Live Culture, Media and Sport Questions House of Commons


Live Culture, Media and Sport Questions

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Order, order. Questions to the Secretary of State for Culture,

:00:09.:00:17.

Media and Sport, Mr Richard Graham. Number one. I am pleased to tell

:00:18.:00:22.

you, Mr Speaker, that broadband roll-out is going extremely well,

:00:23.:00:28.

particularly in our cities. This is juju the success of business voucher

:00:29.:00:34.

scheme. I make no apology for returning to the issue of

:00:35.:00:37.

frustrations of poverty in Gloucester. BT promised to upgrade.

:00:38.:00:45.

In 2014, the were sorry for the delay. In 2016, they said could I

:00:46.:00:52.

send them the original e-mail saying they would ever upgrade the box. At

:00:53.:00:57.

what stage is a commitment from BT a real commitment that will not result

:00:58.:01:06.

in in situ and saying, you lied. I am not a BT spokesman. But I hope

:01:07.:01:12.

they're listening to what by honourable friend has to say. He is

:01:13.:01:17.

a fantastic MP and it is incumbent, although I am proud of roll-out

:01:18.:01:22.

programme, the BT gets its act together in terms of customer

:01:23.:01:25.

service and delivering on its promises. When the minister boasted

:01:26.:01:31.

that we have some of the best broadband in Europe, who is he

:01:32.:01:35.

actually comparing us to? Is he aware of the House of Lords report

:01:36.:01:41.

that shows that we are the 19th fastest in the world and the 12th

:01:42.:01:49.

fastest speed in Europe? Is that not abysmal? Can we not be better? I

:01:50.:01:55.

don't think we could do better than we are already doing, actually. When

:01:56.:02:02.

I compare our Broadband to similar countries, Germany, France, Spain,

:02:03.:02:05.

Italy, we're beating all of them. When you look simply a speed, I

:02:06.:02:10.

think this is a narrow view, you don't look up prices, we have some

:02:11.:02:14.

of the lowest prices anywhere in the world. If you look at the results,

:02:15.:02:20.

the fact that we lead the world in terms of e-commerce, it shows we are

:02:21.:02:25.

probably the world's most advanced digital nation. Technology is

:02:26.:02:33.

available for the roll-out of superfast broadband and go for

:02:34.:02:37.

ultrafast broadband. With the Minister agree with this, to reduce

:02:38.:02:42.

disruption and give businesses in Bath a huge boost? It is important

:02:43.:02:49.

to set realistic targets, which is why we dropped the Labour policy and

:02:50.:02:56.

we're starting to look at gigabit Britain. Let's not get stuck in the

:02:57.:03:00.

past with Labour. Let's go forward to future. Is the Minister aware

:03:01.:03:10.

that the very latest European Commission Digital economy

:03:11.:03:12.

scorecard, published in the last few weeks, ranks the UK not just below

:03:13.:03:19.

the Nordic countries, which we would expect, but the low countries like

:03:20.:03:23.

Belgium. Will the Minister, despite the well-known antipathy of his

:03:24.:03:27.

Secretary of State to all things Europe and European, will the

:03:28.:03:30.

Minister actually pressed the European investment bank to put more

:03:31.:03:35.

money into extending broadband, particularly in rural constituencies

:03:36.:03:42.

like East Lothian? The question is ongoing. People must not leave the

:03:43.:03:50.

Chamber while a question is ongoing. I am sure the honourable gentleman

:03:51.:03:53.

is interested in views other than his own. BT may already be on the

:03:54.:04:01.

phone. However, I am surprised at the town of contempt for small

:04:02.:04:06.

countries like Belgium. I think small countries are often extremely

:04:07.:04:09.

successful. Small and perfectly formed. I was talking to an investor

:04:10.:04:13.

the other day about the extraordinary digital businesses

:04:14.:04:18.

that exist in Edinburgh, really ground-breaking businesses,

:04:19.:04:21.

developing facts to our digital policy. I know he will support what

:04:22.:04:25.

we're doing. I have forgotten his original point and! Because I was

:04:26.:04:31.

going out tonight on about what a fantastically digitally capable

:04:32.:04:43.

country Scotland is. Mr Speaker, public service broadcasting is the

:04:44.:04:46.

powerhouse of the UK's world-class television industry. In 2014, PSP

:04:47.:04:54.

invested ?2.5 billion in original TV content and accounted for over half

:04:55.:05:03.

of all TV viewing. I have had representations from constituents

:05:04.:05:04.

concerned about the future of the BBC. It is overwhelmingly positive

:05:05.:05:10.

and supportive. Now we have the result of the consultation and over

:05:11.:05:14.

three fifths are in favour of continuing with the current funding

:05:15.:05:17.

system. Can we have assurances there will be no further top slicing of

:05:18.:05:22.

the licence fee? I hope to be able to update the House on our progress

:05:23.:05:28.

with renewal of the charter in due course. But we're taking all the

:05:29.:05:33.

responses we received seriously. We take them into account. I would

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point out, we agreed with the BBC that one of the top slices of the

:05:40.:05:45.

licence fee, the amount taken for broadband, will come to an end in

:05:46.:05:52.

2020. I know my right honourable friend will have noted the

:05:53.:05:55.

forthcoming BBC Shakespeare season, held in collaboration with other

:05:56.:05:59.

bodies, including the Royal Shakespeare Company. Designed to

:06:00.:06:01.

bring Shakespeare July for a new generation, using TV and radio and

:06:02.:06:06.

online services. Does he agree with me that this is exactly the sort of

:06:07.:06:11.

thing the BBC not to be doing and something that only the BBC can do?

:06:12.:06:21.

I do agree. This year is the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death

:06:22.:06:24.

and it is an enormously important event. The BBC has a crucial role to

:06:25.:06:31.

play. I had the pleasure of going to watch the filming of Ben Elton's new

:06:32.:06:38.

comedy, based on Shakespeare, and I suspect this is the sort of thing

:06:39.:06:43.

that only the BBC would do. That the Secretary of State agree that

:06:44.:06:47.

proposals by BBC Scotland to strengthen its news output investing

:06:48.:06:51.

in jobs and production for an entirely editorial independent

:06:52.:06:57.

Scottish six, anchored from Scotland, is a development that all

:06:58.:07:01.

across the House can welcome as an example of long-term commitment to

:07:02.:07:05.

public service broadcasting and can he promise us that there will be no

:07:06.:07:12.

interference from Downing Street? Well, I had a very good meeting with

:07:13.:07:16.

Fianna Hyslop a couple of weeks ago to talk about the way in which the

:07:17.:07:20.

BBC meet the requirement to serve all the nations and regions of the

:07:21.:07:24.

UK. I'll office we welcome any investment which will create

:07:25.:07:28.

additional jobs, particularly in Scotland. And how the BBC goes about

:07:29.:07:38.

meeting that obligation is for the BBC and certainly is not something

:07:39.:07:42.

that I or my colleagues in number ten would want to instruct them how

:07:43.:07:48.

to go about. Mr Speaker, 80% of the 192,000 responses from the

:07:49.:07:55.

consultation see the BBC serves its audience well and the majority

:07:56.:07:58.

believe the content is high quality and distinctive from other

:07:59.:08:02.

broadcasters. The Secretary of State purports to be a supporter of the

:08:03.:08:05.

BBC, so why is he using charter renewal to restrict what the BBC

:08:06.:08:09.

does, rather than help it compete in the rapidly changing, increasingly

:08:10.:08:17.

global broadcasting environment? I was not surprised to find the

:08:18.:08:21.

responses showed the vast majority of people value the BBC. I value the

:08:22.:08:27.

BBC, as I have said. We will have to wait for the publication of the

:08:28.:08:30.

white paper. It is not a question of trying to come back on its output.

:08:31.:08:34.

There is a case which is borne out by responses, that the BBC needs to

:08:35.:08:42.

be more distinctive. That is something the director-general

:08:43.:08:46.

himself has said. He set out his own plans for the charter renewal. Well,

:08:47.:08:52.

the Secretary of State's speech yesterday was rather more about

:08:53.:08:55.

bashing the BBC than anything else. That is what the chair of the BBC

:08:56.:08:59.

Trust said. Bashing the BBC is the one thing the Secretary of State and

:09:00.:09:02.

the Prime Minister and the Chancellor agree about these days.

:09:03.:09:06.

They all want to use charter renewal to eviscerate the BBC, to do it a

:09:07.:09:13.

competitive favour, rather than delivering what the licence fee

:09:14.:09:16.

paying public want to see. They do not accept that the British people

:09:17.:09:20.

like the BBC and wanted to continue what it is doing. When the Lisa

:09:21.:09:23.

Graham state except that charter renewal should be about making the

:09:24.:09:27.

BBC fit for the future, rather than trying to diminish it for the

:09:28.:09:30.

commercial convenience of its competitors? The honourable lady

:09:31.:09:35.

must've been looking at a different speech to the one that I delivered.

:09:36.:09:39.

It certainly was not about bashing the BBC. As soon as I finished it, I

:09:40.:09:44.

had an extremely good meeting with the chairman of the BBC Trust, who

:09:45.:09:48.

did not mention anything about bashing the BBC at all, and indeed,

:09:49.:09:53.

welcomed what I had said. As for the charter renewal, it is precisely

:09:54.:09:57.

about making the BBC fit for the future and I do intend to try to

:09:58.:10:01.

bring forward the publication as soon as it is possible. As the

:10:02.:10:06.

honourable lady knows, there are a number of very important

:10:07.:10:10.

contributions, including the 192,000 consultations, which we want to take

:10:11.:10:23.

fully into account. We're making good progress on superfast broadband

:10:24.:10:26.

roll-out and averaged 4 million premises. It is going extremely

:10:27.:10:33.

well. I welcome the commitment to faster broadband in rural areas.

:10:34.:10:36.

Constituents have found it difficult to find information about the

:10:37.:10:39.

voucher scheme. Will he committed to working with Lancashire County

:10:40.:10:45.

Council to help people benefit from satellite broadband? I am pleased

:10:46.:10:53.

that within my original answer, I was pointing out how well the

:10:54.:10:56.

satellite broadband scheme was going. We at the end of December. To

:10:57.:11:02.

ensure people that had speed is of less than 2 megabits could get the

:11:03.:11:06.

speed they need. It was a soft launch, but we will be making it

:11:07.:11:10.

much more high profile in the next months and I will happily work with

:11:11.:11:14.

my honourable friend on making sure his constituents can benefit from

:11:15.:11:18.

the scheme. I note that superfast broadband roll-out will be almost

:11:19.:11:22.

100% in his constituency and in Lancashire.

:11:23.:11:30.

Merseyside authorities are not claiming millions that BT settled

:11:31.:11:35.

side and non-commercial broadband areas. Could put some pressure on

:11:36.:11:44.

the councils? -- that BT set aside. The councils know what is happening

:11:45.:11:46.

on the ground, and will work with them to access funding from central

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government or from Europe. Number four. Thank you. York, along with

:11:56.:12:06.

other areas affected, are being promoted by a ?1 million publicity

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campaign, this is designed to encourage British families to spend

:12:16.:12:17.

their Easter holidays in the north and. The Culture Secretary also

:12:18.:12:23.

launched pigeon trains 30% discount offer on the 1st of February, as

:12:24.:12:31.

part of his visit to York, as part of promoting the region is open for

:12:32.:12:38.

business. I thank him for his response. Around 200 businesses in

:12:39.:12:42.

York were flooded after Christmas, and thankfully many are getting back

:12:43.:12:46.

on their feet. Eldon on what he said about the recent visit England

:12:47.:12:53.

campaign to encourage families to visit the area, would he give

:12:54.:12:56.

consideration to providing individual grants, so local tourist

:12:57.:13:01.

attractions can market themselves to let everybody know they are open

:13:02.:13:09.

again for business. I know how assiduous he is to his commitment in

:13:10.:13:14.

the area. After the recent floods, York is open for business and

:13:15.:13:21.

welcoming back visitors. Tourism visitors in flood affected areas are

:13:22.:13:29.

eligible for a ?5 billion flood recovery grant, which can be used by

:13:30.:13:31.

businesses to help promote themselves. Visit Britain and visit

:13:32.:13:40.

England are also helping spread this message that business is open. It is

:13:41.:13:51.

1000 years since King Canute's accession to the throne. There

:13:52.:13:56.

trying to raise money so they biking centre in York can open again. What

:13:57.:14:07.

help can he give? The first priority is to make sure we deal with the

:14:08.:14:10.

physical impact of the floods themselves. We worked hard to make

:14:11.:14:14.

that happen. Now we need to make sure we work hard to give those

:14:15.:14:18.

businesses helped to attract the bookings they need. I have been to

:14:19.:14:27.

this Jorvik centre myself, and was very impressed with it. We need to

:14:28.:14:34.

make sure businesses are using channels to support the affected

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areas. The government is taking forward measures to tackle nuisance

:14:42.:14:45.

calls. This includes strengthening the regulators ability to take

:14:46.:14:50.

enforcement action against organisations that break the law,

:14:51.:14:54.

and increasing consumer choice by consulting on making it a

:14:55.:14:56.

requirement for direct marketing collars to display their line

:14:57.:15:04.

identification. Many of my constituents will be pleased by that

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answer, but they would hope that the action is taken quickly because,

:15:09.:15:14.

like me, they are fed up to the back teeth with sleazy calls, trying to

:15:15.:15:19.

sell PPI protection or to help with personal injuries that never

:15:20.:15:23.

happened. It is time something is done to stop these practices. We're

:15:24.:15:34.

constituency neighbours, so I am aware of the concerns expressed by

:15:35.:15:40.

the constituents on this. We would never be guilty of making nuisance

:15:41.:15:43.

calls in relation to our own election! But this is the case,

:15:44.:15:56.

action is being taken. The new measures at taking effect. Last week

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the information commission office has announced a record fine of

:15:59.:16:05.

?350,000 against one of the leading firms responsible for nuisance

:16:06.:16:14.

calls. The issue of nuisance calls is a problem for myself and

:16:15.:16:19.

constituents, and maybe affecting more in Scotland, with nine out of

:16:20.:16:24.

ten people complaining. In March, there is the second anniversary of

:16:25.:16:28.

the DC MS report on nuisance calls. What plans does he have two issue a

:16:29.:16:39.

revised plan to tackle this problem? We keep this matter under continual

:16:40.:16:43.

review, that we have taken a number of measures and we will be coming

:16:44.:16:48.

forward shortly with the outcome of the consultation that we have been

:16:49.:16:52.

conducting, into strengthening the requirements on direct marketing

:16:53.:17:04.

collars. -- collars. We're also consulting with "Which?", and

:17:05.:17:13.

further measures will be taken. The roll-out of superfast broadband is

:17:14.:17:16.

going very well and we have reached almost 4 million premises. Areas in

:17:17.:17:20.

my constituency fault into the so-called broadband white areas

:17:21.:17:26.

where Internet access is virtually nonexistent. In 2010 the government

:17:27.:17:31.

committed to providing a new home with a basic broadband connection by

:17:32.:17:34.

the end of 2015. Three months later I have been contacted by many

:17:35.:17:39.

constituents who are still without a decent broadband connection. Will he

:17:40.:17:43.

look into this issue and delivered on the commitment made five years

:17:44.:17:46.

ago that every household and business is given access to

:17:47.:17:49.

broadband, which is surely a necessity now, not a luxury. I am

:17:50.:17:59.

pleased to tell her that 96% of premises in her constituency will be

:18:00.:18:02.

getting superfast broadband. But as I said earlier, the satellite

:18:03.:18:08.

voucher scheme is now available. All of her constituents who do not have

:18:09.:18:14.

broadband or have slow broadband, can now apply and have it installed

:18:15.:18:24.

for three. -- free of charge. Those in my constituents who have missed

:18:25.:18:27.

out on superfast broadband are pinning their whole is on the

:18:28.:18:32.

universal service obligation. -- pinning their hopes. Can he outlined

:18:33.:18:39.

to the House how he has got on with the consultation, which I understand

:18:40.:18:43.

has to be conducted before it can be introduced? I am pleased to tell him

:18:44.:18:52.

that we are proceeding at pace with the consultation, which we will

:18:53.:18:56.

issue shortly, and we will legislate to bring in the universal service

:18:57.:19:00.

obligation in the Digital economy Bill, and I am delighted he will get

:19:01.:19:05.

superfast broadband in his constituency anyway. I have several

:19:06.:19:10.

cases of superfast broadband not reaching several constituents,

:19:11.:19:14.

including businesses. What discussions has he had with the

:19:15.:19:23.

businesses ensuring superfast broadband is available to more of

:19:24.:19:28.

them? We challenged the communication providers, and I am

:19:29.:19:32.

pleased to say that virgin and BT and extending their roll-out. There

:19:33.:19:38.

will be around 85% in his own constituency. Details of the

:19:39.:19:45.

meetings which we have had with interested parties on this matter

:19:46.:19:50.

are available through the Department's transparency returns.

:19:51.:19:53.

My officials engage regularly with interested stakeholders to discuss

:19:54.:19:56.

gambling policy more generally, including the issue of fixed odds

:19:57.:20:04.

betting terminals. In 2014-15, people in my area lost 209 --

:20:05.:20:12.

millions of pounds on these terminals. People cannot afford to

:20:13.:20:15.

Leeds large sums of money in my area. Does the government realise

:20:16.:20:24.

the risk that they pose? I understand the concern expressed

:20:25.:20:30.

about fixed odds betting terminals, and we keep this under review. She

:20:31.:20:33.

may be aware that last year we brought in new requirements which

:20:34.:20:38.

improved player protection, by putting a stop to unsupervised play,

:20:39.:20:45.

stakes over ?50. It is already clear that has had an impact on player

:20:46.:20:50.

behaviour, and as far as we can see, the rate of problem gambling remains

:20:51.:20:54.

under 1% and has not shown any sign of rising as a result of this. But

:20:55.:21:02.

we do keep this under review. As he knows, problem gambling rates have

:21:03.:21:06.

actually reduced since the introduction of fixed odds betting

:21:07.:21:11.

terminals, and the campaign for Federer gambling claim that fixed

:21:12.:21:17.

odds machines make a profit of ?1000 per week. As a betting shop is open

:21:18.:21:22.

for over 90 hours per week, that works out at an average profit of

:21:23.:21:25.

around ?11 and are. Does he think around ?11 and are. Does he think

:21:26.:21:29.

that is an excessive profit rate, and if so, what does he think

:21:30.:21:33.

unacceptable profit rate would be? -- ?11 an hour. I would say that

:21:34.:21:41.

they are a lot of claims and counterclaims being made in this

:21:42.:21:44.

area, and not all of them stand up to scrutiny. It is the government's

:21:45.:21:49.

intention to maintain a close watch on this, and any further changes we

:21:50.:21:56.

bring in will be firmly evidence -based. I have regular meetings with

:21:57.:22:03.

ministerial colleagues at the Home Office to discuss a range of issues.

:22:04.:22:13.

Companies often talk about social responsibility, and I can think of

:22:14.:22:18.

nothing more responsible about consulting with the police regarding

:22:19.:22:23.

death threats. But they have been waiting... Does the Minister agree

:22:24.:22:30.

that Facebook and other social media need to do more to help the criminal

:22:31.:22:35.

justice system? I would expect all social media companies to assist the

:22:36.:22:41.

police and uphold the law. It is the case that those providing

:22:42.:22:44.

communication services to UK users have an obligation to comply with

:22:45.:22:50.

warrants, requesting the content, and disclosure of data. That is

:22:51.:22:54.

perhaps something he should bring to the attention of Facebook and

:22:55.:22:59.

Greater Manchester Police, if the cooperation is not forthcoming. Will

:23:00.:23:07.

the Minister agree with me in welcoming the consultation starting

:23:08.:23:12.

today which has commenced in taking action on Internet trolls, who

:23:13.:23:19.

create fake profiles and bully, harass other members on time, in

:23:20.:23:24.

particular children affected by online bullying? I share her concern

:23:25.:23:34.

on this matter. It is a very distressing matter when this

:23:35.:23:38.

happens. I discovered someone had set up a profile of me, without my

:23:39.:23:44.

knowledge, a few weeks ago. It is clear that we need to tighten the

:23:45.:23:49.

law in this area where people are using these profiles to cause

:23:50.:23:54.

distress and in some cases breaching the law, so I welcome the new

:23:55.:23:58.

guidelines which the CPS are coming out with. Normally Internet

:23:59.:24:06.

companies are required to respond to requests from the police, but they

:24:07.:24:11.

are not given time skill requirement to do so. With Twitter, it is over

:24:12.:24:16.

three weeks on average before they provide data to the UK police for

:24:17.:24:21.

criminal investigations. What is the Minister and government going to do

:24:22.:24:25.

to force the Internet companies to respond promptly and immediately to

:24:26.:24:33.

our law-enforcement agencies who are pursuing criminals? As I said to the

:24:34.:24:41.

honourable gentleman a moment ago, I would expect social media companies

:24:42.:24:45.

to comply with the law, and to do so without any unnecessary delay.

:24:46.:24:52.

Therefore, if there is evidence that they are delaying, that is a matter

:24:53.:24:57.

that I'm happy to discuss with my colleagues in the Home Office to see

:24:58.:25:01.

what can be done about it. I am very pleased to tell the House that this

:25:02.:25:04.

government is a great champion of the digital single market, and I

:25:05.:25:11.

know you will have all read the Prime Minister's excellent White

:25:12.:25:16.

Paper. And it means that we're not paying roaming charges when

:25:17.:25:24.

travelling across the EU, and also when we get the digital single

:25:25.:25:26.

market in place we are going to see a huge increase in our GDP.

:25:27.:25:29.

According to the number ten website we can -- could create 325 billion

:25:30.:25:37.

in growth regarding the digital market. Why would anyone campaign to

:25:38.:25:44.

leave the EU, rather than working to get the best deal for the UK? Why

:25:45.:25:50.

indeed would anyone want to leave the EU! We present a united front in

:25:51.:25:55.

this House, on the benefits of EU membership.

:25:56.:26:03.

Yes... The Minister will be aware that the UK's internet economy is

:26:04.:26:16.

largest of all the G20. Twice the size of Germany and about four times

:26:17.:26:20.

the size of France. Does the Minister agree that that is why

:26:21.:26:24.

getting a good deal out of the single market is so important

:26:25.:26:30.

because so many jobs depend on it? I agree with my honourable friend.

:26:31.:26:34.

When he points out the share of the internet economy, it is incumbent on

:26:35.:26:38.

the opposition to explain why they come to this House all the time to

:26:39.:26:42.

rubbish our digital record and pretend there is an broadband in the

:26:43.:26:47.

UK. How does a digital economy come about if people are not using the

:26:48.:26:50.

brilliant superfast broadband we're delivering? Number ten, please. Our

:26:51.:27:02.

5-point plan makes clear the Government support for the tourist

:27:03.:27:08.

industry. This helps tourists explore the country beyond London.

:27:09.:27:14.

We have secured a discover England fund. This will encourage public and

:27:15.:27:18.

private sector partners across the country to come together and improve

:27:19.:27:25.

English tourism. Thank you. What help is being provided to owners of

:27:26.:27:32.

historic homes, such as Rockingham Castle, to not only conserve these

:27:33.:27:40.

out to boost local tourism? My honourable friend is known as a

:27:41.:27:47.

champion in Northamptonshire and his constituency. I recognise the

:27:48.:27:52.

importance of private heritage in supporting terrorism. These historic

:27:53.:27:56.

houses can apply for Heritage Lottery Fund Inc of up to ?100,000

:27:57.:28:00.

on projects which are of public benefit. You can get funding from

:28:01.:28:10.

historic England. It is important to know the facts. Before you reprimand

:28:11.:28:20.

me, can I remind the House that John Clare was the Northamptonshire poet

:28:21.:28:27.

and the John Clare trust has opened the wonderful cottage to terrorists

:28:28.:28:30.

and can I say to the Minister, he would be welcome to pay an official

:28:31.:28:35.

visit any time. Could he tell the world that we have a campaign, every

:28:36.:28:39.

child's right to the countryside, to get kids to learn outside the

:28:40.:28:49.

classroom. This is a powerful point. I endorse his comments. I look

:28:50.:28:56.

forward to visiting his area. Northampton and Rugby share a

:28:57.:29:04.

heritage in leather products. 50,000 visitors came during the Rugby World

:29:05.:29:09.

Cup, which established an interest in tourism. Would now be a good time

:29:10.:29:15.

to develop a permanent rugby themed visitor attraction in the town? When

:29:16.:29:19.

we get that attraction, I invite him to visit. I should like to commend

:29:20.:29:25.

the hard work my honourable friend has done. When we had visitors going

:29:26.:29:32.

to the birthplace of rugby, during the Rugby World Cup. I am interested

:29:33.:29:37.

in his proposition. I look forward to seeing what progress can be made

:29:38.:29:42.

and to visiting his area. Question 11. We have a competitive internet

:29:43.:29:52.

service provider marketed in the UK. Ofcom has published additional

:29:53.:29:54.

communications review, which promises further changes, which will

:29:55.:29:58.

be welcomed. Age-mac will the Minister tell the House what

:29:59.:30:03.

discussions he had had with his partner regarding encouraging

:30:04.:30:09.

alternative investment and competition in the UK

:30:10.:30:11.

telecommunications infrastructure? Item actually have announced a joint

:30:12.:30:15.

review of the Department of business on business broadband in the

:30:16.:30:18.

Secretary of State for business takes an interest in this issue.

:30:19.:30:23.

Both departments are very focused on Ofcom's recommendations. My message

:30:24.:30:27.

to BT but I hope they will reach an agreement with Ofcom in the future.

:30:28.:30:34.

In areas where there is insufficient competition, there is a requirement

:30:35.:30:38.

for regulation to ensure existing providers provide a fair service. In

:30:39.:30:44.

rural Cheshire, we have no competition and insufficient

:30:45.:30:47.

regulation. Ofcom are allowing providers to charge a premium to

:30:48.:30:50.

rural customers because they live in rural areas. Will the minister speak

:30:51.:30:56.

to Ofcom to provide tough regulation and a fair deal for rural broadband

:30:57.:31:01.

customers? You might yes, I met with the Chief Executive of Ofcom

:31:02.:31:06.

yesterday and I told her we were behind the review, which includes

:31:07.:31:09.

tough measures on BT. We want BT to reach agreement with by the end of

:31:10.:31:14.

the year. Also very proconsumer mechanisms, such as automatic

:31:15.:31:17.

compensation, which we strongly support. I am pleased to tell you

:31:18.:31:28.

there is strong support for the arts within the Northern Powerhouse

:31:29.:31:33.

project. The investment in the factory in Manchester as well as our

:31:34.:31:35.

batting for the whole City of Culture and the great exhibition of

:31:36.:31:42.

the North. I welcome the statement and plans for the future. Can I

:31:43.:31:48.

highlight that this year sees the return of a festival in

:31:49.:31:53.

Macclesfield. Many events and performers and all visitors are

:31:54.:31:59.

welcome. With ?90,000 of art council funding, joining the mix of private

:32:00.:32:02.

and public funding, this is the perfect example of how arts funding

:32:03.:32:06.

can help fuel the Northern Powerhouse. I do agree. Funding has

:32:07.:32:11.

helped make the festival director a paid position for the first time and

:32:12.:32:15.

it is a great example of how the arts Council is working with

:32:16.:32:18.

organisations all over the country. Particularly in the north, to

:32:19.:32:24.

support our world-class arts. The royal photographer society's archive

:32:25.:32:29.

was recently threatened with being moved from Bradford to London. What

:32:30.:32:34.

assessment has the Minister made of the impact on cultural provision

:32:35.:32:39.

within Bradford, the wider Yorkshire region, and indeed, the Northern

:32:40.:32:44.

Powerhouse, for such a move? I've been closely involved with this site

:32:45.:32:49.

is busy on the future of the national medium Museum, for example

:32:50.:32:53.

and I am sure that is being put on a more firm fitting now. But I would

:32:54.:32:56.

say there is extensive support for the arts in Bradford. Something like

:32:57.:33:01.

?9 million about council funding. I would point to the excellent article

:33:02.:33:04.

written by the Chief Executive of the arts Council about the support

:33:05.:33:10.

being given to Bradford. The Minister shows great artistry in the

:33:11.:33:14.

picture he paints. But the regions are already losing out on arts

:33:15.:33:20.

funding by a road show of 14-1. Before the Chancellor chose to chop

:33:21.:33:25.

billions from northern local authorities, struggling to maintain

:33:26.:33:29.

arts for all. The Sutton Road Port said that arts are becoming less and

:33:30.:33:34.

less accessible. Does the Minister agree that the arts are far too

:33:35.:33:39.

important to our culture and to our identity to be left in the hands of

:33:40.:33:45.

a privileged few? Well, I would certainly agree with her on that

:33:46.:33:49.

point. Our forthcoming white paper will announce new measures to

:33:50.:33:52.

increase access to the arts. We support music education, we have

:33:53.:33:58.

extended the in harmony scheme and have introduced new arts schemes in

:33:59.:34:02.

schools. So, I would take great issue with her implicit criticism

:34:03.:34:06.

that we're not doing anything to increase access. The report

:34:07.:34:14.

published by Janet Smith was the result of incomprehensible and

:34:15.:34:16.

wide-ranging review. This is a matter for the BBC, who commissioned

:34:17.:34:20.

the review and are responsible for responding. The chairman and

:34:21.:34:26.

director general take this issue seriously and I have already

:34:27.:34:28.

discussed this with the director-general. This four-year,

:34:29.:34:37.

six now confirmed that Jimmy Savile abused young victims and that

:34:38.:34:47.

attacks occurred in the BBC over a period of 47 years. Now senior

:34:48.:34:51.

manager past or present has accepted individual responsible at it for

:34:52.:34:54.

failing to stop this. Does the Secretary of State believe this is

:34:55.:34:58.

an adequate response from Britain's leading public service broadcaster?

:34:59.:35:04.

Well, I would say to my honourable friend that I hope he will read in

:35:05.:35:08.

full the statement by the director-general, which makes clear

:35:09.:35:13.

that the BBC does take this matter very seriously. It offers a full

:35:14.:35:19.

apology. It fully accepts the recommendations of Dame Janet Smith.

:35:20.:35:21.

The important thing is that measures are put in place to ensure this kind

:35:22.:35:25.

of thing can never happen again. A lot has been done already by the

:35:26.:35:30.

BBC. They have also accepted the recommendation of a further review

:35:31.:35:33.

to be carried out, to ensure that the impossible is being done to stop

:35:34.:35:38.

this kind of abuse ever happening again. Topical questions, Chris

:35:39.:35:46.

Green. Number one. Mr Speaker, as you will know, today is World Book

:35:47.:35:53.

Day! And since the last questions, my Department has published a

:35:54.:35:57.

summary of responses to our consultation on the BBC Charter

:35:58.:36:04.

review. And independent research. That will inform thinking. The House

:36:05.:36:13.

will be delighted to hear that we welcome my honourable friend, who

:36:14.:36:21.

has had a baby since we last met. We wish her and her new arrival well.

:36:22.:36:27.

The House will join me in congratulating the British winners

:36:28.:36:31.

at last week and's Oscars and wishing our track cycling team is

:36:32.:36:38.

well this weekend. The British horse racing industry and the economic

:36:39.:36:45.

impact is ?3.5 billion a year. It has this economic impact. We have

:36:46.:36:51.

popular racecourses in my constituency. Can we confirmed the

:36:52.:36:58.

dates when offshore bookmakers will make a financial contributor to

:36:59.:37:05.

racing? My honourable friend is correct to draw attention to the

:37:06.:37:08.

importance of horse racing to this country. I can tell him that our aim

:37:09.:37:12.

is to introduce a new funding arrangement for British racing by

:37:13.:37:17.

April, 2017. We will create a level playing field for British and

:37:18.:37:22.

offshore gambling operators and ensure a fair return from all

:37:23.:37:26.

bookmakers to racing, including those based offshore. Racing will be

:37:27.:37:30.

responsible for making decisions on spending the new fund and will be

:37:31.:37:32.

making further announcements shortly. Thank you. Four out of five

:37:33.:37:43.

tourist companies served by UK inbound, believe that staying in the

:37:44.:37:46.

EU is important to business. UK inbound's Chief Executive Officer,

:37:47.:37:51.

said, saying yes to staying in the EU sends a clear message that open

:37:52.:37:55.

for business. Can the Secretary of State tell us why he is intent on

:37:56.:38:01.

damaging our tourist industry, by campaigning for Britain to leave the

:38:02.:38:05.

European Union, against the policy of his own Government? Well, I can

:38:06.:38:12.

tell the honourable gentleman that whatever the decision about

:38:13.:38:18.

written's future membership of the EU, we will remain open for tourists

:38:19.:38:22.

to come and visit this country. Not just from the European Union, but

:38:23.:38:26.

from across the world. We are already enjoying a steady increase

:38:27.:38:30.

in the number of international visitors and I expect that to

:38:31.:38:40.

continue. Fought fair is on historic England's at risk register, listed

:38:41.:38:44.

as priority A. Built in 1861, it forms part of the region's distant

:38:45.:38:50.

of naval and coastal history. What support any minister provided to

:38:51.:38:54.

such heritage assets, at risk of rapid deterioration, particularly in

:38:55.:38:58.

private ownership? Thank you. I am well aware of this site and it is

:38:59.:39:04.

one of several which are testament to the important role in defending

:39:05.:39:10.

our nation in the past. The purpose of the at risk register is to enable

:39:11.:39:14.

historic England and other partners to target their support to those

:39:15.:39:22.

sites in greatest need. Historic England is working with partners in

:39:23.:39:28.

Hampshire to preserve the drastic history of Portsmouth Harbour. I am

:39:29.:39:33.

sure the Secretary of State will have been as aggrieved as I was to

:39:34.:39:37.

see the Royal Society of arts in South Tyneside, is one of the lowest

:39:38.:39:44.

boroughs on the heritage index. He should know that South Tyneside has

:39:45.:39:48.

a huge amount of history and culture to offer. I wondered if the

:39:49.:39:51.

Secretary of State would consider accepting an invitation to come with

:39:52.:39:56.

the RSA, to take part in our summer festival, explore our ancient Roman

:39:57.:39:59.

site, or perhaps pull a rabbit out of the hat in her upcoming annual

:40:00.:40:07.

magic show at Customs House? The honourable lady makes an

:40:08.:40:13.

irresistible offer as to the attractions of South Tyneside. The

:40:14.:40:16.

magic show sounds highly enticing. She is absolutely right to stress

:40:17.:40:20.

the importance of heritage to South Tyneside and indeed across the

:40:21.:40:24.

country. I hope that in due course, I will manage to accept this

:40:25.:40:29.

invitation. My honourable friend is being assiduous in trying to visit

:40:30.:40:32.

as many tourism and heritage destinations as possible. Can my

:40:33.:40:40.

honourable friend Tullie House what steps are taken to ensure all

:40:41.:40:43.

Government departments get behind the Government's excellent new sport

:40:44.:40:47.

strategy, particularly in relation to outdoor recreation, with its

:40:48.:40:50.

physical health benefits and benefits to the tourism, economy of

:40:51.:40:54.

rural areas, in Macclesfield and far beyond?

:40:55.:41:02.

He makes an excellent point. We are committed to working together across

:41:03.:41:07.

government to make sure the new sporting future strategy promotes

:41:08.:41:10.

opportunities for everyone, no matter where they are, to get

:41:11.:41:20.

involved in sporting activities. We invest in many activities such as

:41:21.:41:28.

canoeing, and we continue to work with other departments to make sure

:41:29.:41:34.

this happens. Across the nations of the UK there are 4500 miles of road,

:41:35.:41:38.

where there are no mobile phone coverage signals, according to a

:41:39.:41:43.

recent RAC report, including 452 miles in the Highlands, no call or

:41:44.:41:50.

text message could be made. Will he commit to take action to plug these

:41:51.:41:56.

gaps in mobile coverage? I am pleased to tell him the emergency

:41:57.:42:00.

services network proposals will see 300 new mobile masts being built.

:42:01.:42:05.

The mobile infrastructure programme will see 75 miles being built, and

:42:06.:42:10.

our changes to the licences of mobile providers requiring 90%

:42:11.:42:14.

geographic coverage will also see improvements in mobile coverage. My

:42:15.:42:20.

honourable friend the sports Minister will have seen yesterday

:42:21.:42:25.

the suggestion from distinguished luminaries from the medical world,

:42:26.:42:30.

including from places like the University of the Pacific, where

:42:31.:42:32.

ever that may be, that the ban any form of tackling in rugby in

:42:33.:42:36.

schools. I wondered if he agrees that it is time to stop

:42:37.:42:39.

mollycoddling young people, and filed in all we can to make sure

:42:40.:42:43.

sport is safe, let schools get on with teaching these sports and the

:42:44.:42:48.

values they represent. He will be well aware that the government is

:42:49.:42:55.

committed to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to get involved

:42:56.:42:59.

in sport from a young age, provided it is available within a safe

:43:00.:43:02.

environment. Department for Education is responsible for sport

:43:03.:43:07.

in schools, but rugby and other sports always carry an element of

:43:08.:43:12.

risk and we expect those supervising it to ensure the safety of all

:43:13.:43:15.

participants. However he will be interested to know that as part of

:43:16.:43:20.

our strategy on sport, a review of the duty of care will be carried

:43:21.:43:33.

out, chaired by Baroness Cani Grey Thompson. Local authority budgets

:43:34.:43:39.

are under extreme pressure, and occasionally isn't averaging

:43:40.:43:44.

councils to get rid of... Can he ensure that will not include

:43:45.:43:49.

paintings and artefacts in local authority museums? None of us want

:43:50.:43:54.

to see a fire sale of our national heritage on the back of this

:43:55.:43:56.

stumbling economic policy. I hope one treasure not liquidated is the

:43:57.:44:01.

honourable gentleman, I hope he is not liquidated by the momentum

:44:02.:44:04.

campaign in Stoke and he gets reselected. We are all praying for

:44:05.:44:08.

him on this side. It is up to individual local authorities, but

:44:09.:44:12.

they must adhere to the code of ethics of the museums Association,

:44:13.:44:18.

and I take a dim view of local authorities getting rid of assets,

:44:19.:44:22.

particularly when they have been left to them by prominent members of

:44:23.:44:28.

the community. There have been numerous resignations from the board

:44:29.:44:30.

of London 2017. Has he had the chance to discuss why this may be?

:44:31.:44:36.

Does he have any concern about their working relationship with UK

:44:37.:44:43.

athletics? This is a matter which we keep under review. Does not matter I

:44:44.:44:48.

have recently had a chance to discuss, but I will look into this

:44:49.:44:53.

further than discuss it with the appropriate authorities. To prevent

:44:54.:44:58.

our pop charts being disproportionately dominated by acts

:44:59.:45:01.

from Private schools and to prevent an all white BRIT Awards, which we

:45:02.:45:05.

criticised last week, with the Minister consider starting a scheme

:45:06.:45:11.

similar to the much missed music action zones which Labour created in

:45:12.:45:14.

government, to encourage creativity and talent in music in non-classroom

:45:15.:45:22.

context? I would say that this country produces some of the finest

:45:23.:45:26.

music acts around the world, and a lot of the ones I go to did not go

:45:27.:45:35.

to public school. I am looking forward to going to see Muse in the

:45:36.:45:46.

coming months. I would like an opportunity to see everyone who has

:45:47.:45:54.

talent. Would he join me in congratulating the former Olympic

:45:55.:46:01.

cyclist Victoria Pendleton, after her first horse racing win

:46:02.:46:05.

yesterday. When it comes to separate of the new levy, will he confirm

:46:06.:46:08.

that it will be taken into account all the current strains of funding

:46:09.:46:14.

that go into racing from bookmakers, such as picture rights? I join him

:46:15.:46:18.

in congratulating Victoria Pendleton. I heard her talking about

:46:19.:46:24.

her success this morning, and it shows how someone can achieve

:46:25.:46:31.

greater accomplishment in a sport then go onto a second. Regarding

:46:32.:46:36.

extension of the levy, the amount will be determined by an analysis

:46:37.:46:42.

which we have commissioned into the funding and costs of racing, which

:46:43.:46:47.

will take into account all sources of revenue, including media rights.

:46:48.:46:54.

Why has his government bond from promising victims of press abuse

:46:55.:46:57.

that part to the Levenson enquiry will happen to my cabin. -- lettuce

:46:58.:47:06.

and enquiry. How many meetings have he had with newspaper proprietors

:47:07.:47:13.

over the past year? We have always said that any decisions about

:47:14.:47:27.

whether a second enquiry should take place would be discussed, and once

:47:28.:47:32.

the criminal investigations are underway, we will come back to look

:47:33.:47:37.

at this question. -- Leveson. Regarding meetings with newspaper

:47:38.:47:42.

proprietors and victims, we regularly publish a record of all

:47:43.:47:47.

those meetings, and I do have regular meetings with all of those,

:47:48.:47:52.

and I am looking forward to having a further meeting to discuss these

:47:53.:47:57.

matters in a few weeks' time with Hacked Off. Questions to the Leader

:47:58.:48:10.

of the House. Question one. Thank you. The government is committed to

:48:11.:48:15.

promoting public awareness of Parliament. Much has been achieved

:48:16.:48:20.

and this important work must continue. The government welcomes

:48:21.:48:24.

the new e-petition site, which

:48:25.:48:26.

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