Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Topical Questions

Thursday 24 September 2020 · 8 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 4 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • DCMS sectors have faced significant challenges due to the pandemic, including delays in reopening business conferences, exhibitions, and large sporting events.
  • The Government is working on legislation to address online harms, aiming to publish its response to the Online Harms White Paper consultation this year.
  • 95 million has been announced to restore 68 historic high streets across England as part of a four-year programme to level up and ensure quick recovery from the pandemic.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Suzanne Webb
Economy Culture, Media & Sport Parliamentary Procedure
Context

DCMS sectors have been heavily affected by coronavirus and need support to reopen safely. Restrictions were introduced for business conferences, exhibitions, and large sporting events scheduled for October.

Question

If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities. The DCMS sectors have faced significant challenges due to the pandemic, including delays in reopening business conferences, exhibitions, and large sporting events that were originally planned for 1 October. These changes are likely to impact the business events industry and sports clubs.

Answer from Oliver Dowden

DCMS sectors have been particularly hard hit by coronavirus, and we have supported them in reopening safely. New restrictions were introduced to curb infections, including delaying the reopening of business conferences, exhibitions, and large sporting events originally planned for 1 October. The Minister is working urgently with the Chancellor to support these industries through this difficult period.

Answered
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Q2 Suzanne Webb
Culture, Media & Sport Science & Technology
Context

The Birmingham 2022 and Spirit of 2012 have announced £600,000 funding for three west midlands arts organisations. The Commonwealth games cultural programme is important to the creative and charity sectors.

Question

By 2022, it will be clear that I am the Commonwealth games No.1 fan. With the announcement of £600,000 of funding for three west midlands arts organisations by Birmingham 2022 and Spirit of 2012, does the Minister agree that the cultural programme is important to the creative and charity sectors? What more can we do to ensure the Commonwealth games best support my constituency and the Black Country?

Answer from Oliver Dowden

We are all looking forward to the Commonwealth games 2022, which will coincide with festival UK 2022 and Her Majesty the Queen's platinum jubilee. There are exciting plans for the Commonwealth games, including a research and development competition launched earlier this month to find the most creative and innovative ideas from science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask about ensuring support for Suzanne Webb's constituency was not addressed directly.

How: Looking Forward, Exciting Plans

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Q3 Jo Stevens Lab Cardiff East
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The Government promised world-leading legislation to tackle online harms. Ian Russell, the father of Molly Russell, expressed concerns about the absence and watering down of this legislation.

Question

Eighteen months ago, the Government promised world-leading legislation to tackle online harms. After meeting with Ian Russell, who lost his daughter after she accessed harmful content online, stakeholders have raised concerns about the lack of legislation and its potential watering down. Can the Secretary of State reassure them that legal but harmful content will be within the scope of the Bill when it appears?

Answer from Oliver Dowden

Yes, legal but harmful content will be covered by the duty of care. The Government continues to work on its response to the Online Harms White Paper consultation and plans to publish it this year with legislation at the beginning of next year. The Secretary of State will meet victims shortly after this session in the House.

Answered
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Q4 Jo Stevens Lab Cardiff East
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The Department leads the counter-disinformation unit but lacks information on its resourcing, performance, or impact. The public perceives a lack of control over virus communication.

Question

Thanking the Secretary of State for his answer, another area of concern is legal but harmful content online, such as covid misinformation spread by conspiracy theorists and anti-vaxxers. A University College London study reports that more than one in five people are unlikely to accept a vaccine due to misinformation about side effects. What measures are being taken to reverse this situation?

Answer from Oliver Dowden

Clearly, I do not accept the hon. Lady's characterisation but she raises a point about risks associated with disinformation around vaccines. The Minister for Digital and Culture is working intensively at ministerial level and engaging social media companies to ensure necessary measures are in place should misinformation arise at vaccine time.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask regarding counter-disinformation unit's resourcing, performance was not addressed.

How: Clearly, Engaging With Social Media Companies

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Q5 James Sunderland
Housing
Context

The Lexicon shopping centre in Bracknell and many fine shops in Crowthorne, Sandhurst, and Finchampstead are part of the constituency. High streets give people a sense of identity.

Question

Retail is important with the excellent new Lexicon shopping centre in Bracknell and many fine shops in Crowthorne, Sandhurst, and Finchampstead. What is being done to preserve and enhance the high street?

Answer from Oliver Dowden

I agree about the importance of historic high streets, which give people a sense of identity. £95 million has been announced to restore 68 historic high streets across England as part of a four-year programme to level up and ensure quick recovery from the pandemic.

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Q6 Patricia Gibson SNP
Scotland Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The BBC has reversed its decision to cease covering the Scottish Government's daily covid briefings but concerns remain about political punditry following these important public health announcements.

Question

Now that we have seen a rise in covid cases and a return to stricter regulations, public messaging is more important than ever. The BBC has rowed back on its decision to end covering the Scottish Government's covid updates, but can the Minister understand the concerns of many about the BBC's inclusion of party political punditry following the First Minister's very important public health briefings?

Answer from Oliver Dowden (Minister for Media)

Clearly, the BBC is editorially independent from the Government, and I am sure the hon. Lady will want to raise this issue with Tim Davie and others.

Not addressed: Specific concerns about political punditry after public health briefings were not addressed.

How: Referred To Bbc'S Independence, Suggested Raising The Issue Directly With Bbc

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Q7 Felicity Buchan
Science & Technology
Context

The government committed to removing Huawei from the UK's 5G network by 2027, and there is interest in understanding the progress made towards this goal.

Question

Will my right hon. Friend update the House on the progress his Department is making on reducing Huawei's presence in our 5G networks to zero by 2027?

Answer from Oliver Dowden (Minister for Media)

I thank my hon. Friend for that question. Following the statement I made to this House shortly before the summer recess, we are committed to introducing the telecoms security Bill this autumn, so that it will have a clear and enforceable timetable to zero for Huawei in our 5G networks by the end of 2027. Just to update the House, let me say that alongside that we will also publish our telecoms diversification strategy, and I am pleased to confirm that Lord—Ian—Livingston will be chairing a taskforce of industry experts to drive that forward.

Answered
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Q8 Toby Perkins Lab Chesterfield
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

Non-league football clubs, such as Chesterfield in the National League, are facing significant financial challenges after taking on all their players and costs associated with running a season, only to find out that fans cannot attend matches until October.

Question

It has come as a hammer blow for non-league clubs such as Chesterfield in the national league to discover that having taken on all the players, and facing all the costs that are normally associated with running its season, it will not now be able to bring fans in at the start of October. Will the Secretary of State take us through his plans to ensure that we do not lose all the national league clubs that are facing a very precarious financial position?

Answer from Oliver Dowden (Minister for Media)

I am acutely aware of the impact of our decision to postpone reopening with fans and social distance from 1 October. Having engaged with the sports, I know the impact that that will have. I think there is agreement on both sides of the House that that was a necessary step, given where we are with covid. On next steps, I am working alongside the Chancellor and sports to understand their circumstances and the detail of how the situation will impact them. Throughout all this, we have moved to reopen sports, which is why we have sports behind closed doors; to ask sports to help themselves, starting with the premier league in respect of football; and to see what further support the Government can provide. That sits alongside measures such as £150 million of emergency support from Sports England.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific plans for supporting non-league clubs were not detailed.

How: Referenced Ongoing Work, Mentioned Broader Sports Support

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