Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to meet the requirements of Article 30 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is committed to protecting and promoting the rights of persons with disabilities to participate in cultural life, recreation, leisure and sport.
A number of positive measures are being taken forward by DCMS and it’s Arms’ Length Bodies. These include: Arts Council England commissioning ‘Making A Shift’ (published January 2018) to understand barriers preventing disabled people from entering and progressing within the arts and culture sector workforce; the British Film Institute promotes awareness through curated content like Disabled Britain on Screen and ensures that events at the BFI Southbank are open to everyone, including by offering relaxed and accessible screenings; and Sport England's investment of £1.6m from 2017 - 2020 into seven National Disability Sports Organisations that represent specific impairment groups.
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
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 limit job losses as a result of (a) further William Hill (b) other bookmakers branch closures.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
The government reduced the maximum stake on B2 gaming machines from £100 to £2, to help stop extreme losses by those who were least able to afford them. We engaged with the gambling industry to understand the potential impact on jobs, both as proposals were developed and following the announcement.
The government will engage with William Hill and other bookmakers, as well as the Association of British Bookmakers, to establish the level of employee support that may be required. Jobcentre Plus’s Rapid Response Service is also ready to support any worker who may be affected by job losses associated with this announcement.
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
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 support William Hill and its staff following the announcement that 700 branches will close; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
The government reduced the maximum stake on B2 gaming machines from £100 to £2, to help stop extreme losses by those who were least able to afford them. We engaged with the gambling industry to understand the potential impact on jobs, both as proposals were developed and following the announcement.
William Hill has said that it will provide support to workers affected as part of its consultation process on shop closures.
The government will engage with William Hill to establish the level of employee support that may be required. Jobcentre Plus’s Rapid Response Service is also ready to support any worker who may be affected by job losses associated with this announcement.
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many people aged over 75 years in (a) Scotland, (b) the Motherwell and Wishaw constituency and (c) North Lanarkshire will now be required to pay for a TV licence.
Answered by Margot James
The BBC is responsible for the collection and enforcement of the licence fee. It estimates that 4.5 million pensioner households across the UK are eligible for the existing over 75 licence fee concession. It estimates that 900,000 households will continue to receive a free TV licence from 2020/21, rising to 1.5 million households if all pensioners eligible take up Pension Credit. The BBC has not provided any separate estimates for specific nations or regions.
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions his Department has had with interest groups on audio description for TV.
Answered by Margot James
Government officials have met with interest groups and stakeholders regarding accessibility for visual and hearing impaired consumers, specifically for on-demand services. In December 2017 DCMS asked Ofcom to provide recommendations on making on-demand services more accessible to a wider range of consumers, including the hearing impaired. Ofcom consulted on this, and published its report in December 2018 with recommendations on the scope of new regulations for on-demand services. Government will continue to engage with interested parties as we take this matter forward.
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to increase the number of broadcasts which are required to include (a) audio description for people with sight loss and (b) subtitles for people with hearing loss.
Answered by Margot James
I refer the Honourable Member to the answer to PQ 186377, answered on 5th November.
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to make it a requirement that all broadcasters use audio description access on all television channels.
Answered by Margot James
I refer the Honourable Member to the answer to PQ 186377, answered on 5th November.
Asked by: Marion Fellows (Scottish National Party - Motherwell and Wishaw)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if his Department will bring forward legislative proposals to require TV broadcasters to provide Audio Description Access.
Answered by Margot James
The Communications Act 2003 already requires broadcasters to ensure that they provide access services on linear TV. These are audio description, subtitling, and sign language services. Ofcom are responsible for administering the Code on Television Access Services which sets out what proportion of programming must have access services. The Digital Economy Act 2017 made provision for regulations to ensure that there are also access services for video on demand players. Ofcom consulted on these proposals this summer and are due to submit their report to the Secretary of State shortly.