Browse content similar to 13/09/2016. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Good morning and welcome to BBC Parliament's live coverage of the | :01:41. | :01:47. | |
Commons. The main business today is the general debate on the Dhgital | :01:48. | :01:50. | |
Economy Bill. Among other things, this includes powers to restrict | :01:51. | :01:54. | |
access to online pornographx, protects intellectual property and | :01:55. | :01:57. | |
gives you powers were public bodies to share data to combat public | :01:58. | :02:02. | |
sector fraud. At three o'clock this afternoon, we will cross life to the | :02:03. | :02:05. | |
Foreign Affairs Committee sdssion on the implications of leaving the | :02:06. | :02:11. | |
European Union for the UK's global role, with evidence given bx the | :02:12. | :02:14. | |
Secretary of State for exithng the EU. At that point, you can continue | :02:15. | :02:18. | |
watching live Commons proceddings on our website. Or you can catch up | :02:19. | :02:25. | |
overnight. Don't forget to join me for a round-up of the day in both | :02:26. | :02:31. | |
houses of parliament at 11pl. In a moment, it is questions to the | :02:32. | :02:36. | |
business and energy secretary and his ministry will -- ministdrial | :02:37. | :02:43. | |
team. First, a Private bill for the Commons to deal with. | :02:44. | :02:55. | |
Order, order! Clark will now proceed to read the title of the Prhvate | :02:56. | :03:05. | |
Bill set down for this day. Haberdashers' Aske's Charitx Bill | :03:06. | :03:08. | |
third reading. The bill will now be read a third time. I think the ayes | :03:09. | :03:19. | |
habit. Order. I must inform the House that I have today recdived | :03:20. | :03:24. | |
notification from the chair of the home affairs committee, the Right | :03:25. | :03:28. | |
Honourable member for Leicester East, of his wish to resign from the | :03:29. | :03:33. | |
chair. In accordance with standing order number 122 C, I therefore | :03:34. | :03:37. | |
declare that the chair of the home affairs committee is vacant. I shall | :03:38. | :03:43. | |
announce the arrangements for the election to this post alongside the | :03:44. | :03:48. | |
elections for the vacant ch`irs of the culture, media and sport and | :03:49. | :03:55. | |
science and technology commhttees, and any other new chairs to be | :03:56. | :03:59. | |
created as a result of recent changes in the machinery of | :04:00. | :04:03. | |
government. As soon as practicable. I hope that it will be posshble to | :04:04. | :04:10. | |
hold those elections soon after the House returns in October. Order | :04:11. | :04:17. | |
Questions to the Secretary of State for business, energy and industrial | :04:18. | :04:21. | |
strategy. Question number one, Mr Speaker. Thank you very much indeed. | :04:22. | :04:27. | |
With your permission, I'll `nswer this together with questions ten and | :04:28. | :04:33. | |
13. Since I was appointed on the 14th of July, my colleagues and I | :04:34. | :04:39. | |
have met with businesses, investors, workers and local leaders in all | :04:40. | :04:43. | |
four home nations, as well `s travelling to India and Jap`n. | :04:44. | :04:48. | |
Furthermore for the first thme, each local enterprise error and dach of | :04:49. | :04:50. | |
the devolved administrations will have specific minister assigned to | :04:51. | :04:59. | |
them in my department. -- local enterprise area. I think thd | :05:00. | :05:04. | |
Secretary of State from his answer and also welcome the whole team to | :05:05. | :05:09. | |
the new department as well. The aerospace industry is absolttely | :05:10. | :05:12. | |
vital to the west of England economy. Not just for jobs, but also | :05:13. | :05:17. | |
for growth as well. We'll bd Secretary of State work with me in | :05:18. | :05:21. | |
order to ensure that the entire aerospace industry receives the | :05:22. | :05:26. | |
support it requires and desdrves? Mr Speaker, I certainly will do that. | :05:27. | :05:32. | |
One of the biggest privilegds of this job is to be reunited with | :05:33. | :05:37. | |
aerospace, and I got to know the sector when I was science mhnister. | :05:38. | :05:41. | |
My first ministerial meeting, visit, was with breakfast with the | :05:42. | :05:46. | |
aerospace growth partnership at the Farnborough airshow, where H ran | :05:47. | :05:51. | |
into my right honourable frhend The West of England was well represented | :05:52. | :06:00. | |
there. This is a very important sector for the economy, and will | :06:01. | :06:06. | |
have my wholehearted support. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I too would like to | :06:07. | :06:11. | |
pass on my welcome to the ndw ministerial team. I've had ` number | :06:12. | :06:17. | |
of correspondence from a few local businesses, predominantly slall who | :06:18. | :06:20. | |
have been training with European partners over a long period of time | :06:21. | :06:24. | |
but has recently seen supplx chain costs rise. Could he outlind his | :06:25. | :06:29. | |
commitment to supporting our small businesses in our new relathonship | :06:30. | :06:33. | |
with Europe, to ensure that local and regional economies conthnue to | :06:34. | :06:40. | |
grow? I will indeed. What I will say, I know many small businesses in | :06:41. | :06:47. | |
her constituency. We have m`de over ?3 billion available to smaller | :06:48. | :06:52. | |
businesses. She will know that from April next year, the small business | :06:53. | :06:57. | |
rate relief will double perlanently. That will benefit 60,000 sm`ll | :06:58. | :07:03. | |
businesses. This is part of our continuing commitment to sm`ll | :07:04. | :07:09. | |
business, which is the motor of the bigger businesses that generate so | :07:10. | :07:12. | |
many jobs together with small businesses in our economy. Ly home | :07:13. | :07:20. | |
constituency, long established, beautiful seaside destination with | :07:21. | :07:24. | |
big future ambitions includhng 42017, a new hot air balloon | :07:25. | :07:29. | |
Festival. Tourism is lifeblood to my town -- including 2017. I'm | :07:30. | :07:37. | |
delighted to welcome the Eastbourne hospitality Association. Can the | :07:38. | :07:40. | |
Minister tell me if he has had discussions with the tourisl | :07:41. | :07:44. | |
industry around reducing thd level of VAT on tourism services to bring | :07:45. | :07:49. | |
us into line with competitive destinations in the European Union | :07:50. | :07:52. | |
and give our industry the competitive platform from which it | :07:53. | :07:57. | |
can stimulate investment, create jobs, deliver growth and take full | :07:58. | :08:00. | |
advantages of the opportunities in life after Brexit? My honourable | :08:01. | :08:10. | |
friend is a big campaign in the tourism industry. I welcome her | :08:11. | :08:14. | |
visitors here today. We havd one of the highest VAT threshold is in the | :08:15. | :08:18. | |
European Union here in the TK so that many small businesses don't | :08:19. | :08:24. | |
need to charge VAT. Of course, I will continue my discussions with | :08:25. | :08:28. | |
her. The hot air balloon Festival sounds a very tempting excursion, | :08:29. | :08:34. | |
perhaps for many members in this house. And I look forward to | :08:35. | :08:39. | |
continuing these discussions of her and her colleagues. Does thd | :08:40. | :08:47. | |
Secretary of State agree th`t British business people are fat and | :08:48. | :08:52. | |
spent too much time on the golf course? And lazy? And lazy. Mr | :08:53. | :09:02. | |
Speaker, I am yet to meet a lady businessperson, starting with my own | :09:03. | :09:06. | |
father, who was up before d`wn every morning running his own small | :09:07. | :09:09. | |
business. My friend is right in reminding us that across thd whole | :09:10. | :09:13. | |
country, every business needs to work hard as it does every day of | :09:14. | :09:18. | |
the week, that is the secret to our competitive success. That is the way | :09:19. | :09:21. | |
we will continue to prosper as a nation. In light of comments made | :09:22. | :09:26. | |
last week by the Japanese ambassador, the Secretary of State | :09:27. | :09:32. | |
will be aware that Nissan, based in my constituency, contributes ?2 1 | :09:33. | :09:36. | |
billion to the UK balance of trade. And it exports 80% of all c`rs made | :09:37. | :09:43. | |
at the plant in Sunderland. What opportunities to PC for automotive | :09:44. | :09:49. | |
companies such as Nissan in a post-Brexit strategy and will he | :09:50. | :09:52. | |
commit to meeting this Niss`n as soon as possible? I will not only | :09:53. | :09:58. | |
make that commitment but tell her that I have already done so and have | :09:59. | :10:02. | |
met the Japanese ambassador. The automotive sector and Nissan in | :10:03. | :10:07. | |
particular is a hugely important and valued part, not only of thd | :10:08. | :10:12. | |
Honourable Lady's constituency, but of the whole country. And it has our | :10:13. | :10:18. | |
full hearted support. The albassador and I have met twice. I think it's | :10:19. | :10:24. | |
very encouraging that the J`panese ambassador on behalf of the | :10:25. | :10:28. | |
government shares with us their priorities for our negotiathon. That | :10:29. | :10:31. | |
is exactly the sort of relationship that I hope and expect to h`ve our | :10:32. | :10:35. | |
partners around the world. Will people be aware of the great anger | :10:36. | :10:39. | |
felt by Britain's wealth crdators at the comments of his right honourable | :10:40. | :10:44. | |
colleague. What conversations, not just to them, but to our reputation | :10:45. | :10:49. | |
abroad, what conversations `s he had specifically with his right | :10:50. | :10:52. | |
honourable friend and with the Prime Minister about liberating the | :10:53. | :10:57. | |
damage? My right honourable friend has been vigorous during thd summer | :10:58. | :11:01. | |
in going around the world, promoting the case for British business, as is | :11:02. | :11:09. | |
his job. And members will h`ve the support of everyone in this House if | :11:10. | :11:13. | |
they join the effort that wd are making to promote the great | :11:14. | :11:17. | |
opportunities already in thhs country, and the further | :11:18. | :11:21. | |
opportunities to come. Speaker, Secretary of State, can I ask you if | :11:22. | :11:25. | |
you agree that free trade is at the heart of a prosperous econoly? And | :11:26. | :11:29. | |
will you and your front bench colleagues be resisting any attempts | :11:30. | :11:33. | |
to impose any form of protectionism when we come to negotiating future | :11:34. | :11:40. | |
trade arrangements? The deb`te goes through the Channel. I'm not | :11:41. | :11:44. | |
expressing any view, but I think I know what the Honourable gentleman | :11:45. | :11:49. | |
had in mind. I think free trade courses through the veins of this | :11:50. | :11:52. | |
country. It is one of the rdasons that we've been most successful Our | :11:53. | :11:56. | |
surprise last week to hear ` commitment to free trade described | :11:57. | :12:01. | |
as dogma. I think it is one of our strengths, and he has an absolute | :12:02. | :12:04. | |
assurance that this will be very much at the four of our repttation | :12:05. | :12:12. | |
in the future as well as past. Can I welcome the Business Secret`ry to | :12:13. | :12:18. | |
his new post. He certainly has his work cut out. Australia says it s | :12:19. | :12:21. | |
going to take at least thred years after Brexit to a trade deal can be | :12:22. | :12:27. | |
in place of the UK, while the United States, Japan and China havd already | :12:28. | :12:30. | |
expressed their views about the prospects of foreign investlent and | :12:31. | :12:34. | |
trade with the UK. Can he tdll us what he is doing to get behhnd UK | :12:35. | :12:40. | |
businesses and deal with thd concerns of our internation`l | :12:41. | :12:43. | |
partners following the Brexht Fred? And can I say to him, that he could | :12:44. | :12:49. | |
do better -- could not do bdtter than start telling his colldagues to | :12:50. | :12:53. | |
get behind business and stop insulting them. I would be | :12:54. | :12:57. | |
interested in the support of the party opposite for promoting British | :12:58. | :13:01. | |
business around the world, `nd he will know from our previous work on | :13:02. | :13:07. | |
local growers, he'll always have a willing ear and assistance from me | :13:08. | :13:10. | |
in doing that. He was kind dnough to welcome me. Can I welcome the front | :13:11. | :13:14. | |
bench team opposite that has been formed. I have to say, the | :13:15. | :13:18. | |
Honourable gentleman who was my shadow in my DC LG role has followed | :13:19. | :13:24. | |
me here. Perhaps not so much shadow as a stalker, but I regarded as | :13:25. | :13:32. | |
flattery. I think it is important. Relationships are important. | :13:33. | :13:40. | |
I think it's important you get to know our partners around thd world. | :13:41. | :13:45. | |
I have done that and my colleagues have done that. I visited otr | :13:46. | :13:51. | |
investors and manufacturers in Japan and India, and I will continue to do | :13:52. | :13:59. | |
so. Cambridge is a net contributor to the Treasury. 20,000 bushnesses | :14:00. | :14:03. | |
generating revenue of over ?30 billion. We have had cross-party | :14:04. | :14:09. | |
meetings with business leaddrs about the application of breaks gdt for | :14:10. | :14:14. | |
our local colony. -- implic`tions of Brexit. What the Minister mdet in my | :14:15. | :14:19. | |
constituency to discuss these implications? I remain and hnfuse | :14:20. | :14:25. | |
yesterday visited the Cambrhdge It is one of the important features of | :14:26. | :14:30. | |
our industrial strategy is to have a clear recognition of the | :14:31. | :14:34. | |
contribution of the local ldadership of different places bring. H have | :14:35. | :14:41. | |
appointed minister as the lhaison with Cambridge, but I would be very | :14:42. | :14:48. | |
happy to visit myself in future I welcome the Secretary of State and | :14:49. | :14:52. | |
his team to their positions. There are challenges, one of which is the | :14:53. | :15:00. | |
trade deficit increasing to ?2. billion. A problem unlikely to be | :15:01. | :15:04. | |
resolved waive the withdraw`l from the single market. Scotland voted to | :15:05. | :15:13. | |
remain, Scotland wishes to remain on -- unhindered in its access to the | :15:14. | :15:17. | |
markets, this analysis support that or does he remain committed to feel | :15:18. | :15:22. | |
English Brexit. Many members of the House wdre | :15:23. | :15:28. | |
impressed by the Honourable member and's contribution to last weeks | :15:29. | :15:32. | |
debate. I will work very hard to make sure our negotiating m`ndate | :15:33. | :15:39. | |
reflects all parts of the United Kingdom. It was a United Kingdom | :15:40. | :15:42. | |
decision to come out of the European Union, will make the most of it | :15:43. | :15:47. | |
together. The Scottish Government analysis in | :15:48. | :15:51. | |
terms of the UK withdrawal from the European Union is that it could cost | :15:52. | :15:56. | |
the Scottish economy at best ?1 7 billion a year, and at worst ?1 .2 | :15:57. | :16:01. | |
billion. I repeat, will he lake the case from his department for | :16:02. | :16:05. | |
continued membership of the European market humour I made clear hn my | :16:06. | :16:12. | |
answer earlier that free tr`de is what we want to see. | :16:13. | :16:17. | |
In further discussions, not only with the devolved administr`tions | :16:18. | :16:21. | |
but with business investors around the world, we will make surd the | :16:22. | :16:25. | |
negotiating mandate we have is ambitious and will ensure the | :16:26. | :16:31. | |
brightest future for the whole United Kingdom. | :16:32. | :16:39. | |
With your permission, Mr Spdaker, I will answer this question whth | :16:40. | :16:44. | |
question four. I said on thd 28th of July the Government will consider | :16:45. | :16:47. | |
all the component parts of the Hinkley Point C proposed project | :16:48. | :16:54. | |
before coming to a decision. We will do just that, and the Prime Minister | :16:55. | :17:01. | |
said this week, a decision will be research next month. | :17:02. | :17:08. | |
My recent summer surgery to, a number of constituents raisdd | :17:09. | :17:11. | |
concerns about the cost to the taxpayer of the Hinkley Point C | :17:12. | :17:15. | |
development. Barclays estim`ted that even as EDF that delivers four years | :17:16. | :17:21. | |
late, and 25% over budget, ht would still make a profit on the deal | :17:22. | :17:27. | |
with the deficit being pickdd up over the next 35 years by ordinary | :17:28. | :17:32. | |
people. Does the Minister think such a public subsidy provides v`lue for | :17:33. | :17:35. | |
the taxpayer? As I said in my answer, we `re | :17:36. | :17:40. | |
looking at all components of the deal and will make a decision before | :17:41. | :17:44. | |
the end of the month. I do think it is a responsible act on the part of | :17:45. | :17:48. | |
the Government to consider our energy supplies for the futtre in | :17:49. | :17:54. | |
the long term. I know the Scottish Government has turned its f`ce | :17:55. | :17:58. | |
against new nuclear. We reg`rd that as an important part of a dhverse | :17:59. | :18:03. | |
energy mix that gives resilhence to UK consumers. | :18:04. | :18:09. | |
Given that the Brexiter votd has thrown the energy sector further | :18:10. | :18:15. | |
uncertainty, and given that we note that energy from renewable sources | :18:16. | :18:18. | |
will be cheaper and new killer by the time Hinkley is completdd, is it | :18:19. | :18:24. | |
not time for the UK to follow the Scottish Government's example and | :18:25. | :18:29. | |
embrace cheaper, safer and lore plans for alternatives to ntke the? | :18:30. | :18:36. | |
Winston Churchill said that in energy, diversity and the rdst is | :18:37. | :18:41. | |
the foundation for security. I think those are wise words and we are wise | :18:42. | :18:44. | |
to have a range of energy sources, now and in the future. Incltding | :18:45. | :18:53. | |
renewables, of course. I strongly support the Primd | :18:54. | :18:57. | |
Minister's decision on this, given that China insists on trying to hack | :18:58. | :19:01. | |
not only state agencies as well as our commercial companies, pttting | :19:02. | :19:05. | |
two fingers up to the arbitration Court in the Hague, these are people | :19:06. | :19:13. | |
through with which we should stop with a long spoon, and I colmend the | :19:14. | :19:19. | |
paper written by the intellhgence committee and is Malcolm Rifkind | :19:20. | :19:23. | |
three years ago. I am grateful for these comlents. He | :19:24. | :19:29. | |
will know the commits went we have made is to look at all components of | :19:30. | :19:34. | |
the proposed deal and to make our decision very shortly. We whll | :19:35. | :19:38. | |
report to the House when we have done that and reports on a decision | :19:39. | :19:45. | |
at that point. The Government is very wise to take | :19:46. | :19:48. | |
a deep breath before committing itself to the massive cost of | :19:49. | :19:53. | |
Hinkley. Evidence is mounting all the time in terms of new technology. | :19:54. | :19:58. | |
In particular, fusion rather than vision, battery storage and so on. I | :19:59. | :20:06. | |
do commend the Government for considering this decision vdry | :20:07. | :20:09. | |
slowly. I am grateful to my right honourable | :20:10. | :20:14. | |
friend. I think it is important for such an important decision to make | :20:15. | :20:18. | |
sure a new Government looks at all the components. Looking to the | :20:19. | :20:23. | |
future for energy supply, I think it is important and we benefit from the | :20:24. | :20:28. | |
full range of technologies, including some of the ones he | :20:29. | :20:37. | |
mentioned. This came in on question ond, I | :20:38. | :20:41. | |
haven't forgotten it, even hf he has. We'll say that full eight-hour! | :20:42. | :20:52. | |
There is a company based in my constituency that is the prdferred | :20:53. | :20:59. | |
supplier for reinforced stedl to build Hinkley Point C. My concern is | :21:00. | :21:09. | |
being... What the Secretary of State please update the House on the | :21:10. | :21:14. | |
timetable? The honourable lady is right that | :21:15. | :21:18. | |
we, across all different forms of energy generation, need to tpgrade | :21:19. | :21:24. | |
our capacity for energy gendration. Doing that will have import`nt | :21:25. | :21:31. | |
advantages for other companhes, including steel suppliers, right | :21:32. | :21:35. | |
across the United Kingdom. Hn terms of a decision on Hinkley, wd will | :21:36. | :21:42. | |
take it before the end of the month. Can my right honourable fridnds | :21:43. | :21:47. | |
confirm that, as well as thd proposed new killer power station at | :21:48. | :21:50. | |
Hinkley Point C, the other part of that package, a new Chinese hyphens | :21:51. | :21:56. | |
assigned station also remains on the table? | :21:57. | :22:06. | |
The decision is on the parthcular contract difference at Hinkley Point | :22:07. | :22:11. | |
C, that is what we are revidwing and we will take that decision when that | :22:12. | :22:18. | |
review has been completed. I'd to welcome the front bench to | :22:19. | :22:22. | |
their new positions, along with my stalker friend. After putting 2 ,000 | :22:23. | :22:32. | |
highly skilled jobs at risk, after jeopardising 500 much-needed stem | :22:33. | :22:36. | |
apprenticeships, after offending the Chinese Government and riskhng | :22:37. | :22:44. | |
billions of pounds of investment in the UK economy, after sheddhng shock | :22:45. | :22:47. | |
waves to the investment comlunity who think the premise that now | :22:48. | :22:50. | |
doesn't understand the meanhng of investment possession, does the | :22:51. | :22:55. | |
Secretary of State agree with those in the industry who think that the | :22:56. | :22:59. | |
Prime Minister's courses approach now looks like dithering? | :23:00. | :23:05. | |
I prefer the Prime Minister's cautious approach to the approach of | :23:06. | :23:09. | |
the honourable gentleman, which is completely inconsistent, as far as I | :23:10. | :23:12. | |
can see. He criticises the Government for reviewing thhs | :23:13. | :23:18. | |
important decision, but says at the same time we should take three | :23:19. | :23:22. | |
months to seriously review the decision. There is a contradiction | :23:23. | :23:28. | |
in his position. But it doesn't surprise me, because it is the | :23:29. | :23:34. | |
complete absence of an energy policy during the 13 years of the previous | :23:35. | :23:39. | |
Labour governments, that we knew new killer power station is werd going | :23:40. | :23:43. | |
to come to the end of their life, this Government is making ddcisions | :23:44. | :23:48. | |
proper, serious way, making up for the last time under the Labour | :23:49. | :23:57. | |
years. I am delighted the Prime Minister | :23:58. | :24:00. | |
has asked me to leap the historic task of leading a proper industrial | :24:01. | :24:04. | |
strategy for this country. We have it once in a generation chance to | :24:05. | :24:09. | |
embrace the new opportunitids of our global role and upgrade our economy | :24:10. | :24:13. | |
to work for everyone. We will work with industry, local leaders, | :24:14. | :24:17. | |
innovators, employees and consumers to create conditions for future | :24:18. | :24:21. | |
success. May I also take the opportunity to | :24:22. | :24:25. | |
congratulate the entire front bench teams on their appointment. The word | :24:26. | :24:31. | |
industrial strategy often conjure up images of manufacturing and heavy | :24:32. | :24:35. | |
industry. Can the Secretary of State confirm that... | :24:36. | :24:47. | |
It seems to me that in projdcting forward how we are going to earn a | :24:48. | :24:51. | |
living as a nation, we look to our strengths. It is correct th`t the | :24:52. | :24:56. | |
service sector is one of our greatest drinks. We must crdate the | :24:57. | :25:01. | |
conditions for that prosper in the future. | :25:02. | :25:05. | |
Then I also welcome the secretary of state to what is a fantastic and | :25:06. | :25:09. | |
ambitious, interesting and challenging brief. I wish hhm and is | :25:10. | :25:15. | |
team all the best. Can the secretary of state state precisely ex`ctly how | :25:16. | :25:21. | |
this new industrial strategx marks a change in Government approach to | :25:22. | :25:24. | |
collaborate with business and intervention in the economy, or is | :25:25. | :25:30. | |
it just a change to the old approach? | :25:31. | :25:33. | |
It is certainly not that. I would welcome the involvement of the new | :25:34. | :25:38. | |
Select Committee, which I think will be important, and making sure we | :25:39. | :25:44. | |
capture everything we need to make a success of this. I don't thhnk it is | :25:45. | :25:48. | |
brand-new in that we build on success. We talked with the | :25:49. | :25:55. | |
Honourable gentleman's colldague on the automotive sector. We know that | :25:56. | :25:59. | |
has been basic that the good source of strength. The environment we are | :26:00. | :26:05. | |
created with firms in the sdctor, capacities and scientific | :26:06. | :26:08. | |
institutions has been cruci`l to success. We will build on the strong | :26:09. | :26:12. | |
foundations and expressed vdry clearly our path for the future | :26:13. | :26:17. | |
As the Government formulates its industrial strategy, and urge my | :26:18. | :26:23. | |
right honourable friend to look at the American research progr`mme | :26:24. | :26:32. | |
which funds the stages after... Would he consider a UK equivalents? | :26:33. | :26:36. | |
I'm grateful to my honourable friend is very well informed about the need | :26:37. | :26:43. | |
to translate research success into small business success. I'm sure we | :26:44. | :26:47. | |
can talk further about it. I work on the new team, but I'm sure | :26:48. | :26:54. | |
even the secretary of state that this isn't going to be a full | :26:55. | :26:58. | |
English Brexit, it's going to be a dog's Brexit. Thank you much, I m | :26:59. | :27:05. | |
going to be here all week. On a doctoral strategy, one of the | :27:06. | :27:09. | |
problems we face -- industrhal strategy, is that many parts of the | :27:10. | :27:16. | |
UK are now post-industrial. Areas have one industry like tourhsm, iron | :27:17. | :27:21. | |
and steel or shipbuilding. Will he make sure that we take this | :27:22. | :27:26. | |
opportunity to invest in those areas to increase productivity and those | :27:27. | :27:30. | |
forgotten areas? They're not forgotten. The right | :27:31. | :27:36. | |
honourable gentleman is good at the one-liners, and the creativd | :27:37. | :27:40. | |
industries are a great source of strength, including comedians. I | :27:41. | :27:46. | |
would say, if you look around the world at some of the most stccessful | :27:47. | :27:50. | |
blazers, successful cities hn particular, they have developed in a | :27:51. | :27:57. | |
way that they have resilience through different industries, even | :27:58. | :28:00. | |
where the was the single, dominant industry. That is precisely we want | :28:01. | :28:06. | |
to work with local leaders to make sure we strengthen the resilience of | :28:07. | :28:07. | |
our regional centres. And the Minister for consumdr | :28:08. | :28:20. | |
affairs, who is a brilliant retweet, particularly of my interview today. | :28:21. | :28:25. | |
As part of my strategy, I hope my right honourable friend will | :28:26. | :28:29. | |
recognise the importance of science and innovation. In my consthtuency, | :28:30. | :28:34. | |
we are a microcosm in the ftture of Britain, and I hope that it will | :28:35. | :28:37. | |
feature strongly in his str`tegy. It certainly will. The strength of | :28:38. | :28:44. | |
science, not least in Oxfordshire, is one of our national strengths. It | :28:45. | :28:48. | |
will absolutely be in the hdart of our strategy. Secretary of State, | :28:49. | :28:56. | |
how will he ensure that futtre industrial strategy is mindful of | :28:57. | :29:00. | |
Northern Ireland's particul`r reliance on EU support and `ccess to | :29:01. | :29:06. | |
the common market? As I said earlier, we will make sure that we | :29:07. | :29:10. | |
work with our colleagues across the United Kingdom. I had a productive | :29:11. | :29:13. | |
meeting with Simon Hamilton during the summer to make sure that we | :29:14. | :29:18. | |
coordinate our efforts with those of policymakers in Northern Irdland. It | :29:19. | :29:22. | |
needs to be joined up, it whll be, and will make sure that our | :29:23. | :29:25. | |
negotiating mandate reflects contributions from across the UK. Mr | :29:26. | :29:31. | |
Speaker, I join others in wdlcoming the front bench. The countrx is very | :29:32. | :29:37. | |
badly on balance at the momdnt, and we will support any realisthc | :29:38. | :29:42. | |
thoroughgoing industrial strategy that is developed. We now h`ve a | :29:43. | :29:46. | |
strategy's gone over the sulmer BHS has gone bust, 11,000 jobs gone | :29:47. | :29:51. | |
Sports Direct playing less than minimum wage. -- paying less than. | :29:52. | :30:02. | |
Meanwhile, the companies ard being called fat and lazy. There hs still | :30:03. | :30:07. | |
no clear and unambiguous progress on the steel industry. It has been over | :30:08. | :30:13. | |
two years since the consult`tion ended. When will he make cldar that | :30:14. | :30:18. | |
the pensions of tens of thotsands of loyal, hard-working steelworkers | :30:19. | :30:22. | |
will be properly protected? When it comes to the steel industry, it is | :30:23. | :30:29. | |
very important industry in our country. I grew up in Teesshde, | :30:30. | :30:35. | |
where it was particularly prominent. I've had some very productive | :30:36. | :30:38. | |
discussions during the summdr, including visiting South Wales, to | :30:39. | :30:41. | |
make sure that the government can give the right support to a | :30:42. | :30:47. | |
sustainable future for the steel industry. They have been very | :30:48. | :30:50. | |
constructive discussions and I'm very happy to make sure that he is | :30:51. | :30:55. | |
aware of them. Number five, Mr Speaker. Thank you, Mr Speaker. | :30:56. | :31:09. | |
Solar deployment has been a real UK success story, with almost 01 | :31:10. | :31:13. | |
gigawatts of capacity now installed. Of course, it is appropriatd to | :31:14. | :31:17. | |
allow now for a period of stability following the changes made to | :31:18. | :31:21. | |
protect consumer bills. The Secretary of State continues to keep | :31:22. | :31:23. | |
the performance of the schele under review. The PricewaterhouseCoopers | :31:24. | :31:32. | |
report in July showed almost 60 of companies are looking to diversify | :31:33. | :31:36. | |
away from solar, and nearly four in ten considering leaving the solar | :31:37. | :31:40. | |
market entirely as a result of your policy changes. What steps will the | :31:41. | :31:45. | |
Minister take to avoid business confidence in this important sector | :31:46. | :31:50. | |
dropping further? There is remarkably little sign that | :31:51. | :31:53. | |
confidence is dropping in the sector. There is recognition that | :31:54. | :31:56. | |
those changes had to be madd, and the sector has responded relarkably | :31:57. | :32:00. | |
resilient knee to the changds made. Let us not forget that they have | :32:01. | :32:05. | |
also been spreading expertise in solar internationally. Dodgd | :32:06. | :32:10. | |
resiliently. This is a long,term success story. I welcome thd team to | :32:11. | :32:18. | |
their new roles. A signific`nt employer in my constituency have | :32:19. | :32:21. | |
contacted me regarding concdrns about the re-evaluations of business | :32:22. | :32:27. | |
rates, rooftop solar. The rdsult is a six to eight fold increasd in | :32:28. | :32:32. | |
rates. Would my friend agredd to meet with representatives from the | :32:33. | :32:35. | |
company to see how these effects can be mitigated? I'm grateful for the | :32:36. | :32:41. | |
question. I know the companx well, it has substantial operation in | :32:42. | :32:47. | |
Herefordshire. Of course, it is right to acknowledge that v`luations | :32:48. | :32:51. | |
in this area are made by thd independent evaluation office. The | :32:52. | :32:54. | |
department liaising with thd industry and the office on this | :32:55. | :32:59. | |
issue, but I certainly would be delighted to meet with the company | :33:00. | :33:04. | |
and him to discuss it. Has the Minister done any analysis of the | :33:05. | :33:09. | |
relationship of payback perhods for commercial and rooftop solar, | :33:10. | :33:15. | |
particularly school solar, hn relation to that proposed hhke in | :33:16. | :33:20. | |
business rates quiz back -- business rates? Does he intend to ch`nge | :33:21. | :33:26. | |
tariffs if the valuation coles into place? I simply repeat that the | :33:27. | :33:30. | |
matter is under review. We haven't seen what the agency proposds, and | :33:31. | :33:33. | |
we will look at it closely when we see what they have done. Thd | :33:34. | :33:39. | |
Minister talks about stabilhty, by which he is referring to a 83% drop | :33:40. | :33:45. | |
in solar installations this year. After a 64% cut in subsidy to solar, | :33:46. | :33:51. | |
and eight fold hike in the proposed business rates, it would appear that | :33:52. | :33:55. | |
the next attack on solar renewables is already being planned. C`n the | :33:56. | :34:00. | |
Minister confirmed whether ht is by incompetence or by calculathon that | :34:01. | :34:05. | |
changes to charges put forw`rd by the regulator to end the unfair | :34:06. | :34:09. | |
advantage to highly polluting diesel generators, will in fact negatively | :34:10. | :34:13. | |
impact on small-scale renew`bles like solar? I think it is whdely | :34:14. | :34:20. | |
understood, Mr Speaker, that the sector needed some changes to the | :34:21. | :34:23. | |
feed in tariffs, because thd effect of them was to hit consumers very | :34:24. | :34:31. | |
hard in the pocket. These charges are paid by consumers. Let's not | :34:32. | :34:36. | |
forget that 99% of all solar panels installed have been installdd over | :34:37. | :34:40. | |
the last six years. Number six, Mr Speaker. With permission, Mr | :34:41. | :34:49. | |
Speaker, I will answer six with seven. This government supports | :34:50. | :34:54. | |
innovation, soon to be part of UK research and innovation. It has | :34:55. | :34:59. | |
invested over ?1.8 billion hn innovation since 2007. Innovators | :35:00. | :35:02. | |
connecting businesses to local growth through its regional | :35:03. | :35:08. | |
managers. There is also support through ?200 million of loc`l growth | :35:09. | :35:14. | |
funding. As Channel and -- `s chairman, the space industrx has | :35:15. | :35:19. | |
outgrown the economy by 10% or through the austerity years. The | :35:20. | :35:25. | |
space industry is worried about the issues caused by Brexiteer dven | :35:26. | :35:28. | |
though it is outside the European Union. Which he give us your | :35:29. | :35:33. | |
reassurance that the industry will not be an overlooked? We recognise | :35:34. | :35:40. | |
the value of space to our economy and are working closely with | :35:41. | :35:43. | |
industry to understand their concerns. Also working closdly | :35:44. | :35:47. | |
across government to understand the impact of the referendum and all the | :35:48. | :35:50. | |
opportunities associated with it, and will continue to do this as we | :35:51. | :35:54. | |
shape our future relationshhp with European Union. Thank you, Speaker. | :35:55. | :35:59. | |
The success of our agriculttral industry is dependent on thd latest | :36:00. | :36:02. | |
innovations in agricultural science and technology driven forward by | :36:03. | :36:06. | |
world leading research centres like one on the outskirts of York. What | :36:07. | :36:11. | |
assurances can the Minister give that agri- food research will | :36:12. | :36:14. | |
continue to play an important role in the government's overall strategy | :36:15. | :36:19. | |
so for supporting innovation and ultimately delivering food security? | :36:20. | :36:24. | |
This government is investing ?1 0 million in agri- tech, incltding | :36:25. | :36:27. | |
incentives for agricultural innovation to ensure that otr world | :36:28. | :36:30. | |
leading science is improving productivity and farms. In `ddition, | :36:31. | :36:41. | |
a week UK wide food innovathon network which is to be launched very | :36:42. | :36:43. | |
shortly, will give businessds greater access to technologx and | :36:44. | :36:45. | |
science. Will be Minister ensure that the devolved legislatures right | :36:46. | :36:48. | |
across the United Kingdom, the relevant ministers there, are | :36:49. | :36:52. | |
brought together to ensure the best practice in innovation right across | :36:53. | :36:56. | |
the United Kingdom is not jtst replicated but brought forw`rd in | :36:57. | :36:59. | |
each of the relevant sections across the UK? Mr Speaker, we are working | :37:00. | :37:07. | |
closely with the devolved administrations as we put through | :37:08. | :37:11. | |
the creation of UK research and innovation. Excellent science and | :37:12. | :37:14. | |
innovation will be supported through this new body, and we look forward | :37:15. | :37:19. | |
to continuing to fund excellence in science and innovation wherdver it | :37:20. | :37:24. | |
is found in the United Kingdom. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Innovation is | :37:25. | :37:29. | |
key to our regional economids, helping to create high skilled, | :37:30. | :37:34. | |
well-paid jobs. Innovation needs investment and research and | :37:35. | :37:36. | |
development, and small businesses to make a success of new ideas. | :37:37. | :37:43. | |
European funding has helped grow our regional innovation infrastructure, | :37:44. | :37:48. | |
the Northeast alone receives ?1 0 million in research funding from now | :37:49. | :37:55. | |
until 2020. While 72% of EU funding to UK businesses goes to sm`ll and | :37:56. | :37:59. | |
medium-sized businesses. Will the minister commit to matching the | :38:00. | :38:03. | |
funding for innovation which currently comes from the European | :38:04. | :38:10. | |
Union? Mr Speaker, we have been monitoring the impact, or any | :38:11. | :38:14. | |
impact, on our research institutions and businesses since the referendum. | :38:15. | :38:20. | |
The announcement on August the 3th by HM Treasury that it will | :38:21. | :38:23. | |
underwrite the rifle of the project or competitively bid for EU research | :38:24. | :38:27. | |
funding that is applied for performed a partner -- underwrite | :38:28. | :38:36. | |
for the life of the project funding that is applied for before | :38:37. | :38:48. | |
departure. Consumer product safety is a government priority. Wd have an | :38:49. | :38:53. | |
effective system of product brief call and have established a steering | :38:54. | :38:59. | |
group to consider recommend`tions in the 2016 product recall revhew. We | :39:00. | :39:04. | |
will engage with the London Fire Brigade on their campaign as part of | :39:05. | :39:10. | |
our regular dialogue with them. You'll be aware of the fire in | :39:11. | :39:15. | |
Shepherd's Bush tower block last month caused by a defective towel | :39:16. | :39:23. | |
dry. The woman could do nothing to stop the fire destroying her home | :39:24. | :39:26. | |
and 25 others. Does the Minhster agree that such drivers can continue | :39:27. | :39:33. | |
to be used if not unattended is irresponsible and dangerous, and | :39:34. | :39:37. | |
will she get it changed -- such tumble dryers? I was shocked to hear | :39:38. | :39:42. | |
about the serious fire in the Honourable member's constittency and | :39:43. | :39:45. | |
understand his concerns abott the safety of tumble dryers. Thd advice | :39:46. | :39:49. | |
being provided by the company is based on a full risk assesslent of | :39:50. | :39:52. | |
the products that has been `greed with Peterborough City Council | :39:53. | :39:58. | |
trading standards, who are the lead enforcement of authority for | :39:59. | :40:01. | |
Whirpool. Trading standards will continue to monitor the sittation | :40:02. | :40:05. | |
and to have powers to order further action if they consider it | :40:06. | :40:10. | |
appropriate. Tumble dryer fhres each day in this country, almost 250 | :40:11. | :40:16. | |
since the start of 2012. Will the Minister ensure there are fhreproof | :40:17. | :40:20. | |
labels on all tumble dryers with make, model, serial number, so that | :40:21. | :40:24. | |
when fires do occur they can be traced to the manufacturer? I thank | :40:25. | :40:32. | |
my honourable friend for his question. Although there have been | :40:33. | :40:36. | |
the serious fires, they do `ctually represents less than 0.2% of the | :40:37. | :40:41. | |
total numbers of tumble drydrs sold. So we have to keep these thhngs in | :40:42. | :40:52. | |
perspective. The review that provides an overview of the current | :40:53. | :40:56. | |
consumer product recall system. And the independent recall revidw group, | :40:57. | :41:02. | |
comprised of industry safetx experts and the chief fire officers | :41:03. | :41:05. | |
Association, will complete the work on these recommendations. Ntmber | :41:06. | :41:13. | |
nine, please. Is a department, where absolutely committed to enstring | :41:14. | :41:17. | |
only safe products are placdd on the market, including laser pens. Given | :41:18. | :41:22. | |
the risks associated with mhsuse of these pens, we are reviewing what | :41:23. | :41:26. | |
more we can do to protect consumers and aircraft. Thank you for that | :41:27. | :41:33. | |
answer. Last year, there was over 1300 incidents where certain laser | :41:34. | :41:40. | |
pens were used to target aircraft and infrastructure. Will he support | :41:41. | :41:45. | |
the bill to regulate the sale of these pence, supported by the | :41:46. | :41:49. | |
British airline pilots Association? Can congratulate my friend for his | :41:50. | :41:52. | |
persistence and passion in pursuing this very important issue, because | :41:53. | :41:57. | |
there are significant risks attached to misuse. I sure that the | :41:58. | :42:00. | |
government is taking very sdriously and there is a cross Whiteh`ll group | :42:01. | :42:05. | |
looking urgently now at our options, including the case for further | :42:06. | :42:08. | |
legislation. By mixing me h`ppy in that context to meet him. Would the | :42:09. | :42:15. | |
Minister help the leading manufacturer of laser pens hn my | :42:16. | :42:19. | |
constituency, was a great stpporter of the northern Powerhouse, and will | :42:20. | :42:23. | |
be attending Thursday's big conference in Yorkshire. On | :42:24. | :42:28. | |
innovation and creativity in Yorkshire. What he wants to know is | :42:29. | :42:33. | |
why Lord O'Neill was suddenly pulled as a speaker, no substitute offered, | :42:34. | :42:37. | |
and we hear that the governlent will not have anything to do with elected | :42:38. | :42:41. | |
mayors all northern powerhotse. What is the situation now? Can wd talk | :42:42. | :42:53. | |
about laser pens, rather th`n the engagements of Lord O'Neill. Let me | :42:54. | :42:59. | |
take this opportunity to refute absolutely any suggestion that the | :43:00. | :43:02. | |
government has lost any comlitment to the northern powerhouse hn terms | :43:03. | :43:08. | |
of engagements. If you'd like to speak to me, I will try and throw | :43:09. | :43:09. | |
some light. The member is a exponent of this | :43:10. | :43:21. | |
shoehorning technique. He could broadly write a book on the subject. | :43:22. | :43:31. | |
I welcome the question from a colleague I have enjoyed watching at | :43:32. | :43:37. | |
work, his incisive questionhng of a fellow minister. He is now directing | :43:38. | :43:41. | |
that Quinn eschewing to me, unfortunately. -- questioning to me. | :43:42. | :43:49. | |
The department has received a copy of the PwC reports, this has been a | :43:50. | :43:55. | |
great success story over thd past year is. The goal now is to try and | :43:56. | :44:03. | |
move the industry towards the capacity to deliver without subsidy. | :44:04. | :44:09. | |
I thank the Minister for his generous comments, and also for | :44:10. | :44:12. | |
chairing might Select Committee I wish them well in the new role. PwC | :44:13. | :44:18. | |
suggests a bird of solar jobs have been lost and the last year, and | :44:19. | :44:22. | |
many more copies expect to lose staff in the next 12 months. It has | :44:23. | :44:27. | |
been suggested that rate ch`nges will affect the industry more. What | :44:28. | :44:33. | |
the Government taken in to `ccount these gimlet Messers and do | :44:34. | :44:35. | |
something positive for the hndustry? I share the concerns about job | :44:36. | :44:41. | |
losses as a result of changds in the industry. I made some points about | :44:42. | :44:47. | |
the way the industry has ch`nged, and your report picked out the | :44:48. | :44:51. | |
resilience of the industry `nd its capacity to respond to change, | :44:52. | :44:58. | |
including, potentially, to Brexit. It's noticeable that of manx schemes | :44:59. | :45:01. | |
are already quite close to being a viable without subsidy in cdrtain | :45:02. | :45:07. | |
circumstances. The key now hs to move further towards that. We will | :45:08. | :45:12. | |
look very closely towards the issues highlighted today. | :45:13. | :45:20. | |
With your permission, I will answer this question together with question | :45:21. | :45:25. | |
15. The Government has made it clear where open for business and | :45:26. | :45:28. | |
determined to make a success of leaving EU, including seizing the | :45:29. | :45:32. | |
opportunity to negotiate our own trade agreements. | :45:33. | :45:38. | |
I believe leaving the EU offers great opportunity for British | :45:39. | :45:41. | |
business going forward. We lust be aware of certain threats. Mx | :45:42. | :45:48. | |
constituency has a business which works with an explosion protection. | :45:49. | :45:53. | |
It is very complex and has ` registration programme with the EU. | :45:54. | :45:57. | |
He is concerned his business will be hampered. Will my honourabld friend | :45:58. | :46:03. | |
the vigilant of issues like this, to make sure that we are able to | :46:04. | :46:08. | |
counter threats as well as take advantage of opportunities? | :46:09. | :46:12. | |
We want to make sure the new relationship with the EU works for | :46:13. | :46:16. | |
British businesses, and his constituents raises an important | :46:17. | :46:27. | |
issue. We need to have clarhty on certification and similar issues. | :46:28. | :46:33. | |
I'm sure we can arrange a mdeting to discuss it. | :46:34. | :46:39. | |
Does the Minister welcome the figures that predict our exports | :46:40. | :46:46. | |
will go up after the referendum results? And Willie confirm who he | :46:47. | :46:55. | |
has spoken to that are positive about our potential future? | :46:56. | :47:01. | |
I voted remain mark and belheve that we should talk up our prospdcts are | :47:02. | :47:09. | |
not up and down. The chairm`n iron spoken to have expressed sole | :47:10. | :47:16. | |
bizarre for more certainty but were fundamentally optimistic about our | :47:17. | :47:20. | |
prospects. There is a British jurisdiction that | :47:21. | :47:22. | |
is entirely accessed by road, air and by sea through another Duropean | :47:23. | :47:30. | |
Union member state, and that is the British Overseas Territory of | :47:31. | :47:34. | |
Gibraltar. They are absolutdly of the opinion they need to retain | :47:35. | :47:37. | |
access to the single Europe`n market. What discussions as a hat | :47:38. | :47:43. | |
with Gibraltarian counterparts to ensure that happens? -- discussions | :47:44. | :47:50. | |
has he had? We are engaged with a series of | :47:51. | :47:54. | |
discussions with stakeholders and Gibraltar will be part of that. | :47:55. | :47:59. | |
With the Minister or his te`m meet with the leader of the official | :48:00. | :48:03. | |
opposition in Northern Irel`nd, where we have an excellent document | :48:04. | :48:07. | |
on the vision of the future of Northern Ireland after Brexht? | :48:08. | :48:13. | |
The short answer is yes, we are very keen to harvest all opinions and | :48:14. | :48:18. | |
ideas on how we meet this fundamental and exciting ch`llenge | :48:19. | :48:24. | |
of how we transition to a post-Brexit world that works for | :48:25. | :48:27. | |
British business. Topical questions. | :48:28. | :48:35. | |
The Department of business dnergy and a doctoral strategy was formed | :48:36. | :48:41. | |
on the 14th of July, and it is my privilege to serve as the fhrst | :48:42. | :48:49. | |
Secretary of State. We are creating a new focus on industrial strategy. | :48:50. | :48:54. | |
This is a powerful departments, out of the task of promoting a | :48:55. | :48:58. | |
competitor, low carbon economy. And an economy that works for everyone. | :48:59. | :49:02. | |
As part of an excellent teal of ministers and officials, I will | :49:03. | :49:06. | |
continue to work both locally and globally on the challenges `head. | :49:07. | :49:14. | |
The Swansea Bay tidal ago, `long the Cardiff Bay, new port and Bridgwater | :49:15. | :49:18. | |
Bay has the potential to crdate huge energy. Second largest rise and fall | :49:19. | :49:26. | |
in the world's tides. When `re we going to get a result, we nded | :49:27. | :49:30. | |
long-term funding for a project which will reach 8% of our dnergy? | :49:31. | :49:37. | |
My understanding is that thd feasibility study is being | :49:38. | :49:42. | |
undertaken. I haven't received it final conclusions yet. At that | :49:43. | :49:46. | |
point, I will look with the same interest as my honourable friend. | :49:47. | :49:53. | |
The European Commission says that Apple should cough up ?30 mhllion in | :49:54. | :50:00. | |
taxes for revenues created `cross the EU, including the UK. Most | :50:01. | :50:06. | |
businesses pay their fair share of taxes and expects all other | :50:07. | :50:09. | |
businesses, large or small, to do the same. Can the Secretary of State | :50:10. | :50:14. | |
confirm he is doing everythhng he can to make sure the very bhggest | :50:15. | :50:18. | |
companies pay up, and also that we receive our share of the ?13 billion | :50:19. | :50:24. | |
Apple tax pie? It is a reasonable point. The | :50:25. | :50:29. | |
responsibilities that come with being in business in this country | :50:30. | :50:32. | |
and paying taxes that contrhbute to public services that we enjoy as | :50:33. | :50:36. | |
part of that. He does have my assurance that we | :50:37. | :50:42. | |
will make sure that we purste the correct tax by all companies that | :50:43. | :50:47. | |
locate here. On Thursday I'll be chairing a panel | :50:48. | :50:52. | |
at the enterprise innovation and Northern Powerhouse conference. In | :50:53. | :50:58. | |
developing an industrial strategy, does the Minister agree with me that | :50:59. | :51:03. | |
we need to do to win more hdarts and minds and then North. More dxamples | :51:04. | :51:09. | |
of regional procurement and more jobs in the North, particul`rly with | :51:10. | :51:16. | |
HS2 perhaps starting from the North? The passion with which my honourable | :51:17. | :51:20. | |
friend makes his point tests to the opportunities that are in otr | :51:21. | :51:25. | |
industrial strategy to make sure that growth is across the United | :51:26. | :51:28. | |
Kingdom, including Yorkshird. He will know I have taken great | :51:29. | :51:33. | |
interest in this and my previous roles, he can be assured th`t | :51:34. | :51:39. | |
interest will not be diminishing. The current review of network | :51:40. | :51:44. | |
charging for small embedded generators will mean huge increases | :51:45. | :51:49. | |
in the costs of these small generators. If the department just | :51:50. | :51:54. | |
determined to make energy gdneration the preserve of big businesses? | :51:55. | :52:00. | |
No, I categorically refute that What we have to do is strikd a | :52:01. | :52:06. | |
balance between looking to drive down the costs of all sourcds of | :52:07. | :52:09. | |
carbon generation, while delivering the best value for consumers and | :52:10. | :52:14. | |
taxpayers. That includes reviews of terrace. | :52:15. | :52:21. | |
Can the Minister ensure that breaks and financial services, and tourism | :52:22. | :52:30. | |
sectors, as we approach European negotiations? | :52:31. | :52:34. | |
I can assure the honourable member that we plan to put at the heart of | :52:35. | :52:42. | |
industrial strategy science and innovation, financial services as | :52:43. | :52:44. | |
part of the services sector will also play an important part of our | :52:45. | :52:50. | |
strategy. Last week, the Government committed | :52:51. | :52:53. | |
to ratifying the Paris clim`te agreement. Will commit to doing so | :52:54. | :53:00. | |
for the next conference of parties in Morocco is the Government can | :53:01. | :53:05. | |
play a full role in that sulmit We helped shape the Paris agreement, | :53:06. | :53:13. | |
we said we will ratify as soon as possible, that remains our position. | :53:14. | :53:20. | |
Britain is undoubtedly a world reader in scientific research. Will | :53:21. | :53:24. | |
my right honourable friend detail what role science will pay to the | :53:25. | :53:29. | |
macro play in the Government's strategy? | :53:30. | :53:33. | |
It will position the UK as ` leader for the 21st-century. The bho | :53:34. | :53:43. | |
economy is worth billions, 36%. . The potential is there to grow, and | :53:44. | :53:49. | |
will continue to invest strongly. The Secretary of State is a | :53:50. | :53:54. | |
thoughtful man who, I believe, is serious about regional growth. Will | :53:55. | :53:59. | |
he assured me I'm right in this understanding by cancelling his | :54:00. | :54:04. | |
predecessor's decision to cdntralise department functions in London. | :54:05. | :54:09. | |
Thereby maintaining and building upon its presence in Sheffidld? | :54:10. | :54:15. | |
I would say that I am certahnly very attached to the work done in | :54:16. | :54:18. | |
Sheffield, and the valued colleagues we have up there. The decishon has | :54:19. | :54:24. | |
made some time ago, and manx changes had been made. We sort out the | :54:25. | :54:29. | |
responsibilities of different parts of the departments, I'll look | :54:30. | :54:33. | |
carefully at what Sheffield can provide. | :54:34. | :54:42. | |
What can be done to make colmunity energy schemes are viable? | :54:43. | :54:49. | |
As explained previously, thd Government is very committed to the | :54:50. | :54:56. | |
deployment of renewable energy, and has had considerable success in that | :54:57. | :55:01. | |
field. The expansion of Heathrow would | :55:02. | :55:07. | |
create demand for 370,000 tonnes of steel, and secure 700 steel jobs. So | :55:08. | :55:12. | |
it is not only in the interdst of the UK economy generally th`t we | :55:13. | :55:16. | |
expand Heathrow, but specifhcally in the interest of the manufacturing | :55:17. | :55:21. | |
sector. So why don't we just get on with it, had the vote in thd | :55:22. | :55:24. | |
chamber, and get on with buhlding the third runway? | :55:25. | :55:28. | |
I would say that across manx different forms of infrastrtcture, | :55:29. | :55:33. | |
we do need an upgrade in thd infrastructure we have. That'll have | :55:34. | :55:38. | |
many important benefit to the steel industry, including in Sheffield. | :55:39. | :55:43. | |
It's hugely encouraging the Government is developing thhs | :55:44. | :55:46. | |
compounds of industrial str`tegy, which I believe for great boost and | :55:47. | :55:52. | |
confidence and our steel industry. Can the Minister update a House what | :55:53. | :55:56. | |
discussions he has had about the role he will play? | :55:57. | :56:02. | |
I have had extensive discussions with these steel industry. Ht is | :56:03. | :56:08. | |
important we should have a hs a stable future for what is an | :56:09. | :56:13. | |
important factor in our economy A shipping company has gone into | :56:14. | :56:17. | |
receivership, leaving billions of goods at sea. The inability to dock | :56:18. | :56:22. | |
has impacted on UK retail, critically juddering Christlas | :56:23. | :56:28. | |
trading... We have a lot to get through. | :56:29. | :56:36. | |
What action is seat taking to assist traders and our seafarers? | :56:37. | :56:45. | |
Will that away. In terms of immediate impact, the Local | :56:46. | :56:47. | |
Enterprise Partnership are dngaged with making sure the delays are | :56:48. | :56:54. | |
going to be overcome. Many will commence at the Mhnister | :56:55. | :57:00. | |
for putting science at the centre of a strategy, but I wonder of as he | :57:01. | :57:07. | |
plans for the future of the life sciences industry if he will work | :57:08. | :57:12. | |
with the Minister of health, because the health service will be critical | :57:13. | :57:17. | |
to the growth of that industry? I was interested to read my | :57:18. | :57:23. | |
honourable friend's article earlier this week making this point. In some | :57:24. | :57:28. | |
point in the Government takds a collective approach on this, I've | :57:29. | :57:32. | |
already had discussions with the Health Secretary and how we can make | :57:33. | :57:38. | |
the most of the NHS. What the Government look ag`in at | :57:39. | :57:42. | |
the unjust 50% Government claw back from the mine workerss' pension | :57:43. | :57:49. | |
service? I will certainly take that `way and | :57:50. | :57:53. | |
I'm happy to meet with the honourable leader issued like to | :57:54. | :57:55. | |
inform you more about this outside the chamber. | :57:56. | :58:03. | |
Does the Department intent to develop a single industrial strategy | :58:04. | :58:09. | |
for the whole country, or h`ve different strategies differdnt parts | :58:10. | :58:12. | |
of the country? My honourable friend makes a good point. It seems to me | :58:13. | :58:15. | |
essential that of course we should have a strategy for the whole | :58:16. | :58:19. | |
country, but place is incredibly important. The challenges of the | :58:20. | :58:24. | |
places like greater Manchester are different from those of Cornwall. We | :58:25. | :58:28. | |
should reflect the different strengths and opportunities more | :58:29. | :58:32. | |
clearly in how we do business as a government. Does the Ministdr accept | :58:33. | :58:39. | |
that changes to subsidy for the CHP biomass plants have been brought in | :58:40. | :58:43. | |
to quickly and longer grace period before an implementation should have | :58:44. | :58:49. | |
been granted? In my constittency, they are doing what the govdrnment | :58:50. | :58:53. | |
want by investing in renewable technology but stand to losd 3 | :58:54. | :58:57. | |
million in support. Will he meet with me to discuss these ch`nges? | :58:58. | :59:01. | |
All kindness and charity to the honourable gentleman that hd was at | :59:02. | :59:04. | |
his best at the end of the first sentence. A blue pencil shotld | :59:05. | :59:11. | |
therefore after have been applied. As a former treasurer of thd SNP, he | :59:12. | :59:17. | |
knows a bit about the challdnges as cost control. He knows in the | :59:18. | :59:23. | |
context of these changes, are overriding aim is to providd better | :59:24. | :59:28. | |
value for the tax payer. Thdy will apply to new participants whth they | :59:29. | :59:32. | |
fully qualify for the schemd. Those who fully qualified on or after the | :59:33. | :59:36. | |
1st of August will be subject to the change. If it is a specific issue | :59:37. | :59:40. | |
your wish is to raise with le I ll be happy to meet him. Brexit | :59:41. | :59:48. | |
provides the UK with an opportunity to be the global leader in dnergy | :59:49. | :59:55. | |
technology. Offshore wind, dnergy storage and carbon capture. Can the | :59:56. | :59:59. | |
Minister confirm that the government will reset energy policy so that the | :00:00. | :00:03. | |
country can take full advantage of this great opportunity? My | :00:04. | :00:07. | |
honourable friend is absolutely right. One of the historic strengths | :00:08. | :00:12. | |
of the United Kingdom is in areas such as marine engineering `nd power | :00:13. | :00:15. | |
engineering, which is at thd heart of the opportunities around the | :00:16. | :00:20. | |
world as many countries look to develop their capacity in rdnewable | :00:21. | :00:26. | |
energy. This is a big opportunity, especially for his constitudncy Can | :00:27. | :00:29. | |
the Secretary of State guar`ntee that all employment protecthon | :00:30. | :00:32. | |
currently enjoyed by British workers will be maintained post Brexit and | :00:33. | :00:36. | |
does he back my bill to do just that? We will certainly look | :00:37. | :00:45. | |
carefully at the Honourable Lady's bill. Employment protections are an | :00:46. | :00:48. | |
absolute priority for this government. The financial vhability | :00:49. | :00:59. | |
of many low-carbon on-site heat and power technologies is under threat | :01:00. | :01:04. | |
due to the reduction in the terror. Would his department considdr having | :01:05. | :01:09. | |
a separate tariff rate for the new technologies rather than behng | :01:10. | :01:12. | |
treated the same as other technologies? -- reduction hn the | :01:13. | :01:18. | |
tariff. The government is rdviewing how the renewable heat incentive | :01:19. | :01:24. | |
works and is being forced to make some changes to tariffs in order to | :01:25. | :01:29. | |
provide better value for thd tax payer. I'm more than happy to sit | :01:30. | :01:33. | |
down and talk with him about his suggestion. Welcome Secretary of | :01:34. | :01:38. | |
State to his place as I do ly colleague. A new report frol a | :01:39. | :01:43. | |
professor of Aberdeen University has found the re-engineering of the | :01:44. | :01:48. | |
fiscal regime may be necess`ry before we reach the North Sda's | :01:49. | :01:52. | |
potential. What further support will the government bring forward for the | :01:53. | :01:55. | |
oil and gas sector in the Attumn Statement? Very productive set of | :01:56. | :02:00. | |
discussions in Aberdeen durhng the summer with representatives of the | :02:01. | :02:05. | |
oil and gas sector. The indtstry centred in Aberdeen but involving | :02:06. | :02:08. | |
other places in the country is very important. We have made big changes | :02:09. | :02:15. | |
for the fiscal regime but wd'll continue to have those disctssions. | :02:16. | :02:22. | |
He earlier described his self as being on a historic task in writing | :02:23. | :02:28. | |
industrial strategy. If he studies strategy, it is written prilarily by | :02:29. | :02:31. | |
civil servants and ministers tend to fail. What steps will he take to | :02:32. | :02:35. | |
engage businesses in Lancashire to make sure we have a successful | :02:36. | :02:38. | |
strategy? I'm grateful for ly honourable friend's point. Ht is the | :02:39. | :02:43. | |
case that an industrial str`tegy for the country should not be | :02:44. | :02:47. | |
instructions from ministers or civil servants to businesses and the rest | :02:48. | :02:52. | |
of the country. We are engaging with businesses all across the country | :02:53. | :02:56. | |
and in every different sector to make sure they have the support they | :02:57. | :03:00. | |
need. Does the Secretary of State believe it is conceivable this | :03:01. | :03:02. | |
country can negotiate for mdmbership of the single market without | :03:03. | :03:08. | |
accepting free movement? Mr Speaker, the Honourable gentleman entices me | :03:09. | :03:15. | |
into making early decisions on what our negotiating mandate shotld be. I | :03:16. | :03:21. | |
think it is the sensible stdp to be careful and to put together our | :03:22. | :03:26. | |
negotiating brief and to do that in consultation with businesses and | :03:27. | :03:30. | |
every part of the country. Speaker, I welcome the government's `nd | :03:31. | :03:35. | |
genuine commitment to the Northern Powerhouse. Will the secret`ry of | :03:36. | :03:40. | |
state meet with me and other leaders to maximise benefit? I'm always keen | :03:41. | :03:48. | |
to meet the Honourable gentleman, despite the fact that I've loved | :03:49. | :03:51. | |
from one department to another. I hope the invitation to fish and | :03:52. | :04:00. | |
chips still stands! Is a joxous state has met with many bushnesses. | :04:01. | :04:04. | |
Can he list which of those businesses support leaving the | :04:05. | :04:09. | |
single market -- the Secret`ry of State has met. What I can s`y is | :04:10. | :04:13. | |
that we are putting together the priorities we have for our | :04:14. | :04:16. | |
negotiating in consultation with businesses in all parts of the | :04:17. | :04:21. | |
country. She will have the chance through her party to contribute to | :04:22. | :04:25. | |
the Scottish Government to contribute to that, and we'll | :04:26. | :04:31. | |
publish that when we have fhnished. There are 50 air B in Newark and | :04:32. | :04:36. | |
Cuba have cut the cost of a night out in Nottingham by almost 50% | :04:37. | :04:42. | |
Will he support innovative disruptive technologies are not | :04:43. | :04:45. | |
buried our heads in the sand. - and Uber have cut the cost. He | :04:46. | :04:52. | |
highlights the importance of innovation in driving industrial | :04:53. | :04:55. | |
growth and little undoubtably be in the centre of the industrial | :04:56. | :04:59. | |
strategy as it is rolled out. Following the recommendation of the | :05:00. | :05:03. | |
select committee to remove Paul Newby as adjudicator, new evidence | :05:04. | :05:06. | |
has emerged that shows that he failed to properly declare his | :05:07. | :05:12. | |
interests and also middle at the -- misled the select committee. Will he | :05:13. | :05:16. | |
restore confidence in this post by now sacking him? My underst`nding is | :05:17. | :05:21. | |
that the appointment followdd a proper process. That is what I | :05:22. | :05:25. | |
understand to have taken pl`ce, but I will look at the suggestion is | :05:26. | :05:29. | |
that the Honourable gentlem`n has just raised. And generally sorry to | :05:30. | :05:37. | |
disappoint remaining colleagues I have extended the envelope rather | :05:38. | :05:40. | |
substantially, but we must now move on. Point of Gardner -- point of | :05:41. | :05:49. | |
honour. I haven't contacted by leading businessmen up and down the | :05:50. | :05:52. | |
country regarding the effichency and effectiveness of members of this | :05:53. | :05:59. | |
house. They have asked me if they could not be informal ratings of how | :06:00. | :06:05. | |
hard members work. I wonderdd if you could investigate whether wd could | :06:06. | :06:11. | |
look at which members here `re fat or lazy, which ones are hard-working | :06:12. | :06:17. | |
and innovative. Isn't it about time we looked at members, some of them | :06:18. | :06:20. | |
in the leafy suburbs and le`fy parts of Britain who don't have mtch work, | :06:21. | :06:24. | |
they don't do very much. We know that those in the towns and cities | :06:25. | :06:28. | |
work much harder. Could we have an evaluation, who works hard hn this | :06:29. | :06:34. | |
house's then we can show th`t our constituents? I thank him for his | :06:35. | :06:41. | |
suggestion. Through the devhce of a point of order. I ought to say that | :06:42. | :06:44. | |
there is nothing wrong with being fat. At any rate, it is certainly | :06:45. | :06:49. | |
not for the Chair to pass jtdgment on these matters, and I would get | :06:50. | :06:52. | |
into hot water and very properly so if I were to start casting | :06:53. | :06:58. | |
aspersions on body shape. Btt I will simply say, that I'm sure that the | :06:59. | :07:03. | |
Honourable gentleman was in seeking my approbation as he has no need of | :07:04. | :07:11. | |
it. That he himself is slim. If said US. -- deciduous and contintously | :07:12. | :07:27. | |
energetic. The people of Huddersfield of the last 32nd he -- | :07:28. | :07:35. | |
37 years testify. He seems to enjoy their enthusiastic approval. We will | :07:36. | :07:40. | |
leave it there for now. If there are no further points of order... We | :07:41. | :07:46. | |
come now to the presentation of Bill. | :07:47. | :07:54. | |
Laser pens regulation of sale, regulation and usage bill. The nd | :07:55. | :08:08. | |
of December 20 16. We cannot have a ten minute motion. -- we cole now to | :08:09. | :08:20. | |
the. The information Commissioner's office to take action against those | :08:21. | :08:28. | |
who breach regulations relating to unsolicited marketing communications | :08:29. | :08:32. | |
made by a company and for connected purposes. Since I was electdd last | :08:33. | :08:36. | |
year, I have been campaigning to tackle the scourge of nuisance | :08:37. | :08:40. | |
calls, which blight the livds of far too many of our constituents across | :08:41. | :08:45. | |
the United Kingdom. I can vouch for the fact that this is a hugd problem | :08:46. | :08:49. | |
faced by far too many of my constituents. And I know thdre's a | :08:50. | :08:54. | |
similar picture across Scotland and the United Kingdom. It is thme that | :08:55. | :08:59. | |
named company directors of those companies, who are responsible for | :09:00. | :09:03. | |
nuisance calls, are held to account. Instead of fines for breachds in the | :09:04. | :09:07. | |
law being imposed on companhes which then close down and are simply | :09:08. | :09:11. | |
reopened under a different name thus allowing fines for bre`ches in | :09:12. | :09:17. | |
the law to go unpaid. Being bombarded with nuisance calls and | :09:18. | :09:21. | |
texts is not only an annoying interruption to people's lives, it | :09:22. | :09:24. | |
can be deeply distressing to the hundreds of thousands who enjoy them | :09:25. | :09:29. | |
on a daily basis. They are ` blight on the lives of too many melbers of | :09:30. | :09:32. | |
our communities, and are particularly upsetting for those who | :09:33. | :09:38. | |
are vulnerable. Research from Pelle which last year found that three | :09:39. | :09:44. | |
quarters of people with a l`ndline and 58%, six out of ten people in | :09:45. | :09:49. | |
the mobile phone. -- research from Which. Six out of ten peopld have | :09:50. | :09:57. | |
indicated that cold calls h`ve actively discourage them from | :09:58. | :09:59. | |
picking up their landline when it rings. 80% said they find cold calls | :10:00. | :10:05. | |
annoying. One third of people receiving such calls admit to | :10:06. | :10:09. | |
feeling intimidated by them. And around one third of people screen of | :10:10. | :10:14. | |
their calls to minimise unsolicited calls on their landlines. Bdyond | :10:15. | :10:18. | |
this, other things are worth remembering. 42% of people who | :10:19. | :10:22. | |
receive a nuisance call recdived more than ten calls over fotr weeks, | :10:23. | :10:27. | |
and 12% of people received lore than 20 calls over four weeks. 34% of | :10:28. | :10:34. | |
these calls are marketing c`lls All of us are forced to simply tolerated | :10:35. | :10:39. | |
the appalling nuisance of aggressive and persistent marketing calls. | :10:40. | :10:45. | |
Ofcom has found disturbinglx that people aged over 55 and those who | :10:46. | :10:49. | |
are unemployed tend to recehve a higher number than any other group | :10:50. | :10:53. | |
of people. There has been a clear trend showing a marked incrdase in | :10:54. | :10:58. | |
the number of calls received by the over 55s. Many of us can choose to | :10:59. | :11:02. | |
simply ignore calls if we stspect a nuisance call has been made to us. | :11:03. | :11:08. | |
But consider, if you are elderly, frail and dependent on your | :11:09. | :11:13. | |
landline, you either answer your phone when it rings so as not to | :11:14. | :11:21. | |
miss a call from relatives calling to check that all is well. Or you | :11:22. | :11:24. | |
may ignore your phone when ht rings, to avoid nuisance calls. If you | :11:25. | :11:26. | |
don't answer your phone, imlediately your relatives may think th`t | :11:27. | :11:28. | |
something has happened to you. Perhaps that you have had a fall. So | :11:29. | :11:33. | |
you need to answer your phone. The cost of doing so is having to | :11:34. | :11:37. | |
tolerate numerous nuisance calls each day. People are being harassed | :11:38. | :11:44. | |
and subject to real annoyance which causes anxiety and distress several | :11:45. | :11:48. | |
times a day, every day. It hs simply not good enough. There are those who | :11:49. | :11:53. | |
advise that if you're plagudd by nuisance calls to install a call | :11:54. | :11:57. | |
blocker. These don't come as standard. On old phones. And in any | :11:58. | :12:02. | |
case. If you have two by a call blocker, you have to go to the | :12:03. | :12:07. | |
expense. The cheapest is ?40. Why should consumers be driven to this | :12:08. | :12:11. | |
expense? Why is the owners `nd responsibility on the consuler and | :12:12. | :12:13. | |
not accompany causing distrdss? I'm aware that the UK Government has | :12:14. | :12:28. | |
taken measures to tackle thhs scourge by insisting on caller ID. | :12:29. | :12:31. | |
This is a step forward, but it deals with the symptoms and not the root | :12:32. | :12:34. | |
cause. I also understand th`t in April last year, the inform`tion | :12:35. | :12:36. | |
Commissioner was given the power, the need for information to prove | :12:37. | :12:41. | |
the company making unsolicited calls had caused distress. Again, this is | :12:42. | :12:46. | |
a step forward. But more nedds to be done. I understand that the | :12:47. | :12:52. | |
Department of culture, medi` and sport has made supportive noises | :12:53. | :12:55. | |
around the change in the law, that I'm proposing. I hope that those | :12:56. | :12:58. | |
positive noises prove true. The Scottish Government is tsing the | :12:59. | :13:09. | |
powers it has under consumer protection, but there is more to do. | :13:10. | :13:13. | |
Companies making unsolicited calls can be fined. If it is found they | :13:14. | :13:20. | |
had not complied with the use of consumers' personal data. However | :13:21. | :13:27. | |
action is taken against companies, rather than named directors. This | :13:28. | :13:31. | |
means too many companies do not comply with the law as a bo`rd-level | :13:32. | :13:37. | |
issue. Too many rogue directors avoid paying fines by closing one | :13:38. | :13:40. | |
company and starting another with a new name, known as Phoenixing, and | :13:41. | :13:51. | |
continuing their activity. The altogether too few fines have been | :13:52. | :14:00. | |
paid in full, according to Which. Director should be held to `ccount | :14:01. | :14:05. | |
where the company does not pay the fine, even if the company goes | :14:06. | :14:11. | |
through the Phoenix process. The information Commissioner can only | :14:12. | :14:16. | |
take action against a company rather than a named individual,. If we hold | :14:17. | :14:26. | |
culpable senior executives `t board level, accountable for the company's | :14:27. | :14:32. | |
practices, those individuals would need to ensure the company's | :14:33. | :14:35. | |
practices were in line with the law or face personal action, whhch could | :14:36. | :14:40. | |
lead to disqualification as a company director in some cases. The | :14:41. | :14:47. | |
enforcement of regime under current regulation is the extension of the | :14:48. | :14:50. | |
enforcement regime of the D`ta Protection Act. That acts already | :14:51. | :14:57. | |
includes a role which allows for individual company officers to be | :14:58. | :15:00. | |
held accountable for breachds, however this rule does not dxtend to | :15:01. | :15:06. | |
breaches of the privacy and electronic unification is | :15:07. | :15:15. | |
regulations. This amendment would allow the Government to takd action | :15:16. | :15:19. | |
against named directors for such breaches. This means the information | :15:20. | :15:25. | |
Commissioners office could take action directly against dirdctors, | :15:26. | :15:29. | |
where they allow the companx to commit breaches or failed to play | :15:30. | :15:35. | |
fines. And where the director is convicted of a criminal offdnce | :15:36. | :15:38. | |
they could be subjected qualification. That's subject to | :15:39. | :15:46. | |
disqualification. This would help us to tackle the blight and a citizen's | :15:47. | :15:52. | |
lies in their own homes. Colpanies making nuisance calls can churn out | :15:53. | :15:58. | |
automated calls at the rate of thousands per day. This Bill would | :15:59. | :16:07. | |
improve lives. Rogue businesses undermine the entire relationship | :16:08. | :16:09. | |
between legitimate business and consumers. There is a huge `mount of | :16:10. | :16:13. | |
support for the alterations to the law this Bill would make. 78% of | :16:14. | :16:20. | |
those surveys agreed that dhrectors of companies should be held | :16:21. | :16:23. | |
personally accountable if the company makes these calls whthout | :16:24. | :16:28. | |
necessary permission. This Bill would not incur any additional cost | :16:29. | :16:33. | |
for the taxpayer, as no addhtional Government funding temperamdnt or | :16:34. | :16:37. | |
enforce it would be needed. Given the scale of nuisance calls, and | :16:38. | :16:42. | |
this Government's failure to attack surly macro tackle the issud at | :16:43. | :16:47. | |
source, I commend this Bill to the House. | :16:48. | :16:50. | |
As many as are of the opinion, say "aye". To the contrary, "no". The | :16:51. | :16:57. | |
ayes have it. He will prepare and bring in the build? | :16:58. | :17:04. | |
Kirsten Oswalt, Lisa Cameron, Roger Mullen, John Mickelson, Joanna | :17:05. | :17:10. | |
Cherry, Alan Browne, Jonath`n Edwards, Liz Southall Roberts, and | :17:11. | :17:15. | |
myself, sir. Unsolicited marketing | :17:16. | :17:53. | |
communications. Second reading, what day? | :17:54. | :17:58. | |
18th of November. Thank you. Order. The clerk will now | :17:59. | :18:04. | |
proceed to read the orders of the day. | :18:05. | :18:07. | |
Digital Economy Bill, Second Reading. | :18:08. | :18:15. | |
The amendment has not been selected. To move their second reading of the | :18:16. | :18:21. | |
Bill, I called the secretarx of state for media, culture and sport. | :18:22. | :18:28. | |
Thank you, Mr Speaker. I beg to move that the Bill now be read a second | :18:29. | :18:37. | |
time. We live in a digital dconomy. Almost 600 billion pounds of online | :18:38. | :18:43. | |
sales were made in the UK in 20 4. That is the largest per caphta sales | :18:44. | :18:49. | |
in the world of all major economies, at just over ?1500 per head. To put | :18:50. | :18:55. | |
that in context, that is more than 50% higher than those in thd United | :18:56. | :18:58. | |
States, the next highest-valued market. The rate of jobs crdated in | :18:59. | :19:04. | |
digital industries is more than three times as fast as the rest of | :19:05. | :19:09. | |
the economy, 1.5 6,000,020 04 and growing. Supporting the dightal | :19:10. | :19:18. | |
economy was caught our manifesto. This is a central plaque of the | :19:19. | :19:21. | |
Government's lettuces soaked programme in this session. ,- letter | :19:22. | :19:34. | |
to serve programme. Is the purpose of a part five to | :19:35. | :19:39. | |
claim rights of ownership on all data? Because the definition of | :19:40. | :19:45. | |
benefit in clause 26 is so broad that I can't think of a piece of | :19:46. | :19:51. | |
information that would allude its definition. Can the secretary of | :19:52. | :19:58. | |
state name a piece of inforlation that calls without that close? | :19:59. | :20:02. | |
I think my right honourable friend has been making Arab aid to be on | :20:03. | :20:07. | |
the Bill committee there. -, making a bid. Taking a great interdst in | :20:08. | :20:14. | |
the Bill. Though as a former wet, one may wonder if that much interest | :20:15. | :20:19. | |
qualifies anyone to be near a building committee. -- formdr wet. I | :20:20. | :20:25. | |
assure him that is not the function of attention. In committee, when we | :20:26. | :20:32. | |
do line by line scrutiny, mx honourable friend will be able to | :20:33. | :20:37. | |
explore that further. Back to digital, are ?1.7 billion roll-out | :20:38. | :20:43. | |
plan, means 95% of all homes and businesses will have access to | :20:44. | :20:47. | |
superfast speeds by 2017. Wd have one of the fastest 4G roll-outs in | :20:48. | :20:55. | |
Europe. 97% premises will h`ve G coverage by the end of 2017. | :20:56. | :21:03. | |
I thank my right honourable friend forgiving way. This roll-out of | :21:04. | :21:13. | |
superfast broadband is imprdssive. Dishes share my concern that too | :21:14. | :21:15. | |
many new homes are being buhlt without this as standards, `nd will | :21:16. | :21:19. | |
to work with colleagues across Government to make sure that | :21:20. | :21:22. | |
situation changes? I thank my right honourable friend | :21:23. | :21:28. | |
for the intervention. As secretary of state, she was involved hn much | :21:29. | :21:31. | |
of the work that put us in the situation we're in today. An | :21:32. | :21:35. | |
extremely good position, but there is more to do. She makes an | :21:36. | :21:42. | |
important point about new btilds, and one I assure her I am dhscussing | :21:43. | :21:46. | |
with my friends and colleagtes in Cabinet. I give way. | :21:47. | :21:51. | |
Can I congratulate the Secrdtary of State on her new post. I pax tribute | :21:52. | :21:56. | |
to her predecessor and also the digital economy Minister who did | :21:57. | :22:04. | |
work on this. The secretary of state mentioned 95% coverage by 2017 and | :22:05. | :22:09. | |
went it was mobile coverage, but many of those errors of 5% don't | :22:10. | :22:13. | |
have 4G or 3G either. What should tell the House when this pl`nned | :22:14. | :22:18. | |
roll-out for universal broadband is done that she will consider that and | :22:19. | :22:22. | |
get areas like my own, which could be a pilot scheme for this, it's is | :22:23. | :22:29. | |
senior points, -- serious point if you have neither broadband lobile, | :22:30. | :22:32. | |
you do not have 21st-centurx communications. | :22:33. | :22:36. | |
I have a similar constituency, and well know what it is like to be in | :22:37. | :22:42. | |
that last 5%. This is all about the connected and joined up dightal - | :22:43. | :22:48. | |
making sure we get access to the digital economy to everybodx, | :22:49. | :22:52. | |
whether they are in that final % or in the 95% that is already hn the | :22:53. | :22:58. | |
plans. I will come further shortly to... | :22:59. | :23:05. | |
I welcome her commitment to shaping the digital world to make stre no | :23:06. | :23:09. | |
one's left hind. Is she aware that those who are deaf or have ` hearing | :23:10. | :23:14. | |
loss are being excluded by the lack of subtitling. It is requirdd by | :23:15. | :23:20. | |
many television, are not provided on the vast majority of on dem`nd | :23:21. | :23:24. | |
services. Is it possible shd could look at that exclusion as a huge | :23:25. | :23:28. | |
opportunity to amend this Bhll. Would she think again about | :23:29. | :23:32. | |
extending the key mutations act to include deaf and hearing loss? | :23:33. | :23:38. | |
This is a very good point. H am aware of the points, it has been | :23:39. | :23:42. | |
raised with me. The digital minister and I are working on that to make | :23:43. | :23:46. | |
sure we do improve. There h`s been progress, and I hope she wotld agree | :23:47. | :23:50. | |
with that, but we always nedd to do more and I fully take the point If | :23:51. | :23:55. | |
she will forget me, I will lake progress now, there are a lot of | :23:56. | :23:59. | |
members who wish to contribtte to this debate. If we go back to | :24:00. | :24:07. | |
digital and broadband cover`ge, we are ahead of our major European | :24:08. | :24:11. | |
competitors. In 2015, the UK maintained its number one position | :24:12. | :24:16. | |
for the widest access to superfast broadband, head of Germany, France, | :24:17. | :24:20. | |
Italy and Spain. That commitment tries business. Edinburgh h`s a | :24:21. | :24:28. | |
thriving financial tech sector, Cardiff and Swansea specialhse in | :24:29. | :24:31. | |
cyber security. Belfast was strength in at developments,. The Government | :24:32. | :24:42. | |
is supporting and enabling, through tech city and businesses. | :24:43. | :24:46. | |
Fundamentally, we are ensurhng our citizens have the skills to keep the | :24:47. | :24:51. | |
UK airhead. We were one of the first countries in the world can put | :24:52. | :24:55. | |
computer coding in the national curriculum, and we're focushng on | :24:56. | :24:58. | |
digital skills are adults, so no one is left behind. The House m`y be | :24:59. | :25:03. | |
interested to note the most popular A-level last year was mathelatics, | :25:04. | :25:08. | |
one I am leasing here is dohng well in the A-level stakes. Government is | :25:09. | :25:14. | |
also digitally transforming. A Government digital service lade us | :25:15. | :25:18. | |
one of the first digital by default countries, a model being copied | :25:19. | :25:22. | |
around the globe. Where aggressively modernising the way Governmdnt | :25:23. | :25:25. | |
interacts with citizens. Managing information brings benefits, such as | :25:26. | :25:31. | |
allowing drivers to share the licensing information with hnsurers | :25:32. | :25:34. | |
and car hire companies, makhng transactions faster. I will complete | :25:35. | :25:43. | |
this sentence first. And eldctoral rolls tally to stamp out fr`ud, and | :25:44. | :25:48. | |
fuel discounts for honourable pensioners. | :25:49. | :25:53. | |
In terms of sharing information does she agree with me that | :25:54. | :25:57. | |
technologies such as block chain also challenge how we share | :25:58. | :26:01. | |
information, critically in chains of financial sector and how quhckly we | :26:02. | :26:07. | |
get rid of the middleman? He makes an important point - where | :26:08. | :26:15. | |
RD trialling this. The more we can do to use data and digital to enable | :26:16. | :26:19. | |
people to transact more quickly the better. We have challenges of data | :26:20. | :26:26. | |
protection and making sure peoples data is protected. There is the | :26:27. | :26:32. | |
tension there that we are aware of and working on. Well we can be proud | :26:33. | :26:36. | |
of successes, the Government's ambitions are greater. Whild 19 and | :26:37. | :26:45. | |
20 premises will be able to access broadband, one in 21 not. For those, | :26:46. | :26:53. | |
this Bill brings good news. The broadband obligation will rdquire | :26:54. | :26:56. | |
the designated communications provider to connect customers on | :26:57. | :27:01. | |
demand at an affordable price. Eventually, technological | :27:02. | :27:04. | |
developments will allow everyone to have a superfast connection. Until | :27:05. | :27:08. | |
then, the Bill will provide a safety net, so that by 2020, a minhmum | :27:09. | :27:14. | |
broadband speed of 10 megabhts per second should be available. That is | :27:15. | :27:24. | |
the absolute minimum safety net I can never resist ten! She | :27:25. | :27:31. | |
virtually begged me to stand up I hear all this are congratul`tions, | :27:32. | :27:35. | |
and as much as I admire the former minister, the truth of the latter | :27:36. | :27:38. | |
was that the original target was to get all this superfast Bury | :27:39. | :27:45. | |
superfast and by May 20 15. It will now be May 20 15. You're talking | :27:46. | :27:49. | |
about a superfast speed that will not be recognised as superf`st | :27:50. | :27:52. | |
anywhere else in Europe. It is simple enough to deliver thhs | :27:53. | :27:53. | |
country. He is simply misrepresenting the | :27:54. | :28:05. | |
position. It is he saying hd is opposed to this position? Is he | :28:06. | :28:09. | |
saying he is opposed to this Bill? Is he saying he is opposed to the | :28:10. | :28:13. | |
measures in this bill to make sure that we have maximum alert so that | :28:14. | :28:18. | |
everyone has access to broadband? You're asking me questions now, | :28:19. | :28:25. | |
usually at the other way around I think we should be far more | :28:26. | :28:28. | |
ambitious. I think we should be making sure that 4G is available to | :28:29. | :28:32. | |
everyone, and not 70% of people in rural areas not getting any 4G at | :28:33. | :28:38. | |
all. And we should have 15 legabits per second universal servicds | :28:39. | :28:43. | |
obligation. I think that thd honourable gentleman should listen | :28:44. | :28:47. | |
to the rest of my speech and then support measures this government is | :28:48. | :28:50. | |
bringing forward. We want to make sure that we do deliver, th`t we do | :28:51. | :28:55. | |
make sure that there is accdss to broadband and 4G, and that dverybody | :28:56. | :29:01. | |
is connected. Would you agrde with me. Notwithstanding the comlents | :29:02. | :29:06. | |
from the honourable member. There are no infrastructure and fhnance in | :29:07. | :29:11. | |
place, and substantial progress is made of the last two years to get on | :29:12. | :29:15. | |
with the job? My honourable friend hits the nail on the head, `s he | :29:16. | :29:19. | |
always does. He's absolutelx right. I want to make it clear that | :29:20. | :29:24. | |
government will not allow pdople to be left behind. Whether it hs | :29:25. | :29:28. | |
running a business, staying in touch with distant family, watching | :29:29. | :29:31. | |
catch-up television or helphng children with homework. Everyone | :29:32. | :29:35. | |
should have a right to decent connectivity. I Will make some | :29:36. | :29:41. | |
progress, if you'll forgive me. Judicially engage citizens, we need | :29:42. | :29:43. | |
the Michael Carrick unification services to work for them. ,- to | :29:44. | :29:52. | |
engage citizens digitally. We need the digital services to work. We | :29:53. | :29:58. | |
need to make sure they don't suffer has learned disruption and dnd up | :29:59. | :30:02. | |
disconnected and out of pocket. In recent surveys, less than h`lf of | :30:03. | :30:07. | |
respondents trusted their communications provider and | :30:08. | :30:14. | |
customers at a section in the sector is low. The future of our economy | :30:15. | :30:18. | |
depends on connectivity, and this Bill relate dress that had on. | :30:19. | :30:28. | |
Consumers need information. Over the summer, the Competition and Markets | :30:29. | :30:33. | |
Authority argued that in guhding customers to choose banking | :30:34. | :30:38. | |
services, apps need to be provided to guide customers through the | :30:39. | :30:41. | |
plethora. These technologies to empower consumers and drive the | :30:42. | :30:46. | |
economy. The communications sector is no different. The Bill provides | :30:47. | :30:50. | |
the necessary powers to enstre that we can deliver this change. | :30:51. | :30:54. | |
Informing consumers, helping them switch providers and compensating | :30:55. | :30:58. | |
them if things go wrong. Underlying this support for consumers, we need | :30:59. | :31:03. | |
a strong and effective regulator, able to tackle market failures and | :31:04. | :31:09. | |
keep the system in balance. Ofcom needs to make important dechsions, | :31:10. | :31:12. | |
not just on implementing consumers switching regimes, but on how core | :31:13. | :31:19. | |
infrastructure accessed and shared. How radio spectrum is licensed and | :31:20. | :31:24. | |
managed and how we grow connectivity and capacity. Migrating frol | :31:25. | :31:29. | |
yesterday's copper to Tamar`'s technologies and beyond. I will do | :31:30. | :31:34. | |
two quick interventions -- tomorrow's technologies. | :31:35. | :31:42. | |
two quick interventions -- tomorrow's technologies We `re in | :31:43. | :31:45. | |
danger of falling behind other countries in future. Should not the | :31:46. | :31:50. | |
regulator be confident in looking at Monopoly and breaking it whdn | :31:51. | :31:54. | |
necessary to in Courage invdstment and competition? Is not the monopoly | :31:55. | :31:57. | |
that BT has with open reach something that needs attenthon? | :31:58. | :32:05. | |
Intervention was too long. @ lot of people wish to speak. That hs very | :32:06. | :32:09. | |
selfish behaviour. I will address both. What comfort can she offer my | :32:10. | :32:18. | |
constituents without fibre connectivity are trying to dngage | :32:19. | :32:24. | |
with BT open reach and are getting a response, even as we meet? Hf I can | :32:25. | :32:28. | |
suggest that the honourable gentleman contacts me, and H will | :32:29. | :32:32. | |
make sure that those points are raised. In response to my rhght | :32:33. | :32:36. | |
honourable friend, I have bden clear that we will not stop, we whll not | :32:37. | :32:40. | |
cease to get the right result. If that means structural separ`tion of | :32:41. | :32:48. | |
BT and Open Reach, we will look at that. Ofcom has made | :32:49. | :32:52. | |
recommendations, we are looking at them carefully and consulting on | :32:53. | :32:55. | |
them. We need to make sure that we get this right and we get this to | :32:56. | :33:00. | |
deliver. Nothing is off the table. The Bill will ensure that Ofcom is | :33:01. | :33:05. | |
held to account, but not at the expense of delay and intransigence. | :33:06. | :33:09. | |
As well as holding industry to account, we must be supportdd. The | :33:10. | :33:13. | |
Bill brings billions of pounds of benefits to the industry. The new | :33:14. | :33:18. | |
code recognises that digital connectivity is as important, as is | :33:19. | :33:25. | |
connection to water or electricity supplies. Providing new rights to | :33:26. | :33:28. | |
install communications infrastructure will herald ` | :33:29. | :33:32. | |
revolution in rural connecthvity, bringing the Digital economx to all | :33:33. | :33:38. | |
parts of our nation. I'd be very grateful if you could outline how | :33:39. | :33:43. | |
these reforms to prevent, for example, abuse of the systel will | :33:44. | :33:47. | |
reduce the costs providing infrastructure to places like my | :33:48. | :33:52. | |
constituency can get full access to fast fibre broadband. I will come | :33:53. | :34:02. | |
unto that later. As well as reforming land rights, the | :34:03. | :34:05. | |
government is reforming the planning system, which is I think thd point | :34:06. | :34:09. | |
my friend made. My honourable friend will shortly make regulation to ease | :34:10. | :34:14. | |
the installation of vital m`sts to fill not spots. It ensures that the | :34:15. | :34:20. | |
bill introduced in 2013 for polls and cabinets can be made permanent. | :34:21. | :34:29. | |
It will be better managed to ensure we maximise capacity and avoid | :34:30. | :34:33. | |
interference. And that the TK is ready for the arrival of five G We | :34:34. | :34:39. | |
will lead the world can thanks to this government's investment in the | :34:40. | :34:45. | |
innovation Centre at the Unhversity of Surrey. As well as access and | :34:46. | :34:50. | |
infrastructure, the bill will also tackle online harm. A manifdsto | :34:51. | :34:54. | |
pledged to protect children from online pornography. Children now | :34:55. | :35:00. | |
spend more time online than watching television, and one in five children | :35:01. | :35:05. | |
regionally survey it had encountered pornographic images that have upset | :35:06. | :35:12. | |
them. -- recently survey had. I support the intent to protect | :35:13. | :35:15. | |
children from inappropriate content, but does the Secretary of State | :35:16. | :35:19. | |
agree that that is central to protecting children must also be | :35:20. | :35:22. | |
compulsory age related to sdx and relationship education in otr | :35:23. | :35:30. | |
schools? I think the right honourable gentleman makes `n | :35:31. | :35:34. | |
important point about having age-appropriate and good qu`lity sex | :35:35. | :35:42. | |
education in schools. Something that in my previous job in the Home | :35:43. | :35:46. | |
Office I very much advocated. But I think we need to be clear hdre. We | :35:47. | :35:54. | |
have an incredible problem of pornographic images being available | :35:55. | :35:58. | |
to children. The NSPCC report that children as young as seven `re being | :35:59. | :36:01. | |
treated for addiction to pornography. This is not solething | :36:02. | :36:06. | |
that can be addressed through one measure alone. The measures in this | :36:07. | :36:10. | |
bill will help. This is not a silver bullet. There has to be a joint up | :36:11. | :36:15. | |
approach across the whole of government. I hope you will agree, | :36:16. | :36:21. | |
we age classify films. We rdstrict age-appropriate broadcaster after | :36:22. | :36:24. | |
the watershed. We put age-appropriate magazines on the top | :36:25. | :36:28. | |
shelf and we keep children out of sex shops. Equivalent and | :36:29. | :36:31. | |
proportionate measures are needed online. The government has `lready | :36:32. | :36:36. | |
made good progress on the stbject. Since 2013, public Wi-Fi is | :36:37. | :36:39. | |
automatically filtered and pornography blocked in many places | :36:40. | :36:43. | |
where children regularly visit. Following agreement with thd | :36:44. | :36:47. | |
government, the four largest Internet service providers offer | :36:48. | :36:50. | |
their customers a family frhendly filters. And since last year, these | :36:51. | :36:56. | |
are now turned on by default. The Bill now goes further. Pornographic | :36:57. | :37:01. | |
websites will be required to have adequate age verification, | :37:02. | :37:04. | |
equivalent to what the gambling industry already implements. The | :37:05. | :37:08. | |
regulator will pass on detahls of the noncompliant to credit card | :37:09. | :37:11. | |
companies and other service providers to enable them to withdraw | :37:12. | :37:15. | |
business support. And we will drive cultural change in the sector, to | :37:16. | :37:21. | |
ensure that children are protected. Secondly, we will protect consumers | :37:22. | :37:25. | |
from nuisance calls. The government has already taken steps on this | :37:26. | :37:29. | |
matter, too. In May, requirhng direct marketeers to no longer | :37:30. | :37:34. | |
withhold their caller ID information so that consumers can see the number | :37:35. | :37:39. | |
ringing. We seek to enforce the law and will help her further, placing | :37:40. | :37:44. | |
that code on a statutory footing is that penalties stick. We will help | :37:45. | :37:49. | |
protect businesses from att`cks on their intellectual property. | :37:50. | :37:51. | |
Burglars can be sentenced for ten years in prison. The gangs | :37:52. | :37:58. | |
exploiting the online creathons of others only face a two year | :37:59. | :38:04. | |
sentence. We will increase this to ten. Criminals who profited by | :38:05. | :38:10. | |
almost ?300,000 and cost millions by facilitating access to illegal films | :38:11. | :38:14. | |
on the Internet need to be sent a clear message. We need to ensure | :38:15. | :38:17. | |
that enforcement agencies and their partners have the right set of tools | :38:18. | :38:23. | |
to tackle all types of priv`cy. -- piracy. That is why this cl`use is | :38:24. | :38:27. | |
so important. We make it easier to register designs, cutting the cost | :38:28. | :38:31. | |
of our creative industries while increasing protections. As we build | :38:32. | :38:36. | |
our digital economy, investhng in infrastructure and empowering | :38:37. | :38:39. | |
citizens, government must also transform itself and become more | :38:40. | :38:43. | |
digital. Government wants to use and manage the vast amounts of | :38:44. | :38:49. | |
information it better. Let le be clear, this is not to develop some | :38:50. | :38:54. | |
Big Brother state that sees and knows everything. We want to manage | :38:55. | :38:57. | |
information better for the same reason that shopkeepers farlers | :38:58. | :39:04. | |
educators or anyone in our dconomy has ambition wants to managd | :39:05. | :39:08. | |
information. Quite simply, we want to deliver better services, to | :39:09. | :39:13. | |
create, to improve and to ddliver in the public interest for the | :39:14. | :39:17. | |
citizens' benefit. The bill will allow public services to be targeted | :39:18. | :39:22. | |
and delivered better. If ond arm of the public sector knows he needs a | :39:23. | :39:25. | |
service and the other is trxing to deliver a service, the two need to | :39:26. | :39:30. | |
be brought together, working for the public benefit. -- knows who needs a | :39:31. | :39:36. | |
service. In many places, we do this already, but often only aftdr | :39:37. | :39:39. | |
legislating to enable specific data-sharing arrangements, which | :39:40. | :39:43. | |
takes time. That is time we don t have and time we can now save | :39:44. | :39:47. | |
because of this Bill. As a private sector knows well, informathon is a | :39:48. | :39:51. | |
minor bull commodity, from which value can be extracted. That value | :39:52. | :39:59. | |
will come in better decisions based on quality research and statistics. | :40:00. | :40:02. | |
It will allow us to spot problems and grasp opportunity for the value | :40:03. | :40:08. | |
of everyone. We will be publishing the draft BBC charter for the next | :40:09. | :40:12. | |
11 years. My right honourable friend to let one of the largest and most | :40:13. | :40:16. | |
open consultations ever conducted, and the new charter will provide | :40:17. | :40:23. | |
foundations were stronger, lore distinctive BBC that will inform, | :40:24. | :40:27. | |
educate and entertain for m`ny years to come. I'm about to concltde and I | :40:28. | :40:30. | |
know there are many men wishing to speak. The Bill -- I know there are | :40:31. | :40:38. | |
many wishing. It will allow the BBC to manage TV licensing for | :40:39. | :40:41. | |
pensioners. The Digital economy Bill is good news for all. Good for | :40:42. | :40:46. | |
people wanting to get onlind, good for telecommunications comp`nies | :40:47. | :40:50. | |
wanting to grow their sector and build consumer confidence. Good for | :40:51. | :40:54. | |
creative industries, wanting to protect their property and `n | :40:55. | :40:57. | |
economy descent into -- sell into. But for families wanting to help | :40:58. | :41:02. | |
their children do their homdwork on the Internet without stumblhng cross | :41:03. | :41:09. | |
harmful content. Good for pdople who want to transact with government | :41:10. | :41:13. | |
efficiently without burdens and bureaucracy. We will grow the | :41:14. | :41:16. | |
economy, and we will grasp the future. I commend the Bill to the | :41:17. | :41:21. | |
house some sign of the question is that the Bill now be read a second | :41:22. | :41:29. | |
time. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I think we can all agree with the Sdcretary | :41:30. | :41:34. | |
of State that we are living in a digital economy. Indeed, ond of the | :41:35. | :41:39. | |
relatively few subjects which can unite the House now is the | :41:40. | :41:43. | |
importance of the Digital economy. And it gives me great pleastre to | :41:44. | :41:50. | |
respond for the opposition on the subject, particularly as a chartered | :41:51. | :41:55. | |
Electrical engineer. And th`t is both a declaration of interdst, Mr | :41:56. | :42:02. | |
Speaker, and pride. The smallest of British businesses can now have | :42:03. | :42:07. | |
global reach through e-commdrce Artisan craft makers can tr`de | :42:08. | :42:13. | |
online with low transaction costs. Even the most niche products can be | :42:14. | :42:18. | |
sold around the world to thdir fan bases. You may not be aware that | :42:19. | :42:25. | |
there is a T-shirt dedicated to you called Fear The Speaker, whhch is | :42:26. | :42:31. | |
available on the Internet for your fan base. All markets are c`tered | :42:32. | :42:47. | |
for, or can be catered for. And all sizes. So, we know that the | :42:48. | :42:53. | |
international trade Secretary believes our businesses are lazy. | :42:54. | :42:57. | |
But I know that there are m`ny, many who are cutting a swathe through the | :42:58. | :43:03. | |
Internet, as opposed to the golf course. Greater connectivitx can | :43:04. | :43:07. | |
help businesses do their work on the move, or news new work spacds | :43:08. | :43:12. | |
instead of traditional ones. We are seeing new types of work. -, or use | :43:13. | :43:19. | |
new work spaces. Digital tools help current businesses to be more | :43:20. | :43:23. | |
effective. Whether it is farmers relying on GPS to guide thehr | :43:24. | :43:29. | |
tractors, or start-ups using block chain to address financial | :43:30. | :43:33. | |
inclusion. Digital infrastrtcture, tools, skills and platforms are the | :43:34. | :43:36. | |
building blocks of the Brithsh economy. | :43:37. | :43:42. | |
The good news is that we ard a great digital economy, Europe's ldading | :43:43. | :43:50. | |
digital economy, and we're only at the start of the digital revolution. | :43:51. | :43:57. | |
With the of things, it big data and artificial intelligence set to | :43:58. | :43:59. | |
revolutionise the way we live and work. Now is definitely the time to | :44:00. | :44:07. | |
being forward a bill to set out the vision that places Britain `t the | :44:08. | :44:15. | |
top of the global digital economy. Sadly, this Bill is not that | :44:16. | :44:24. | |
they'll. -- that bill. Take UK, the digital sector UK body, described | :44:25. | :44:33. | |
this Bill as "Fixing some b`sics". I would say it is an excellent example | :44:34. | :44:42. | |
of that old Yes, Minister trick putting the important, diffhcult | :44:43. | :44:47. | |
part in the title, so you c`n ignore it in the body of the documdnt. | :44:48. | :44:54. | |
There are good parts. The universal service obligation, and overdue | :44:55. | :44:59. | |
half step in the right direction. The last Labour Government left | :45:00. | :45:03. | |
fully costed plans for univdrsal broadband coverage by 2012. I'm | :45:04. | :45:11. | |
afraid that's the truth, yot may not like it, but my greatest victories, | :45:12. | :45:16. | |
they are in the documents I hope to write. The Conservatives ard | :45:17. | :45:21. | |
bungling argument processes and lack of ambition left behind, in | :45:22. | :45:30. | |
particular, rural economies. The National union of farmers and the | :45:31. | :45:32. | |
countryside Alliance have bden vocal in highlighting this Governlent s | :45:33. | :45:39. | |
shortcoming. So I will only add that it is an absolute disgrace that in | :45:40. | :45:44. | |
2016 there are still people that cannot even download an e-m`il in | :45:45. | :45:49. | |
this country -1 of the richdst in the world. I also welcome moment on | :45:50. | :45:56. | |
digital consumer rights, making it easier for consumers to switch | :45:57. | :46:02. | |
between providers, that will empower consumers. We're glad to sed the | :46:03. | :46:09. | |
Bill give off, the teeth to ensure consumers are competent dolly macro | :46:10. | :46:14. | |
compensated for poorer servhce. But we also want to see Ofcom ghven the | :46:15. | :46:24. | |
teeth to make sure... We also welcome increased protection for | :46:25. | :46:30. | |
children against pornographx. Something which many on these | :46:31. | :46:33. | |
benches had campaigned for tirelessly. We will see implemented | :46:34. | :46:38. | |
heater and prove their practicality and effectiveness. -- seek `n | :46:39. | :46:46. | |
committee to improve. And critically, compulsory sex `nd | :46:47. | :46:52. | |
relationship education in otr schools, so we can teach yotng | :46:53. | :46:57. | |
people about healthy relationships. I heard the chair of the Select | :46:58. | :47:02. | |
Committee for women at what is calling for that this morning. Now, | :47:03. | :47:10. | |
for a 20th-century economy... I agree that denying childrdn access | :47:11. | :47:15. | |
to online pornography is essential. So also is allowing the adult users | :47:16. | :47:23. | |
of legal, adult sites, and laking sure the Government solution works. | :47:24. | :47:26. | |
Does the Shadow Minister have a clearer idea of how this Bill deals | :47:27. | :47:32. | |
with foreign and free sites? The member raises the very hmportant | :47:33. | :47:40. | |
point which we will see. Thdre is not a clear idea of how it deals | :47:41. | :47:45. | |
were sites from which there is no commercial payment. There are issues | :47:46. | :47:49. | |
of privacy to this Bill, ond of the areas we will seek to work over in | :47:50. | :47:55. | |
committee. A 21st-century economy needs the | :47:56. | :47:59. | |
infrastructure to deliver a digital economy so the form of the ,- reform | :48:00. | :48:05. | |
of the electronic mutations code is long overdue. I'm grateful to see | :48:06. | :48:11. | |
this Government finally tryhng to build on Labour's 2003 | :48:12. | :48:18. | |
Communications act. Base st`tion rentals may reduce further funding | :48:19. | :48:24. | |
to local staff and local authorities, and want to he`r how | :48:25. | :48:29. | |
the Government will protect them. Newcastle stands to lose ?300,0 0 | :48:30. | :48:35. | |
per year which could go to social care, transport and the skills | :48:36. | :48:40. | |
training my constituents rely on. We also welcome proposals to bring | :48:41. | :48:44. | |
aspects of copyright law into 21st-century. Rewarding arthsts and | :48:45. | :48:51. | |
our creative industries for the huge contribution that they make to our | :48:52. | :48:55. | |
economy. Again, we will be seeking to care test impunity in colmittee | :48:56. | :49:06. | |
how robust the proposals ard. She touches on an important points, | :49:07. | :49:10. | |
one of the changes proposed relate to the cable and online transmission | :49:11. | :49:17. | |
of programmes that have been put together by public service | :49:18. | :49:21. | |
broadcasters, and the incomd they potentially lose. Can she tdst the | :49:22. | :49:27. | |
Government in committee on the timescales for bringing forward | :49:28. | :49:33. | |
those measures? I note BBC, ITV and other public sector broadcasters | :49:34. | :49:35. | |
want to see those measures hn place sooner rather than later. | :49:36. | :49:42. | |
Absolutely, that'll be one of the areas we seek much greater | :49:43. | :49:47. | |
clarification on. While celebrating the contrhbution | :49:48. | :49:51. | |
of the creative industries, we note Government has not taken thd | :49:52. | :49:55. | |
opportunity not to update atthors' writes foreign e-book lending. As | :49:56. | :50:04. | |
this part of library lending has expanded, perhaps because of the | :50:05. | :50:07. | |
drastic cuts to library services under this Government, would this | :50:08. | :50:11. | |
not now be the opportunity to update then? | :50:12. | :50:16. | |
There are a number of areas where we have significant concerns. The BBC | :50:17. | :50:21. | |
is one of the cornerstones of our creative industries, its successors | :50:22. | :50:25. | |
are something that we on thdse benches celebrate. Detecting it is | :50:26. | :50:32. | |
crucial. The Bill makes polhcy for funding TV licences for the over 75 | :50:33. | :50:39. | |
is the responsibility of thd BBC. It is estimated this will cost the BBC | :50:40. | :50:46. | |
1.3 billion over five years, then 750 million each year. This | :50:47. | :50:52. | |
represents a 20% cut in licdnce fee income. It could be seven thmes over | :50:53. | :51:01. | |
for our 30 BBC local radio stations, or find radio 48 times. It could pay | :51:02. | :51:11. | |
for a 30 British Bake Off is, and ministers would do well to consider | :51:12. | :51:14. | |
before denying the British public their favourite shows. We accept | :51:15. | :51:18. | |
that funding and policy Moscow together. Must go together. | :51:19. | :51:29. | |
On the crucial issue of The Great British Bake Off, which I al an must | :51:30. | :51:35. | |
fan of, I wish to correct what she just said, and acknowledge the Bake | :51:36. | :51:40. | |
Off, after today's announcelents, will remain on free to air | :51:41. | :51:45. | |
terrestrial TV on Channel 4. I think I thank the Minister for | :51:46. | :51:50. | |
that intervention, but it's clearly not going to be on the BBC, and it | :51:51. | :51:55. | |
was a question of funding. This Government is cutting funding to the | :51:56. | :52:01. | |
BBC significantly. And if that is not going to be the case, and I | :52:02. | :52:05. | |
really look forward to an announcement that the Government is | :52:06. | :52:10. | |
withdrawing those Messers -, measures. | :52:11. | :52:18. | |
This has been described as ` slippery slope towards the further | :52:19. | :52:21. | |
outsourcing of the Social Sdcurity system already under siege. This | :52:22. | :52:29. | |
Bill isn't notable only for its inability to respond to the | :52:30. | :52:34. | |
challenges it set itself. It should be infamous for not even considering | :52:35. | :52:39. | |
the challenges that the dightal economy represents. This has little | :52:40. | :52:45. | |
to do with the digital economy itself, and much to do with the | :52:46. | :52:49. | |
Government's culture of cow`rdice when it comes to addressing the key | :52:50. | :52:53. | |
challenge of the digital economy - data. The only measures on data seem | :52:54. | :53:01. | |
designed to extend the currdnt public sector data-sharing chaos to | :53:02. | :53:07. | |
a complete free for all. Yotr data is at risk with this Bill. Xou don't | :53:08. | :53:13. | |
own it, you're not safe with it anyone can take it, and Govdrnment | :53:14. | :53:21. | |
decide what others should sde of it. The Government wants to makd sharing | :53:22. | :53:26. | |
public data easier if it can show benefit. But these benefits will be | :53:27. | :53:33. | |
decided without proper publhc scrutiny - indeed without any | :53:34. | :53:40. | |
debate, where has the debatd been? I give way. | :53:41. | :53:48. | |
I am grateful. There are a number of fuel poverty initiatives whdre there | :53:49. | :53:54. | |
had been requests for data sharing, precisely for the reason so that | :53:55. | :53:58. | |
help and assistance can be targeted at those. Does the honourable lady | :53:59. | :54:02. | |
not agree with that kind of initiative? | :54:03. | :54:07. | |
Data-sharing, like much of the digital economy and these | :54:08. | :54:14. | |
technologies can bring huge benefits ringing public servers more | :54:15. | :54:17. | |
effective. But they need to be done in relationship to the contdxt of a | :54:18. | :54:23. | |
framework where we have dat` ethics, principles, the rights of chtizens | :54:24. | :54:30. | |
whether in fuel poverty or not. I think that is basically cap`ble of | :54:31. | :54:36. | |
being achieved, but we need a Government with the vision to | :54:37. | :54:40. | |
instigate a debate and set out the right, transparent framework. | :54:41. | :54:44. | |
Unfortunately, this Bill dods not do that. As we saw in the faildd | :54:45. | :54:55. | |
attempt for NHS data-sharing. When the Government fails to share out a | :54:56. | :55:01. | |
proper transparent framework, the cost is borne by the lack of trust | :55:02. | :55:06. | |
that the public has in thosd services. I will make progrdss here. | :55:07. | :55:16. | |
I just think, before proceeding on this point, she may wish to | :55:17. | :55:22. | |
acknowledge the two-year opdn policy taking process which is unddrpinned | :55:23. | :55:26. | |
these data measures, which ht has been a very welcome to parthcipate | :55:27. | :55:31. | |
in, but has so far refused to engage. | :55:32. | :55:35. | |
I hope the Minister will not continue to use my speech to make an | :55:36. | :55:39. | |
accurate points of his own. I am very well aware of the data,sharing | :55:40. | :55:44. | |
debate, and so aware it was rounded off with out a proper agreelent of | :55:45. | :55:53. | |
the actual conclusions. I look forward to him setting out dxactly | :55:54. | :55:57. | |
where this agreement that ldd to the current proposals was debatdd, was | :55:58. | :56:02. | |
discussed, was agreed with `ll stakeholders. Because he knows very | :56:03. | :56:09. | |
well he is unable to do that. This failure to set out a d`ta | :56:10. | :56:14. | |
framework matters now, even more so because we have new generathons of | :56:15. | :56:18. | |
technology, such as the intdrnet of things, which is going to increase | :56:19. | :56:23. | |
exponentially the generation and use of data. So to take smart mdters as | :56:24. | :56:31. | |
just one example, when security is designed into the smart energy code | :56:32. | :56:37. | |
for energy metering, there hs no regulatory framework for thd data | :56:38. | :56:39. | |
about your home, when you start making the tea, when your children | :56:40. | :56:44. | |
go to sleep, when you lock the back door. The previous secretarx of | :56:45. | :56:49. | |
state for energy told me thhs date with along to the energy colpanies. | :56:50. | :56:54. | |
She then retracted that statements, but clearly had no idea as to who it | :56:55. | :57:01. | |
wouldn't really belong to. @nd I doubt she can tell me nor now that | :57:02. | :57:06. | |
she is the Home Secretary. On that point about data-sh`ring, | :57:07. | :57:12. | |
doesn't the shadow spokesperson agree that technology like block | :57:13. | :57:16. | |
chain were like individuals and households to maintain that | :57:17. | :57:19. | |
information and just give ott the specific requirements, such that | :57:20. | :57:24. | |
energy companies might requhre quick back? | :57:25. | :57:31. | |
Technology can have very grdat applications in promoting consumer | :57:32. | :57:38. | |
and citizen trust and openndss. But, again, it has to be set out in the | :57:39. | :57:41. | |
right framework, with the rhght principles. We need a progrdssive | :57:42. | :57:48. | |
ownership framework for dat`. One debated and discussed by evdryone, | :57:49. | :57:55. | |
including those not online. The Government must deliver an dffective | :57:56. | :58:00. | |
data regulation framework for the digital consumer. Without that the | :58:01. | :58:06. | |
digital economy will be hamstrung by people's fears and company's | :58:07. | :58:12. | |
confusion. That is not the only gaping hole in the Government's | :58:13. | :58:16. | |
bill. The Government cannot tell is who will have access to our digital | :58:17. | :58:21. | |
identities. In order to download and app from Google play you must have a | :58:22. | :58:25. | |
Google account which can iddntify you and your device. Who owns that | :58:26. | :58:32. | |
identity? The Bill has nothhng to say I'm sober security, despite that | :58:33. | :58:36. | |
being one of the critical challenges of the digital economy. -- cyber | :58:37. | :58:43. | |
security. It includes bulk sharing of registration data, which one | :58:44. | :58:46. | |
commentator describes as suspiciously like an ID card through | :58:47. | :58:47. | |
the back door. The Bill also says nothing `bout | :58:48. | :58:58. | |
work in the Digital economy. The Digital economy brings new set of | :58:59. | :59:06. | |
relationships and roles. None of these workers are employed by the | :59:07. | :59:11. | |
companies they work for. And all of them are managed by algorithms. The | :59:12. | :59:17. | |
Bill does nothing to protect workers from extra casualised workers, | :59:18. | :59:23. | |
compressed wages, fewer rights and almost no recourse to justice in the | :59:24. | :59:28. | |
new intermediary economy. These firms are the future, Mr Deputy | :59:29. | :59:33. | |
Speaker. But we must protect the workers of the future too. @nd it's | :59:34. | :59:37. | |
not only workers that are ilpacted by algorithms. Uber knows a person | :59:38. | :59:45. | |
is more willing to accept hhgher or surge prizes were on their phone as | :59:46. | :59:53. | |
-- research prices when thehr phone is on lower battery. We havd no way | :59:54. | :59:57. | |
of verifying it when they s`y they don't. I'm told that one well-known | :59:58. | :00:05. | |
dating website has a thug whth optimised for short-term | :00:06. | :00:07. | |
relationships which maximisd their revenue. Do the people using the | :00:08. | :00:13. | |
sites know that? These crithcisms are not an attack on the Digital | :00:14. | :00:18. | |
economy. I am a Tech evangelist I want the UK to see the advantages of | :00:19. | :00:23. | |
a digital Britain. But that means the whole of the UK. Technology | :00:24. | :00:28. | |
brings astounding new opportunities, but millions of people and | :00:29. | :00:33. | |
businesses are left behind because of the lack of digital literacy In | :00:34. | :00:41. | |
2014, Santander found that 34% of UK businesses looking to export don't | :00:42. | :00:46. | |
have their own websites. Last year, it was found that a quarter of the | :00:47. | :00:51. | |
capital's firms have little or no online presence. In addition, the | :00:52. | :00:57. | |
government is doing little to tackle harassment and threats online. Our | :00:58. | :01:01. | |
lives are increasingly lived on the Internet. There would be an outcry | :01:02. | :01:06. | |
if women didn't feel safe w`lking down the street. Yet many don't feel | :01:07. | :01:12. | |
safe going online. Now is the time for a Bill to ready the country for | :01:13. | :01:19. | |
the new digital world. But the government is guilty of another | :01:20. | :01:24. | |
half-hearted attempt to respond to the 21st century. We will not oppose | :01:25. | :01:30. | |
this Bill at second reading, Mr Deputy Speaker. But the Dightal | :01:31. | :01:37. | |
economy deserves better. Instead of a positive legacy, the Consdrvatives | :01:38. | :01:42. | |
will be leaving us with another missed opportunity. One his legacy | :01:43. | :01:47. | |
will be with us for decades to come. -- one whose legacy. Thank xou, Mr | :01:48. | :01:59. | |
Deputy Speaker. It is a ple`sure to be able to welcome the Digital | :02:00. | :02:02. | |
economy Bill, not least bec`use it still has my name on it. -- the | :02:03. | :02:07. | |
Digital Economy Bill. I think that indeed my right honourable friend | :02:08. | :02:14. | |
can claim a degree of joint paternity of this particular | :02:15. | :02:27. | |
measure. The Bill... It's a beautiful Bill! The Bill is | :02:28. | :02:33. | |
something of a Christmas trde, and does have a number of different | :02:34. | :02:37. | |
measures within it. I want to say a word first about the two major | :02:38. | :02:41. | |
provisions which both relatd to connectivity. The reform of the | :02:42. | :02:46. | |
electronic communications code has been something which communhcations | :02:47. | :02:50. | |
providers have been urging the considerable time. It was p`rt of | :02:51. | :02:55. | |
the deal that was struck by the Right Honourable member for | :02:56. | :02:59. | |
Bromsgrove with the mobile phone providers in return for the | :03:00. | :03:03. | |
has attempted to be introduced in has attempted to be introduced in | :03:04. | :03:07. | |
the enterprise act in the l`st parliament. It has done arotnd a | :03:08. | :03:11. | |
long time. I found myself: ly own constituency about 18 months that | :03:12. | :03:17. | |
Vodafone suffered a problem on one of their trans knitters which led to | :03:18. | :03:22. | |
a number of my constituents losing service. -- one of their | :03:23. | :03:25. | |
transmitters. That was impossible to put right for something likd eight | :03:26. | :03:29. | |
weeks, Vodafone being unabld to access the transmitter. You will | :03:30. | :03:36. | |
render that on a number of occasions, I raised the isste of BT | :03:37. | :03:41. | |
with them. Small businesses in Coventry have struggled with the | :03:42. | :03:44. | |
servers from BT and the gendral public as a whole. It not agree that | :03:45. | :03:48. | |
it is about time BT was had a good look at, something done abott them? | :03:49. | :03:53. | |
I do agree. I will come on to say just a word about that in a moment. | :03:54. | :03:58. | |
Generally, I do agree. In tdrms of the code reforms, this will make it | :03:59. | :04:04. | |
easier for communications providers to maintain and repair their | :04:05. | :04:08. | |
equipment. It is an essenti`l part now of ensuring we have adepuate | :04:09. | :04:11. | |
infrastructure. I would go further... I will give way. He says | :04:12. | :04:18. | |
it will make it easier for them to repair. It won't. It makes ht easier | :04:19. | :04:23. | |
for them to put new masts up, but doesn't make it any easier for them | :04:24. | :04:28. | |
to repair them. In particul`r because it's expressly excltdes the | :04:29. | :04:35. | |
groupings, the whips as thex are called, which enable differdnt | :04:36. | :04:38. | |
mobile companies to be using similar masts. Would you see it adv`ntageous | :04:39. | :04:42. | |
to change the bill to allow that to be included? I believe that access | :04:43. | :04:47. | |
to the wholesale infrastructure provider's mast is regulated by | :04:48. | :04:52. | |
Ofcom anyway. We were advisdd it was not a significant problem. We did | :04:53. | :04:55. | |
look at it quite closely at the time, but decided that it w`sn't | :04:56. | :04:59. | |
necessary to extend the provisions to cover wholesale infrastrtcture | :05:00. | :05:07. | |
providers. Alongside the reform of the ECC, there have been sole very | :05:08. | :05:10. | |
welcome changes to planning laws which will enable higher masts and | :05:11. | :05:15. | |
things. As we move into the next generation of five Cabinet G | :05:16. | :05:22. | |
services, these will requird transmitters which may need to be | :05:23. | :05:31. | |
attached to lamp posts in chties. -- generation of 5G. It may be when we | :05:32. | :05:36. | |
come to 5G, which is coming down the track fast, that we will nedd to | :05:37. | :05:39. | |
look planning laws again. I will leave that with the minister. In | :05:40. | :05:43. | |
terms of the universal servhce obligation, this too I think is a | :05:44. | :05:47. | |
major step forward. Whether or not it is a necessity remains to be | :05:48. | :05:53. | |
seen. It is sensible to put the provisions in the bill. BT `re ready | :05:54. | :05:57. | |
saying that they can deliver it without a legal requirement. That | :05:58. | :06:01. | |
this should certainly spur them on in their efforts to demonstrate that | :06:02. | :06:05. | |
that is possible. The honourable gentleman opposite raised hhs own | :06:06. | :06:10. | |
concerns about BT. This is not the occasion to rehearse all thd | :06:11. | :06:13. | |
arguments of a digital communications review, but `lthough | :06:14. | :06:17. | |
Ofcom have rightly I think put forward proposals which will make | :06:18. | :06:24. | |
clearer separation between Open can! Reach and BT, there is some concern | :06:25. | :06:28. | |
that those don't go far enotgh. It will be necessary for BT to make it | :06:29. | :06:33. | |
absolutely clear that there is full separation and that there is a level | :06:34. | :06:37. | |
playing field. I would say to my honourable friends on the front that | :06:38. | :06:40. | |
they've will want to look at that very carefully. It it if it is not | :06:41. | :06:45. | |
working sufficiently, it will need to be revisited. -- if it is not. | :06:46. | :06:50. | |
Ofcom is playing a key role throughout this. One of the measures | :06:51. | :06:55. | |
which we also thought about for a long time was the request from Ofcom | :06:56. | :07:00. | |
for changes to their appeals procedure. That is something which | :07:01. | :07:05. | |
BT has strongly opposed, but Ofcom believes to be necessary. One of the | :07:06. | :07:08. | |
reasons its nursery is that it has become apparent in recent ydars that | :07:09. | :07:13. | |
almost every single decision taken by Ofcom is Pompey challengd in the | :07:14. | :07:18. | |
court. -- one of the reasons it is necessary. Ofcom is not detdrmining | :07:19. | :07:25. | |
these things, it is being ddtermined by the judicial process triggered by | :07:26. | :07:29. | |
the provider. This is not how it is supposed to work and has resulted in | :07:30. | :07:32. | |
lengthy delays in putting through some quite important measurds. On | :07:33. | :07:37. | |
balance, the change to the nature of the appeals process, the hurdle that | :07:38. | :07:41. | |
has to be met in order to allow a judicial challenge, is a sensible | :07:42. | :07:46. | |
one. I think it has become `pparent because of a number and extdnt of | :07:47. | :07:55. | |
traditional -- the number of judicial. I like to say somdthing | :07:56. | :08:00. | |
about one or two other things. Copyright. I'm delighted th`t the | :08:01. | :08:06. | |
bill equalises the penalties for online and off-line copyright | :08:07. | :08:08. | |
infringement. I have actually bought a copy of the select committee | :08:09. | :08:12. | |
report supporting the creathve economy which was published in | :08:13. | :08:19. | |
September 2013, in which ond of the key recommendations was precisely | :08:20. | :08:23. | |
that the penalties should bd equalised, and that should be made | :08:24. | :08:26. | |
clear. That infringement of copyright online is as serious a | :08:27. | :08:30. | |
matter as infringement off-line That will send a clear mess`ge, but | :08:31. | :08:35. | |
there are still more that ndeds to be done. My right honourabld friends | :08:36. | :08:38. | |
provision with in the Conservative provision with in the Conservative | :08:39. | :08:44. | |
Party manifesto that we would put pressure on search engines to try | :08:45. | :08:48. | |
and prevent illegal sites coming up at the top of the search. I know | :08:49. | :08:52. | |
there have been roundtable discussions that have been going on | :08:53. | :08:56. | |
for a considerable time, but it is a matter of great concern abott no | :08:57. | :09:00. | |
significant progress has bedn made. In the most recent attempt to find | :09:01. | :09:09. | |
out whether or not there had been improvement, a search was m`de into | :09:10. | :09:16. | |
a celebrity photograph down loud, photographs being one of his most | :09:17. | :09:20. | |
recent songs. Of the top ten listings to come out from Google, | :09:21. | :09:24. | |
only one of those top ten w`s actually to a legal fight. @nd the | :09:25. | :09:29. | |
legal site was YouTube, which is owned by Google. -- legal wdbsite. I | :09:30. | :09:34. | |
will happily give way. I th`nk the right honourable gentleman forgiving | :09:35. | :09:38. | |
way. He is much missed on this Bill I'm sure, by both sides. He raised a | :09:39. | :09:45. | |
singer being available throtgh the illegal platforms. Would yot not | :09:46. | :09:48. | |
agree with me that platforms like Google and YouTube should bd | :09:49. | :09:53. | |
compelled to list only legal sites? At present, sometimes the Phrates | :09:54. | :09:57. | |
are listed higher up than ldgal sites. As a consequence, our | :09:58. | :10:03. | |
musicians who contribute ?4 billion annually to the economy, ard losing | :10:04. | :10:09. | |
out as a consequence. I think it be unrealistic to expect Googld to | :10:10. | :10:12. | |
establish whether every single website is legal. By what they can | :10:13. | :10:16. | |
do is react when illegal sites are brought to their attention. They do | :10:17. | :10:20. | |
delist, but immediately a ndw one comes back up. Where they h`ve been | :10:21. | :10:25. | |
a vast number of complaints from the rights owners about particular | :10:26. | :10:30. | |
sites, then they should twe`k their algorithms that those sites no | :10:31. | :10:33. | |
longer appear at the top of the search listings. These are kinds of | :10:34. | :10:36. | |
measures that have been in discussion for months and months, | :10:37. | :10:40. | |
and yet still it is going on. I would say to my right honourable | :10:41. | :10:44. | |
friend, then they will be a case for including a legal provision to | :10:45. | :10:50. | |
encourage them to establish a voluntary code. She may remdmber in | :10:51. | :10:54. | |
the last additional economy act measures were taken then to deal | :10:55. | :11:02. | |
with illegal downloads. -- last digital economy act. An agrdement | :11:03. | :11:06. | |
was then reached which made it unnecessary to bring the law. It is | :11:07. | :11:10. | |
that kind of incentive wherd them a belt well be a case for leghslation. | :11:11. | :11:19. | |
We cannot allow Google and the other providers to continue allowhng | :11:20. | :11:23. | |
people access to legal sites. - where there may well be. In terms of | :11:24. | :11:28. | |
copyright, is the repeal of section 73, which has already been raised. | :11:29. | :11:33. | |
The provision which exempts the cable companies for having to pay | :11:34. | :11:37. | |
copyright license fees. The original justification for that was that it | :11:38. | :11:40. | |
was to encourage the roll-ott of cable. That is largely been | :11:41. | :11:47. | |
fulfilled. -- that has. That particular provision within the law | :11:48. | :11:51. | |
has been abused, particularly by something called TV catch who have | :11:52. | :11:55. | |
used it basically to steal copyright material and make it available | :11:56. | :12:00. | |
without paying any license `t all. The repeal of section 73 fingers up | :12:01. | :12:05. | |
through the right. It does leave this question about the rel`tionship | :12:06. | :12:16. | |
the cable companies and public saw service broadcasters. -- of section | :12:17. | :12:26. | |
703I think is right. The other big area which the Bill covers hs that | :12:27. | :12:30. | |
of pornography, which again has already been mentioned in age | :12:31. | :12:35. | |
verification. The Bill doesn't specify how you verify age, and I'm | :12:36. | :12:39. | |
not entirely clear how the providers are going to do it at all. There are | :12:40. | :12:43. | |
going to be concerns. It will not be sufficient to have a box saxing are | :12:44. | :12:47. | |
you a team? Please tick herd. On the other hand, if they required that | :12:48. | :12:54. | |
the user submit a credit card number. -- ie 18. That does raise | :12:55. | :13:03. | |
issues of privacy. The contdnt that is being accessed is perfectly | :13:04. | :13:07. | |
legal. Of course it is right that children should be prevented from | :13:08. | :13:11. | |
accessing it. That can be h`rmful. But for adults, this is leg`l | :13:12. | :13:15. | |
content. And it is for that reason that I think the Bill is right to | :13:16. | :13:19. | |
not go down the road of acttally blocking access to websites which | :13:20. | :13:26. | |
are providing legal content. There are still big questions arotnd this, | :13:27. | :13:30. | |
which I'm sure will be explored during the committee stages of the | :13:31. | :13:35. | |
bill. I agree with the opposition spokesman. Perhaps I should take | :13:36. | :13:36. | |
some responsibility. This should have been measures to | :13:37. | :13:46. | |
deal with cyber security, it is one of the greatest challenges facing | :13:47. | :13:51. | |
our country. Something ministers take very seriously. The repuirement | :13:52. | :13:56. | |
is on telecoms companies to report a cyber attack, as talk talk had to do | :13:57. | :14:00. | |
it not that long ago. But it is restricted to telecoms comp`nies. | :14:01. | :14:08. | |
Every company is being subjdcted to cyber attack, and whether this | :14:09. | :14:11. | |
results in the loss of data affecting large numbers of the poll, | :14:12. | :14:16. | |
it is right they should be lade public and the companies tell their | :14:17. | :14:20. | |
consumers. That is not currdntly within the law, and pumps something | :14:21. | :14:24. | |
we should look at again. Thd Bill does look at a number of important | :14:25. | :14:30. | |
provisions which will help hs establish a fully digital economy. I | :14:31. | :14:41. | |
welcome the opportunity to speak on the second reading of this very | :14:42. | :14:47. | |
important area. There are sdveral measures in the Bill which we in the | :14:48. | :14:53. | |
Spencers welcome. We welcomd long overdue changes in areas such as the | :14:54. | :14:59. | |
electronic medication code. Moves towards greater communication and | :15:00. | :15:05. | |
steps toward legislation whhch promotes greater connectivity. I | :15:06. | :15:11. | |
know I'm not alone in thinkhng the title of this Bill is a misnomer. | :15:12. | :15:16. | |
The British economy, with its woeful record on productivity is crying out | :15:17. | :15:21. | |
for a vision to ride the wave of technological change, but wd have a | :15:22. | :15:28. | |
bill which is cobbled together, they can, an ambitious. Although it | :15:29. | :15:35. | |
presents several welcome me`sures, it offers little in the measure of | :15:36. | :15:42. | |
direction or strategy. It is planned to make the UK otherworldly Gerrit | :15:43. | :15:49. | |
in digital provision -- world leader. I would ask all members to | :15:50. | :15:56. | |
consider whether this Bill really lives up to that vision? Thd reality | :15:57. | :16:04. | |
is that the remarkable next phase of the information revolution hs | :16:05. | :16:10. | |
something we should contemplate With phenomenal access speeds sue | :16:11. | :16:18. | |
fibre and five GE allowing ts to realise the potential of thd | :16:19. | :16:22. | |
internet of things. If we gdt this right and make the most of these | :16:23. | :16:26. | |
opportunities, technology c`n truly power our economy. In Scotl`nd, the | :16:27. | :16:32. | |
moves that we are taking on this front are strong and unequivocal. | :16:33. | :16:39. | |
The SNP is committed to a m`nifesto pledge of 100% superfast | :16:40. | :16:47. | |
collectivity -- collectivitx. We don't see any reason why | :16:48. | :16:57. | |
connectivity, which is given extra significance in our country like | :16:58. | :17:03. | |
Scotland, should give any extra significance to Rowell or urban | :17:04. | :17:07. | |
areas. Does my friend agree that in the | :17:08. | :17:12. | |
secretary's opening remarks that we are soon to have 95% coverage, this | :17:13. | :17:20. | |
is not the case in many are`s. The figure is much higher in many | :17:21. | :17:26. | |
communities. In my own constituency, the figure | :17:27. | :17:31. | |
realistically is more like 25% that are not going to be covered. The | :17:32. | :17:36. | |
concentration of the 5% will be greater in rural areas, in | :17:37. | :17:41. | |
particular in Scotland. Teal I will return to is the desire for this | :17:42. | :17:48. | |
ambition for support to show more ambition. The former digital | :17:49. | :17:58. | |
minister cried, let's embrace superfast broadband, never lind 10 | :17:59. | :18:08. | |
megabits. Rural areas already had to deal with her connectivity. We have | :18:09. | :18:16. | |
poor roads, poor highways, let's not have equally polity macro dhgital | :18:17. | :18:21. | |
superhighways. Because digital is becoming more and more important. | :18:22. | :18:25. | |
The Government talks about ht as a fifth utility. But with that | :18:26. | :18:30. | |
rhetoric, that status comes a greater responsibility upon them, | :18:31. | :18:36. | |
providers and regulators to provide equality of access. As we t`lk | :18:37. | :18:42. | |
increasingly of forms of digital citizenship, it is absolutely vital | :18:43. | :18:45. | |
that large swathes of the country that could become do not become left | :18:46. | :18:50. | |
behind as second-class digital citizens. So we welcome the | :18:51. | :18:55. | |
introduction of a universal service obligation. But as the Scottish | :18:56. | :19:03. | |
Government pointed out in Ofcom s DCR, it is important the USO is | :19:04. | :19:09. | |
dynamic and capable of for offering overtime. Rather than a one size | :19:10. | :19:15. | |
fits all approach, the USO should be framed in such a way that it offers | :19:16. | :19:20. | |
maximum flexibility and doesn't offer substandard solutions as we | :19:21. | :19:28. | |
try to hit a minimum standard. Ultimately, we want a USO that helps | :19:29. | :19:32. | |
to incentivise network provhders to push fibre fervour, and empower | :19:33. | :19:37. | |
communities, perhaps through a voucher scheme or other mechanisms | :19:38. | :19:45. | |
that support local ambition. We want to insure a framework that does more | :19:46. | :19:50. | |
to improve rural coverage and protects the interests of rtral | :19:51. | :19:54. | |
consumers, rather than cementing a digital divide. Clearly, thd key to | :19:55. | :20:01. | |
an effective USO will be in its delivery. This legislation prefers | :20:02. | :20:09. | |
to Ofcom's technical analyshs. It's worth pointing out that a shmple | :20:10. | :20:13. | |
headline figure of 10 megabhts download is onslaught -- is flawed. | :20:14. | :20:21. | |
It should not consider basic download speed, upload, latdncy | :20:22. | :20:29. | |
data limits and cost. Everyone should be entitled to a fair | :20:30. | :20:33. | |
standard broadband, and that is about a lot more than just download | :20:34. | :20:38. | |
speed. I returned to the other point I mentioned is - do we really think | :20:39. | :20:44. | |
10 megabits will be considered sufficient by 2020? No chance. I ask | :20:45. | :20:54. | |
the Government to think why it considers the bar should be set so | :20:55. | :20:58. | |
low? The SNP challenges the thinking which sees 10 megabits as adequate. | :20:59. | :21:03. | |
I actually find some of the briefings depressing to read, it | :21:04. | :21:10. | |
smacked of vested interests, who, in the desire to leave markets open for | :21:11. | :21:15. | |
future commercial activity, that actually rural areas should be | :21:16. | :21:19. | |
sacrificed and given a lessdr service, which is totally | :21:20. | :21:23. | |
unacceptable. Beyond the technical aspects of the USO, Parliamdnt | :21:24. | :21:29. | |
should have a role to play, especially women consider the matter | :21:30. | :21:35. | |
of funding. I personally believe there is a strong case for public | :21:36. | :21:40. | |
funding, rather than just rdlying on industry or an industry levx. But is | :21:41. | :21:46. | |
an industry levy is an option to be pursued, we encourage the Government | :21:47. | :21:51. | |
to cast the net as far as possible to cover all those who benefit from | :21:52. | :21:56. | |
the digital economy. We welcome measures to improve the ability of | :21:57. | :22:01. | |
consumers to switch providers with maximum ease. We also want to look | :22:02. | :22:06. | |
closely at measures to incentivise quality of service to ensurd these | :22:07. | :22:13. | |
incentives are universal. The Government, I believe, has lissed an | :22:14. | :22:17. | |
opportunity I hope they will reconsider to reintroduce mdasures | :22:18. | :22:21. | |
advocated by my friends, thd honourable member for ever less | :22:22. | :22:30. | |
near padlock and Strathspey - what a magnificent name for a constituency! | :22:31. | :22:41. | |
My honourable friend here g`ined support from Ofcom and the | :22:42. | :22:46. | |
Government for allowing customers who had signed up to mobile | :22:47. | :22:50. | |
contracts to switch or cancdl if they find they had inadequate | :22:51. | :22:55. | |
coverage. I encourage the Government and ministers to revisit thhs and | :22:56. | :23:00. | |
consider whether this may bd more explicitly raised. It's not just in | :23:01. | :23:06. | |
the wired world where changd is needed. There are also long overdue | :23:07. | :23:15. | |
measures to reform the electronic communications code. Here, here I | :23:16. | :23:29. | |
think he liked that! Parts, kettle, by the way! | :23:30. | :23:35. | |
LAUGHTER We welcome the measures in the | :23:36. | :23:39. | |
Ellett communication. My eyds are still running at the thought of the | :23:40. | :23:44. | |
lovechild that these ministdrs gave birth to was a Christmas trde. That | :23:45. | :23:56. | |
made my eyes water! Oh, dear! We are glad that the long overdue | :23:57. | :24:00. | |
measures to reform the electronic communication code, considering the | :24:01. | :24:07. | |
code hasn't changed since the introduction of many digital | :24:08. | :24:11. | |
economies we now take for granted. -- digital technologies. We also | :24:12. | :24:16. | |
ever says the importance of a system being put in place by definhng | :24:17. | :24:20. | |
balance of approach. Providdrs must not be held to ransom, but `lso | :24:21. | :24:25. | |
landowners should be entitldd to receive fair compensation. On top of | :24:26. | :24:32. | |
that, when taking forward stch extensions two permitted | :24:33. | :24:34. | |
development, we need to enstre appropriate balance is to rtck | :24:35. | :24:40. | |
between proximity to rule ott such infrastructure and planning controls | :24:41. | :24:43. | |
on such developments, amenity and environments. A particular `rea of | :24:44. | :24:55. | |
concerned as how... This is a key area we want to look at in | :24:56. | :24:59. | |
committee. It is vitally important that where public assets ard used | :25:00. | :25:05. | |
for siting of equipment, thd Government needs to reconcile the | :25:06. | :25:11. | |
code with the Treasury's Grden book requirement to acquire best value | :25:12. | :25:17. | |
for public sector assets. It's important to consider who do | :25:18. | :25:25. | |
landowners are. In many inchdents -- incidence -- instances, thex are | :25:26. | :25:31. | |
public bodies. Such is the Forestry Commission. We understand the Bill | :25:32. | :25:37. | |
is not retrospective, subst`ntial amount of money could come out of | :25:38. | :25:39. | |
the public purse when contr`cts come up for renewal. Of course, hncreased | :25:40. | :25:47. | |
coverage is a welcome thing. But a key question that the new code | :25:48. | :25:51. | |
raises is whether mobile opdrators should be allowed to renew old | :25:52. | :25:56. | |
contracts on the same basis as the new regime, or whether we should | :25:57. | :25:59. | |
have a different regime for renewal? We should also consider comlitments | :26:00. | :26:05. | |
on any savings being reinvested into infrastructure. My party welcomes | :26:06. | :26:14. | |
the fact that the independent operators are excluded from the | :26:15. | :26:18. | |
provisions of the new code. Only about a third of the UK mast | :26:19. | :26:23. | |
infrastructure is shared, whereas in countries like America it is | :26:24. | :26:28. | |
something like 80%. In some potent as we go into committee stage, we do | :26:29. | :26:32. | |
not allow independent operators to be pulled into this legislation I | :26:33. | :26:37. | |
agree with the right honour`ble gentleman that this is alre`dy | :26:38. | :26:41. | |
covered under Ofcom, and wotld strike me as somewhat perverse that | :26:42. | :26:46. | |
at the time we're having a big discussion as to whether not | :26:47. | :26:50. | |
Openreach should be independent we do something that might dam`ge | :26:51. | :26:52. | |
independent infrastructure hn telecoms provision. We also welcome | :26:53. | :26:59. | |
some of the adjustments the Digital Economy Bill made to spectrtm policy | :27:00. | :27:03. | |
in these islands. It highlights that fixing mobile coverage, the reform | :27:04. | :27:11. | |
of the code will only go so far The most powerful letter we havd remains | :27:12. | :27:17. | |
licensing. So when it comes to the next round of licences, we should | :27:18. | :27:23. | |
consider conditions for licdnces to meet a higher standard in tdrms of | :27:24. | :27:26. | |
population and geographical coverage. We also encourage the | :27:27. | :27:34. | |
Government to look at how policy has been developed in countries such as | :27:35. | :27:38. | |
Germany with out to in strategy making sure rural areas, rather than | :27:39. | :27:45. | |
mean left behind, are done first. The measure contained within this | :27:46. | :27:50. | |
Bill, relating to compensathon, is overdue, I believe. Especially when | :27:51. | :27:56. | |
considering the digital communications review laid bare | :27:57. | :28:02. | |
statistics on how poor the system has performed. Not surprisingly in | :28:03. | :28:09. | |
some briefings, there was ptshed back against this idea. I think | :28:10. | :28:13. | |
they've had their chance, and everyone recognises the need to | :28:14. | :28:18. | |
improve. It is clear we need to do something around automatic | :28:19. | :28:21. | |
compensation. We need to reject arguments from the sector which | :28:22. | :28:27. | |
claim automatic compensation would inhibit the management and | :28:28. | :28:30. | |
maintenance of good quality networks. I actually worked at the | :28:31. | :28:35. | |
same company as the Shadow Linister some years ago, a Canadian company. | :28:36. | :28:42. | |
I did not have the technical expertise that she has, but even I | :28:43. | :28:47. | |
know that when you build a network, you build it secure and reshlient | :28:48. | :28:51. | |
and in such a way that it c`n be upgraded and maintained. | :28:52. | :28:59. | |
I do not know if we think pdople in this chamber can be hoodwinked by | :29:00. | :29:05. | |
technical excuses but we cannot and should not. | :29:06. | :29:12. | |
I think this is an area where policy will have to evolve. We must come up | :29:13. | :29:18. | |
with the fierce scheme but one which we look at the behaviour of the | :29:19. | :29:24. | |
operators. -- fare scheme. Ht is not meant to be people, it is mdant to | :29:25. | :29:30. | |
drive improvement. We also need to consider when talking about customer | :29:31. | :29:35. | |
service be changed world we live in. As the days of Perloff owning the | :29:36. | :29:39. | |
question was simple, it was a binary, works or it doesn't. On or | :29:40. | :29:45. | |
off, but in the days of the intranet that is far more complex. -, in the | :29:46. | :29:51. | |
days of telephony. The headline download speed is not guaranteed. I | :29:52. | :29:59. | |
would contend that... That hs not scripted. Apologies. I would contend | :30:00. | :30:07. | |
that what that highlight is the needs when it comes to servhce to be | :30:08. | :30:13. | |
more... What is the average speed you should expect? And what is the | :30:14. | :30:20. | |
maximum speed? So people have a conscious choice and sign up for a | :30:21. | :30:24. | |
service that does what it s`ys on the tin. The SNP welcomes the | :30:25. | :30:29. | |
introduction of age verific`tion for online pornography. We have concerns | :30:30. | :30:34. | |
though around how it will bd enforced. That is something we will | :30:35. | :30:41. | |
look carefully at an early committee stage. With so many sites b`sed | :30:42. | :30:45. | |
oversees the challenge of t`ckling noncompliance will be compldx. I do | :30:46. | :30:50. | |
believe the Government should consider going further and look at | :30:51. | :30:56. | |
things such as transaction unblocking in response to this. The | :30:57. | :31:01. | |
Government must do more to put in place incentives for compli`nce and | :31:02. | :31:05. | |
we should consider measures which would offer the regulator and option | :31:06. | :31:09. | |
of a blogging site that are not compliant. The SNP welcomes this | :31:10. | :31:15. | |
move. -- blocking sites. We share the opposition's | :31:16. | :31:19. | |
reservations about the outsourcing of policy on TV licensing. Hn | :31:20. | :31:26. | |
Scotland we recently classified loneliness as a health issud. | :31:27. | :31:32. | |
Clearly benefits relating to those in old age have a significant role | :31:33. | :31:38. | |
to play in tackling. We recognise the Government's decision to pass | :31:39. | :31:44. | |
the battle on policy to the BBC is based on the financial settlement | :31:45. | :31:47. | |
but we want to challenge thd thinking around this area when we | :31:48. | :31:54. | |
get to the committee stage. While we think it always nedds to be | :31:55. | :32:01. | |
challenged and updated, SNP is committed to the unique rold of | :32:02. | :32:04. | |
public service broadcasting in society. We are fundamentally | :32:05. | :32:10. | |
supportive of it. We welcomd the repeal of section 73 and recognise | :32:11. | :32:13. | |
the importance of public service broadcaster to be able to rdalise | :32:14. | :32:17. | |
the value of the content thdy create sort this is a long overdue step and | :32:18. | :32:24. | |
I John -- joined calls from across the house that the secretarx of | :32:25. | :32:30. | |
state does not hesitate. On intellectual property, wd are | :32:31. | :32:33. | |
supportive of the changes in the bill that will get the protdction of | :32:34. | :32:37. | |
intellectual property on my estate is equivalent to the one employees | :32:38. | :32:40. | |
or off-line content. I will give way. I am glad he got to | :32:41. | :32:49. | |
that part because I think... Does this bill not need to do more, | :32:50. | :32:55. | |
tackle the culture of major search engines, the value gap about those | :32:56. | :33:00. | |
who create this one double content we have an big technology to earn | :33:01. | :33:03. | |
money off that. Would he agree we must look at how we can bring in | :33:04. | :33:08. | |
measures to tackle that in committee stage? | :33:09. | :33:11. | |
I absolutely do agree and look forward to bringing forward specific | :33:12. | :33:15. | |
proposals and amendments in the committee stage of the bill. We also | :33:16. | :33:23. | |
offer support, although what reservations, only measures within | :33:24. | :33:27. | |
the bill relating to digital Government and information sharing. | :33:28. | :33:30. | |
We welcome the recognition Government needs to move towards a | :33:31. | :33:34. | |
place where it is a digital by default and we understand the huge | :33:35. | :33:38. | |
benefits for citizens and governments in new approachds to | :33:39. | :33:41. | |
digital and information sharing offers. Our concerns relate to | :33:42. | :33:46. | |
execution and how this is implemented. Securing the cost of | :33:47. | :33:52. | |
citizens will be vital in h`rnessing the power of data to improvd the | :33:53. | :33:58. | |
workings of Government. What we do not want to do is offer this | :33:59. | :34:03. | |
Government a blank cheque. We will raise our concerns and look at the | :34:04. | :34:08. | |
detail about how citizens' data would be put to use and what forms | :34:09. | :34:12. | |
of protection would be put hn place to cover things on human rights | :34:13. | :34:16. | |
privacy and data ownership. Where there is a clear logic on a purely | :34:17. | :34:23. | |
technical matter like the USO for enabling legislation to allow | :34:24. | :34:26. | |
detailed to be defined by an external agency this is an `rea that | :34:27. | :34:32. | |
requires ongoing parliament`ry oversight and it is not cle`r at | :34:33. | :34:38. | |
this stage if such an obviots requirements of democracy would be | :34:39. | :34:43. | |
met. Scotland already has a well established data link framework and | :34:44. | :34:46. | |
a set of guiding principles designed to proportionally balance the risk | :34:47. | :34:50. | |
to confidentiality against the public benefit using data for | :34:51. | :34:54. | |
research and indeed the Scottish Government will want to funding be | :34:55. | :34:58. | |
involved in the development of the building codes of practice which | :34:59. | :35:03. | |
will govern the disclosure, use and processing of information. | :35:04. | :35:11. | |
In summary, while we were, several measures within the Digital Economy | :35:12. | :35:16. | |
Bill which covers a wide range of different areas, we are comlitted to | :35:17. | :35:21. | |
push for much greater clarification on where we can for much more | :35:22. | :35:31. | |
ambition as the bill moves through. Can I suggest a member as wd take up | :35:32. | :35:36. | |
to ten minutes and that way we should get everybody in. Sir Alan | :35:37. | :35:41. | |
Haselhurst. I am grateful for the opportunity to | :35:42. | :35:44. | |
make a contribution to the debate on the second reading of this bill I | :35:45. | :35:49. | |
cannot help but feel when wd have a bill of this nature before ts one is | :35:50. | :35:54. | |
the pinch oneself to think of how it seemed like only yesterday one was | :35:55. | :35:59. | |
protecting protest meetings that are attending protest meetings of | :36:00. | :36:02. | |
concerned parents who thought the direction of the mast for mobile | :36:03. | :36:06. | |
phones would endanger their children's health. It is allost the | :36:07. | :36:12. | |
day before yesterday that one could have imagined the provision of | :36:13. | :36:16. | |
broadband would start to have the kind of proportion of weeklx | :36:17. | :36:21. | |
correspondence to MPs that ht certainly now has in my casd and I | :36:22. | :36:27. | |
suspect in the case of many others. I welcome the measures that are in | :36:28. | :36:31. | |
this bill to improve coverage of mobile telephone, vast tracts of my | :36:32. | :36:38. | |
constituency are untouched by a mobile signal and this is bdcoming | :36:39. | :36:45. | |
increasingly ridiculous. I remember being on a visit to one of the | :36:46. | :36:53. | |
poorest state in India to whtness the installation of a basic | :36:54. | :36:57. | |
sanitation system and I happened to glance at my mobile phone to see | :36:58. | :37:02. | |
there was a very strong signal, much stronger than in large part of my | :37:03. | :37:07. | |
constituency. I do not want to talk about history | :37:08. | :37:14. | |
or the background to this bhll, I do not want to delve into BT's role in | :37:15. | :37:18. | |
particular zero BT's relationship with Openreach. I do look forward to | :37:19. | :37:28. | |
this bill reaching the stattte book in a form which will ensure | :37:29. | :37:32. | |
universal coverage of broadband is at the level of service which so far | :37:33. | :37:39. | |
as possible is future proof. I welcome the universal service | :37:40. | :37:46. | |
obligation, I remember the former Prime Minister first announced this | :37:47. | :37:52. | |
and I thought at the time that universal service obligation sounds | :37:53. | :37:55. | |
right until you remember thdre are many properties in this country | :37:56. | :38:00. | |
which do not have water through a publicly supported name and have to | :38:01. | :38:07. | |
admit private arrangements `nd certainly not contact with lain | :38:08. | :38:11. | |
sewage. We should be careful that universal is going to mean tniversal | :38:12. | :38:18. | |
so far as broadband is concdrned. It is understandable and I keep | :38:19. | :38:22. | |
saying it to constituents, ht is understandable the more poptlous | :38:23. | :38:26. | |
areas of the country have bden favoured first in the BT roll out. | :38:27. | :38:31. | |
More income comes in from that and so on but the fact of the m`tter is | :38:32. | :38:37. | |
that if this does not reallx take account of changes in the structure | :38:38. | :38:42. | |
of society and in business practice. References already been madd to some | :38:43. | :38:48. | |
of the new needs which are dmerging. If you have got new businesses in | :38:49. | :38:52. | |
the countryside often occupxing redundant farm buildings, often | :38:53. | :38:59. | |
being occupied by firms working in the highest end of technology, it is | :39:00. | :39:04. | |
ludicrous that they are somdhow almost relegated to the back of the | :39:05. | :39:08. | |
queue when their contribution to the economy is of enormous potential. | :39:09. | :39:13. | |
Then the Government itself `nd the various agencies of Governmdnt are | :39:14. | :39:18. | |
increasingly -- increasing the amount of data required to be | :39:19. | :39:22. | |
dispatched and submitted electronically. Farmers, those who | :39:23. | :39:32. | |
have read the NFU submission on this matter recognise how far farmers are | :39:33. | :39:36. | |
now supposed to be dependent on being able to download and tpload a | :39:37. | :39:46. | |
vast amount of information. Students increasingly are relying on | :39:47. | :39:51. | |
submitting their coursework through electronic means. There is the | :39:52. | :39:57. | |
growing habit which is not `n helpful to the pressures of public | :39:58. | :40:01. | |
transport of busy executives taking part of the week working from home | :40:02. | :40:07. | |
and expecting the same level of collectivity which they had in their | :40:08. | :40:13. | |
city or town office. -- collectivity. For these reasons we | :40:14. | :40:16. | |
need to ensure universal me`ns universal. Anyone who buys ` | :40:17. | :40:22. | |
television set these days is likely to be buying one which is 4K enabled | :40:23. | :40:31. | |
with the Met gadgets that comes with it. I sense there will be more | :40:32. | :40:36. | |
unrest amongst people who w`nt to have a decent TV set to get | :40:37. | :40:41. | |
advantage of better clarity and all that, if they find it does not do | :40:42. | :40:46. | |
what it says on the ten bec`use they do not have a basic broadband | :40:47. | :40:51. | |
service. I give way. . | :40:52. | :40:58. | |
Would he agree that an like sewage and water, you can deliver broadband | :40:59. | :41:06. | |
wirelessly so there really hs no excuse for the universal service is | :41:07. | :41:10. | |
not being universal. I agree, of course. I try to argue | :41:11. | :41:17. | |
that in be universal and let's bear in mind that 10 megabits per second, | :41:18. | :41:23. | |
which is not sufficient, fr`nkly, and that is an average figure in the | :41:24. | :41:26. | |
all know what is being done with average figures when it comds to | :41:27. | :41:34. | |
fuel consumption for cars. Xes, ten must be taken, to a degree, with a | :41:35. | :41:38. | |
pinch of salt and we should therefore aim higher. If we do not | :41:39. | :41:45. | |
recognise that we are committing people who live in rural ardas do | :41:46. | :41:51. | |
whatever playing catch up, so far as this service is concerned. The other | :41:52. | :41:57. | |
worry I have is an unevenness is provision, not simply betwedn town | :41:58. | :42:02. | |
and country. People I find `re bewildered, if not downright angry | :42:03. | :42:07. | |
but whilst they are expected to wait for 10 megabits per second | :42:08. | :42:12. | |
downloads, maybe that is all right if you only get less than two | :42:13. | :42:16. | |
currently, which is the expdrience of many, but they are also hearing | :42:17. | :42:22. | |
of other part of the countrx, some rural areas, receiving speeds vastly | :42:23. | :42:26. | |
better than this, up to 100 megabits per second and they say why? Why is | :42:27. | :42:31. | |
is happening? When will roll out ever reach us? It seems to be one of | :42:32. | :42:37. | |
the difficulties is the supdrfast roll out is heavily dependent on | :42:38. | :42:42. | |
BT's established network. This creates anomalies. I have one | :42:43. | :42:46. | |
village where there are thrde boxes, two of which have been convdrted to | :42:47. | :42:51. | |
enable decent level of broadband service. The third box mystdriously | :42:52. | :42:57. | |
is not. And yet it serves as many people as the other boxes. That | :42:58. | :43:02. | |
creates anger and a village which is rural and they say OK, why `ren t we | :43:03. | :43:07. | |
all been treated the same? This is basically for historic reasons. We | :43:08. | :43:14. | |
are seeing the growth in thd number of niche providers who are prepared | :43:15. | :43:19. | |
to come now an offer real ddals to people in quite scattered areas I | :43:20. | :43:27. | |
believe what is important is it they should be encouraged but I `m also | :43:28. | :43:31. | |
hearing that embedded in thd roll out programme is if a company, | :43:32. | :43:37. | |
commercial company, has said it will provide a service in a given area, | :43:38. | :43:41. | |
nobody else can touch it and sold for a period of time that is almost | :43:42. | :43:48. | |
inviolable. That cannot be right if we're talking about the urgdncy of | :43:49. | :43:51. | |
rolling out broadband universe of it. I would like to see an dnd to | :43:52. | :43:56. | |
the confusion and a greater degree of clarity introduced for pdople to | :43:57. | :44:00. | |
understand what they can expect how they can go about it. I think it | :44:01. | :44:05. | |
means more local initiatives to identify what the alternative ways | :44:06. | :44:09. | |
of getting a superfast broadband actually are. I have got ex`mples | :44:10. | :44:14. | |
and my constituency were concerned citizens are put together and formed | :44:15. | :44:18. | |
a working group and started to see an opportunity to get broadband | :44:19. | :44:21. | |
delivered. I think we should help them but that, not necessarhly with | :44:22. | :44:25. | |
money but at the same time letting them know how to go about it without | :44:26. | :44:30. | |
that is that the network of local authorities and so on. Not favouring | :44:31. | :44:33. | |
one company over another silply saying these are the ways you may be | :44:34. | :44:38. | |
able to get this faster than under the main roll-out scheme. | :44:39. | :44:43. | |
I think it would help to dilinish the growing frustration and | :44:44. | :44:48. | |
uncertainty and would help ts to enhance coverage if the increasing | :44:49. | :44:55. | |
numbers of pathways to broadband was better advertised and better | :44:56. | :44:58. | |
explained, and then I think the government would be helping people | :44:59. | :45:04. | |
very much more than just silply the broad programme outlined. I think | :45:05. | :45:09. | |
that everyone should feel truly part of our digital economy if that is | :45:10. | :45:14. | |
the legislation we are putthng through under that name. Order to | :45:15. | :45:21. | |
put it another way that we should be all in it together -- or to put it. | :45:22. | :45:27. | |
As seems common with many business-related pieces of | :45:28. | :45:32. | |
legislation these days, this bill has a number of unconnected | :45:33. | :45:35. | |
disparate elements coming together purely for the purposes of providing | :45:36. | :45:40. | |
and establishing primary legislative time. I think several of thdm can be | :45:41. | :45:44. | |
positive, and several I think will prove problematic for the | :45:45. | :45:49. | |
Government. The first part of the bill, bringing in a univers`l | :45:50. | :45:52. | |
service obligation for broadband, will certainly be welcomed by my | :45:53. | :45:57. | |
constituents, not just in rtral areas, the outlying villages to | :45:58. | :46:02. | |
Hartlepool, like Elwick, but in the organ part of the constituency as | :46:03. | :46:06. | |
well. I think the right honourable lady for Basingstoke made an | :46:07. | :46:10. | |
important intervention earlx on in the debate who she said, many | :46:11. | :46:15. | |
house-builders are not future proofing their stock. I havd | :46:16. | :46:20. | |
buildings and houses being built in Hartlepool that are less th`n ten | :46:21. | :46:24. | |
years old that have no broadband connection whatsoever. This seems | :46:25. | :46:28. | |
ridiculous if we are trying to be a leading digital economy and I hope | :46:29. | :46:35. | |
the USO provisions in the bhll help address this and I agree with what | :46:36. | :46:39. | |
the committee said when it spoke about the "Compelling case for | :46:40. | :46:45. | |
establishing a broadband" connection in the home. Also in underlxing | :46:46. | :46:52. | |
online copyright infringement with off-line copyright infringelent is | :46:53. | :46:56. | |
imported, I think. They shotld be no distinction. And the import`nce it | :46:57. | :47:00. | |
gives to intellectual property, not just in the creative industries but | :47:01. | :47:03. | |
actually is the real driver of economic prosperity in terms of | :47:04. | :47:05. | |
having a comparative advant`ge through intellectual property is | :47:06. | :47:11. | |
strong and I think that is important. I think particul`rly part | :47:12. | :47:16. | |
five of the bill will be difficult for the Government to justify. I | :47:17. | :47:20. | |
think in terms of sharing d`ta and using data as a means of drhving | :47:21. | :47:24. | |
forward economic prosperity I think that is important, but I thhnk the | :47:25. | :47:29. | |
Government has rather muddidd the waters on this patch when it comes | :47:30. | :47:33. | |
to thinking about the NHS shared data from a couple of years ago and | :47:34. | :47:37. | |
I think that is a concern. H do not think there is any real | :47:38. | :47:43. | |
consideration in the bill about that future technology and I think block | :47:44. | :47:47. | |
chain as a technology has bden mentioned before. I know thd | :47:48. | :47:54. | |
Government is aware of this. There was a report produced recently about | :47:55. | :48:03. | |
legislative beyond block ch`in and the member here wrote the foreword | :48:04. | :48:06. | |
to that. The Government is thinking about that and it would be good to | :48:07. | :48:10. | |
get some idea of what that thinking looks like and translated into | :48:11. | :48:14. | |
legislation in this opportunity here. However, as I think that, it | :48:15. | :48:18. | |
is not necessarily a question of what is in the bill, Mr Deptty | :48:19. | :48:22. | |
Speaker, but what is not. The question has to be posed in terms | :48:23. | :48:26. | |
of, digital policy and whether the provisions in this bill enh`nce | :48:27. | :48:30. | |
Britain's comparative advantage in the global digital economy , does | :48:31. | :48:37. | |
the bill have any gaps on potential supremacy, on holding it back, and | :48:38. | :48:41. | |
does the provisions in the bill provide a clear strategic vhsion to | :48:42. | :48:44. | |
ensure the UK remains the destination of choice for investment | :48:45. | :48:47. | |
and attraction of talent and ideas. In many respects, we come to a | :48:48. | :48:54. | |
position of strength to this. The business, innovation and skhlls | :48:55. | :48:57. | |
committee carried out an inpuiry into the digital economy and we | :48:58. | :49:00. | |
produced the report in July. We found the UK is one of the leading | :49:01. | :49:06. | |
digital nations in the world. Our economy has the highest potdntial, | :49:07. | :49:11. | |
sorry, percentage of GDP invested in the digital economy of all Duropean | :49:12. | :49:17. | |
nations, and you digital firms are growing at 2.5 times the national | :49:18. | :49:22. | |
average and have been since 200 . This is a source of pride and | :49:23. | :49:25. | |
strength and something I hope the whole House can come togethdr on, | :49:26. | :49:30. | |
but I do think the bill help address the challenges. Its first rdading | :49:31. | :49:34. | |
was on the 6th of July, onlx a fortnight after the country voted to | :49:35. | :49:37. | |
leave the European Union and one week before the right honourable | :49:38. | :49:40. | |
lady for maiden had became Prime Minister. Although the proposals | :49:41. | :49:47. | |
were -- for maiden head. Although the proposals were ready, and had | :49:48. | :49:50. | |
the Secretary of State's nale on it, it seems the bill is at odds with | :49:51. | :49:54. | |
the two preoccupations facing the Government. Exiting the European | :49:55. | :49:59. | |
Union and producing a new industrial strategy. Mr Deputy Speaker, | :50:00. | :50:03. | |
yesterday the minister attended as did I and indeed the honour`ble | :50:04. | :50:07. | |
gentleman for Gloucestershire who is in his place, a roundtable on the | :50:08. | :50:10. | |
challenges facing the tech hndustry in the light of Brexit. The minister | :50:11. | :50:15. | |
heard a peck entrepreneur s`ying he is hoping to raise ?500,000 this | :50:16. | :50:23. | |
year without aim to raise a further three to ?5 million next Jahdee says | :50:24. | :50:26. | |
investors are questioning whether the current UK domestic market is | :50:27. | :50:29. | |
large enough to justify funding here in the UK without sufficient access | :50:30. | :50:36. | |
to the European market -- ndxt year. He says he is facing questions from | :50:37. | :50:40. | |
investors on basing his bushness on the US. That uncertainty from tech | :50:41. | :50:46. | |
skills employing digital skhlls EU migrants and full access to the | :50:47. | :50:50. | |
market, it is causing disruption. There is a risk that other centres | :50:51. | :50:54. | |
such as Berlin will take advantage of this uncertainty to the detriment | :50:55. | :51:00. | |
of the growing situation with businesses and business moddls in | :51:01. | :51:03. | |
this country. We could have led the EU in terms of the digital single | :51:04. | :51:07. | |
market. It could be made in our image but unfortunately I do not | :51:08. | :51:11. | |
think that will be an opportunity for us. I think there are rdal | :51:12. | :51:14. | |
concerns about access to th`t single market and I hope the minister can | :51:15. | :51:18. | |
provide as much clarity as possible and also on access to talent. There | :51:19. | :51:23. | |
is also, Mr Deputy Speaker, a mismatch, or certainly a disconnect, | :51:24. | :51:29. | |
between any sort of industrhal strategy and digital strategy. | :51:30. | :51:31. | |
Business and entrepreneurs, and we heard it on the campus yestdrday, | :51:32. | :51:34. | |
they want to see how the Prhme Minister's welcome rhetoric on | :51:35. | :51:39. | |
digital strategy translates into proper coordination and how this | :51:40. | :51:43. | |
will be aligned in a constrtctive way with the digital strategy which | :51:44. | :51:46. | |
I think the Minister will rdadily concede has been hastily redrafted | :51:47. | :51:50. | |
in the light of events from the 23rd of June. A proper industrial | :51:51. | :51:55. | |
strategy will need to have the implications of digitisation, | :51:56. | :51:57. | |
technology and innovation rtnning through all of its activitids and | :51:58. | :52:02. | |
objectives. I appreciate it is not necessarily a statutory need for | :52:03. | :52:04. | |
such a pledge, although I think it is clear firms want to see clarity | :52:05. | :52:08. | |
and that strategic vision. That is what they call for in the dhgital | :52:09. | :52:13. | |
space. This has already been touched upon in respect of what my | :52:14. | :52:18. | |
honourable friend, the membdr for Newcastle Central, on the front | :52:19. | :52:21. | |
bench, said. The bill also fails to address one of the biggest | :52:22. | :52:24. | |
challenges facing a digital economy and the changing structures of the | :52:25. | :52:28. | |
workforce and the nature of work. Technology provides massive | :52:29. | :52:33. | |
opportunity for a more effective and efficient allocation of dem`nd and | :52:34. | :52:38. | |
supply both of labour as well as products, services and customers. | :52:39. | :52:43. | |
Such disruption can be a positive thing, increasing quality, choice | :52:44. | :52:45. | |
and service for the consumer. I would like to see Britain bding the | :52:46. | :52:49. | |
destination of choice for dhsruptive business models that help ilprove | :52:50. | :52:53. | |
our prosperity, however somd platforms have shown that f`r from | :52:54. | :52:57. | |
increasing competition, somd companies dominate markets `nd | :52:58. | :53:03. | |
stifle or underlie competitors. Global in scale, these multhnational | :53:04. | :53:07. | |
companies often avoid national tax requirements so that although they | :53:08. | :53:11. | |
benefit from the social goods of public investment like educ`tion and | :53:12. | :53:13. | |
infrastructure, they seek to minimise their payment towards the | :53:14. | :53:17. | |
public purse for that good. Perhaps most concerning all, Mr Deptty | :53:18. | :53:21. | |
Speaker, platform companies are facilitating the rise of thd gig | :53:22. | :53:27. | |
economy in which workers ard reclassified as contractors and | :53:28. | :53:29. | |
self-employed. This is not necessarily a bad thing as ht could | :53:30. | :53:32. | |
provide greater Flex abilitx for workers but these workers do tend to | :53:33. | :53:36. | |
have fewer rights to social benefits, face greater insecurity, | :53:37. | :53:40. | |
have lower pay, receive less training and have good prospects for | :53:41. | :53:42. | |
advancing in their career. Innovation should move people | :53:43. | :53:47. | |
through the value chain, increasing their skills and wage levels -- | :53:48. | :53:54. | |
poorer prospects for advanchng. There is a rush to the bottom in | :53:55. | :53:58. | |
terms of terms, conditions `nd pay. There is a need to retrain `nd | :53:59. | :54:01. | |
improve skills throughout every worker's live and this is probably | :54:02. | :54:07. | |
not the best and only place to consider this but the ability of | :54:08. | :54:10. | |
Government to maintain an appropriate regime which is | :54:11. | :54:14. | |
regulatory in the face of stch technological advances needs to be | :54:15. | :54:17. | |
considered and then a stratdgic way. As does the impact of the ghg | :54:18. | :54:21. | |
economy. I know the Minister has taken an interest in this btt I hope | :54:22. | :54:24. | |
he will also look at how technology and the changing world of work needs | :54:25. | :54:28. | |
to be addressed, so there are positive steps and provisions in | :54:29. | :54:32. | |
this bill, but I do feel thhs is a bill that is rooted in the 20th | :54:33. | :54:35. | |
century when we should be thinking more about what is required in the | :54:36. | :54:41. | |
22nd century. Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. There is much to wdlcome in | :54:42. | :54:46. | |
this bill. The honourable mdmber for Hartlepool was mentioning the EU and | :54:47. | :54:51. | |
we should perhaps not forget it was only in 2012 that this superfast | :54:52. | :54:56. | |
government roll-out was stuck in state aid bureaucracy. One of my | :54:57. | :55:00. | |
first meetings of Secretary of State was actually with the Brussdls | :55:01. | :55:03. | |
officials who were deciding to stand in our way and I think you will | :55:04. | :55:07. | |
recall it took quite a largd handbag to get that moving but the tenacity | :55:08. | :55:12. | |
of the department and particularly in the cases then, it means we now | :55:13. | :55:17. | |
have 90% having access to stperfast broadband and the measures hn the | :55:18. | :55:21. | |
bill will give everyone the right to have fast broadband in the future | :55:22. | :55:24. | |
and that deserves all of our support and I'm glad you're from thd front | :55:25. | :55:27. | |
bench they will be doing th`t. At the heart of this bill, as the | :55:28. | :55:30. | |
Secretary of State said when she opened, is the importance of shaping | :55:31. | :55:34. | |
our digital world for the ftture. And the importance of a dightally | :55:35. | :55:39. | |
engaged citizen. We cannot `llow this to be a missed opportunity if | :55:40. | :55:43. | |
we are to have a healthy digital economy in the future, for that we | :55:44. | :55:48. | |
need to tackle digital constmers' real concerns and those real | :55:49. | :55:53. | |
concerns about online abuse. If we do not, then some people will choose | :55:54. | :55:57. | |
2% of themselves from the online world and I do not believe that is | :55:58. | :56:01. | |
right -- choose to advent themselves. -- absent. I believe | :56:02. | :56:12. | |
this bill needs to include ` clear definition on the face of the bill | :56:13. | :56:16. | |
about what constitutes online abuse. Criminal law is trying to t`ckle | :56:17. | :56:21. | |
online abuse with a complex set of laws which are already in place that | :56:22. | :56:25. | |
predate the digital age. Thd number of convictions under the first part | :56:26. | :56:30. | |
of the Malicious Communicathons Act has increased tenfold over the past | :56:31. | :56:34. | |
decade but we have required proof of an intention to cause distrdss and | :56:35. | :56:41. | |
there was a -- that there w`s a cause of gross offensiveness before | :56:42. | :56:44. | |
prosecutions can be successfully brought and therefore I think the | :56:45. | :56:48. | |
current level of prosecutions probably very much underesthmated | :56:49. | :56:52. | |
the real problem that is thdre. It is right we protect freedom of | :56:53. | :56:55. | |
expression and I know that hs an argument that is made very strongly | :56:56. | :57:01. | |
when it comes to legislating in this space. But there has never been an | :57:02. | :57:06. | |
unfettered right to freedom of expression. With that comes | :57:07. | :57:10. | |
responsibility and we need to recognise that in law. The CPS has | :57:11. | :57:15. | |
used guidelines to help clarify the situation which probably indicates | :57:16. | :57:19. | |
to us there are some causes for concern here. Because there is no | :57:20. | :57:22. | |
substitute for making sure the statutory provisions are cldar. | :57:23. | :57:26. | |
There is, as the Law Commission said, a clear public interest in | :57:27. | :57:30. | |
tackling online abuse. That has to be done through clear predictable | :57:31. | :57:35. | |
legal provisions. This bill provides an opportunity for such | :57:36. | :57:38. | |
clarifications to tackle online abuse more effectively and H hope | :57:39. | :57:42. | |
the Minister who is in his place now will be responding and that he will | :57:43. | :57:44. | |
include in his remarks what the response of the Government will be | :57:45. | :57:48. | |
on that. Secondly, Mr Deputx Speaker, I think there is an | :57:49. | :57:52. | |
opportunity for better support for victims of online abuse as well I | :57:53. | :57:59. | |
speak about the work of honourable member there today on victil support | :58:00. | :58:01. | |
and others who have been tackling this and it is right that the | :58:02. | :58:06. | |
Government has taken really, I think, a leading position on making | :58:07. | :58:11. | |
illegal the posting of revenge pornography online, but we need to | :58:12. | :58:17. | |
go further. We have seen more than 200 prosecutions regarding revenge | :58:18. | :58:20. | |
pornography, but hundreds more are not coming forward because victims | :58:21. | :58:28. | |
are fearful of doing it. Cases have been reported to the police in the | :58:29. | :58:32. | |
last year but revenge pornography victims are three times mord likely | :58:33. | :58:39. | |
to withdraw or withhold support from police action than victims of other | :58:40. | :58:42. | |
crimes. This bill should be recognising online abuse and the | :58:43. | :58:47. | |
appalling offence of revengd pornography is affording to victims | :58:48. | :58:52. | |
the same right of anonymity as victims of other sexual offdnces. | :58:53. | :58:55. | |
The third area which I am rdally pleased to see in this bill, which | :58:56. | :59:00. | |
was obviously in the Conservative Party manifesto as well, a | :59:01. | :59:04. | |
commitment to tackle access to underage pornography, is a welcome | :59:05. | :59:07. | |
provision and I applaud the Government for the stand thdy are | :59:08. | :59:08. | |
taking here. There is not planning to go into the | :59:09. | :59:19. | |
details but I hope the Minister could carefully consider thd NSPCC's | :59:20. | :59:25. | |
call for lower split-mac more robust sanctions in this space. We must -- | :59:26. | :59:32. | |
more robust sanctions. We mtst move beyond looking at just commdrcial | :59:33. | :59:36. | |
sites to include peer to pedr and other communication products where | :59:37. | :59:41. | |
pornography is routinely distributed. I realise therd are | :59:42. | :59:46. | |
problems here with regard to those who are legally accessing these | :59:47. | :59:50. | |
products but we must take account of the fact that now by the tile a | :59:51. | :59:55. | |
child reaches the age of 12 more than one in four will have `lready | :59:56. | :59:59. | |
accessed online pornography and this is not the sort of stuff th`t is | :00:00. | :00:04. | |
maybe on the shelves of our local newsagents, it is what others would | :00:05. | :00:10. | |
call hard-core pornography. This is an issue we have tackled in the | :00:11. | :00:15. | |
woman and equality select committee and the report was published today | :00:16. | :00:19. | |
on sexual harassment in schools where experts are citing increased | :00:20. | :00:24. | |
access to pornography by chhldren fuelling an increase in sextal | :00:25. | :00:28. | |
harassment and abuse in schools and this must be taken seriouslx. | :00:29. | :00:33. | |
There is one other area I would hope to encourage the Minister to think | :00:34. | :00:36. | |
about and that is the impact on the police. The police college chief | :00:37. | :00:43. | |
Alex Marshall said social mddia complaints now make up half of all | :00:44. | :00:49. | |
calls to the police. That is an extraordinary fact yet this bill | :00:50. | :00:52. | |
makes the mention of how we might try and make those that are | :00:53. | :00:56. | |
producing products that are eliciting that sort of illegal | :00:57. | :01:01. | |
activity and concern from otr constituents, it makes the lention | :01:02. | :01:05. | |
of how we can perhaps lay off some of the charges being incurrdd by the | :01:06. | :01:09. | |
police onto those making a healthy profit out of their activithes. | :01:10. | :01:16. | |
We have to look at the slush pile of action to put in place a levy to pay | :01:17. | :01:27. | |
for additional police costs. The industry is healthy, online | :01:28. | :01:33. | |
industry, but they need to be tackling these sorts of abuses if we | :01:34. | :01:38. | |
are to move forward any healthy fashion in the future. We mtst be | :01:39. | :01:43. | |
clear we will tolerate this sort of abuse that has become routine in the | :01:44. | :01:48. | |
past. We need to make sure there is a co-ordinated approach to the | :01:49. | :01:52. | |
reporting of abuse online, we need to make sure design of thesd | :01:53. | :01:59. | |
products in the future so obvious can be designed out of them from the | :02:00. | :02:07. | |
get go. There must be action to remove and sanction those committing | :02:08. | :02:12. | |
online abuse and indeed perhaps a code of practice for the industry if | :02:13. | :02:16. | |
it is not put in place of all apparently should be put in place | :02:17. | :02:21. | |
with more force. My right honourable friend the secretary of state knows | :02:22. | :02:25. | |
more than many other ministdrs about the back on victims of online abuse. | :02:26. | :02:32. | |
She knows the impact partictlarly on domestic violence victims. We cannot | :02:33. | :02:37. | |
let this bill be opportunitx to encourage more digitally engaged | :02:38. | :02:41. | |
citizens but making sure we keep those citizens safe. And tackle the | :02:42. | :02:47. | |
concerns and fears and sure many other MPs are finding are m`king a | :02:48. | :02:54. | |
significant part of their postbag. Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. It is | :02:55. | :03:00. | |
a guide to follow the former secretary of state and she has shown | :03:01. | :03:05. | |
by what was she has said thhs afternoon the level of expertise and | :03:06. | :03:08. | |
interest she has two this area and it is always a delight to hdar from | :03:09. | :03:14. | |
the right honourable friend for transport who, unusually, w`s around | :03:15. | :03:20. | |
a peg in a round hole were `ppointed to the job. -- for Chelmsford. He | :03:21. | :03:26. | |
got a little background as xear went on. Seriously, it is a delight. -- a | :03:27. | :03:35. | |
little bit rounder. We all know as MPs we live in the Digital dconomy | :03:36. | :03:40. | |
and because we have so many e-mails from constituents and others. I | :03:41. | :03:48. | |
thought I might share this. Just what you and that other dull | :03:49. | :03:51. | |
dishcloth of an MP on daily politics. PeopleSoft while Labour | :03:52. | :03:55. | |
will never win an election `ny time soon. -- you bought some up. Career | :03:56. | :04:01. | |
politicians with no substance or diorama plus. -- no substance or | :04:02. | :04:17. | |
gravitas. Finally, are still on grndr because I quite fancy you | :04:18. | :04:23. | |
Self praise is no praise. The creative industries are essdntial to | :04:24. | :04:28. | |
this country. As two former secretaries acknowledged ?87.4 | :04:29. | :04:31. | |
billion to the UK economy l`st year and that is why... Creativity lies | :04:32. | :04:37. | |
at the heart of it that is why I welcome the measures energy bill | :04:38. | :04:41. | |
which relates to strengthenhng the IP law. 355 million music tracks | :04:42. | :04:50. | |
were downloaded illegally bdtween March and May of this year, 24 | :04:51. | :04:57. | |
million films illegally downloaded. We do need to tackle this and we are | :04:58. | :05:00. | |
to protect those who actually trigger value who are the | :05:01. | :05:05. | |
imaginative heart, I would `rgue, of the country. -- those who create | :05:06. | :05:12. | |
that value. I would argue if the definition in clause 26 is strong | :05:13. | :05:16. | |
enough. We also need a strong independent BBC and this is one of | :05:17. | :05:20. | |
my biggest disappointment about the bell and entering since 2014. The | :05:21. | :05:26. | |
BBC is funded by the licencd fee may make, billion last year. Th`t sounds | :05:27. | :05:33. | |
like a lot but it is worth bearing in mind sky in that same period had | :05:34. | :05:39. | |
revenue of nearly ?12 billion, three times as much. And ?2 billion worth | :05:40. | :05:45. | |
of profit. My anxiety as I think it was entirely wrong and I thhnk the | :05:46. | :05:52. | |
Secretary of State in his hdart agrees, I think it was wrong to put | :05:53. | :05:57. | |
the payment of the over 75s licence fee onto the BBC, all the | :05:58. | :06:03. | |
inappropriate and even more importantly, I think the bit in this | :06:04. | :06:08. | |
bill bleaches the fundament`l independence of the BBC bec`use it | :06:09. | :06:12. | |
turned the BBC into an arm of the Department for Work and Pensions. -- | :06:13. | :06:17. | |
breaches the fundamental independence. I believe enthrely | :06:18. | :06:20. | |
Government will regret this. There is an element of cowardice because | :06:21. | :06:25. | |
if the Government wants to get bit of free TV licences they should do | :06:26. | :06:29. | |
it themselves any manifesto commitment, but it's the BBC into | :06:30. | :06:33. | |
the decision-making process as to who gives a concessionary lhcence | :06:34. | :06:39. | |
are not at wrong. Incidentally, -- hallway wrong. The whole thhng going | :06:40. | :06:46. | |
happen after a meeting betwden Rupert Murdoch and the formdr | :06:47. | :06:52. | |
Chancellor. I asked the minhster, when is the draft charter going to | :06:53. | :06:58. | |
come? Lord Ashton said in the house of Lords its publication wotld be in | :06:59. | :07:03. | |
September. I hope the Government is intending -- is not intending to do | :07:04. | :07:08. | |
that with the house is not sitting. We are meant to have a debate in | :07:09. | :07:13. | |
October. The former secretary seems to say he will tell us. Maybe what | :07:14. | :07:18. | |
the member gets a chance he will tell us later. -- when a melber If | :07:19. | :07:25. | |
you want to go down the list carry on and I can ensure it will happen. | :07:26. | :07:33. | |
Mr Bryant. It is good to sed him do abject, isn't it? | :07:34. | :07:39. | |
The digital economy is important beyond just the creative industries. | :07:40. | :07:44. | |
We have the highest rate of contribution to our GDP of `ny | :07:45. | :07:48. | |
European country, 11% of jobs in the UK are related to the digit`l | :07:49. | :07:52. | |
economy and part of the economy has grown 2.5 times faster than any | :07:53. | :07:57. | |
other area. It plays to our national strengths and herbs of the Dnglish | :07:58. | :08:04. | |
language, music, drama sport and gaming,. The Government alw`ys wants | :08:05. | :08:08. | |
to wrap itself on the back hn relation to this and it is ` | :08:09. | :08:12. | |
constantly striving difficulty to ensure everyone can participate | :08:13. | :08:17. | |
There are still people with just 2 megabits per second and people | :08:18. | :08:22. | |
whether they have 10 megabits what have issues making it very difficult | :08:23. | :08:26. | |
for them even to use the I play effectively so I hope the | :08:27. | :08:29. | |
ministerial team will not w`nt to keep congratulating themselves. -- | :08:30. | :08:38. | |
BBC and I player. In my constituency 70% have no access to four the | :08:39. | :08:46. | |
former Prime Minister, his obsession was never much but success. ... As | :08:47. | :08:54. | |
far as I can see, other song wants to correctly, the mobile | :08:55. | :08:56. | |
infrastructure project was ` waste of money. ?2 million better mast and | :08:57. | :09:07. | |
that is if all of them were built. It would be nice to know wh`t | :09:08. | :09:12. | |
happened to that. I agree whth the pornography measures and wanted to | :09:13. | :09:17. | |
make sure young people are `ble to be protected from images th`t would | :09:18. | :09:21. | |
be inappropriate for them btt I too, like the former secretary of state, | :09:22. | :09:26. | |
think it is unclear how this would be achieved. If you just ask, argue | :09:27. | :09:31. | |
over 18, it is like going to the USA and asking have you ever bedn a | :09:32. | :09:36. | |
member of the latter party of Germany between 19 3319 45. I do not | :09:37. | :09:47. | |
many people say yes. Honourable lady is right about | :09:48. | :09:52. | |
online abuse and I commend her work through committee work and | :09:53. | :09:56. | |
elsewhere. Many women in particular art finds the internet is not a safe | :09:57. | :10:02. | |
and happy place to be. It is far from happy. She is right thdre is no | :10:03. | :10:08. | |
clear definition of online `buse. I think the definition, the gtidelines | :10:09. | :10:13. | |
from the CPS are inadequate and preventing police investigating many | :10:14. | :10:15. | |
instances where they should take action. One study earlier this year | :10:16. | :10:21. | |
showed in just three weeks 6500 will then called shuts or Politics Europe | :10:22. | :10:36. | |
just on Twitter. Teachers report receiving abuse from | :10:37. | :10:46. | |
pupils. Many Jewish members in this house have had absolutely hhdeous | :10:47. | :10:52. | |
abuse, the kind of abuse yot would thought ended in 1945 what seems to | :10:53. | :10:58. | |
be around as part of a supposedly acceptable discourse. I reported one | :10:59. | :11:02. | |
instance relating to somebody making threats to me and my office but more | :11:03. | :11:07. | |
importantly what wanting to put antifreeze and how I'll meet in | :11:08. | :11:15. | |
Sainsbury's in halal meet. Because the person was based in Gerlany the | :11:16. | :11:20. | |
German police refused to act because this was just a British polhtician | :11:21. | :11:24. | |
attacked by a British national who happened to be in Berlin. I hope the | :11:25. | :11:27. | |
Government will look at the jurisdiction issues. Technology | :11:28. | :11:32. | |
companies are far too slow incorporating the police and I | :11:33. | :11:35. | |
believe what counts as eviddnce of evidence of ownership of thd site is | :11:36. | :11:39. | |
far too indistinct. The intdrnet can be an echo chamber, turning a wild | :11:40. | :11:45. | |
-- mild annoyance into claustrophobic fury and unddr the | :11:46. | :11:48. | |
cloak of anonymity people bdlieve they can get away with anything and | :11:49. | :11:56. | |
we must put a stop to that. I am grateful you only showdd me a | :11:57. | :12:00. | |
yellow card and not a red c`rd. I will remember that. May I also say | :12:01. | :12:06. | |
what a pleasure it is to rise to speak in what I gather is a | :12:07. | :12:20. | |
corporate territory Bill -- co-paternity. I should point out | :12:21. | :12:25. | |
this is also a vengeful child because five of the nine ministers | :12:26. | :12:29. | |
who were present in the delhvery room are now on the backbenches Or | :12:30. | :12:35. | |
have left Parliament. I hopd the bill is kinder to it adopted | :12:36. | :12:40. | |
parents. Let me speak briefly about the most | :12:41. | :12:46. | |
important issue, the introdtction of the universal service oblig`tion and | :12:47. | :12:50. | |
let me say, what a pleasure it is to get members from all sides praised | :12:51. | :12:54. | |
the minister's successful rtral broadband programme roll out which | :12:55. | :12:59. | |
has brought and is bringing superfast broadband is to 18 out of | :13:00. | :13:07. | |
20 homes across the UK. Thex are right to praise it because ht is the | :13:08. | :13:13. | |
most successful government-sponsored broadband programme anywherd in the | :13:14. | :13:16. | |
world and the Minister should take credit for that achievement. | :13:17. | :13:23. | |
I received an unsolicited e,mail, a real thing, -- Rayer thing from the | :13:24. | :13:32. | |
directory broadband programle in Oxfordshire. -- rare thing. He said | :13:33. | :13:37. | |
we are at 93% in Oxfordshird with the demand is still to go, ?5 | :13:38. | :13:43. | |
million already came back to the county council from Governmdnt | :13:44. | :13:45. | |
funding and 2.8 million further to come. And it's million up of an | :13:46. | :13:52. | |
investment of 40 million and he thinks we may well get it all back. | :13:53. | :13:59. | |
-- 14 million. I cannot think of any large-scale public sector contract, | :14:00. | :14:03. | |
in his wants, but delivered on paper under cost. Very good contr`ct work | :14:04. | :14:05. | |
with in protecting the publhc purse. I don't have a main sewer and I | :14:06. | :14:24. | |
recall the comments from thd honourable gentleman earlier. You do | :14:25. | :14:29. | |
not just flick a flick a swhtch and deliver broadband. You have to open | :14:30. | :14:36. | |
roads and do engineering and I think the programme director in p`rticular | :14:37. | :14:38. | |
Bill Murphy deserves a huge amount of praise for what has been | :14:39. | :14:42. | |
achieved. For those people who want to break up BT and Openreach I | :14:43. | :14:52. | |
confess I am absolutely confused. Why would you adopt the campaign of | :14:53. | :14:57. | |
BT's competitors and wish to break up a highly successful Brithsh | :14:58. | :15:01. | |
company post Brexit when we need all the champions we can get? Why would | :15:02. | :15:05. | |
you break up a company that has delivered such a successful | :15:06. | :15:10. | |
programme? In the words of the chief executive of virgin media, `nd able | :15:11. | :15:15. | |
competitor to company Matt, if you want better broadband, pick up a | :15:16. | :15:22. | |
spade. That is my message to Vodafone, TalkTalk and Scivdr for | :15:23. | :15:26. | |
their own reasons all seek to break up the great British companx. Can I | :15:27. | :15:32. | |
say two things? In terms of the USA I firmly believe they can ddliver | :15:33. | :15:36. | |
it, but they will need help with achieving it. I also hope BT UK will | :15:37. | :15:43. | |
continue its excellent work and become at task force becausd a lot | :15:44. | :15:48. | |
of the 5% that still has to be reached is in inner-city ardas and | :15:49. | :15:51. | |
there are enormous bureaucr`tic obstacles stopping the roll,out of | :15:52. | :15:54. | |
broadband that have nothing to do with technical challenges or | :15:55. | :16:00. | |
whatever, and a good and effective BT UK helping roll-out in chties | :16:01. | :16:04. | |
will be hugely helpful. I also echo the cause with frustrations around | :16:05. | :16:10. | |
new builds. I remember dealhng with Linden Homes in my constitudncy who | :16:11. | :16:13. | |
could have delivered broadb`nd to all their customers in ?1 mhllion | :16:14. | :16:18. | |
development. The point blank refused to do so. The shocking attitude of | :16:19. | :16:23. | |
too many developers, and thd Government refused to changd the | :16:24. | :16:27. | |
planning was when I was a mhnister, and maybe we should look at that | :16:28. | :16:31. | |
again. There are reforms to the electronic communications code which | :16:32. | :16:37. | |
are long overdue. We took f`r too long to bring them forward. They | :16:38. | :16:42. | |
apply just as much to mobild as well. I recall mobile operators | :16:43. | :16:47. | |
telling me when they wish to upgrade the 3G mast to a 4G mast, when they | :16:48. | :16:52. | |
wish that advice site in an airport, it went up to ?250 million. We have | :16:53. | :17:01. | |
to reduce the cost of rolling out broadband with a mobile and we | :17:02. | :17:06. | |
cannot have our cake and eat it I recall the honourable lady from | :17:07. | :17:09. | |
Newcastle speaking about thd loss to the public sector, the ?300,000 | :17:10. | :17:13. | |
Newcastle City Council might lose, but the game for Newcastle City | :17:14. | :17:16. | |
Council in easing planning restrictions will be better coverage | :17:17. | :17:21. | |
in Newcastle for her constituents and importantly for local btsinesses | :17:22. | :17:25. | |
who create jobs and wealth hn Newcastle. So we cannot allow the | :17:26. | :17:30. | |
landowners to ride roughshod over this bill perhaps in the other | :17:31. | :17:38. | |
place. We must reduce the cost of infrastructure roll-out and we need | :17:39. | :17:41. | |
to look at planning reform, particularly as mentioned e`rlier by | :17:42. | :17:45. | |
my right honourable friend, with the roll-out of five G. I thank the | :17:46. | :17:55. | |
Minister for giving way and it is good to hear a Conservative Member | :17:56. | :17:59. | |
of Parliament taking on the landed vested interests, as it werd, but | :18:00. | :18:04. | |
will he see how this bill whll ensure the benefits of reduced | :18:05. | :18:09. | |
rentals will actually accrud to the users of mobile phones and not | :18:10. | :18:16. | |
simply to the mobile operators? It will improve coverage. The | :18:17. | :18:24. | |
honourable member mocked thd infrastructure roll-out plan, the | :18:25. | :18:30. | |
honourable member for Rhond`, and he got it wrong, I am afraid. But | :18:31. | :18:35. | |
anything we can do to reducd the huge cost of this cost and roll out | :18:36. | :18:39. | |
has to help the consumables in terms of coverage and hopefully in terms | :18:40. | :18:43. | |
of cost. I fully support thd measures in the bill on age | :18:44. | :18:47. | |
verification and the upgradhng of the offence for copyright | :18:48. | :18:52. | |
infringement. It is interesting listening to speeches from | :18:53. | :18:55. | |
honourable members from all sides about a general debate about | :18:56. | :18:58. | |
Internet regulation because that is really what it is and this will come | :18:59. | :19:02. | |
more and more to the fore and I echo the comments of my right honourable | :19:03. | :19:08. | |
friend, the member for Basingstoke, and others. It is... Dealing with | :19:09. | :19:14. | |
the social media companies, they are almost like giant children. Suddenly | :19:15. | :19:19. | |
they have 1.2 billion users and are having as it were to make it as they | :19:20. | :19:23. | |
go along some of the regulation The recent controversy with Facdbook | :19:24. | :19:27. | |
banning the iconic photograph of the Child in Vietnam. The Government | :19:28. | :19:30. | |
does need to work and work puickly with these organisations, btt even | :19:31. | :19:35. | |
bringing that to the table cause some difficulty. I fully support the | :19:36. | :19:39. | |
measures on data sharing. This is a huge prize. Whilst we must recognise | :19:40. | :19:43. | |
the concern of consumers in having their private data used, thhs is | :19:44. | :19:47. | |
about using anonymous data `nd breaking down the barriers between | :19:48. | :19:51. | |
that which can only benefit citizens. Let me just echo one or | :19:52. | :19:57. | |
two brief concerns. I actually did have a huge amount of sympathy with | :19:58. | :20:01. | |
what the honourable member was speaking about in terms of the free | :20:02. | :20:05. | |
TV licences being imposed on the BBC. It has nothing to do, by the | :20:06. | :20:09. | |
way, with Rupert Murdoch and everything to do with saving money | :20:10. | :20:13. | |
on the welfare bill. But I do think it is wrong with leaving -- wrong | :20:14. | :20:17. | |
that they are leaving the ddcision on free television licences for the | :20:18. | :20:21. | |
BBC. It should be the Government. There are plenty of ways of updating | :20:22. | :20:25. | |
how the television licence currently works and refining that without | :20:26. | :20:28. | |
actually getting rid of it, and I think the Government should now take | :20:29. | :20:34. | |
back not the cost of the frde TV licences, but certainly | :20:35. | :20:37. | |
responsibility for the policy. I also have some concerns that if of | :20:38. | :20:44. | |
complex on the regulation of BBC websites we will see press | :20:45. | :20:48. | |
regulation by the back door, because the press has been very asshduous in | :20:49. | :20:54. | |
keeping website away from bdcoming quasi broadcasting sites and | :20:55. | :20:57. | |
therefore regulated by Ofcol and we must be cautious that we don't | :20:58. | :21:02. | |
inadvertently bring in statttory regulation of the press which I | :21:03. | :21:06. | |
would oppose, Mr Deputy Spe`ker Thank you, Mr Deputy speaker. I rise | :21:07. | :21:11. | |
to speak English and the thhrd part of this bill but I would also like | :21:12. | :21:14. | |
to put on record my support of the recommendation made by the Right | :21:15. | :21:17. | |
honourable member from Basingstoke. We need to use this bill is an | :21:18. | :21:22. | |
opportunity to look at all online abuse, because whilst it is said by | :21:23. | :21:26. | |
the Government that the polhce can go through existing legislation the | :21:27. | :21:34. | |
reality is that the police `re not doing that, and I think to have it | :21:35. | :21:38. | |
on the face of a bill would be a very powerful statement and it is | :21:39. | :21:40. | |
something which is really eroding a lot of people's lives at thd moment. | :21:41. | :21:43. | |
For me, a key role of this House must be to prevent harm and tackle | :21:44. | :21:46. | |
the threat to children both on and off-line. The scale of online abuse | :21:47. | :21:56. | |
and exploitation, the proliferator of violence on it. This offdrs an | :21:57. | :22:02. | |
opportunity for protection to all children and I urge this Hotse to | :22:03. | :22:05. | |
take that. Children are at risk every day from predatory abtsers who | :22:06. | :22:08. | |
seem to manipulate and exploit their vulnerability. According to the | :22:09. | :22:14. | |
Internet Watch Foundation in 20 5 over 60 thousand URLs were confirmed | :22:15. | :22:20. | |
as cans containing child abtse material. We have to recognhse that | :22:21. | :22:25. | |
child abuse and exploitation perpetrated by adults is only one | :22:26. | :22:29. | |
aspect of the many threats faced by children online. Children ctrrently | :22:30. | :22:34. | |
make up a third of Internet users. They have never had better `ccess to | :22:35. | :22:40. | |
the Internet. 65% of 12 to 15-year-olds own smartphones and | :22:41. | :22:44. | |
their access is often unfettered and unrestricted. A study from the NSPCC | :22:45. | :22:47. | |
and the children's Commissioner for England found that of the thousand | :22:48. | :22:52. | |
children aged 11 to 18 question over half had access to pornography, with | :22:53. | :22:57. | |
94% doing it by the age of 04. Those children were not necessarily | :22:58. | :23:00. | |
seeking out pornography onlhne. Their access was often inadvertent | :23:01. | :23:03. | |
through a pop-up whilst searching for other content. The growhng body | :23:04. | :23:09. | |
of evidence proves to us wh`t we already know- pornography ilpacts on | :23:10. | :23:13. | |
the development of children, particularly their understanding of | :23:14. | :23:16. | |
what constitutes healthy relationships, consent and sex. The | :23:17. | :23:21. | |
NSPCC and children's Commissioner 's study found over half the boys | :23:22. | :23:26. | |
questioned believed the porn they had seen was realistic. In ` girl | :23:27. | :23:33. | |
guide's -- guides attitude study 71% of girls questioned agreed that | :23:34. | :23:36. | |
pornography makes a violent and aggressive behaviour towards women | :23:37. | :23:39. | |
seem normal. The content of this material is reflected back `s | :23:40. | :23:44. | |
reality of life. Violence against girls start at an early age. The | :23:45. | :23:48. | |
Home Office 2010 This Is Abtse campaign found that sexual violence | :23:49. | :23:52. | |
has happened to one in thred girls and one in six boys. Through | :23:53. | :23:57. | |
exposure to online pornography from an increasingly young age, `nd | :23:58. | :24:00. | |
message is conveyed in the ledia. Children grow up believing violence | :24:01. | :24:04. | |
and nonconsensual sex is not just normal but to be | :24:05. | :24:15. | |
expected. It is to be commended this Government recognises the Internet | :24:16. | :24:20. | |
needs regulation to protect children. Just as children `re | :24:21. | :24:24. | |
protected off-line through restrictions from accessing sex | :24:25. | :24:27. | |
shops, for example, the provisions in this bill are an important first | :24:28. | :24:31. | |
step in creating a world in which children are also protected online. | :24:32. | :24:36. | |
They are however only first step. Parity of protection for chhldren | :24:37. | :24:39. | |
between the on and off-line worlds can be better achieved if the | :24:40. | :24:42. | |
Government strengthens thesd conditions at committee stage. I | :24:43. | :24:50. | |
thank the honourable lady for giving way. Does she agree a key element | :24:51. | :24:54. | |
missing is that we must makd companies responsible for the | :24:55. | :24:57. | |
content of that they host, `nd that that is the route to protecting | :24:58. | :25:01. | |
children and others from online abuse? My honourable friend makes a | :25:02. | :25:06. | |
very good point. Absolutely, and I do not believe that this bill goes | :25:07. | :25:11. | |
far enough but it has the potential to. As it is currently set out in | :25:12. | :25:16. | |
the bill, the age of regulation only covers commercial pornographic | :25:17. | :25:20. | |
sites. This is not typical of the week children access or share | :25:21. | :25:23. | |
pornographic, sexualised and other age inappropriate content. Will the | :25:24. | :25:26. | |
Minister commit to look to dxtend the role of the regulator, so it | :25:27. | :25:33. | |
also covers user generated sites and peer-to-peer services such `s live | :25:34. | :25:38. | |
streaming and video chat site and avoid any unnecessary loopholes that | :25:39. | :25:42. | |
team the legislation invalid? The powers of the regulator set out by | :25:43. | :25:46. | |
the bill are extremely limited. They only provide legal cover for payment | :25:47. | :25:50. | |
service providers to break their contract with the noncompli`nt | :25:51. | :25:55. | |
commercial pornographic sitd. Will the Minister look to expand the role | :25:56. | :25:59. | |
of age regulator to ensure they have power to ensure finds, enforcement | :26:00. | :26:02. | |
notices and enforce the withdrawal payment services -- fines. Online | :26:03. | :26:09. | |
abuse is a problem all over the world and the Internet does not | :26:10. | :26:14. | |
respect this. Will the power be given to block site outside of the | :26:15. | :26:18. | |
UK's legal jurisdiction who do not comply with UK regulations? Part of | :26:19. | :26:21. | |
the solution, Mr Deputy Spe`ker must also be to support pardnts to | :26:22. | :26:25. | |
feel confident in understanding the dangers posed by the Interndt. | :26:26. | :26:30. | |
Barnardo 's report half of xoung people living at home report their | :26:31. | :26:33. | |
parents only know some of what their parents know about them onlhne. Will | :26:34. | :26:36. | |
the minister consider provisions in this bill to provide up-to-date | :26:37. | :26:40. | |
information for parents abott parental controls and other ways of | :26:41. | :26:50. | |
restricting children's access to potentially harmful content and | :26:51. | :26:51. | |
supporting parents in recognising the dangers faced by their children | :26:52. | :26:53. | |
online? Finally, preventing access to pornography and indecent material | :26:54. | :26:56. | |
is vital but it is also necdssary to give children the resiliencd to | :26:57. | :26:58. | |
challenge and contextualise what they see online. It is my vhew and | :26:59. | :27:02. | |
that of all the major children's charities that the best way to do | :27:03. | :27:09. | |
this and provide all childrdn age inappropriate -- age-appropriate and | :27:10. | :27:12. | |
resilience lessons at a school age which would then allow children to | :27:13. | :27:16. | |
see pornography as it is, a fantasy that predominantly subjugatd and | :27:17. | :27:20. | |
abuses women. Girls and boys must not grow up believing violence and | :27:21. | :27:25. | |
nonconsensual sex is normal or to be expected. Sadly, though, th`t is | :27:26. | :27:28. | |
exactly what the young people I speak to believe, and this hs echoed | :27:29. | :27:32. | |
in what the women's inequalhty Select Committee report on sexual | :27:33. | :27:36. | |
harassment in schools released today echoes. My final question is for the | :27:37. | :27:41. | |
Minister to look at provisions to strengthen the content of the | :27:42. | :27:48. | |
e-curriculum taught in schools at all stages, which should include | :27:49. | :27:52. | |
mitigating risks and using the Internet safely and responshbly | :27:53. | :27:56. | |
giving children the knowledge and tools to contextualise pornographic | :27:57. | :27:59. | |
content and challenge abusive behaviour being the best wax to | :28:00. | :28:03. | |
empower and protect them. Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. On all shdes of | :28:04. | :28:11. | |
the House, the creative economy in the UK, it's fast-paced dyn`mic is | :28:12. | :28:15. | |
world leaving, it is agreed. Britain leads the world in many are`s of | :28:16. | :28:20. | |
online retail. Tech businesses and hubs can be part of the regdneration | :28:21. | :28:24. | |
of many of our cities and London has become an established itself as one | :28:25. | :28:28. | |
of the most pre-eminent cithes for technology and the Digital dconomy | :28:29. | :28:31. | |
in the world. We are rightlx world leading and should be proud of that, | :28:32. | :28:35. | |
but it has been set as well that this is an incredibly fast-paced | :28:36. | :28:38. | |
part of the global economy. We cannot afford to stand still and not | :28:39. | :28:42. | |
respond to the challenges of the growing digital economy and the need | :28:43. | :28:46. | |
for increasing better infrastructure to support businesses and homes | :28:47. | :28:47. | |
right up and down the UK. Welcomed the measure in the build to | :28:48. | :28:58. | |
bring the infringement of copyrights off-line and online into and | :28:59. | :29:02. | |
strengthen the penalty and ` ten year sentence for online | :29:03. | :29:08. | |
infringement of copyright, summer two off-line, is the right thing to | :29:09. | :29:11. | |
do and I congratulate the Government. The other thing is | :29:12. | :29:19. | |
corrupt -- protecting the IP of creators is part of the success of | :29:20. | :29:26. | |
the creative economy. --. And for homes to receive the collectivity in | :29:27. | :29:30. | |
the need to access services they rely on and the content thex enjoy. | :29:31. | :29:35. | |
Open reach has been a key p`rt of the delivery of broadband sdrvices | :29:36. | :29:40. | |
and it has been part of our debate today and a key part of the recent | :29:41. | :29:45. | |
enquiry of the culture, medha and sport select committee. Thex are | :29:46. | :29:49. | |
challenges for Openreach in customer service and all members who have | :29:50. | :29:53. | |
engaged with BT on behalf of constituents would say therd is room | :29:54. | :29:57. | |
for improvement and when BT came in front of the select committde they | :29:58. | :30:01. | |
recognise that as well and they are not alone in being a providdr that | :30:02. | :30:05. | |
must improve customer service. The challenge we face is how do we | :30:06. | :30:10. | |
complete the final 5% of thd delivery of superfast broadband as | :30:11. | :30:13. | |
quickly as possible and effdctively as possible and continue to improve | :30:14. | :30:17. | |
services for other customers and is that job made easier or harder by | :30:18. | :30:22. | |
the separation of BT from the rest of Openreach? As his secret`ry of | :30:23. | :30:25. | |
state said in her opening speech nothing should be of the table. | :30:26. | :30:34. | |
There are still challenges for BT Openreach to reach an, overseeing | :30:35. | :30:36. | |
that. They must work harder to improve customer service. And other | :30:37. | :30:42. | |
providers they work with. Wd are better able to extend our coverage | :30:43. | :30:47. | |
of our network with Openreach operating inside the BT Grotp but if | :30:48. | :30:52. | |
they cannot meet the targets set them nothing should be left off the | :30:53. | :30:57. | |
table. With regard to the USO itself that is something widely welcomed by | :30:58. | :31:02. | |
people across the house. Thdre are key questions still to be rdsolved. | :31:03. | :31:05. | |
Firstly, you will be the deliverer of the USO. My honourable friend | :31:06. | :31:13. | |
said it could be Openreach, BP said they could deliver it but that still | :31:14. | :31:18. | |
has to be resolved. -- BT. How will it be paid for? | :31:19. | :31:29. | |
The delivery of the USO must be affordable. There is no point having | :31:30. | :31:36. | |
the legal rights to access superfast broadband is no one will pax for | :31:37. | :31:41. | |
their delivery and that rem`ins one of the questions to be answdred I | :31:42. | :31:46. | |
know of, are consulting on the delivery of the USO and that will be | :31:47. | :31:50. | |
one of the important questions it must consider. We also lookdd at on | :31:51. | :31:53. | |
the select committee investhgation very important part of the delivery | :31:54. | :31:58. | |
of the final 5% of broadband services and that is over btilding. | :31:59. | :32:02. | |
There are many small providdrs that may be prepared to go into community | :32:03. | :32:06. | |
currently badly served but `re reluctant to do so because they do | :32:07. | :32:10. | |
not know of Openreach about to go into that idiot themselves `nd | :32:11. | :32:12. | |
Openreach have been reluctant to share because of market sensitivity | :32:13. | :32:19. | |
-- rare to enter that area themselves. Area so bar excluders | :32:20. | :32:27. | |
and were not prioritised because they are so marginal and I do not | :32:28. | :32:31. | |
believe the commercial senshtivity can be so great they cannot give | :32:32. | :32:36. | |
certainty to communities on whether they are about to benefit from | :32:37. | :32:40. | |
further roll-out. We are le`ving the Commons to go to the live coverage | :32:41. | :32:47. | |
of the Foreign Affairs Commhttee with David Davis. Collins coverage | :32:48. | :32:52. | |
continues live on our website. We will return to the Commons once the | :32:53. | :32:54. | |
committee has finished. | :32:55. | :33:00. |