The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2016-05-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to publish the responses received by the review on secondary ticketing as required by section 94 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
David Evennett
The plan is to publish responses to the Call for Evidence in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-05-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what Tech North’s (a) operational and (b) communications budget was for (i) 2015 and (ii) 2016; and what Tech North’s total expenditure on third party communications consultancy and public relations agencies was in each of those two years.
Mr Edward Vaizey
Tech City UK (including Tech North) total operations budget was £2,500,000 in 2014-15; £4,223,000 in 2015-16; and £4,100,000 in 2016-17. Tech City UK (including Tech North) communications costs were £173,091 in 2014-15; £279,355 in 2015-16; and £5,000 in 2016-17 (YTD). These costs were all expenditure on third party communications, consultancy and public relations agencies
Tech North’s communication costs were nil in 2014-15 and 2016-17 (YTD), and £74,500 in 2015-16. These costs were all expenditure on third party communications, consultancy and public relations agencies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by MiDavies on 2016-05-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Sport England’s (a) implementation of the strategy to tackle inactivity and (b) use of funding for that purpose.
David Evennett
Government is determined to tackle physical inactivity. Around one in two women and a third of men in England are damaging their health through a lack of physical activity.
In December 2015, Government published ‘Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation", which set out a new vision for a successful and active sporting nation, with a strong focus on reaching inactive people and helping them to get moving in ways that suit them.
Sport England’s new strategy ‘Towards an Active Nation’, published on 19 May, is consistent with, and takes forward, the Government’s vision and relevant recommendations from Sporting Future, including those on inactivity. It sets out the organisation’s plans for tackling inactivity, including by tripling its current investment to over £250m over 4 years, making it the largest single national investor in tackling inactivity. As part of that it will create a new, dedicated fund of £120 million to tackle inactivity over the next four years, building on the insight gained from pilots of their Get Healthy Get Active fund.
Government will report annually on progress in implementing ‘Sporting Future’.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-05-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the potential cost of securing rights for content in relation to the creation of a BBC Ideas Service.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The BBC Ideas Service is an exciting proposal put forward by the BBC as part of a package of proposals for the next Charter period. It will be for the BBC to set out the detail of its plans for Ideas Service, including the cost of the service.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-05-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether public funding will be made available to support the maintenance of the BBC archive as a digital platform.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The BBC receives over £3.7 billion of public money each year through the licence fee. As set out in the Government’s White Paper, ‘A BBC for the future: a Broadcaster of Distinction’, we encourage the BBC to do more to open up its archive and ensure that it can be used by the public and as wide a range of institutions and organisations as possible. How the BBC uses the public money it receives to achieve this is matter for the BBC.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-05-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to increase tourism in Yorkshire from (a) domestic and (b) foreign visitors.
David Evennett
Yorkshire had a record breaking year for inbound tourism in 2014 following the Grand Depart, and there were 1.29 million visits from international tourists to the region in 2015. Domestic overnight trips to Yorkshire were also strong in 2015: £1.92 billion was spent by these tourists in that year – an 11% increase on spending in 2014. Yorkshire also benefited from the £1m staycation campaign run early in 2016 to attract domestic visitors to the area following that winter’s floods.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-05-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how the planned further opening of the BBC archive will be funded at the stage of (a) capture, (b) preservation, (c) cataloguing, (d) digitisation, (e) storage, (f) licensed use and (g) non-licensed use.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The BBC receives over £3.7 billion of public money each year through the licence fee. As set out in the Government’s White Paper, ‘A BBC for the future: a Broadcaster of Distinction’, we encourage the BBC to do more to open up its archive and ensure that it can be used by the public and as wide a range of institutions and organisations as possible. How the BBC uses the public money it receives to achieve this is matter for the BBC.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-05-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Answer of 9 May 2016 to Question 36437, if he will publish a list of cultural events and organisations located (a) north of Leeds and (b) elsewhere directly funded by his Department, outside of funding for the Arts Councils in (i) the last three years and (ii) the next three years.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The Northern Powerhouse is a priority for Government, and through projects like The Great Exhibition of the North, we will look to showcase the innovation and imagination of the region, give a real boost to local tourism, and provide an important creative legacy. The information you have requested is published annually in the Department’s report and accounts. It lists all cultural events and organisations throughout the country that are directly funded by the Department. In the last three years we have provided direct funding to a number of institutions, including the Royal Armouries, Leeds (£24.3 million), while the National Railway Museum in York receives annual funding via the Science Museums Group* who have distributed approximately £128 Million to their eight bodies between 2012/13 and 2014/15. Elsewhere in England the Government funds a number of cultural organisations directly, including the Peoples Museum in Manchester (£484,760 between 2012/13 and 2013/15) and National Museums Liverpool (£63.5 million between 2012/13 and 2014/15).In addition, a number of the Department’s Arm’s Length Bodies such as the BFI, Tate,and Heritage Lottery Fund have financed a number of cultural events and projects throughout England. The next three years’ funding will be published in future reports and will include current projects such as the Great Exhibition of the North, Hull City of Culture 2017 and the Factory in Manchester; where the Government has announced £78 million of funding.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-05-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the proposals in his Department’s White Paper, A BBC for the future, published in May 2016, what discussions he has had with the BBC on challenging a perceived culture of political bias at the corporation.
Mr Edward Vaizey
I have had discussions with the BBC throughout the Charter Review process. Under the plans in the White Paper, ‘A BBC for the future: a broadcaster of distinction’, the BBC’s obligations for impartiality and accuracy will, for the first time, be regulated by an external body, Ofcom. The culture of the BBC will be a matter for the new unitary board in delivering its new mission ‘To act in the public interest, serving all audiences with impartial, high-quality and distinctive media content and services that inform, educate and entertain.’
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-05-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the proposals in his Department’s White Paper, A BBC for the future, published in May 2016, what discussions he has had with the BBC on reducing the level of salary arrangements for managerial and celebrity appointments.
Mr Edward Vaizey
I have had discussions with the BBC throughout the Charter Review process. Although the level at which the BBC pays its managerial and talent appointments is a matter for the BBC, the Government’s White Paper, A BBC for the future: a Broadcaster of Distinction, sets out that the BBC will maintain the current cap on talent spend of a maximum of 16 per cent of internal content costs. As part of their duty to ensure the BBC delivers value for money, the new BBC board will also have a duty to manage talent costs and conduct and report on a rolling programme of talent pay reviews, with independent, expert advice. The new Board’s remuneration committee will have to approve salaries above £250K and publish the names of those paid over £450K.