Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what level of funding her Department plans to allocate to Ofcom to support the duties proposed for that organisation in the Online Safety Bill.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Through Spending Review 2021, over £110m has been allocated to the implementation of the online safety regime over the next three financial years (2022/23 - 2024/25). This will enable my Department to deliver the Online Safety Bill and will enable an independent regulator (Ofcom) to be established for the new regulatory framework which the Bill will put in place. It will also deliver a package of innovative online safety implementation measures which are required to implement the legislation and create the conditions for the legislation to be effective.
This outcome will ensure that Ofcom has the resources it needs to establish its online safety functions for the successful implementation of the online safety legislation.
Once the online safety regime is operational, Ofcom will be industry funded and therefore cost neutral to the government. Ofcom will be given powers to charge an annual fee to providers of a regulated service whose qualifying worldwide revenue meets a financial threshold. The fees charged to providers whose revenue is at or above the threshold will be differentiated and will be levied proportionately in order to recoup Ofcom’s annual operating costs.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has discussed the recommendations contained in the Report of the Independent Fan Led Review of Football Governance with the Welsh Government.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
My officials are in regular contact with their counterparts in the Welsh Government.
The Government welcomes the work of the Fan Led Review and will now consider its detailed recommendations ahead of providing a full Government response in Spring 2022. This will include discussion with the Devolved Administrations.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 23 November 2021 to Question 75126 on UN Climate Conference 2021: Government, how many Ministers in her Department travelled to COP26 by airplane.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
No DCMS Ministers travelled to COP26 by aeroplane.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the allegations of racism affecting Yorkshire County Cricket club on Black and minority ethnic people.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
There is no place for racism in sport or anywhere in society. I am extremely concerned by the recent reports of racism at Yorkshire County Cricket Club and welcome the steps taken by the ECB to launch an investigation into the matter. This must be transparent and swift, for the benefit of cricket. The ECB must carry out their investigation unhindered, but the Government will be monitoring the situation at Yorkshire County Cricket Club and the ECB closely, and will take further action if needed.
The government is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion, which is at the heart of our strategy ‘Sporting Future’. In June 2021 Sport England, UK Sport and the other home nations’ sports councils published the results of a detailed, independent review into tackling racism and racial inequality in sport.The findings make clear that racism and racial inequalities still exist within sport in the UK and that there are long standing issues, which have resulted in ethnically diverse communities being consistently disadvantaged. Each council is now working at pace to develop their own specific action plans to further deliver on these commitments and address the recommendations from the review.
In addition, the forthcoming update of UK Sport and Sport England’s Code for Sports Governance will place an increased focus on diversity in decision making and ensuring that sports organisations reflect the community they serve. Sports receiving the most funding will be required to agree a diversity and inclusion action plan with Sport England and UK Sport, which will be published and updated annually.
There is still more to do though, and we will continue to work with all sports to combat racism both in person and online.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress has been made on securing the right for musicians to legally work and tour in Europe.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This government has spoken to every EU Member State about the importance of touring. From these discussions, 20 out of 27 Member States have confirmed they offer visa and work permit free routes for musicians and creative professionals.
We are working with the remaining Member States that do not allow any visa or permit free touring, to encourage them to more closely align requirements with the UK’s generous rules, which allow creative professionals to tour easily here. Discussions are ongoing at ministerial and official level across these target countries, and we are working with the sector to amplify each other’s lobbying efforts.
We have also helped to provide clarity on many other issues, including that portable musical instruments do not require a carnet, and that splitter vans are not subject to the market access rules around cross-trade and cabotage.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when she last discussed the impact on consumers of the reintroduction of roaming charges in the EU with Ministers in the Welsh Government.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Having recently been appointed Minister of State for Media, Data and Digital Infrastructure I look forward to meeting with Ministers in the Welsh Government in due course to discuss the impact on consumers of the reintroduction of roaming charges in the EU.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how her Department has marked Black History Month 2021.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
DCMS marked Black History Month 2021 by hosting a variety of events for staff with the cross Civil Service Race Forum and key representatives from DCMS' sectors and ALBs which were advertised via the DCMS intranet.
Black History Month was also marked with a range of internal communications articles from the DCMS BAME network.
Online, we shone a spotlight on people in our sectors, including those working in Formula 1, Tech and Civil Society.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the Information Commissioner's Office on the provision of clear statutory guidance for businesses on algorithmic systems operating in the workplace.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Secretary of State and the Information Commissioner have regular discussions to help ensure the data protection legal framework is functioning effectively and identify areas of concern.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) publishes a range of information to help organisations comply with their data protection obligations, including guidance for employers at: https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisations/documents/1064/the_employment_practices_code.pdf.
The ICO has also published guidance for organisations on on data protection and artificial intelligence (including algorithms), at: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/key-data-protection-themes/guidance-on-artificial-intelligence-and-data-protection/.
Employees who have concerns about the way employers are using their data can contact the ICO’s helpline on 0303 123 1113 or their livechat at https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/live-chat/ for further advice, from Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
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 effectiveness of the governance of the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The CDEI is an expert government body within the Department for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport. The CDEI is a team of civil servants supported by an expert advisory board which includes globally recognised practitioners from industry, civil society and academia.
The CDEI’s current remit, as announced publicly and in Parliament on 10 September 2021, focuses on enabling trustworthy innovation in data and AI in the real-world by developing, testing and refining approaches to data and AI governance. Given this role, and after conducting a consultation on the CDEI’s future functions and statutory status as part of the National Data Strategy, the CDEI’s current governance framework as a team of civil servants supported by an expert advisory board is effective.
The CDEI is already working on some of the most pressing issues in the field, from helping the Ministry of Defence to develop ethical principles for the use of AI, to partnering with the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles to embed ethical due diligence in the future regulatory framework for self-driving vehicles.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he last met Ministers in the Welsh Government.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Having only just been appointed Secretary of State at DCMS I look forward to meeting with Ministers in the Welsh Government in due course, and hope to develop an excellent working relationship with devolved administrations.