Asked by: Lord Lester of Herne Hill (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the benefits and costs to the UK of membership of the European Network and Information Security Agency.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
Membership of the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) is one of the ways in which the UK discusses cyber security policy and shares expertise with European partners.
In 2016, ENISA received €10.1m of central funding from the EU budget. The UK contributes to the budget as a whole, not to individual projects or agencies.
Asked by: Lord Lester of Herne Hill (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the letter of 20 October by Lord Ashton of Hyde concerning the draft BBC Charter and Agreement which has been placed in the Library of the House, whether they intend to ensure that the regulatory powers conferred on OFCOM and the National Audit Office in relation to the BBC will be exercised in a way that is compatible with the principles of legal certainty, fairness and proportionality protected by the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
Public authorities must act in a manner compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. The government expects that the NAO and Ofcom would seek to act in a way which is compatible with the Convention, but of course it is a matter for them to discharge their obligations.
Asked by: Lord Lester of Herne Hill (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the letter of 20 October by Lord Ashton of Hyde concerning the draft BBC Charter and Agreement which has been placed in the Library of the House, whether they intend to ensure that the licence fee is for the exclusive benefit and use by the BBC to fund the performance of the BBC's functions and public purposes.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The licence fee is not a payment for BBC Services or any other specific television service. The government will trial a contestable fund to benefit underserved audiences and genres, funded from broadband underspend, over the coming three years.
The Government will consult on the fund in due course.
Asked by: Lord Lester of Herne Hill (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the letter of 20 October by Lord Ashton of Hyde concerning the draft BBC Charter and Agreement which has been placed in the Library of the House, whether they intend to make available to the BBC sufficient funds, through the licence fee, to enable the BBC to perform its functions and public purposes as a public service broadcaster.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The summer 2015 funding settlement represents a positive financial outcome for the BBC. The licence fee will rise over the next 5 years and by 2022 the BBC will have received around £18 billion of public money. The BBC has welcomed this funding settlement.
Asked by: Lord Lester of Herne Hill (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the letter of 20 October by Lord Ashton of Hyde concerning the draft BBC Charter and Agreement which has been placed in the Library of the House, whether they intend to ensure that the BBC is able to operate independently from Ministers and other public authorities in the UK.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The draft Charter and Agreement strengthen the independence of the BBC by giving it a powerful new unitary board, with the BBC able to appoint the majority of board members for the first time, one of the longest charter periods in history, fewer protected areas of funding to increase the freedom the BBC has to use its money as it sees fit, and a new system of regular 5 yearly licence fee settlements.
Asked by: Lord Lester of Herne Hill (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Lord Ashton of Hyde on 12 October (HL Deb, col 1996), whether they will clarify when the noble Lords can expect to receive written responses to the points they raised during the debate.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
A letter was sent to the Noble Lord and deposited in the House of Lords Library on Thursday 21st October.
Asked by: Lord Lester of Herne Hill (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the draft BBC Charter and Agreement will be laid before Parliament.
Answered by Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen
The BBC's draft Charter and Framework Agreement published was published on Thursday 15th September.
Asked by: Lord Lester of Herne Hill (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether EU laws on telecommunications and media protect freedom of the press and freedom of expression.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
EU laws on telecommunications (electronic communications services) exclude services that provide, or exercise editorial control over content transmitted using electronic communications networks and services. While printed media (e.g. newspapers) are not within the scope of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, the Directive does apply to audio visual media, (television broadcasts and other tv-like content). The Government has considered the impact of the Directive on freedom of expression when responding to the European Commission's consultation on the future of that Directive. The Government's response is attached.
Asked by: Lord Lester of Herne Hill (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the appropriate level for the BBC licence fee and of the case for that level being recommended by an independent regulator.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
The BBC Charter Review Consultation Paper, published in July 2015, set out the issues for consideration in Charter Review, including questions about how the BBC is funded. The Government will set out its proposals in the forthcoming White Paper, but remains clear that the licence fee is a tax and therefore should ultimately be decided by Ministers. The level of the licence fee will be agreed once questions on the BBC's scope and purposes, have been agreed.
Asked by: Lord Lester of Herne Hill (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for maintaining the scale and scope of the BBC's coverage on all platforms.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
These issues are being considered as part of Charter Review. The Government will set out its proposals in the forthcoming White Paper.