Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the role the coach travel sector can play in revitalising the UK tourism industry; and when he last met with representatives of the Confederation of Passenger Transport to discuss the revitalisation of the tourism industry.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Coaches are an important part of the UK tourism industry, and play a key role each year in connecting visitors with holiday destinations across the country. We are engaging with a broad range of tourism stakeholders to assess how we can most effectively support the sector’s recovery.
I have discussed the problems facing the coach travel sector in detail with my Ministerial counterparts in the Department for Transport, who hold overall responsibility for coach travel, as well as my counterparts in the Devolved Administrations. The Department also continues to engage with the Coach Tourism Association via the Tourism Industry Events Response Group (TIER).
In July my officials attended a cross-Government Ministerial roundtable on problems facing the coach industry, which was attended by the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT). I have also responded to written correspondence from the CPT.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Guidance for people who work in performing arts, including arts organisations, venue operators and participants, updated by his Department on 28 October 2020, what plans his Department has to publish an indicative date for reaching stage 5 of re-opening live performance venues.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
Following the new national restrictions being put in place from 5 November to 2 December, we are currently at Stages 1 & 2 of the Performing Arts Roadmap, meaning that rehearsals, training and performances for broadcast and recording purposes (without an audience) can take place. We recognise the importance of giving the sector clarity for when Stage 5 activity can resume and acknowledge the lead in time required for programming, casting and rehearsing productions.
We have always said that further reopening would be dependent on the public health context at the time. DCMS has convened a Venues Steering Group which includes representatives from leading sector organisations as well as Public Health England and other experts to develop an action plan for maximizing activity under Stages 3 and 4, when it is permitted, and for how we safely proceed to Stage 5. DCMS will continue to work with the sector to establish an appropriate pilot process for testing the return to stage 5 activity when appropriate and are working closely with the Department for Health and Social Care on the Government Mass Testing Programme.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
What steps her Department is taking to increase sports coverage on free-to-air television.
Answered by Nigel Adams
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.
To give equal recognition to disabled and women’s sports, the government is currently consulting on the addition of the Paralympics and certain women’s events to the listed events regime. However, the government does not have any plans to carry out a full review of the list.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
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 the outcome of his Department's consultation on society lottery reform which closed on 7 September 2018.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
The consultation on society lottery reform closed on 7 September. There were over 1,600 responses. My officials are now carefully considering the evidence and I hope to respond to the consultation in the first half of next year.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend)
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 prevent mobile phone companies from continuing to charge customers for the cost of a handset after those costs have been recovered through the conclusion of a fixed-term contract; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Margot James
The 2017 Conservative Manifesto committed to make billing for telecoms consumers fairer and easier to understand, including making it clear when consumers have paid off the cost of their mobile handset. On 26 September 2018, Ofcom published two proposals to ensure fairer, more transparent prices for mobile customers who pay for their handsets and airtime within the same contract. First, achieving greater transparency by, for example, requiring mobile firms to break down the cost of the different parts of the bundled mobile package a customer is purchasing. Second, a requirement for providers to introduce fairer tariffs, for example moving consumers of bundled mobile phone packages to SIM only contracts, at the end of the minimum contract period. The consultation closes on 7 November 2018 and further details can be viewed at: