Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress he made in rolling out gigabit broadband to every home and business by 2025; and when it is planned to be rolled out in Bolton.
Answered by Matt Warman
Full fibre coverage has doubled in the past year to 3 million premises or 10% of the country, according to the latest Ofcom figures. The Government is taking numerous steps to make it easier and cheaper for the private sector to deploy more gigabit capable broadband, for example, through the recently introduced Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill. This legislation supports telecoms operators to gain access to blocks of flats where a landlord repeatedly fails to respond to access notices and a resident is seeking a new service.
The precise timescales for the deployment of gigabit broadband in Bolton are primarily a matter for the commercial sector, as we believe that promoting commercial investment and network competition is the best way to deliver gigabit broadband at pace. However, this Government is also committed to subsidising deployment in harder to reach areas of the country with £5 billion of public funding, and are working up this programme at the moment. This intervention will ensure that no part of the country, including Bolton, is left behind in terms of broadband connectivity.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support research into the effects of gambling-like mechanics in video games on (a) young and (b) vulnerable players of those games.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The DCMS Select Committee’s report on Immersive and Addictive Technology was published on 12th September. It is critical of the games sector and makes a dozen recommendations for Government action.
Most of the media coverage of the report focussed on the Select Committee’s recommendation that DCMS should change the Gambling Act to bring into scope the loot box mechanics that some games contain. The report also recommended that DCMS should work with researchers to identify key questions needed to develop research into the long term effects of (video) gaming and that DCMS should establish a scientific working group to collate the latest evidence on the effects of “gambling-like” mechanics in games.
DCMS is leading on the Government response which has been requested by 11 November and officials are currently developing advice for ministers.
The UK’s video games sector - and particularly a number of the large inward investors here - are alarmed at the tone of the Select Committee’s report and looking to Government to show it will take an evidence-based and proportionate approach in its response.
Loot boxes do not fall under gambling law where the in-game items acquired are confined for use within the game and cannot be cashed out. However, the Gambling Commission is aware of possible areas of convergence between video games and gambling, and will continue to monitor this closely.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many premises in Bolton South East constituency do not have access to superfast broadband.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
The Honourable member will be pleased to hear that 98% of premises in her constituency will have access to superfast broadband by Spring 2017.
Current estimates suggest that almost 95% of premises in the Bolton South East constituency are subject to commercial rollout, and based on DCMS modelled estimates and current delivery plans, a further 3% of premises will have access to superfast broadband by Spring 2017, thanks to the Government's rollout. Early gainshare funding that BT will return in response to the high levels of take-up being achieved, could help extend coverage further. It is estimated only 784 premises will be without superfast broadband by spring 2017.
In addition, the Government's intention to implement a new broadband Universal Service Obligation will give people the legal right to request a broadband connection, no matter where they live.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
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 monitor numbers of incidents of football fans using derogatory terms for disabled people (a) at matches and (b) when travelling to and from matches.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The ‘Kick It Out’ app continues to make it easy for fans to report instances of discrimination during, before or after a game. Of the 184 incidents reported to Kick It Out last season by 28 December, 118 (64%) involved alleged racist abuse, while 17% involved complaints about anti-Semitism. Kick It Out also received 15 complaints of abuse involving sexual orientation, 7 about disability, and 13 relating to sexism. The FA’s Inclusion Advisory Board, chaired by Heather Rabbatts, scrutinise these statistics, and those reported directly to the FA quarterly, and report to me every 6 months, which I will monitor for positive and negative trends.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to encourage sport stadiums across the UK to meet the recommendations of Sport England and the International Olympic Committee on the number of wheelchair spaces available for disabled people.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The Government is committed to ensuring all spectators have appropriate access to sporting venues and services, and that professional sports clubs are aware of their responsibilities towards disabled spectators.
Sport England’s Accessible Sports Facilities guide provides guidance on access to sports facilities for disabled sports participants. The International Paralympic Committee’s guidance is there for clubs that want, and can afford, to meet the highest standards on inclusion and accessibility for both participants and spectators.
The Accessible Stadia guidance produced by the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) brings together the background information central to designing and providing for disabled spectators at stadia and helps all clubs to meet the basic standard in the first instance.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working with the Department of Work and Pensions, the Equalities and Human Rights Commission and the disabled spectators charity Level Playing Field on a range of measures to ensure that the rights of all disabled spectators, not only wheelchair users, are met by owners of sports stadia. As part of this work, the SGSA will be issuing an updated pamphlet to accompany the Accessible Stadia guidance, which will detail the current legal framework which all service providers must comply with and including advice on how clubs can improve access across a range of different disabilities.