Contributions
3,240 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCharities Bill [HL]That the Committee do consider the Bill.07 Jul 2021HANSARDCharities Bill [HL]My Lords, I thank all noble Lords for their valuable contributions today and, in particular, I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Barker, for having ploughed through the Law…07 Jul 2021HANSARDCovid-19: BroadbandIt is within the role of Ofcom to monitor that effectiveness.05 Jul 2021HANSARDCovid-19: BroadbandI will clarify what I meant to say, and I apologise if I was not clear. The commercial rollout, Project Gigabit and the rural voucher and other schemes that we have announced will…05 Jul 2021HANSARDCovid-19: BroadbandOn social tariffs, I repeat what I said earlier: Ofcom is absolutely clear that the providers of those tariffs need to proactively market them. However, government is working and…05 Jul 2021HANSARDCovid-19: BroadbandThere are two sides to the coin that the noble Lord has mentioned: of course he is absolutely right that self-employed people need access to the best-quality broadband, but,…05 Jul 2021HANSARDCovid-19: BroadbandDuring the pandemic, schools have been able to request free mobile data uplifts for disadvantaged families, and those will remain in place until the end of this month. Over 1.5…05 Jul 2021HANSARDCovid-19: BroadbandThe Government are working in different areas to address affordability, and I am sure that the noble Lord has seen the recent Ofcom report on this issue. Some 99% of households…05 Jul 2021HANSARDCovid-19: BroadbandThe Government have an incredibly ambitious and currently very successful programme of rolling out broadband across the country. The quickest way to get everyone, particularly…05 Jul 2021HANSARDCovid-19: BroadbandMy Lords, the Covid-19 crisis has shown the integral role digital connectivity plays in our lives. Thanks to the Government, 97% of the UK can now access superfast broadband and…05 Jul 2021HANSARDCovid-19: BroadbandThe issues relating to being on the wrong side of the digital divide, as the noble Lord described it, are more complex than simply the tariff or how rent might be set up: they…05 Jul 2021HANSARDCovid-19: BroadbandI hope that the noble Lord acknowledges the huge progress that has been made in the rollout. We are working closely with local authorities and pan-regional stakeholders, such as…05 Jul 2021HANSARDBirmingham Commonwealth Games (Compensation for Enforcement Action) Regulations 2021That the draft Regulations laid before the House on 17 and 19 May be approved. Considered in Grand Committee on 30 June.05 Jul 2021HANSARDCovid-19: BroadbandMy noble friend is absolutely right, and we are investigating all the areas that he alluded to, particularly for the last 100,000 people who will not currently be reached through…05 Jul 2021HANSARDChannel 4: Funding and GovernanceWe are addressing the noble Lord’s final point through our consultation on regulation for video-on-demand providers. The noble Lord is right that Channel 4 has a strong reputation…01 Jul 2021HANSARDChannel 4: Funding and GovernanceIf my noble friend or any members of the public have concerns about the accuracy of any broadcaster, including Channel 4, they can send those concerns to Ofcom.01 Jul 2021HANSARDChannel 4: Funding and GovernanceThere is no doubt that Channel 4 has performed very well recently but, as I mentioned in an earlier answer, all linear broadcasters are facing significant challenges from…01 Jul 2021HANSARDChannel 4: Funding and GovernanceThe noble Lord refers to the expert advice that Ministers will receive from the independent PSB panel but he overlooks the digital radio and audio review that we will be…01 Jul 2021HANSARDChannel 4: Funding and GovernanceI do not think it is anything to do with a melting ice sculpture. The Government are committed to having a thriving PSB sector. I know the noble Baroness understands full well…01 Jul 2021HANSARDChannel 4: Funding and GovernanceMy Lords, I am tempted to invite the noble Lord, Lord Watson, to respond. As part of their ongoing strategic review of the UK system of public service broadcasting, the Government…01 Jul 2021