Thursday Volume 606 3 March 2016 No. 125 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Thursday 3 March 2016 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2016 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 1081 3 MARCH 2016 1082 world. If we look at results—the fact that we lead the House of Commons world in e-commerce, for example—they show that we are probably the world’s most advanced digital nation. Thursday 3 March 2016 Ben Howlett (Bath) (Con): In urban areas, such as The House met at half-past Nine o’clock Bath, technology is available to skip the roll-out of superfast broadband and go directly to the installation of ultrafast broadband. Does the Minister agree with PRAYERS the logic of that, which will help to reduce disruption and save money in the long term and give businesses in [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] Bath a huge boost? Mr Vaizey: It is very important to set realistic targets. Oral Answers to Questions That is why we dropped Labour’s pathetic 2 megabits policy and went to 24 megabits. Now is the time to start looking at a gigabit Britain. I utterly endorse what my hon. Friend says. Let us not get stuck in the past with CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT Labour; let us go forward to the future. The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport George Kerevan (East Lothian) (SNP): Is the Minister was asked— aware that the very latest European Commission digital Broadband: Urban Areas economy scorecard, published in just the past few weeks, ranks the UK below not just the Nordic countries, 1. Richard Graham (Gloucester) (Con): What recent which we would expect, but countries such as Belgium? progress has been made on improving access to broadband Despite the well-known antipathy of his Secretary of in urban areas. [903855] State to all things European, will the Minister press the European Investment Bank to put more money into The Minister for Culture and the Digital Economy extending broadband, particularly in rural constituencies (Mr Edward Vaizey): I am very pleased to tell you, such as mine of East Lothian? Mr Speaker, that the broadband roll-out is going extremely well, particularly in our cities. I am also particularly Mr Vaizey: I am surprised—[Interruption.] pleased at the success of our business voucher scheme, under which 50,000 businesses have benefited. Mr Speaker: Order. The question is ongoing. People Richard Graham: I make no apology for returning to must not beetle out of the Chamber while their question the thorny issue of the frustrations of e-poverty in the is ongoing. That is a very established principle. I am city of Gloucester. In 2013, BT promised to upgrade sure the hon. Member for Gloucester (Richard Graham) box No. 90. In 2014, it said it was sorry for the delay, is interested in views other than his own. but that it would still happen. In 2015, it changed its mind. In 2016, at a meeting with me earlier this week, it Mr Vaizey: It may be that BT, having heard his asked, “Could you send us the original emails saying we question, is already on the phone to my hon. Friend. would ever upgrade this box?” At what stage is a I am surprised at the hon. Gentleman’s tone of contempt commitment from BT a real commitment that will not for small countries such as Belgium. I think small result in constituents turning around to me and saying, countries—small and perfectly formed countries—are “You lied”? often extremely successful. Just the other day, I was talking to an investor about the extraordinary digital Mr Vaizey: I am obviously not BT’s spokesman, but I businesses that exist in Edinburgh, such as Skyscanner. hope BT is listening to what my hon. Friend has to say. Those really groundbreaking businesses are developing He is a fantastic constituency MP. While I am very thanks to our digital policies. I know that he will proud of the success of our roll-out programme, it is support what we are doing. I have forgotten his original incumbent on BT to get its act together in terms of point, because I was going on so much about what a customer service and delivering on its promises. fantastic, digitally innovative country Scotland is. Andrew Gwynne (Denton and Reddish) (Lab): When the Minister boasts that we have some of the best Mr Speaker: I hope the Minister is right and that the broadband in Europe, who is he comparing us with? Is hon. Member for Gloucester (Richard Graham) will get he aware of the House of Lords report showing that, that phone call before very long. for broadband speed, we are the 19th fastest in the world and the 12th fastest in Europe? Is that not really Public Service Broadcasting abysmal, and can we not do better? Mr Vaizey: I do not think we could do better than we 2. Daniel Zeichner (Cambridge) (Lab): What assessment are already, actually. When I compare our broadband, I he has made of the economic and cultural benefits to do so first with similar countries, such as Germany, the UK of public service broadcasting. [903856] France, Spain and Italy, all of whom we are beating. I would not look simply at speed. The hon. Gentleman The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport takes a very narrow view, and does not look at prices. (Mr John Whittingdale): Public service broadcasting is We have some of the lowest prices anywhere in the the powerhouse of the UK’s world-class television industry. 1083 Oral Answers3 MARCH 2016 Oral Answers 1084 In 2014, public service broadcasters invested £2.5 billion broadcasters. The Secretary of State purports to be a in original TV content, and accounted for over half of supporter of the BBC, so why is he using charter all TV viewing. renewal to cut back and restrict what the BBC does, rather than help it to compete in the rapidly changing Daniel Zeichner: I have had representations from and increasingly global broadcasting environment? hundreds of constituents in Cambridge who are concerned about the future of the BBC. They are overwhelmingly Mr Whittingdale: I was not surprised to find that the supportive and positive. We now have the results of the responses showed that the vast majority of people value consultation and more than three-fifths of respondents the BBC. As I have said, I value the BBC. The hon. were in favour of continuing with the current funding Lady will have to await the publication of the White system. Will the Secretary of State give an assurance Paper, but it is not a question of trying to cut back the that there will be no further top-slicing of the licence BBC’s output. Nevertheless, there is a case, which is fee? borne out by some of the responses and by other Mr Whittingdale: I hope to be able to update the surveys we have conducted, for saying that the BBC House on our progress on the renewal of the charter in needs to be more distinctive. That is something that the due course. We are taking all the responses seriously director-general himself said when he set out his plans and taking them fully into account. We have already for the charter renewal. agreed with the BBC that one of the top-slices of the licence fee—the additional amount that is taken for Maria Eagle: The Secretary of State’s speech yesterday broadband—will come to an end in 2020. was rather more about bashing the BBC than anything else. That is what the chair of the BBC Trust said. Damian Green (Ashford) (Con): I know that my right Bashing the BBC is the one thing the Secretary of State hon. Friend will have noted the BBC’s forthcoming agrees about with the Prime Minister and the Chancellor Shakespeare season, which is being held in collaboration these days. They all want to use charter renewal to with many other bodies, including the Royal Shakespeare eviscerate the BBC and do its competitors a favour, Company. It is designed to bring Shakespeare to life for rather than to deliver what the licence fee-paying public a new generation, using not just TV, but radio and want. They just do not seem to accept that the British online services. Does he agree that that is exactly the people like the BBC and want it to continue what it is sort of thing the BBC ought to be doing, and something doing. When will the Secretary of State accept that that only the BBC could do? charter renewal should be about making the BBC fit for the future, rather than trying to diminish it for the Mr Whittingdale: I agree with my right hon. Friend commercial convenience of its competitors? very strongly. This year is the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. It is an enormously important Mr Whittingdale: The hon. Lady must have looked at event and the BBC has a crucial role to play. I had the a different speech from the one I delivered. It certainly pleasure about 10 days ago of watching the filming of was not about bashing the BBC. Indeed, as soon as I Ben Elton’s new comedy, “Upstart Crow”, which is finished making the speech, I had an extremely good based on Shakespeare. As my right hon. Friend says, I meeting with the chairman of the BBC Trust, who did suspect that that is the sort of thing that only the BBC not mention anything about my bashing the BBC and would do.