Contributions
920 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDProtecting Heritage AssetsI confess I am not sure about the issue my hon. Friend refers to, so I will do some investigation and we will see what the Department can do to facilitate his request.11 Jan 2024HANSARDGrassroots Music SupportI thank the hon. Lady for drawing on her expertise in this regard, and for the work that the Select Committee is doing. I am going to provide that dreadful answer: ahead of the…11 Jan 2024HANSARDGrassroots Music SupportMy right hon. Friend has made his point well, if not briefly. We agree about the importance of grassroots music, which is why we have given another £5 million to the supporting…11 Jan 2024HANSARDBBC Current Affairs Coverage: ImpartialityI simply wish to pay tribute to every journalist who puts their life on the line to bring truth to the public’s attention. They play an incredibly important role. We are proud of…11 Jan 2024HANSARDBBC Current Affairs Coverage: ImpartialityI thank my hon. Friend for his question. He is absolutely right: trust is the BBC’s currency. That is especially important in relation to its international coverage, particularly…11 Jan 2024HANSARDBBC Current Affairs Coverage: ImpartialityThe BBC has a duty to deliver its impartial and accurate news and current affairs coverage under its royal charter. It is editorially independent, which means that editorial…11 Jan 2024HANSARDLocal JournalismI thank the hon. Lady for raising these issues. I know that sustaining a good, financially beneficial career is a concern for many people working in journalism. Before I went on…11 Jan 2024HANSARDUK Musicians: European ToursUnlike the SNP, we actually listen to what people say in referenda, so I am afraid we will not be rejoining the EU and therefore we cannot have special tax privileges on that…11 Jan 2024HANSARDGrassroots Music SupportThe hon. Lady is absolutely right that grassroots venues are the talent incubators of the music industry. She will be aware that the Chancellor gave a substantial amount of money…11 Jan 2024HANSARDRural ConnectivityGreat digital connectivity is now absolutely vital to people’s life chances and we do not want rural areas to be left behind. That is why we are putting £2 billion into gigabit,…10 Jan 2024HANSARDRural ConnectivityFirst, I want to reassure my hon. Friend that a lot of work is being done on gigabit and mobile reception for rural areas. There is a regional procurement under way that covers…10 Jan 2024HANSARDRural ConnectivityAs the hon. Gentleman will know, things are changing in Wales because the Welsh Government are starting to take some of the contracts in-house. That work is under way, but I am…10 Jan 2024HANSARDRural ConnectivityI appreciate my hon. Friend’s work in this area. He is a tremendous champion for his constituency. He will be aware that I spoke to the Scottish Government before I went on…10 Jan 2024HANSARDRural ConnectivityI thank my hon. Friend for holding me to account and I very much share his sense of urgency. His constituency has 86% gigabit-capable coverage, so it is above the average, but…10 Jan 2024HANSARDRural ConnectivityThat is an important issue, and we have raised it with Ofcom because we share the hon. Lady’s concern that the data is not good enough and is not being reflected in constituents’…10 Jan 2024HANSARDRural ConnectivityThe hon. Gentleman is right to highlight the vital importance of ensuring that the emergency services network is up and running and that it is robust, particularly in rural areas.…10 Jan 2024HANSARDBBC Local Radio: Proposed CutsThe hon. Lady raises an important point about the impact of the BBC, and the care that it needs to take in relation to the impact that it can have on commercial services. We do…27 Apr 2023HANSARDBBC Local Radio: Proposed CutsThe hon. Gentleman is absolutely right to highlight the importance of local news reporting to the health of our democracy, and I met news publishers recently to discuss how we…27 Apr 2023HANSARDBBC Local Radio: Proposed CutsI thank my right hon. Friend for his contribution. We are not going to protect specific parts of the BBC by primary legislation, but we have a number of important measures on…27 Apr 2023HANSARDBBC Local Radio: Proposed CutsI wish my hon. Friend a very happy birthday, as I am sure does the whole House. He asks us to speak again to the BBC about this matter. This issue has been running since the…27 Apr 2023