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Digital Broadcasting

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what spectrum bands will be available for Programme Making and Special Events use following the switchover to digital television broadcasting; and if he will make a statement; [153652]

(2) when he expects Ofcom to provide the programme making and special events sector with the digital switchover map; and if he will make a statement. [154080]

James Purnell: Ofcom’s consultation of 20 June 2007 on PMSE issues arising from the Digital Switchover (DSO), made proposals that would ensure access for the PMSE sector to the spectrum that will be interleaved with Digital Terrestrial Television after DSO. Although no decisions will be made until later in the year, Ofcom will provide as much information as possible on the frequencies that will make up this Digital Interleaved Spectrum as soon as it is available.

Digital Broadcasting: Multiple Occupation

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he made of the preparedness of landlords of (a) privately rented multi-dwelling units and (b) social multi-dwelling units who, in preparation for the digital switchover for the dwelling units for which they are responsible (i) have upgraded the television system, (ii) have specific plans to do so and (iii) are unaware of the technical options or actions they need to take to make the transition to digital; and if he will make a statement. [154897]


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James Purnell: Responsibility for upgrading communal television systems is a matter for landlords in consultation with residents. Digital UK is responsible for communicating with landlords and property managers in order to increase awareness and understanding about what they need to do to prepare for switchover.

The Government published research in 2005 and 2007 which looked at the readiness of communal television systems provided by social landlords. The most recent research carried out by BMRB(1) and published in January 2007 showed an increase in the level of upgrade work since the 2005 survey with 32 per cent. of organisations in the process of completing the upgrade of all systems and nearly 50 per cent. having completed the upgrade of at least 30 per cent. of systems. Digital UK continues to map subsequent progress in the social sector through regional meetings and direct communications with social landlords.

Collecting information on private sector landlords is much more difficult given the diversity of the sector. Digital UK collects information on awareness of digital switchover and conversion to digital television through the quarterly tracker survey. The most recent tracker survey(2) reports that digital conversion for households who live in flats is around 74 per cent. compared to digital take up of 80 per cent. across all tenures. Digital UK is continuing a targeted information campaign aimed at residents’ associations and flat-dwellers in the first four regions scheduled for switchover, as well as communicating directly with private landlords.

Digital Broadcasting: Sight Impaired

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many blind and partially-sighted people are able to use teletext without the assistance of others; whether he estimates this number will change following the digital switchover; and if he will make a statement. [156191]

James Purnell: We have not made any estimation of the number of blind and partially sighted people who are able to use Teletext without the assistance of others and it would be difficult to do so.

I recognise the impact that switching to digital television may have on those who rely on equipment that translates analogue written Teletext into audible speech as this piece of equipment will not work with digital text services. This should be balanced against the wider benefit that switchover brings of the provision of audio description services for blind and partially sighted people on terrestrial television.

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representation he has received from Portset on digital switchover and assistance for blind people to access teletext services. [156193]


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James Purnell: I have received no representations from Portset, which manufactures Talking Teletext equipment that translates written teletext into audible speech.

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the impact of the digital switchover on blind and partially-sighted persons. [156194]

James Purnell: A regulatory impact assessment was published in September 2005 setting out a detailed assessment of the impact of digital switchover on consumers, particularly elderly people and those with a disability. We have taken steps to address the disadvantages that these groups face as a result of switchover, primarily through the digital switchover help scheme. The scheme includes all households where one person is registered blind or is registered partially sighted. Those who are not registered, but are 75 years or over will also be eligible for help.

We will continue to monitor and review the Government’s policy on switchover for equality impact, including ongoing consultation with the RNIB and other organisations representing blind and partially sighted people, and are in the process of undertaking a full equalities impact assessment.

Digital Broadcasting: Weather

Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what performance standards apply to the BBC with respect to ensuring continuity of service on the digital platform during extreme weather incidents; and what the contractual timeframe requirement is for achieving restoration of service following such weather incidents; [154191]

(2) what estimate he has made of the number of residences which suffered sustained loss of the BBC digital signal (a) during and (b) in the week following the recent extreme weather conditions; and if he will make a statement. [154193]

James Purnell: This is a matter for the BBC. The BBC’s charter specifies that the BBC must do all that is reasonably practicable to ensure viewers, listeners and other users are able to access the UK public services that are intended for them. The charter does not set specific performance standards in relation to continuity of service in the event of extreme weather incidents and Government have made no assessment of the number of residences which suffered loss of the BBC digital signal. I understand from the BBC that they work hard to restore transmission services in the event of any disruption as soon as possible.

Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the reliability of the digital signal transmitting both radio and television broadcasts in periods of and following extreme weather conditions; and what plans he has to ensure security of service following digital switchover. [154192]


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James Purnell: This Department has not made any assessment of the aforementioned issues. However, there is extensive research available about digital broadcasting characteristics.

The technology used for broadcasting digital radio and television signals has been standardised by the European Standards body ETSI and allows broadcasters to strike a balance between robustness in adverse reception conditions against the number of services that can be broadcast.

Digital television signals are constrained at present so as not to cause interference to analogue services. This can lead to digital appearing to perform unfavourably. After switchover, power levels for digital signals will be boosted to their full capacity.

Gambling

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what mechanisms are in place to ensure that remote gambling operators operate legally with respect to the location of servers in advance of the implementation of the Gambling Act 2005 in September 2007. [154800]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Before 1 September 2007, under the Gaming Act 1968, it was illegal to provide gaming by remote means where the gaming operator was based in Great Britain.

From 1 September, offering remote gaming from Great Britain is permitted, and remote operators licensed under the Gambling Act 2005 (the Act) will be subject to requirements as to where they may locate their remote gambling equipment. Section 36(4) of the Act defines the types of equipment considered to be key equipment for the provision of gambling facilities. As part of the licence application process, the physical location of each piece of key equipment, including servers, must be stated and is then assessed by the Gambling Commission to ensure its location is acceptable and to enable effective regulation.

From 1 September 2007, the Gambling Commission will carry out compliance visits to the operator's premises to ensure the location of equipment, including servers, is in accordance with their licence.

It will be an offence under section 33 of the Act for an operator to provide facilities for gambling unless they hold the relevant licence.

Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether a working group was formed at the international conference on online gambling held at Ascot in October 2006. [155648]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Following the International Remote Gambling summit in 2006, the Department will continue to build on its work with European partners and other international regulators to ensure high regulatory standards and encourage the adoption of measures to protect children and vulnerable people, keep crime out and keep gambling fair.

We are considering with the Gambling Commission the option of an international working group to take this work forward.


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Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what role his Department played in the Gambling Commission’s 2007 Prevalence Survey on problem gambling. [155761]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2007 is an independent study which was overseen by the Gambling Commission and undertaken by the National Centre for Social Research. Officials from the Department were members of the steering group which was set up to help contribute to the delivery of the report. Other representatives included the Department of Health, Responsibility in Gambling Trust and the National Lottery Commission.

Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on what date his Department first received the Gambling Commission’s 2007 Prevalence Survey on problem gambling. [155762]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Officials received the British Gambling Prevalence Survey on 10 September. Ministers received a copy of the survey on 17 September.

Gambling Commission

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Gambling Commission's enforcement powers with respect to breaches of regulations; and if he will make a statement. [154801]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The enforcement powers under the Gambling Act 2005 came into force on 1 September 2007 and it is too early to assess their effectiveness. The Gambling Commission has been given wide-ranging enforcement powers and I expect it to use them fairly and proportionately.

Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the running costs of the Gambling Commission are in 2007-08; and how many staff are employed at the commission. [156159]

Mr. Sutcliffe [holding answer 4 October 2007]: For 2007-08 the total running costs of the Gambling Commission are budgeted at £15.5 million. Currently the commission has 248 employees, but this is expected to fall to a steady state of around 200 by April 2008.

Gambling: Broadcasting

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations he has received on the legality under the terms of the Gaming Act 1968 of the operation of LiveRoulette broadcast on Freeview and Sky and its website www.liveroulette.com. [154797]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The Department has recently received one representation on the legality of the operation of LiveRoulette broadcast and website under the terms of the Gaming Act 1968. LiveRoulette operated by virtue of a bookmaker’s permit issued in accordance with the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Act 1963.


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Under the provisions of the Gambling Act 2005, LiveRoulette will require a remote casino operating licence from the Gambling Commission and be required to comply with the relevant licence conditions and codes of practice.

Gambling: Internet

Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which countries (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department have met to discuss online gaming; and on what dates these meetings took place. [155763]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Ministers and officials from DCMS regularly meet their counterparts from other countries to discuss gambling issues, including online gaming. Ministers and officials met representatives from 31 other jurisdictions which attended an International Summit on Remote Gambling at Ascot Racecourse on 31 October 2006.

Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions his Department has had with representatives from the EU on internet gambling regulations. [155764]

Mr. Sutcliffe: Officials from my Department keep closely in touch with officials from other Departments, such as the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, and officials in the European Commission on developments affecting remote gambling. Officials from DCMS and the Gambling Commission are also represented on the Gaming Regulators European Forum (GREF) which includes representatives from most European Union member states.

Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans there are to introduce EU regulations for online gambling. [156017]

Mr. Sutcliffe: I am not aware of any plans by the European Commission to introduce regulations in respect of online gambling.

Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what criteria are applied in respect of the minimum age at which people are permitted to gamble using an online company when decisions are made about whether that company may advertise on British television. [156018]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The Government are not responsible for decisions about which individual companies may or may not advertise on British television. The only gambling operators that are permitted to advertise on
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television are those licensed by the Gambling Commission in Great Britain or licensed in the European Economic Area (EEA) or licensed in a jurisdiction that the Government has decided to treat as if it were in the EEA for the purposes of gambling advertising—this is known as ‘white listing.’

All gambling operators licensed in Great Britain are subject to the Gambling Act 2005 which makes it an offence for operators to offer online gambling to children and young people under the age of 18. It is also an offence under the Act for a young person to gamble online. In addition, the Government have set strict criteria for ‘white listed’ jurisdictions about the protection of children and vulnerable people. All jurisdictions currently on the ‘white list’ have a minimum age for gambling of 18.

It is also an offence under the Gambling Act 2005 if a person brings to the attention of a child or young person information about gambling with a view to encouraging the child or young person to gamble. The Gambling Commission has powers under the Gambling Act to prosecute any person in respect of this offence.

The Advertising Standards Authority's (ASA) new codes of practice for gambling advertisers put in place strict controls to prohibit gambling advertising during or around children's programmes or programmes commissioned for, principally directed at or likely to appeal particularly to audiences below the age of 18. The gambling industry has agreed to abide by a voluntary ban on television gambling advertising before 9pm (with the exception of sports betting advertising during sports programmes).

Gambling: Licensing

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many applications have been received for remote gambling operating licences from companies (a) based in the UK and (b) from outside the UK. [156523]

Mr. Sutcliffe: By 4 October 2007, the Gambling Commission had received 175 applications for remote gambling operating licences. Of those applicants, 173 have a registered office in the UK, one in Dublin and one in Malta.


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