Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to support the creation of local radio and television content.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Local and regional news coverage provides a vital service - providing information about local public affairs, holding local decision-makers to account, and providing a forum for community discussion.
Public service broadcasters, including the BBC, and national and local commercial radio stations, have requirements to produce regional and local news. The BBC’s Royal Charter requires the BBC to represent, reflect and serve audiences, taking into account the needs of diverse communities of all the UK nations and regions. Under the new regulatory system introduced by the Government in 2017, the BBC Board must ensure the BBC complies with its Charter duties, and Ofcom was established as the BBC regulator to ensure the BBC is robustly held to account.
The Government’s manifesto also recognises the indispensable role of the local and regional press, committing to “support local and regional newspapers, as vital pillars of communities and local democracy”. It has been an absolute priority to ensure we do all we can as a Government to support local news outlets during the Covid-19 crisis as well as supporting commercial and community radio. This included taking the decision to bring forward the commencement of zero-rating of VAT on e-newspapers to May 2020 and working with Arqiva, the UK’s TV and radio transmission provider, to provide six months discount charges which has benefited local commercial radio stations .
The Government also took steps to ensure local media could operate during the Covid 19 lockdown period. Journalists and other key media ancillary staff were designated as ‘key workers’ for the purposes of access to childcare and educational places. The Government also issued guidance to local authorities on the importance of newspaper delivery; took steps to ensure the use of ‘keyword blocklisting’ technology is not inadvertently damaging news publishers’ online advertising revenues for Covid-19 related stories by ad-blocking coronavirus-related terms; and implemented a significant public information campaign, using local and national press and commercial radio extend the reach of these campaigns.
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of arranging with the Independent Community News Network and the Publish Interest News Foundation for a portion of public health campaign spending to be disbursed across the independent media sector.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The government recognises the vital role of independent newspapers in supporting communities by ensuring the provision of reliable, high-quality information throughout the current pandemic. Safeguarding the UK’s news media so that they are able to continue to provide this is a key priority for the government and we are in regular dialogue with a range of stakeholders, including publishers, the Independent Community News Network and the Public Interest News Foundation to ensure that our response to the challenges they are facing is as effective and wide reaching as it can be.
The government will continue to consider all possible options in the interests of promoting and sustaining high-quality news journalism. Never have the activities of journalists been more popular and critical; providing quality news to all, including those self-isolating, and binding communities together, a fundamental function of our modern day democracy.
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will meet with the (a) Independent Community News Network and (b) Publish Interest News Foundation to discuss the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the independent news media sector.
Answered by John Whittingdale
I met with the Independent Community News Network and the Public Interest News Foundation on 6 May to discuss Government support for the independent news publishing sector in light of the impacts of Covid-19. This meeting included a discussion on the effects of the Covid-19 outbreak on the independent news media sector, the Government's public information awareness campaign, and the ways in which the independent sector may be used to reach underserved audiences. I continue to engage with the
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to extend the range of 4G signals out to sea to increase communications with fishing vessels.
Answered by Matt Warman
The Government announced on 9 March that it had signed the deal with the Mobile Network Operators to deliver the Shared Rural Network programme, which will see them collectively increase 4G coverage throughout the United Kingdom to 95% by end-2025. The Shared Rural Network is a programme to improve 4G coverage across the landmass of the UK, rather than offshore. As a result of the Shared Rural Network, it is possible that offshore coverage may be improved near ports or ferry routes, or adjacent to coastal population centres. This is not guaranteed, however, because exact deployment plans will be managed by the Mobile Network Operators themselves, in order for them to best deliver the coverage outcomes for the programme. Furthermore, the current 4G spectrum licenses issued by Ofcom to the Mobile Network Operators limit 4G coverage to the UK and the UK Territorial Sea (up to 12 nautical miles).
At the World Radiocommunication Conference in 2019, the UK signed an international treaty ensuring global coordination of radio spectrum frequencies. These regulations are of great importance to the international maritime community because they help minimise the likelihood of interference and allow for the unconditional operation of critical nautical safety communications. However, these regulations also impose certain measures to limit interference between countries and can therefore impact on 4G offshore coverage potential for fishing vessels.
DCMS supports improvements in maritime communications and is currently monitoring developments in alternative communications technologies that could provide better connectivity to fishing vessels, where coverage from land based systems is limited. Some vessels may already have these technologies installed for safety related requirements.
DCMS also recognises the importance of the maritime sector for the UK economy and is aware of its dependence on suitable maritime communications services. We will continue to work closely with Ofcom and other government departments to ensure the interests of this sector in telecoms are adequately considered.
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
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 ensure that areas such as North Cornwall get their fair share of Creative Industries funding after a previous unsuccessful bid.
Answered by Margot James
Government recognises the important role that the creative industries play in driving local growth and creating new opportunities in places across the UK.
To support the UK’s world-leading cultural and creative businesses, the government and industry invested £150 million in the Creative Industries Sector Deal.
The Deal announced several proposals including a £20 million ‘Cultural Development Fund’ (CDF) for cities and towns in England to bid for creative and cultural investment. As part of the competitive grant application process, the following towns and cities were successful in their CDF application: Worcester, Wakefield, Thames Estuary, Plymouth and Grimsby. In addition, a £39m ‘Creative Industries Cluster Programme’ funding for nine R&D partnerships has been set up across the UK.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport also funds Arms Length Bodies such as Arts Council England which invest in arts and culture on a regional basis.
According to Arts Council England, National Portfolio Organisations in Cornwall - many of which are defined as Creative Industries - will receive up to £10 million in funding between 2018-22. In addition, a further £5.96 million has been invested in Music Education Hubs and Grants for the Arts between 2013 and 2019
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
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 effect of the Digital Economy Act 2017 on the amount of money farmers receive for companies renting land for telephone masts.
Answered by Margot James
The Electronic Communications Code (ECC) was recently reformed as part of the Digital Economy Act 2017. These reforms were intended to reduce the cost of providing communications infrastructure and make it easier for operators to deploy such infrastructure. The new Code came into force on 28 December 2017.
The Regulatory Impact Assessment published by Government estimated that the ECC reforms could lead to a reduction in average market rents (as compared to rates agreed before reforms to the ECC). However, the eventual impact is difficult to predict during this period of transition in which operators and site providers adapt to the new legislation.
During this period, where the market is adjusting and settling, good working relationships between site providers and code operators are critical, and we encourage all parties to continue their efforts to reach mutually acceptable agreements. A joint statement released in August reaffirmed the commitment made by DCMS, industry, CLA and RICS to work collaboratively to implement the ECC.
My Department will continue to work with stakeholders, including representatives from industry, landowners, representative bodies and Ofcom, to inform the implementation of the new Code. We will monitor developments carefully and, as outlined in the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/732496/Future_Telecoms_Infrastructure_Review.pdf) will consider a formal review of the impact of the ECC reforms.
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps his Department has taken to support the live music industry in (a) Cornwall and (b) England.
Answered by Margot James
The live music industry is a vital part of the UK’s music ecosystem, contributing £1bn to the economy in 2016 and must be allowed to continue to thrive. We have recently reformed both licensing and planning guidance and will continue working with industry and Whitehall colleagues on a range of issues affecting the live music industry.
Arts Council England recently announced just under £10m funding for National Portfolio organisations in Cornwall from 2018-22, including Hall for Cornwall which hosts a live music programme and Creative Kernow's Cornwall Music Network.
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much National Lottery funding (a) North Cornwall and (b) Cornwall has received in each year since 2010.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
Information on projects in receipt of a Lottery award can be found on the National Lottery Grants Database at the following link: http://www.lottery.culture.gov.uk and from Lottery Distributors’ own websites. The grants database can be sorted on a national, regional, local authority and constituency level.
The total value of the National Lottery grants awarded in North Cornwall and Cornwall between 2010 and 2016 are given in the table below. The figures for grants awarded in 2017 will be confirmed at the end of March 2018.
| North Cornwall (constituency) | Cornwall (local authority) |
2010 | £547,777 | £9,804,812 |
2011 | £367,762 | £4,682,844 |
2012 | £972,991 | £10,737,091 |
2013 | £1,082,806 | £22,746,502 |
2014 | £1,192,268 | £14,205,830 |
2015 | £721,870 | £17,835,491 |
2016 | £1,765,617 | £25,896,402 |
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
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 adequacy of the level of public funding for museums in (a) Cornwall and (b) North Cornwall.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The recently published Mendoza Review of museums in England found that public funding to museums and galleries in England has totalled over £8.4 billion in the past decade. Museums in Cornwall receive public funding from a variety of sources, including Arts Council England (ACE), Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), local authorities and others, as well as benefiting from a range of tax reliefs and grants. It is therefore not possible to provide a comprehensive breakdown of public funding for museums in the region.
ACE has invested in Cornwall’s museums through its support for Cornwall Museums Partnership (CMP). As a Major Partnership Museum, CMP has received £1.5m from ACE since 2015, and as a National Portfolio Organisation in the next spending round from 2018-2022 will receive £2.44m funding to enable Cornwall’s museums to become a strong network of sustainable organisations.
Government also directly sponsors Tate St Ives which reopened in October following a major project which saw it nearly double in size, supported by £2.8m from the HLF.
Asked by: Scott Mann (Conservative - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he has taken to facilitate access to superfast broadband for people who live in (a) Cornwall and (b) North Cornwall constituency; and whether he has held discussions with superfast broadband providers on delivering that service.
Answered by Margot James
The Government has provided over £5.9m for the delivery of superfast broadband in Cornwall. According to Thinkbroadband, currently over 90% of premises in Cornwall have access to Superfast Broadband, up from 33% in 2011. The local Superfast Cornwall project has a current delivery contract with BT which will extend coverage to at least a further 3% of premises within Cornwall.
As confirmed in our announcement in December 2017 we are pushing ahead with our plans for a Universal Service Obligation (USO) so that by 2020 everyone across the UK will have a clear, enforceable right to request high speed broadband.