Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to announce the specification for the 5G trials that will support improvements to rail passenger connectivity.
Answered by Margot James
At Autumn Budget 2017, the Government allocated £35 million to projects that will support improvement to rail passenger connectivity, including the Network Rail test track in Melton Mowbray, and the Trans-Pennine Initiative (TPI).
In August 2018, the Government released a Call for Information to parties interested in taking part in these projects. This Call included questions on a range of options for connectivity delivery, including 5G. The responses to these are informing our approach to next steps. A technical specification for the project is expected in due course.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating a register of male and female statues to chart progress towards greater female representation.
Answered by Michael Ellis
Historic England, Government's adviser on the Historic Environment have been working to address the absence of statues and monuments that represent women through their Immortalised and HerStories seasons. They have also been relisting sites on the National Heritage List for England to acknowledge the role women have played. They will continue to seek out and share further stories that celebrate women’s achievements while asking how memorialisation might look in the future as statues are only one method that can be used.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to publish proposals for 5G signal on the Great Western Mainline between Paddington and Penzance.
Answered by Margot James
5G is an experimental technology that will be deployed by mobile network operators once it is commercially available. The Government recognises the importance of rail connectivity and wants to see high quality coverage where people live, work and travel. Wi-Fi equipment on railways will continue to be rolled out. The Government is also planning to run 5G trials that will support improvements to rail passenger connectivity in the UK.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many former Conservative Members of Parliament who were defeated at the 2017 general election and who now work in his Department were appointed after a publicly advertised and open recruitment process.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
DCMS does not employ any former Conservative Members of Parliament defeated at the General Election 2017.