Asked by: Mark Williams (Liberal Democrat - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what analysis his Department has undertaken of the effect on mobile telephone battery life of a system of national roaming.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
I have recently consulted on potential measures to tackle partial not-spots in mobile phone coverage, including on national roaming. The consultation document and accompanying Impact Assessment set out my analysis of the potential impacts of each option under consideration on the telecoms industry and consumers.
We received a large amount of new information in response to the consultation, including from the four UK mobile network operators (EE, Three, Telefonica, Vodafone). My officials are currently analysing this information ahead of a final policy decision.
Asked by: Mark Williams (Liberal Democrat - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of regulatory changes, other than national roaming, that could speed up the delivery of improved mobile telephone coverage.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
I have recently consulted on potential measures to tackle partial not-spots in mobile phone coverage. The options under consultation were national roaming, infrastructure sharing, reforming virtual networks and a coverage obligation. Alongside this my officials are considering the implications of the Law Commission’s recommendations of reform on the Electronic Communications Code and how these impact on network roll out and service provision to consumers. |
Asked by: Mark Williams (Liberal Democrat - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which other countries have introduced a system of domestic national roaming; and whether any analysis has been made of the effect such a system has had on consumer bills, investment and network coverage in each such country.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
National Roaming has been implemented in France on a localised level and in Australia on a voluntary basis between two operators, accessible to consumers on a subscription basis. The French and Australian models are outlined in my recent consultation on tackling partial not-spots in mobile phone coverage, however neither model correlates directly to the model of national roaming on which I have consulted.
Asked by: Mark Williams (Liberal Democrat - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how the level of funding for the GREAT Britain campaign has changed over the past 10 years.
Answered by Helen Grant
The GREAT Britain campaign was established in 2011. It showcases the very best of what this country has to offer. The campaign is currently active in over 140 countries around the world and aims to deliver significant and long-term increases in trade, tourism, education and inward investment in support of our prosperity and growth agenda. Detailed evaluation of available results shows that the campaign is making a significant economic and reputational impact, with measurable returns to date significantly exceeding the cost of the campaign.
Government funding for GREAT Britain campaign:
2011/13 (development and launch costs covered two financial years) - £37 million
2013/14 - £30 million
2014/15 - £46.5 million
2015/16 - £46.5 million
Asked by: Mark Williams (Liberal Democrat - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to help the tourism industry retain its role as a key provider of skills and training for the UK workforce.
Answered by Helen Grant
The Government has recently launched a new Tourism Council, whose remit is jobs, skills and enterprise. The Council is a partnership between Government and industry and will be jointly chaired by myself, Matthew Hancock MP, the Minister for Skills and Enterprise, and Simon Vincent, Chair of the Hospitality Guild and Hilton President, Europe, Middle East and East Africa. In March, the Prime Minister announced that there will be two new apprenticeship Trailblazers for Tourism and Hospitality.
Asked by: Mark Williams (Liberal Democrat - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the Great Britain Tourism Survey that domestic trips in the UK fell by three million in 2013; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Grant
The number of trips taken in GB in 2013 was the 3rd highest in the 8 years that the current survey has been running and well above pre-recession averages, with spending second only to 2012. We do expect to see a natural increase in people booking holidays abroad as the economy improves but people are continuing to choose Britain for their holiday. Through its Holidays at Home are GREAT campaign, VisitEngland continues to promote England as a place for all residents of Britain to enjoy, and Visit Scotland and Visit Wales are also actively promoting their offer. The GB Tourism Survey also noted the record number of inbound tourists in 2013 reaching nearly 33 million.
Asked by: Mark Williams (Liberal Democrat - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the importance of regional tourism in the UK; and what steps he has taken to support small, local hospitality businesses.
Answered by Helen Grant
Estimates of the direct tourism gross value added (GVA) contribution to the UK economy for each English region, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were recently published by the Office for National Statistics for the year 2011. In total, they show that tourism directly contributed a GVA of around £50 billion to the UK (4% of the economy).
Region | ONS figures for 2011 (direct in £bn) |
Scotland | 5.0 |
Wales | 2.3 |
Northern Ireland | 0.3 |
London | 13.1 |
Rest of England | – |
North East | 1.1 |
North West | 5.1 |
Yorkshire and the Humber | 2.6 |
East Midlands | 2.3 |
West Midlands | 2.5 |
East of England | 3.4 |
South East | 6.6 |
South West | 4.4 |
Further economic analysis by Deloitte, commissioned by VisitBritain, suggests that if indirect economic effects are also included, GVA is forecast to be as high as £127 billion (9% of the UK economy) in 2013.
In terms of supporting small, local hospitality businesses, since April 2013 community venues have not had to apply to the local council for an entertainment license for events such as dance displays and concerts. Previously, such licenses currently cost, on average, more than £200 for new applications or needed at least 10 days' notice for Temporary Event Notices. At the 2014 Budget, the tax on a typical pint of beer was cut by 1 penny, the duty on ordinary cider was frozen this year, and the duty escalator for wine was ended. Duty on spirits was also frozen for 2014-15.
Furthermore, thematic marketing campaigns focusing on what England is most loved for including Heritage, Coast, Countryside and Culture, as well as Sport and Literature, will be delivered and developed as part of the three-year, £19.8m project 'Growing Tourism Locally', funded by the Government's Regional Growth Fund (BIS), with contributions from VisitEngland and private sector. The project focuses on working directly with destinations and the private sector, to create a number of dedicated marketing campaigns throughout the country with emphasis on specific areas and themes. This will also benefit SMEs in the hospitality sector.