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  • Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-04-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessments he has made of the role of libraries in reducing digital exclusion.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Libraries play a significant role in supporting digital engagement, by providing computers and WiFi to enable people to access the internet and digital services, as well as offering digital skills training and support.

    Thanks to Government funding, free WiFi is available in 99% of public libraries in England. DCMS and the Leadership for Libraries Taskforce are working with national partners to develop the role of libraries in improving digital engagement. From 1 October 2015 to 31 March 2016, The Tinder Foundation, in partnership with the Taskforce, carried out a Libraries Digital Inclusion Action Research Project. This supported 16 library authorities across England to pilot and assess new approaches to build digital engagement in socially excluded, hard to reach groups. The Foundation published interim findings in February 2016, and a final report is due in this summer that will help inform future digital engagement activity for libraries.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-04-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what statistics his Department collects on the use of computers in libraries.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The annual library statistics compiled, and published in December 2015, by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy indicate that from 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015 there were 26 million recorded hours of use of computers in public libraries in England.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-04-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what progress his Department has made against its targets set out in the Government’s Digital Inclusion Strategy of April 2014 on reducing the number of people who are digitally excluded.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The 2014 Digital Inclusion Strategy, created under the last Government, sets out a series of commitments and digital inclusion targets for government and the private and voluntary sectors.

    Since the Strategy was published, ONS data has indicated a reduction in the proportion of adults who have never used the internet, from 13% in 2014 to 11% in 2015. However there are still a significant proportion of the UK population that lack basic digital skills, which is why work must continue across all sectors to increase digital engagement and motivate people to get online and make the most of the internet.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-04-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the newspaper industry on ad-blocking and platform regulation.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Secretary of State hold regular discussions with the newspaper industry on a wide range of issues. As he said in his speech to the Oxford Media Convention on 2 March 2016, he will shortly be hosting roundtable meetings with a wide range of relevant stakeholders, including newspaper industry representatives, to discuss ad-blocking and its impact.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-04-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate his Department has made of the loss caused to businesses by ad-blocking technology.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Government has not made any estimate of the impact of ad-blocking in terms of losses caused to businesses, however we are aware of the concerns from our sectors about the expansion of ad-blockers. As the Secretary of State outlined in his speech at the Oxford Media Convention on 2 March 2016, the newspaper, music, film and games industry are all having to adapt to a world in which, in almost every case, advertising revenue now plays an essential part in their new business models.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-04-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has received a reply to his letter of 4 April 2016 to the European Commission Vice President for the Digital Single Market on online platforms.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    A reply to our letter was not expected. Instead the letter on online platforms was designed to influence the Commission’s thinking ahead of the release of the package before the summer. Ministerial colleagues have engaged closely with EU Commissioners as well as a number of Member States about online platforms policy and will continue to do so.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-04-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the European Commission on ad-blocking and platform regulation.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Over recent months DCMS Ministers have met with both Vice President Ansip and Commissioner Oettinger to discuss several issues, including potential platforms regulation. There have also been meetings with a number of MEPs and Member States. DCMS Ministers have not held any recent discussions with the European Commission on ad-blocking.

  • Alex Chalk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Alex Chalk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Chalk on 2016-04-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when his Department expects that all of Cheltenham will have access to superfast broadband of over 24 megabits per second.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Superfast broadband of at least 24 Mbps is available to 90 per cent of homes and businesses in the UK – up from 45 per cent in 2010. We currently estimate that 94% of homes and businesses in the Cheltenham constituency will have access to superfast broadband by December 2017. Government is also working with major broadband suppliers to encourage them to further extend commercial coverage, particularly in urban areas.

  • Nick Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Nick Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-04-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of dairy products procured for his Department was sourced from British producers in the last period for which figures are available.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-04-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2016 to Question 6002, when the liaison personnel in Saudi coalition headquarters were first deployed; how many liaison personnel worked in those headquarters between March 2015 and January 2016; what rules of engagement or memorandum of understanding governs the role of those personnel; and whether any of those personnel have a role in the commission of inquiry announced by the Saudi coalition on 31 January 2016.

    Michael Fallon

    The Liaison Officers were first deployed in May 2015. We do not discuss specific numbers for operational reasons. As Liaison Officers they are not expected to be in a situation where they would require Rules of Engagement nor provide advice to the Saudi investigatory committee.