Contributions
920 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDBBC Local Radio: Proposed Reduction in ProvisionIt is not for me to question the talent of those on very high salaries in the BBC. My hon. Friend rightly highlights the very healthy listening figures for local BBC radio…01 Nov 2022HANSARDBBC Local Radio: Proposed Reduction in ProvisionThe hon. Member’s point goes to the fundamental question of at what point local news ceases to be local. I shall ask the director-general that very question.01 Nov 2022HANSARDBBC Local Radio: Proposed Reduction in ProvisionI thank the hon. Gentleman for raising that point about how the BBC is an important developer of local talent and local journalism. I shall meet the director-general next week and…01 Nov 2022HANSARDBBC Local Radio: Proposed Reduction in ProvisionI am grateful to my right hon. Friend for raising the important work that is done by BBC Radio Leeds and for giving a longer-term picture of what has been going on within these…01 Nov 2022HANSARDBBC Local Radio: Proposed Reduction in ProvisionI thank my hon. Friend for his question. He is right to highlight that this is precisely what people expect of and value from the BBC. I have a great deal of sympathy with the BBC…01 Nov 2022HANSARDBBC Local Radio: Proposed Reduction in ProvisionI am grateful to the hon. Lady for again raising the NUJ’s point of view. As I have said in previous answers, BBC local radio is a great training ground for a number of…01 Nov 2022HANSARDBBC Local Radio: Proposed Reduction in ProvisionI thank my right hon. Friend for raising the issues in Hampshire. The mid-term review, which is a relatively new innovation, is looking at some of these questions on competition…01 Nov 2022HANSARDBBC Local Radio: Proposed Reduction in ProvisionI am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for raising the NUJ’s concerns. It is important that many people get their training in local media organisations, which gives them a…01 Nov 2022HANSARDBBC Local Radio: Proposed Reduction in ProvisionI thank my right hon. Friend for raising his concerns. There is a social compact between the public and the BBC that we pay the licence fee on the basis that it provides us with…01 Nov 2022HANSARDBBC Local Radio: Proposed Reduction in ProvisionThe hon. Gentleman makes his point powerfully. It is a core mission of the BBC to provide this kind of distinctive local content that relates to British people in the communities…01 Nov 2022HANSARDBBC Local Radio: Proposed Reduction in ProvisionLet us give another shout-out to BBC Radio Lancashire, just so that Mr Speaker is content with me. The hon. Lady highlights the potential for geographically large and very diverse…01 Nov 2022HANSARDProduct Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure BillI agree and I thank my hon. Friend for making the point. It seems sensible and benign, but it would significantly delay roll-out and create a great deal of uncertainty. I…31 Oct 2022HANSARDProduct Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure BillI shall set out my reasons for resisting now, but I am afraid I am not of the same opinion as my right hon. Friend on this issue. I have looked at it at length: I have looked at…31 Oct 2022HANSARDProduct Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure BillI beg to move, That this House disagrees with Lords amendment 17.31 Oct 2022HANSARDProduct Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure BillI am pleased to see the progress that the Bill has made since it left this House before the summer, and I am grateful to Members in the other place for their scrutiny of it. Fast,…31 Oct 2022HANSARDProduct Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure BillI think that is probably for other legislation, but if the hon. Member would like to discuss further with me, perhaps in relation to the Data Protection and Digital Information…31 Oct 2022HANSARDProduct Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure BillI thank hon. Members for their contributions and for the wide-reaching support for the Bill, as that shows recognition of its importance. The 2017 reforms were introduced to drive…31 Oct 2022HANSARDRural BroadbandWe are investing £5 billion in Project Gigabit so that hard-to-reach areas can get ultra-reliable gigabit speeds. We have already upgraded over 740,000 premises. National gigabit…20 Oct 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsI confess that, as the Minister for the creative industries, I share some of the hon. Lady’s concerns. I will be meeting my ministerial counterpart who has the Intellectual…20 Oct 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsMy understanding is that some of the main challenges come from the Scottish Government’s R100 programme, which is making the roll-out rather challenging. His colleagues in…20 Oct 2022