Contributions
162 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDDraft Small-scale Radio Multiplex and Community Digital Radio Order 2019To answer the second question first, we are undertaking a review of radio, into which I will happily incorporate his concerns. There is a scarcity of available FM, which is a key…16 Jul 2019HANSARDBBCI am glad my right hon. Friend loved it. It was a series that illustrated the importance of diversity in the BBC: a regional series set in Halifax, written by a BAFTA-winning…15 Jul 2019HANSARDBBCTo be fair to the hon. Gentleman, he has a fair point—that the matter was contentious—but the proposal got through without the Government having to make compromises, unlike other…15 Jul 2019HANSARDBBCIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dame Cheryl, and I congratulate the hon. Member for Warrington North (Helen Jones) on securing this important debate on these…15 Jul 2019HANSARDBBCI will take an intervention from the hon. Gentleman if he likes.15 Jul 2019HANSARDCommercial FM RadioI agree with my hon. Friend that we need more local services, but there is more than one route to that. I cannot undertake to commence a review of the north-west specifically, and…04 Jul 2019HANSARDCommercial Local RadioI understand the hon. Gentleman’s concern, but the localness guidelines are strict and tough, and will require large commercial radio corporations to have local studios. They will…04 Jul 2019HANSARDCommercial FM RadioThe UK’s independent broadcasting regulator, Ofcom, is responsible for radio spectrum planning, and Ofcom’s view is that due to the general scarcity of FM spectrum, the scope for…04 Jul 2019HANSARDSuperfast Broadband: Rural AreasI know that in the hon. Gentleman’s constituency and in the rest of Northern Ireland there has obviously been a delay in deploying that budget on account of there being no…04 Jul 2019HANSARDCommercial Local RadioThe regulatory framework for commercial radio on FM and AM set nearly 30 years ago has not kept pace with market changes, and we have taken steps to address that. I welcome…04 Jul 2019HANSARDSuperfast Broadband: Rural AreasMy hon. Friend makes a very good point. Although we have not conducted a specific study on the environmental impact of faster broadband speeds, we have considered it as part of a…04 Jul 2019HANSARDSuperfast Broadband: Rural AreasThe Government’s superfast broadband programme has met its target and is now providing superfast coverage to 97% of premises, including 94.8% of premises in my hon. Friend’s…04 Jul 2019HANSARDSuperfast Broadband: Rural AreasI think the hon. Gentleman asked me a similar question last summer, and I am delighted to say that his intervention last year led directly to my recommending to the Chancellor…04 Jul 2019HANSARDSuperfast Broadband: Rural AreasI sympathise with the hon. Lady. Unfortunately, there have been appalling delays to the procurement system underpinning the Scottish Government’s R100—Reaching 100%—programme. I…04 Jul 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsWe applauded the decision to pass the EU copyright directive, and I have met with bodies from the creative industries to discuss how best to implement it in the UK. That will take…04 Jul 2019HANSARDCommercial Local RadioThe localness guidelines were published as recently as October last year, so I think it would be premature to announce a review of their impact, but I can reassure the hon.…04 Jul 2019HANSARDSuperfast Broadband: Rural AreasI will certainly help my hon. Friend. He points out that suburban and urban areas have a really worrying lack of access not so much to superfast, but certainly to decent speeds.…04 Jul 2019HANSARDTelecoms CouncilThe Telecommunications formation of the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council took place in Luxembourg on 7 June 2019. The deputy permanent representative to the EU,…20 Jun 2019HANSARDTelecommunications CouncilThe telecommunications formation of the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council will take place in Luxembourg on 7 June 2019. The Deputy Permanent Representative to the…06 Jun 2019HANSARDDigital Skills: Older PeopleThree quarters of people who lack basic digital skills are over the age of 65, so we have launched a digital inclusion innovation fund specifically to help older people and people…23 May 2019