Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of additional redundancies that will potentially occur in the leisure and hospitality sectors as a result of the Government's 14 day quarantine policy for people arriving in the UK in response to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
We remain in regular contact with stakeholders, including UKHospitality, UKInbound and the Association of British Travel Agents, to closely monitor COVID-19’s economic impact on the leisure and hospitality sectors. No estimate has been made by my Department of the number of potential redundancies as a result of a 14 day quarantine.
We appreciate that the quarantine measures will present difficulties for these sectors. The quarantine policy will be reviewed regularly and the first review will take place in the week beginning 28 June. We are also working with the transport industry to see how we can introduce agreements with other countries when safe to do so, so we can go abroad and tourists can come here.
Leisure and hospitality businesses and workers can access the Government’s economic support package. These include the recently extended Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, loan schemes, as well as business rates relief and grants for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure businesses.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the Angling Trust report entitled When We Fish Again; and what his timetable is for enabling the sport of angling to commence again.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
It is vital that people continue to be active during the Covid-19 outbreak to support their physical and mental health
On 11 May, Government published updated guidance on lockdown measures, including updates on how people can remain active. From Wednesday 13 May, people are allowed to go outside more than once a day for exercise as long as they are following social distancing guidelines, alone, with members of their household, or with one person from outside of their household. People must still only exercise in groups of no more than two people, unless they are exercising with their household.
All outdoor sports and physical activities are now permitted, without time limit, including angling, with the exception of swimming in an open-air swimming pool. This does not apply to individuals’ private swimming pools within their own homes.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will hold discussions with representatives of Royal Parks on (a) extending cycle routes, (b) upgrading cycle route markings and (c) enforcing cycling restrictions on pedestrian only areas of the Royal Parks during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Day to day operational management of The Royal Parks is matter for The Royal Parks charity. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to you to respond to your questions.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps with the Royal Parks to introduce designated areas for jogging that are separate from pedestrian areas in those parks in response to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Day to day operational management of The Royal Parks is matter for The Royal Parks charity. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to you to respond to your questions.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
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 improve (a) mobile phone and (b) broadband coverage in (i) The Wrekin constituency and (ii) Shropshire; and what the timeframe is for improving that coverage.
Answered by Matt Warman
The Government announced in-principle support in October 2019 for the Mobile Network Operators’ (MNOs) Shared Rural Network (SRN) proposal. The proposal would share investment costs between the mobile network operators and government and increase 4G mobile coverage throughout the United Kingdom to 95% by 2025. It will be underpinned by a legally binding coverage commitment from each operator.
The Government's in-principle support is subject to detailed negotiations. While this is not yet a done deal, the Prime Minister has made improvements to rural mobile coverage part of his first 100 days pledge. I will continue to work with the sector to make that happen, but I will also explore all possible options to meet our mobile coverage ambitions, including rural roaming.
The exact site deployment plans and timescales will be managed by the MNOs themselves in order for them to best deliver the agreed coverage outcomes. So until the operators’ final radio planning exercise is complete, neither the Government nor the operators will know the precise location or number of new or upgraded masts. However, the operators will be consulting with local communities as the SRN rolls out across the UK.
According to Thinkbroadband, currently, 93.7% of Shropshire has access to superfast broadband - up from 5% in 2011. This improvement is thanks to the investment that both the government and Shropshire County council have made towards superfast rollout in Shropshire, including parts of Wrekin.
Taking into account the Council’s current contracts with British Telecommunications plc (BT) and Airband Community Internet Ltd, together with additional commercial commitments, Shropshire County Council expect 97% of premises in the Council area will have access to superfast broadband by 2021.
The Wrekin constituency currently has 97% of premises with access to superfast speeds, up from 72% in 2011.
Our Voucher scheme through the Rural Gigabit Connectivity Programme is available to all rural areas in the UK and there are a number of providers who have been very active in utilising this and our previous voucher schemes in Shropshire, for example SWS Broadband who are headquartered in Shrewsbury.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to bring forward proposals to update the (a) Gaming Act 1968 and (b) Gambling Act 2005.
Answered by David Evennett
The Gambling (Advertising and Licensing) Act 2014 came into force in November 2014 and since then all remote casino operators who provide services to customers in Great Britain must be licensed by the Gambling Commission. The first full year of statistics relating to remote casinos will be available in November 2016 and will contribute to understanding how the sector is performing. Gross gambling yield in the terrestrial casino industry increased by 46% between 2010-11 and 2014-15.
Operators in all sectors - terrestrial and remote - are required to adhere to the conditions in their licences and ensure that controls are in place to keep gambling fair and safe for all.
The Gaming Act 1968 was repealed by the Gambling Act 2005. The Secretary of State has a range of powers under the Gambling Act to ensure that the regulations governing gambling are kept up to date as the industry develops, and DCMS and the Gambling Commission keep this under review.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will undertake or commission research to measure the (a) the effect of remote casinos on the terrestrial casino industry and (b) the benefits and disbenefits of remote casinos to the UK economy.
Answered by David Evennett
The Gambling (Advertising and Licensing) Act 2014 came into force in November 2014 and since then all remote casino operators who provide services to customers in Great Britain must be licensed by the Gambling Commission. The first full year of statistics relating to remote casinos will be available in November 2016 and will contribute to understanding how the sector is performing. Gross gambling yield in the terrestrial casino industry increased by 46% between 2010-11 and 2014-15.
Operators in all sectors - terrestrial and remote - are required to adhere to the conditions in their licences and ensure that controls are in place to keep gambling fair and safe for all.
The Gaming Act 1968 was repealed by the Gambling Act 2005. The Secretary of State has a range of powers under the Gambling Act to ensure that the regulations governing gambling are kept up to date as the industry develops, and DCMS and the Gambling Commission keep this under review.