Contributions
301 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTV Licence Fee EnforcementIt is a pleasure to rejoin the noble Lord in another House of Parliament, although of course we remain on opposite sides. He is absolutely right to say that the mission of the BBC…23 Jan 2020HANSARDTV Licence Fee EnforcementI thank the noble Lord very much. One recommendation from the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee in the House of Commons was that there should be more transparency…23 Jan 2020HANSARDStrategic Priorities for Telecommunications, Radio Spectrum and Postal ServicesI wish to inform members that I have designated the Government’s statement of strategic priorities for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum, and postal services,…31 Oct 2019HANSARDShared Rural NetworkI thank my hon. Friend. She might want to take a leaf out of the book of my hon. Friend the Member for Brigg and Goole (Andrew Percy), by working with the mobile network operators…28 Oct 2019HANSARDShared Rural NetworkI thank the hon. Gentleman for welcoming this announcement. I am sure that my private office will be listening with great interest to his request for a map and details of the…28 Oct 2019HANSARDShared Rural NetworkI thank my right hon. Friend for his question. He is right; this is about people being able to see improved coverage. That is why it is important that the mobile network operators…28 Oct 2019HANSARDShared Rural NetworkI thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. Anybody would think that he was standing for election next week given how much he welcomed this announcement.28 Oct 2019HANSARDShared Rural NetworkI thank the hon. Lady very much for her question. In talking about the difficulties and the disappointments, she almost ran out of time to actually ask her questions. She is right…28 Oct 2019HANSARDShared Rural NetworkI thank my right hon. Friend. As a former Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, he will understand the significant challenges that there have been to bring everyone…28 Oct 2019HANSARDShared Rural NetworkI thank the hon. Lady very much for her reply; at least she was a little more enthusiastic than the Labour Front Bencher—not difficult, given the low bar that he set. The current…28 Oct 2019HANSARDShared Rural NetworkI will certainly look into the issue that my hon. Friend has raised in relation to the national parks, but of course there are always going to be challenges. It is not just about…28 Oct 2019HANSARDShared Rural NetworkI thank my right hon. Friend very much for his question. As he will know, at the end of August we announced a consultation, which closes on 4 November, about how we can simplify…28 Oct 2019HANSARDShared Rural NetworkI thank the right hon. Gentleman—I think—for the response to the statement. The paltry support he got from those on his Benches when he sat down showed that they did not think…28 Oct 2019HANSARDShared Rural NetworkWith your permission, Mr Speaker, I will make a statement to the House about connectivity and our recent announcement about the shared rural network. Last month, this Government…28 Oct 2019HANSARDShared Rural NetworkI would ask the hon. Lady also to raise that question with the Scottish Government. She is right to say that we want to get on with this and that matters of critical…28 Oct 2019HANSARDShared Rural NetworkMy understanding is that the answer to that question is yes, but I will confirm that and let the hon. Gentleman have the full details.28 Oct 2019HANSARDShared Rural NetworkI thank my hon. Friend very much indeed for his comments, and pay tribute to him for campaigning on this issue and encouraging other Members to work together to ensure that my…28 Oct 2019HANSARDShared Rural NetworkI will leave the hon. Gentleman to have his fight with the Scottish Government, but he makes a good case about how slow some progress has been under their ownership. I pay tribute…28 Oct 2019HANSARDShared Rural NetworkI thank my hon. Friend for welcoming this announcement. 5G is already being rolled out and there is no intention to stop that process, but we need 4G as well. The intention is to…28 Oct 2019HANSARDShared Rural NetworkThe hon. Gentleman is right that having good broadband and good mobile connectivity is important for all of us, but particularly for our small and medium-sized businesses, many of…28 Oct 2019