Contributions
692 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDElectronic Communications and Wireless Telegraphy (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019I am sorry that the noble Lord is not looking forward to my reply—he would not be the only one. Let me answer some of his points. He asked how many hours have been put into the…23 Jan 2019HANSARDElectronic Communications and Wireless Telegraphy (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019This may help the noble Lord and cut down on the time. I have been told that we will continue to consult the industry on the scrutiny of Ofcom’s draft regulatory decisions, but we…23 Jan 2019HANSARDElectronic Communications and Wireless Telegraphy (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019I may have missed the noble Lord’s point. The regulatory framework set up through EU directives and regulations has been implemented in UK law and is administered and regulated by…23 Jan 2019HANSARDElectronic Communications and Wireless Telegraphy (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019The noble Lord is surely not suggesting that every time we have a consultation we should agree on everything with every person who is consulted.23 Jan 2019HANSARDElectronic Communications and Wireless Telegraphy (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019The noble Lord is kind to let me in. I think he is in danger of making a generic speech here. In this SI, we are retaining the status quo in telecoms legislation. We are trying to…23 Jan 2019HANSARDElectronic Communications and Wireless Telegraphy (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019I do not think that you can argue it both ways. Of course we will not be involved in the EU supervision, given that the whole point of the supervision is to affect the European…23 Jan 2019HANSARDElectronic Communications and Wireless Telegraphy (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019I was going to read out that exact clause to make my point. If it is, “in the interests of the Union”, or where the discussion concerns acts addressed to the UK and its citizens,…23 Jan 2019HANSARDElectronic Communications and Wireless Telegraphy (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019It is of course a bit late to consult it on the regulations, but we will definitely do so in future. I will try to find out where we have a disagreement on fact—whether it was…23 Jan 2019HANSARDElectronic Communications and Wireless Telegraphy (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019Yes, absolutely. I will come on to that because nobody regulates the regulator today. The noble Lord asked me to go beyond no deal to what happens to our membership of BEREC if we…23 Jan 2019HANSARDElectronic Communications and Wireless Telegraphy (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019The noble Lord asked a lot of questions. Underlying it all is the fact that this SI is there in the event of no deal. Of course, it is not surprising that references to and some…23 Jan 2019HANSARDTelevision Licences: Over 75sMy Lords, the Government meet the BBC regularly to discuss a range of issues, including the over-75s concession. We know that people across the country value television as a way…21 Jan 2019HANSARDTelevision Licences: Over 75sThe BBC is not a small organisation; it is a very sophisticated organisation. Up until the 2015 settlement, there was an almost permanent state of crisis because the licence fee…21 Jan 2019HANSARDTelevision Licences: Over 75sMy noble friend is completely right that the BBC should pay attention to its social responsibilities, and it does. However, in the consultation surrounding the renewal of the…21 Jan 2019HANSARDTelevision Licences: Over 75sWould that that were so. I agree with the thrust of the noble Baroness’s question—the BBC has a duty to take seriously how much it pays senior managers and stars—but the cost of…21 Jan 2019HANSARDTelevision Licences: Over 75sIf that was the case, why did the director-general say: “The government’s decision here to put the cost of the over-75s on us has been more than matched by the deal coming back…21 Jan 2019HANSARDTelevision Licences: Over 75sWhen the funding settlement was put down in 2015, the BBC agreed to pay for it in 2020, in return for a five-year, index-linked settlement—the first time that had ever happened.…21 Jan 2019HANSARDTelevision Licences: Over 75sThe BBC is consulting on a number of options, it has made those known and the consultation finishes next month—I am sure that noble Lords will want to contribute to it. The fact…21 Jan 2019HANSARDTelevision Licences: Over 75sI do not know whether the noble Lord was listening to the Answer I gave to my noble friend. I said that the BBC should not take advertising.21 Jan 2019HANSARDChildren and Young People: Digital TechnologyMy Lords, I am very grateful to the noble Lord for curtailing his remarks—I sometimes feel that he could go on for a lot longer. I also thank the noble Baroness, Lady Kidron, for…17 Jan 2019HANSARDGambling: Advertising BanThe Government are aware of that, and when in-game items such as skins can be used to place a bet or gamble, and be converted into cash, it is considered gambling and requires a…16 Jan 2019