Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if the Government will introduce a compensation scheme for performers, events organisers and others affected by the cancellation of performances and festivals as a result of covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
Last week, the Secretary of State and Minister for Digital and Culture took calls with the creative and cultural sectors amongst others to understand the challenges that they are facing. Officials are continuing to engage with organisations daily in order to best understand how Government can support the cultural and creative sectors and regular Ministerial engagement is taking place.
Arts Council England also announced measures in support of it’s funded organisations last week. More information for those this may apply to can be found here: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/covid19#section-2
Businesses that experience increased costs and disrupted cash flow as a result of Coronavirus are being supported. The Chancellor Rishi Sunak has already announced a host of measures to help businesses in this period with £330bn worth of government backed and guaranteed loans to support businesses across the UK, delivered through two schemes:
Support for liquidity amongst large firms, with a major new scheme being launched by the Bank of England to help them with any disruption to their cash flows through loans.
Increasing the amount businesses can borrow through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme from £1.2m to £5m and ensuring businesses can access the first 6 months of that finance interest free, as the Government will cover the first 6 months of interest payments.
£20bn of direct fiscal support for businesses in England through tax relief and cash grants to help business manage cash flow. This includes:
Cash grants of up to £25,000 for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses with a rateable value of between £15,000 and £51,000.
Cash grants of £10,000 for several hundred thousand small businesses eligible for business rate relief and rural rate relief.
Entirely removing all eligible properties in the retail, hospitality and leisure sector from business rates, so that no pub, hotel, or high street shop will pay business rates for 12 months.
This comes on top of compensation for businesses having to cover Statutory Sick Pay that the Chancellor announced in the Budget.
As part of the government’s emergency legislation measures, Statutory Sick Pay will be available from day one for those affected by coronavirus. Anyone on zero-hour contracts who may not be eligible for Statutory Sick Pay will be able to claim Universal Credit or New Style Employment and Support Allowance, dependent on their circumstances.
Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)
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 Cabinet colleagues on the exemption from business rates to ensure that waiver covers studios, performance spaces and other venues which are part of the creative industries even if they have a rateable value of more than £51,000 if they have to be closed as a result of Covid 19.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced last week additional measures to support businesses and organisations that have been impacted by the pandemic. Guidance for businesses can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/covid-19-support-for-businesses
Last week, both the Secretary of State and Minister for Digital & Culture took calls with the cultural and creative industries sector amongst others to understand the challenges that they are facing as they respond to Government advice regarding Covid-19. Ministers have been representing DCMS sectors through COBRA committees.
Officials are continuing to engage with organisations daily in order to best understand how the Government can provide further guidance and support following the announcement of these measures, and regular Ministerial engagement is taking place.
Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he is having with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the provision of temporary financial assistance for organisations in the creative industries who are affected by covid-19.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
Last week, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced additional measures to support businesses and organisations that have been impacted by the pandemic.
This includes the Government stepping in to help pay people’s wages – a scheme which is one of the most generous of any in the world – paying grants to support as many jobs as necessary. Any employer in the country who promises to retain their staff, can apply for a grant to cover most of the cost of paying people’s wages. Government grants will cover 80 per cent of the salary of retained workers up to a total of £2,500 a month, with this limit set well above the median income. The cost of wages will be backdated to 1st March and will be open for at least three months. The Government will consider extending the scheme for longer if necessary.
We are also deferring the next three months of VAT, a direct injection of £33 billion of cash to employers which means no business will pay any VAT in March, April or May; and they will have until the end of the financial year to repay those bills.
The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme will now be interest free for twelve months, an extension from the initial announcement of six months. We have already introduced and announced an extension to the Business Interruption Loan Scheme, which is for small and medium-sized businesses. On Tuesday, the Chancellor expanded the amount that can be borrowed from £1.2 million to £5 million.
Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what meetings her Department has had with Bristol City Council to discuss preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement.
Answered by Nigel Adams
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol 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 his Department has had Trade Union representatives for the creative industries on the effect on that sector of the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The creative industries are one of the UK's greatest success stories, producing an extraordinary level of talent recognised and respected the world over. The UK's decision to leave the EU will not change that.
While we have not held meetings with trade union representatives, we have held a series of ministerial roundtables with the creative industries to ensure they are aware of Government information on EU Exit and on the impacts and opportunities of leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement. We will continue to work closely with the creative sectors as we continue our preparations.
Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to regulate online activity to bring it into line with activity that would be considered to be illegal if it were conducted offline.
Answered by Margot James
Our view is that behaviour which is illegal or unacceptable offline should be treated the same online. The Online Harms White Paper sets out our plans for world-leading legislation to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online, through establishing a statutory duty of care that will be enforced by an independent regulator. Companies will be held to account for tackling a comprehensive set of online harms, both those which are illegal and also behaviours that may not be illegal but are nonetheless highly damaging to individuals and society.
We are also ensuring that the criminal law is fit for purpose to deal with online harms. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport and the Ministry of Justice have now engaged the Law Commission on a second phase of their review of abusive and offensive online communications. The Law Commission will review existing communications offences and make recommendations about options for reform. This will include considering whether co-ordinated harassment by groups of people online could be more effectively dealt with by the criminal law. The Law Commission will also look at criminal law around non-consensual taking and sharing of intimate images, considering existing offences and identifying whether there are any gaps in the protection already offered to victims. The Law Commission will make recommendations to ensure that criminal law provides consistent and effective protection against such behaviour.
Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol 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 trends in the level of access to superfast fibre broadband in Bristol West constituency; and what steps he is taking to improve access to that service in the constituency.
Answered by Margot James
According to Thinkbroadband, 96.4% of premises in Bristol West constituency have access to superfast broadband. This is up from 93.1% in 2012.
Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK) have rolled out several schemes to help improve access to broadband services across the UK. Two voucher schemes, the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme (https://gigabitvoucher.culture.gov.uk/) and the Better Broadband Scheme (https://basicbroadband.culture.gov.uk/) are accessible to residents in Bristol West Constituency. In fact the Gigabit Broadband Voucher scheme was rolled out nationally following a successful trial in four areas of the UK, including Bristol.
Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)
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 plans to regulate paid-for random prizes in computer and video games.
Answered by Margot James
We remain committed to ensuring that consumers are properly protected and not exploited by aggressive commercial practices. Game purchasers are protected by general consumer law such as the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. This includes a requirement on businesses not to subject anyone to misleading or aggressive marketing practices, or, for example, direct exhortation to buy products, including in-game purchases of paid-for random prizes.
The Government is aware of concerns surrounding this issue and will continue to gather and look closely at any evidence. We also welcome the recent introduction by the VSC Ratings Board and PEGI of a new label for video games to warn parents where they include the opportunity to make in-game purchases.
Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has held discussions with the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union on his policy priorities after the UK leaves the EU in relation to (a) the requirement of the General Data Protection Regulation that children merit specific protection and (b) the regulation's other requirements; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Margot James
Ministers from DCMS and DExEU have held regular discussions about departmental policy priorities, including with respect to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), as the UK leaves the EU.
The EU and the UK both have an ambition to achieve high data protection standards globally. The UK demonstrated this commitment with the successful passage of the new Data Protection Act 2018, which implements and transposes the GDPR and Law Enforcement Directive respectively in UK law.
The Act received Royal Assent on 23 May. It further strengthens UK data protection standards, ensuring they are fit for the modern age, and implements in full the EU’s new data protection framework in UK domestic law. Our data protection laws will therefore be fully aligned with the EU’s at our point of exit.
In May 2018 the government published a presentation setting out this position. The presentation is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/framework-for-the-uk-eu-partnership-data-protection.
The government recognises children need particular protection when their personal data is collected and processed as they may be less aware of the risks involved. The GDPR offers clear protection of children’s privacy and privacy notices must be written in a way that children are able to understand. Organisations that process children’s data must ensure that they use a data protection by design and default approach.
Asked by: Thangam Debbonaire (Labour - Bristol West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether an assessment will be made of the extent to which Government database processes meet the General Data Protection Regulation requirement of data protection by design and default; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Margot James
Government takes the protection of personal data and the right to privacy extremely seriously, and we are determined to lead the way and set the gold standard for data protection. As part of our preparations, we have been working closely with the Information Commissioner’s Office and departments to support compliance preparations across government.
Each department, as a data controller, is responsible for its own compliance with the new data protection law, including the requirement under Article 25 GDPR to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure data protection by design and default.