Tag: Department for Digital and Culture

The press release issued by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 29 September 2022.

• GoFibre to build lightning-fast gigabit-capable connections more than twenty times faster than ‘superfast’
• Made possible via Project Gigabit, the government’s £5 billion plan to boost broadband across the UK

More than 4,000 rural premises in Teesdale will gain access to faster and more reliable broadband after a multi-million contract was awarded under the government’s Project Gigabit scheme.

Borderlink, trading as GoFibre, will work with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Durham County Council to enable thousands of hard-to-reach homes and businesses to access gigabit-capable broadband, made possible by £6.6m of DCMS investment.

The project will cover towns, villages and hamlets across the region including premises near to Barnard Castle and Bishop Auckland, subject to further survey completion.

Gigabit-capable networks are lightning-fast and fit for the future, allowing communities to upload and download data with none of the disruptions associated with ageing copper networks. More than 70 per cent of the UK can access gigabit connections – such as full fibre – but these are mostly in urban areas which is why the government is investing £5 billion to connect hard-to-reach areas that might otherwise miss out.

The contract with GoFibre’s parent company Borderlink has been signed and planning is now underway, with construction due to begin in Spring 2023. This is the second Project Gigabit contract to be awarded following one covering North Dorset in August.

Digital Infrastructure Minister Julia Lopez said:

Families and businesses across rural Teesdale can soon say goodbye to buffering broadband and hello to lightning-fast speeds thanks to the government leading the biggest broadband roll out in British history.

I’m delighted Teesdale will be one of the first places to benefit from the dozens of multi-million pound contracts we will be signing over the coming weeks and months to make sure people in ‘hard-to-reach’ areas across the UK get the broadband they deserve.

A GoFibre spokesperson, said:

Closing the digital divide and helping local communities to thrive by providing previously unimaginable levels of capability through high-quality broadband services is at the heart of everything we do. Through our latest appointment, we will work as a trusted partner, equipping Teesdale with world-class connectivity built for the future.

GoFibre is a Scottish independent broadband provider bringing full fibre broadband services to homes and businesses across Scotland and the north of England. This is the first contract Borderlink Broadband has been successfully awarded under Project Gigabit.

The fast, reliable networks delivered by Project Gigabit will level-up mostly rural and remote communities across the UK, as well as tackling pockets of poor connectivity in urban areas. Having the fastest connections also means the UK is fit for the future, with broadband infrastructure designed to deliver for people’s needs for decades to come.

Cllr Susan McDonnell, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for digital, customer services and procurement, said:

We look forward to working on this exciting development, which will benefit thousands of our residents and businesses in rural areas.

Reliable broadband is integral to our ambitious plans for economic growth across County Durham. It plays a significant role in opening up a wider range of education and employment opportunities and helping communities to connect with each other and thrive.

Following a £164 million investment earlier this year from Gresham House’s British Sustainable Infrastructure Fund, GoFibre is accelerating its rollout of full fibre broadband throughout Scotland and the north of England, enabling the company to transform more lives and address the UK’s digital divide. GoFibre already has a presence across East Lothian, Fife and the Scottish Borders, with the aim to reach hundreds of thousands of homes over the next three years.

Households and businesses can register their interest in GoFibre’s full fibre broadband services by visiting www.gofibre.co.uk/register.

The press release issued by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 18 September 2022.

There will be a two-minute silence at the end of the State Funeral service on Monday, 19 September. This will be at approximately 11:55am.

To pay our respects to Her Majesty The Queen this silence will be observed in all UK government buildings. Devolved administrations will issue instructions in their estates and others as necessary.

Local authorities, businesses, organisations and individuals may choose to join us in observing this silence.

They are also encouraged to join in the National Moment of Reflection on the evening of Sunday 18 September to reflect on the Queen’s life and legacy.

The Moment of Reflection will be marked with a one-minute silence at 8pm.

The press release issued by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 17 September 2022.

• Opportunity for public to line routes in London and Windsor for The Queen’s final journey
• Big screens will be put up across the country for people to watch the ceremony
• The funeral, on Monday 19 September, will also be broadcast live on BBC, Sky and ITV
• National Moment of Reflection will be held on Sunday 18 September

The funeral takes place on the morning of Monday 19 September alongside processions in London and Windsor, with public viewing areas and big screens in both locations.

Across the country big screens will be put up, including in London’s Hyde Park, Sheffield’s Cathedral Square, Birmingham’s Centenary Square, Carlisle’s Bitts Park, Edinburgh’s Holyrood Park and Coleraine Town Hall in Northern Ireland. Cinemas across the UK are also opening their screens to show the funeral – bringing together local communities to commemorate.

The funeral service and processions will be shown live on BBC One, ITV and Sky for those who wish to watch at home.

At 10.44am, The Queen’s coffin will be moved from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey for the state funeral. Two thousand guests are expected to attend the service, which will begin at 11am and followed by a national two-minute silence at 11.55am.

A public procession will begin at 12.15pm as Her Majesty’s coffin travels from Westminster Abbey to Wellington Arch in London.

The procession, which will proceed in seven groups and be supported by a service band, will travel along Broad Sanctuary, Parliament Square, Whitehall, Horse Guards Parade, Horse Guards Road, The Mall, Constitution Hill and end at London’s Wellington Arch.

Space dedicated for those with accessibility requirements is available at the Green Park side of The Mall and the St James’s Park side of The Mall. The Albert Memorial viewing areas will have British Sign Language interpreters and a hearing loop.

Her Majesty’s coffin will then be carried from Wellington Arch by the State Hearse to Windsor where The Queen will be laid to rest.

The hearse is due to arrive in Albert Road and, at 3.10pm, it will travel in procession along Albert Road and the Long Walk before arriving to St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle ahead of the committal service, where The Queen will buried next to the Duke of Edinburgh, which is not open to the public.

There are a limited number of public viewing areas on The Long Walk, including a number of viewing spaces for those with accessibility needs, and there will be big screens for people to watch the services and procession from London.

Those wishing to line the processional route are encouraged to plan ahead and prepare for delays to travel.

A National Moment of Reflection will take place at 8pm on Sunday 18 September. Community groups, clubs and other organisations, as well as people at home are being encouraged to mark this moment in the form of a one-minute silence.

The press release issued by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 12 September 2022.

• Lying-in-State will take place from Wednesday 14 September until Monday 19 September
• Public will be able to walk past The Queen’s coffin to pay respects
• A ceremonial procession which precedes the Lying-in State will convey Her Majesty The Queen from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall

Members of the public will be able to pay their respects to Her Majesty The Queen at the Lying-in-State at The Palace of Westminster in London from Wednesday evening.

Ahead of that a ceremonial procession will take place on Wednesday afternoon that will see The Queen’s coffin travel from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster for the Lying-in-State.

Members of the public can watch the procession in person at the ceremonial viewing areas along the processional route, or at a screening site in Hyde Park.

At the Lying-in-State, The Queen’s closed coffin will rest on a raised platform, called a catafalque, in Westminster Hall and will be draped in the Royal Standard with the Orb and Sceptre placed on top. Each corner of the platform will be guarded around the clock by a vigil of units from the Sovereign’s Bodyguard, the Household Division, or Yeoman Warders of the Tower of London.

The public will be able to file past the coffin 24 hours a day from 5pm on Wednesday 14 September until 6.30am on the day of the funeral – Monday 19 September.

Those wishing to attend will be required to queue for many hours, possibly overnight. Large crowds are expected and people are encouraged to check ahead, plan accordingly and be prepared for long wait times.

All those attending the Lying-in-State will go through airport-style security and there are tight restrictions on what you can take in, with only small bags permitted. Step-free access will be available for those who need it.

For those unable to travel, key moments of the ceremonial procession and the Lying-in-State will be broadcast on the BBC, Sky News and ITV.

The press release issued by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

Following the death of Her Majesty The Queen, all official flags, including the Union Flag, should be half-masted from as soon as possible today until 08.00 the day following The Queen’s State Funeral. Flags may be flown overnight during this period but should remain at half-mast.

Official flags in this instance are defined as national flags of the home nations, Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories, Ensigns and Ships’ colours.

Any non-official flags flying or due to be flown, such as the Rainbow Flag or the Armed Forces Day Flag, should be taken down and replaced with a Union Flag at half-mast. Other official flags scheduled to be flown can be flown as normal, but at half-mast.

Half-mast means the flag is flown a third of the way down the flagpole from the top, with at least the height of the flag between the top of the flag and the top of the flagpole.

On poles that are more than 45° from the vertical, flags cannot be flown at half-mast and should not be flown at all.

The Union Flag must be flown the correct way up – in the half of the flag nearest the flagpole, the wider diagonal white stripe must be above the red diagonal stripe. Please see the College of Arms website

Royal Standard

The Royal Standard is never flown at half-mast even after the death of a monarch, as there is always a Sovereign on the throne and it would therefore be inappropriate for it to fly at half-mast. The Union Flag will be flown at half mast on all Royal Residences.

Exceptions for half-masting during this period of mourning

The only exception to half-masting during this period of mourning is on the day of the Accession Council on 10 September when His Majesty The King is formally proclaimed. The Union Flag and all other official flags should be raised to full mast between the hours of 09:00 and 10:30 and remain at full mast until 13:00 the following day, at which time the Union and official flags should return to being flown at half mast.

The press release issued by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 2 September 2022.

Announcement follows England’s UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 victory, a range of Government measures to support the women’s game, and ahead of a new domestic season.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries has announced that former England and Great Britain footballer Karen Carney MBE is to chair an in-depth review into the future of domestic women’s football.

The review will look at how to deliver bold and sustainable growth of the women’s game at elite and grassroots level. This will be with a particular focus on:

• Assessing the potential audience reach and growth of the game – by considering the value and visibility of women’s and girls’ football in England, including the potential to grow the fanbase for women’s football and whether current growth still supports home-grown talent and can be achieved without overstretching infrastructure.
• Examining the financial health of the game and its financial sustainability for the long term. This will include exploring opportunities and ways to support the commercialisation of the women’s game, broadcast revenue opportunities and the sponsorship of women’s football.
• Examining the structures within women’s football. This includes the affiliation with men’s teams, prize money, the need for women’s football to adhere to the administrative requirements of the men’s game; and assessing the adequacy, quality, accessibility and prevalence of the facilities available for women’s and girls’ football for the growth and sustainability of the game.

To kick off the review, a call for evidence will be launched by the Football Association (FA) in the coming weeks.

Carney will lead a series of group meetings with industry experts across the country. She will be supported in the evidence gathering and analysis by senior officials from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the FA. A full report is expected to be published early next year, with the Government formally responding shortly afterwards.

The news comes following Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses winning UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 in July, a range of Government measures to support the women’s game, and ahead of the Women’s Super League season beginning on 10 September.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said:

The Lionesses’ spectacular performance shows how far we have come at the top of the women’s game. While it is right that we celebrate and reflect on that success, we need an equal emphasis on improving participation, employment opportunities, commercial investment and visibility in the media.

We want to make sure everyone can enjoy the benefits of team sport and there is a robust infrastructure to sustain women’s and girls’ football for the future. A thorough review of the game will help ensure it is here for the long term.

Karen Carney MBE said:

Over the last few years, the game has grown significantly and at a rapid pace. Of course, this is an exciting time, but there is an urgent need to ensure there are processes and structures in place that protect the interest of the game and the people working in it. I have always said that the sport needs to be built on solid foundations to give it long-lasting success in a sustainable way.

For me, this is a defining period for the sport and this review will be at the heart of that.

We must capitalise on these powerful moments and can look back on 2022 as a year where we made great strides forward in the growth of the game.

Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston said:

We have been clear that we are right behind growing women’s and girl’s sport in every aspect – from grassroots all the way up to the elite level.

Domestic women’s football has made significant progress in recent years. However the pandemic highlighted the shallow resources within the elite game, which have the potential to affect its long-term growth.

This review will look in depth at how to grow the game at elite and grassroots level, as we push to level the playing field.

During her career, Carney achieved 144 caps for England and represented Team GB at the London 2012 Olympic Games. She enjoyed a club career for Arsenal, Chicago Red Stars, Birmingham City and Chelsea. She is now a respected voice on both mens and women’s football and works as a broadcaster and columnist for the Guardian, ITV Sport and Sky Sports, as well as her role as a sponsorship consultant for Visa.

The women’s game has made significant progress in recent years, with UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 highlighting the changing attitudes to women’s sport. Records were shattered, with a record global audience of more than 365 million people, 574,875 tickets sold, nearly half of all ticket holders female, and nearly 100,000 children. There were sell-out crowds wherever the Lionesses played, and the final broke the all-time record attendance for a EUROs final – in either the men’s or women’s game.

The launch of the Women’s Super League in 2011 generated a wave of bespoke sponsorship and broadcast rights deals. The England men’s and women’s senior players are now being paid the same match fee for representing their country, and clubs in the top two tiers of domestic football are introducing improved contracts and employment rights.

In a further long-term boost for the visibility of women’s football, the Government recently confirmed that the FIFA Women’s World Cup and Women’s Euros have been added to the listed events regime, which will mean they will continue to be made available to free-to-air television broadcasters.

At grassroots level it has become the most played team sport for women and girls in England, with 3 million registered players and 12,000 registered teams. The Government is putting the game at the very centre of its plans to level up access to sport for all, with a £230 million package being rolled out to build or improve up to 8,000 grassroots football and multi-sport pitches across the UK by 2025. This funding kicked off in March with an initial £25 million benefiting over 170 facilities. Following the EURO 2022 Final, the Culture Secretary also announced that some of these facilities will be named after the 23 players in and around each of their respective hometowns or places that shaped their footballing careers, in honour of their achievements. Further details will be announced in the coming weeks.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government stood by women’s football. It provided £2.9 million in grant funding to the Women’s Super League and FA Women’s Championship to cover essential costs and allow the completion of their seasons through the Sport Survival Package, but there were still delays in the return of competition compared to the men’s game, due to a lack of investment from the football authorities in COVID-19 testing for the women’s game. Spectators were also slower to return, a number of sponsorship deals withdrawn and a number of clubs have experienced financial hardship.

The fan-led review of football governance for men’s professional football recommended a review of the women’s game. Those who gave evidence highlighted the need for women’s football to be properly financed – including the commercialisation of women’s football, the opportunities for the game to benefit from broadcast revenue and implementing a stronger administrative structure. Concerns were also raised that the sport had failed to keep up with its own popularity and there was a danger of demand being unmet.

The press release issued by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 2 September 2022.

A temporary export bar has been placed on a sledge flag from Captain Henry Kellett’s arctic expeditions.

• Export bar is to allow time for a UK gallery or institution to acquire the flag
• Sledge flags like this were used on voyages by British explorers and they continued to be used in the Antarctic in the early 20th century
• This flag is one of the earliest known still in existence and dates to the early 1850s

A rare sledge flag owned by British Naval Officer Captain Henry Kellett, who was involved in two major arctic expeditions, is at risk of leaving the UK unless a buyer can be found.

Captain Henry Kellett, a proud Irishman, was a famous arctic explorer involved in expeditions charting the Northwest Passage – the sea route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean – which had become a focus for British science, trade and geographical exploration.

During the search for Sir John Franklin’s lost 1845 expedition, Captain Kellett’s voyages helped map out the northern extremes of North America for Britain. The sledge flag, one of the earliest known in existence, helps to tell the story of British obsession in the 19th century with arctic exploration and serves as an important reminder of the tragedy of Franklin’s failed voyage.

Sledge flags were unique to British polar explorers and helped to forge an identity among officers and crew for each sledge sent from the ship.

Arts Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said:

“This flag serves as a reminder of Britain’s rich maritime history, helping to tell the story of early British sailors and their travels in search of new places. Its cultural and historical significance should be a driving force to keep it in the country. I hope a buyer comes forward for this treasure soon.”

The Minister’s decision follows the advice of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest. The Committee agreed that this is a fascinating example of a sledge flag and that the unique design of this flag, along with its importance within the context of British history, is of outstanding significance.

The Chairman of the RCEWA, Sir Hayden Phillips, said:

“The stories that surround this Sledge Flag make it come alive. Captain Kellett commanded HMS Resolute, one of many ships which, over at least three centuries, had sought to fulfil a British maritime obsession – finding the North West Passage. The flag and the ship were also linked to the constant late 19th century search for Sir John Franklin’s doomed expedition. Like his ships, crushed by the ice, Resolute had to be abandoned but was recovered and restored by the US Government and presented to Queen Victoria. She then ordered the crafting from its oak timbers an ornate desk which She presented to the President of the United States. This Sledge Flag, of unique design, is redolent with our history and should live here.”

The Committee made its recommendation on the grounds that the departure of the sledge flag from the UK would be a misfortune owing to its close connection with British history and national life.

The decision on the export licence application for the flag will be deferred for a period ending on 1 st December inclusive. At the end of the first deferral period owners will have a consideration period of 15 Business Days to consider any offer(s) to purchase the flag at the recommended price of £120,000 (plus VAT of £24,000 which can be reclaimed by an eligible institution).

The second deferral period will commence following the signing of an Option Agreement and will last for three months. Offers from public bodies for less than the recommended price through the private treaty sale arrangements, where appropriate, may also be considered by the minister. Such purchases frequently offer substantial financial benefit to a public institution wishing to acquire the item.

The press release issued by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 2 September 2022.

A temporary export bar has been placed on a manuscript gifted to Queen Elizabeth I by Archbishop Matthew Parker.

• Export bar is to allow time for a UK gallery or institution to acquire the manuscript
• The manuscript was part of a gift from the Archbishop and was intended to impress the Queen

A manuscript which formed part of a gift from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Matthew Parker to Elizabeth I is at risk of leaving the country unless a buyer can be found.

The historically rich manuscript is made up of nine roundels and forms a fragment of a gift to Queen Elizabeth I in the early 1550s. The roundels were likely folded and integrated into a now-lost gold salt cellar.

The use of shell gold around the miniatures suggests that the manuscript was gifted with the intention of impressing the Queen.

Arts Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said:

“Archbishop Parker is a figure of great historical and theological consequence, and this beautiful manuscript is a significant example of Elizabethan gift exchange. I hope a buyer comes forward for this piece so it can be used to learn more about both the Archbishop and Queen Elizabeth I.”

The Minister’s decision follows the advice of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest. The Committee agreed that the manuscript had enormous research value, specifically regarding Archbishop Matthew Parker’s relationship to Queen Elizabeth I and material gift culture. The literary allusions on the roundels further suggested Matthew Parker’s engagement with classical humanist culture that was not typically associated with the clergy and would lead to illuminating further study.

Committee Member Peter Barber said:

“These evocative, obscurely-worded and miraculously preserved roundels take us back to power politics and culture at the heart of Elizabeth I’s court. They are a tangible record of a vital and dangerous moment in our religious and political history when the delicately-crafted Anglican Settlement seemed to be in danger, but their wording still has to be fully interpreted and understood.

While Tudor gift lists and sometimes the gifts themselves survive, such intrinsic – but cryptic – evidence for the mentality behind the gift -giving is perhaps unique. I fervently hope the roundels will remain in this country where outstanding collections and libraries – not least that of Archbishop Parker himself – would enable their plentiful remaining mysteries to be investigated and explained with a thoroughness that would simply not be possible elsewhere in the world.”

The Committee made its recommendation on the grounds that the departure of the manuscript from the UK would be a misfortune owing to its outstanding significance to the study of Matthew Parker and gift-giving culture in the Elizabethan period.

The decision on the export licence application for the manuscript will be deferred for a period ending on 1 December 2022. At the end of the first deferral period owners will have a consideration period of 15 business days to consider any offer(s) to purchase the manuscript at the recommended price of £9,450 (plus VAT of £390 which can be reclaimed by an eligible institution).

The second deferral period will commence following the signing of an option agreement and will last for three months. Offers from public bodies for less than the recommended price through the private treaty sale arrangements, where appropriate, may also be considered by the minister. Such purchases frequently offer substantial financial benefit to a public institution wishing to acquire the item.

The press release issued by the Department of Digital, Culture and Media and Sport on 2 September 2022.

The Prime Minister has reappointed Dr Fiona Butcher and Dr Helen Czerski as trustees of Royal Museums Greenwich.

Dr Fiona Butcher

Reappointed for a four-year term from 3 September 2022 until 2 September 2026.

Dr Fiona Butcher is the General Counsel and Company Secretary of Trinity College London, an international awarding organisation and educational charity. Before moving in-house, she worked in the fields of EU and competition law, regulation and compliance at a magic circle firm and at three regulators, including as the Legal Director of Ofwat. She holds law degrees from Oxford and Cambridge Universities.

Dr Butcher has a keen interest in art history and holds a PhD from the Courtauld Institute of Art, where she specialised in Modern British Art and wrote her doctorate on British landscape painting in the early Cold War period. In addition, she has worked in the Interpretation Department at Tate Britain and contributed to various art publications.

Dr Helen Czerski

Reappointed for a four-year term from 3 September 2022 until 2 September 2026.

Dr Helen Czerski is a physicist and oceanographer with a passion for science, sport, books, creativity, hot chocolate and investigating the interesting things in life.

She is an Associate Professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University College London and her research focus is the physics of breaking waves and bubbles at the ocean surface. She has worked on research ships in the Antarctic, the Pacific, the North Atlantic and the Arctic.

Helen has been a regular science presenter on the BBC for ten years, covering the physics of the natural world and the physics of everyday life in BBC2 landmark documentaries and a range of BBC4. She is a frequent voice on the radio, on podcasts and also live stage performances.

Helen writes regularly about science, and her first book Storm in a Teacup won the Italian Asimov Prize and the Louis J. Battan Author prize from the American Meteorological Society. She was awarded the Institute of Physics Gold Medal in 2018 for her work on physics communication, and an Honorary Fellowship of the British Science Association in 2020. She was one of the 2020 Royal Institution Christmas Lecturers, giving her Lecture on the topic of the ocean.

Remuneration and Governance Code

Trustees of Royal Museums Greenwich are not remunerated. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Dr Fiona Butcher and Dr Helen Czerski have not declared any significant political activity.

The press release issued by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 2 September 2022.

The Secretary of State has appointed Lady Dalmeny for a four year term commencing 01 October 2022.

Caroline, Lady Dalmeny FRSA FRGS

Caroline Dalmeny owns and runs a growing property business in London and Scotland. She holds a number of voluntary and leadership roles including as a Senior Associate of the Royal Society of Medicine and as a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce and the Royal Geographical Society. She was a Trustee of the War Memorials Trust until 2019 and of Abbotsford until 2020.

Educated at John F Kennedy Comprehensive School and University College London, she is interested in exploring subjects such as the relationship of homes and health, micro greening and the history of homes and hobbies. She lives with her partner and family in Clerkenwell. Caroline has strong links with communities outside London, living partly in the Scottish borders. She was brought up in Hemel Hempstead in the planned environment of one of the first new towns.

Remuneration and Governance Code

The Chair of the Museum of the Home does not receive remuneration. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Lady Dalmeny has declared no such activity.