrangements for the early years sector, for instance, the one-year business rates holiday for Ofsted-registered private childcare settings in 2020-21.

These are rapidly developing circumstances and we continue to keep the situation under review for short- and long-term planning. We will continue to work closely with HM Treasury to monitor how the support packages are benefitting the early years sector and individual early years organisations.

Guidance on early years and childcare closures is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures/coronavirus-covid-19-early-years-and-childcare-closures.