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tag:www.gov.uk,2005:/government/announcements Announcements on GOV.UK HM Government 2016-10-27T09:19:22+01:00 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/342512 2016-10-27T09:19:22+01:00 2016-10-27T09:19:22+01:00 News story: England to host Rugby League World Cup in 2021 Tournament will be biggest and best World Cup to date and help grow the sport at home and abroad

England will host the Rugby League World Cup in 2021, the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) announced today.

The tournament is anticipated to host a million spectators at venues across England, including in the sport's heartlands in the Northern Powerhouse.

The government is committing up to £25 million to the tournament and its legacy, with up to £15 million pledged to support the staging of the event and up to £10 million for Rugby League's infrastructure - to grow the game across the country.

The event will include men's, women's and wheelchair rugby league competitions.

Minister for Sport Tracey Crouch said:

I am delighted that England has been chosen to stage the Rugby League World Cup in 2021. The government is investing up to £15 million to put on a world class show and up to a further £10 million into the game's infrastructure as part of our Northern Powerhouse agenda – and to help rugby league grow outside its traditional home.

The tournament will be a fantastic festival of rugby, enjoyed by a million spectators, and bringing economic benefits to host towns and cities. I look forward to working alongside the RLIF, RFL and UK Sport on an outstanding event.

David Gauke, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said:

It will be fitting to see the Rugby League World Cup brought back to the sport's heartlands in the Northern Powerhouse.

Following the success of London 2012, the 2013 Rugby League World Cup and last year's Rugby Union World Cup we were delighted to support this bid, alongside providing an additional £10m for Rugby League infrastructure across the North and beyond.

This will once again give the UK a chance to show off its sporting prowess to the world, while inspiring future generations to take up the sport and delivering a boost to local economies.

Chairman of the RFL Brian Barwick said:

The news today that England has won the right to host the Rugby League World Cup in 2021 is transformative for our sport. Our commitment to grow the game internationally, attract more spectators than ever before and put on the biggest and best event in the sports history has clearly been recognised by the RLIF.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/342350 2016-10-26T09:50:27+01:00 2016-10-26T09:50:27+01:00 News story: Government reappoints three members of the BBC Trust Sonita Alleyne, Bill Matthews and Aideen McGinley have been reappointed to the BBC Trust for a further six months.

The BBC Trust is currently the governing body of the BBC, responsible for representing the interests of licence fee payers. It applies the principle of public value in holding to account the Executive Board, which is responsible for the day-to-day management of the BBC.

Under government plans set out in the draft Charter published last month, the BBC Trust is to be replaced by the BBC Board from April 2017. These appointments will extend to allow for a smooth transition between the Trust and the new BBC Board.

Sonita Alleyne has held a number of roles in the public and private sectors. She was a non-executive board member at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport when London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympics was being put together. She continues to hold various public and private sector roles, including at the London Legacy Development Corporation, which will oversee the development of the Olympic Park area.

Bill Matthews is the BBC Trustee for Scotland. He has held a number of non-executive roles including with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, and has had a number of roles at the Scottish Government. He was heavily involved in the Audience Council for Scotland when the BBC Trust came into being.

Aideen McGinley is the BBC Trustee for Northern Ireland. She has spent her career in local and central Government in Northern Ireland including at the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure in Northern Ireland. Aideen has extensive experience in the community and voluntary sector both nationally and regionally. She is a member of the DCMS Jury for UK City of Culture, a former Chair of the BBC Northern Ireland Appeals Advisory Committee, and she continues to actively serve and advise a number of local boards and bodies.

You can find further details about the Trustees and the register of interests on the BBC Trust website.

Further information about the BBC Charter Review can be found on the BBC Charter Review site.

Background information

Sonita and Aideen's terms end on 30 October 2016 and are being extended until 30 April 2017, while Bill's term ends on 1 January 2017 and is being extended until 30 June 2017. However the BBC Trust is to be replaced by the BBC Board from April 2017 when these reappointments will cease.

These are paid posts, with Sonita Alleyne remunerated at £32,952 per annum, and Aideen McGinley and Bill Matthews remunerated at £37,660 per annum given their additional responsibilities.

These reappointments have been made in accordance with the Code of Practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees' political activity to be made public. No political activity has been declared by Sonita Alleyne, Bill Matthew and Aideen McGinley.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/342351 2016-10-26T09:02:41+01:00 2016-10-26T09:02:41+01:00 News story: Search begins for the Chair of the new BBC Board Government has launched the recruitment process for the Chair of the BBC Board - the new body that will govern the BBC from April 2017.

The BBC Trust is currently the governing body of the BBC, responsible for representing the interests of licence fee payers. Under government plans set out in the draft Charter published last month, the BBC Trust is to be replaced by the new BBC Board.

Prospective candidates for the role must be able to demonstrate a commitment to the independence, mission and public purposes of the BBC, as well as demonstrating they meet a majority of the following criteria to a high degree:

experience working at the highest level of public or commercial life in the UK and/or internationally, with experience of sitting on commercial and/or public sector boards;

an understanding of the key challenges and opportunities facing public service broadcasting in the UK, and of the commercial media sector and the impact on audiences;

strong leadership skills at board level, including the ability to chair meetings and represent a large institution in the public arena;

a proven ability to think through complex issues strategically, independently and imaginatively; experience exercising excellent financial management and securing value for money; and

excellent communication and relationship management skills, and the ability to represent the BBC capably to a wide range of stakeholder groups, including audiences, parliamentarians and the media.

The time commitment for the Chair will be at least 2-3 days per week. The Chair will be responsible for providing strong leadership of the Board and the role will require a greater level of public facing, engagement and management activity than the other Board members.

The fee for the Chair, set by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, will be £100,000. It is expected that the appointment will be for a single term of up to four years, with the possibility of renewal for one additional term in exceptional circumstances. Terms for the Chair and other new members will not necessarily be the same, so that the terms of all non-executive directors do not expire at the same time.

Overall the new BBC Board, which will be responsible for overseeing a strong and independent BBC, will be made up of 14 members:

a Chair appointed via a public appointments process coordinated by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The selection panel for this appointment will be chaired by a Public Appointments Assessor, nominated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments;

four non-executive board members representing each of the devolved nations, also appointed through a public appointments process coordinated by DCMS;

five non-executive board members appointed by the BBC Board; and

four executive members appointed by the BBC, including the BBC Director General, Tony Hall.

Recruitment for the nine non-executive board members is expected to begin in early November 2016.

Details on the BBC Chair recruitment including the job description and process can be found on the Centre for Public Appointments website.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/342264 2016-10-24T13:45:37+01:00 2016-10-24T13:45:37+01:00 News story: Government calls for evidence on gaming machines Gambling industry review will include a focus on stakes and prizes of gaming machines including Fixed Odds Betting Terminals.

The government has launched a call for evidence on aspects of the gambling industry, that includes considering the maximum stakes and prizes for gaming machines, Gambling Minister Tracey Crouch announced today.

The move will include looking at Fixed Odds Betting Terminals and concerns about the harm they cause, be that to the player or the communities in which they are located. It will also look at other rules on gaming machines across the gambling industry.

Evidence will also be sought on measures to protect against gambling related harm including the impacts of gambling advertising and whether the right regulations are currently in place to protect children and vulnerable people.

Minister for Gambling Tracey Crouch said:

It is important that gambling regulations strike the right balance between allowing the industry to contribute to the economy and enable people to bet responsibly whilst ensuring consumers and communities are protected.

This review will gather evidence to fully assess current rules and protocols in the gambling sector and to help inform the government to make decisions on any necessary amendments to gambling regulation.

The call for evidence period begins immediately and will close on 4 December. Government will then consider proposals based on robust evidence.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/342190 2016-10-23T00:15:00+01:00 2016-10-23T00:15:00+01:00 Press release: Government clamps down on nuisance call crooks Company bosses and firms could face fines of up to £1 million under tough new Government plans aimed at tackling nuisance calls

From Spring 2017, firm directors can each be fined up to £500,000 by the Information Commissioner's Office, if they are found to be in breach of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations.

Prior to this, only businesses were liable for fines, many of which try to escape paying nuisance call penalties by declaring bankruptcy - only to open up again under a different name. But in a move to tackle this issue, Government is providing the ICO with powers to hold company directors directly responsible.

Minister of State for Digital and Culture Matt Hancock said:

Nuisance callers are a blight on society, causing significant distress to elderly and vulnerable people. We have been clear that we will not stand for this continued harassment, and this latest amendment to the law will strike another blow to those businesses and company bosses responsible.

This tough new stance is just one of a number of measures introduced by Government in its ongoing campaign against nuisance callers and work to better protect the personal data of UK citizens. These have included forcing companies to display their caller ID and working with Trading Standards to provide call blocking devices to vulnerable members of society.

Read Matt Hancock's blog: #NoNuisance: Making directors pay

Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham said:

The people running nuisance call companies have little regard for the anxiety and upset they cause all in the name of turning a fast profit.

We are inundated with complaints from people who are left shaken and distressed by the intrusion on their daily lives.

We're quick to fine the companies responsible, but we've been speaking to the government about going further than that because we must do all we can to help protect people from these calls.

Making directors responsible will stop them ducking away from fines by putting their company into liquidation. It will stop them leaving by the back door as the regulator comes through the front door.

To date, the ICO has issued fines totalling almost £3.7million to companies behind nuisance marketing. And this year alone, the ICO has fined firms responsible for more than 70 million calls and nearly 8 million spam text messages.

More than 114,000 nuisance calls and texts have been reported to ICO this year.

Alex Neill, Which? Managing Director of Home & Legal services, said:

This is a massive victory for the hundreds of thousands of people who supported our Nuisance Calls campaign. It's good to see the Government has listened to consumers and will be introducing new rules to hold company directors to account. This legislation will stop rogues dodging fines for bombarding consumers with nuisance calls and side-stepping the rules by closing one business and re-establishing a new one.

Notes for editors

Government will be amending the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations legislation to make directors liable for nuisance call fines

ICO will consider the level of fine based on evidence - (whether it applies to a company, director, or both)

If a firm has multiple directors, each could be liable for a fine

The measure will come into force from Spring 2017

The figure relating to 114,000 nuisance calls and texts relates to the period 1 January to 30 September

Report a nuisance call

Reporting a nuisance call is simple - visit the ICO website - www.ico.org.uk or call its helpline - 0303 123 1113 - and they will take it from there.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/342010 2016-10-21T10:30:28+01:00 2016-10-21T10:30:28+01:00 News story: Trustee to the Board of the Royal Armouries re-appointed by Culture Secretary Culture Secretary, The Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP, has reappointed Mark Urban for a second term until the 2nd of September 2020

Mark is the Diplomatic and Defence Editor for BBC Two's Newsnight and has covered diplomatic and defence matters for more than 20 years at the BBC. His major stories have included: the 1990 invasions of Iraq and subsequent Desert Storm campaign; the collapse of the Soviet Union; the Oslo peace process in the Middle East; the wars that broke out in the former Yugoslavia in the mid-1990s as well as the diplomacy that stopped them; the second Palestinian Intifada; 9/11 and its aftermath; the Coalition campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq; the Arab Spring and the UK's EU referendum campaign. Before joining the BBC as a reporter he was Defence Correspondent for The Independent newspaper for four years, covering the end of the Cold War and the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. Mark Urban is also well known as a military historian, with several best-selling books to his credit. These have included 'Rifles', about the Napoleonic Wars, 'Generals' an exploration of the British Army's leadership since its foundation in 1688, and titles concerning more recent history such as 'Task Force Black' on Iraq and 'The Edge' about the East-West military balance.

Royal Armouries Trustees are not remunerated. This reappointment has been made in accordance with the OCPA Code of Practice. It is a requirement of the Code that political activity by those appointed is declared. Mark Urban has declared no political activity.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/342080 2016-10-20T17:40:02+01:00 2016-10-20T17:40:02+01:00 News story: Minute Silence to mark 50 years since Aberfan Disaster Government buildings will observe one minute of silence to pay respects to those affected by the Aberfan Disaster.

A minute's silence will be held on Friday 21st October 2016 at 09:15am, in remembrance of those who lost their lives and all others that were affected by the Aberfan Disaster 50 years ago.

The silence will be marked at all government buildings and other organisations may follow suit.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/342009 2016-10-20T12:01:35+01:00 2016-10-20T12:01:35+01:00 News story: Government seeks grant maker to deliver £3m of Tampon Tax funding Office for Civil Society opens invitation to tender.

The Tampon Tax Fund is a £15m fund for women's charities, equivalent to the amount HMRC estimate is raised from VAT on sanitary products. The fund was announced at Autumn Statement 2015.

We are seeking an experienced grant maker to distribute the £3m Tampon Tax through a funding programme for charities working with disadvantaged women and girls.

The successful applicant will be able to offer a level of match funding which must already be in place and be able to deliver the funding programme and commit the full amount by the end of the financial year. They should also ensure that their due diligence, anti-fraud, data protection and financial and performance monitoring processes reflect best practice.

The programme should be open to charities and voluntary organisations from across the UK so you should be able to demonstrate that you have the relevant networks in place. Your bid should also set out clearly the focus and outcomes of your programme.

Please request an application form from: email@example.com

Closing date for proposals: Midnight on Friday 28th October 2016.

We anticipate announcing the successful applicant in Autumn Statement 2016.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/341954 2016-10-20T10:00:00+01:00 2016-10-20T10:00:00+01:00 Press release: Export bar to save rare 1600's London tapestry Culture Minister steps in to prevent an Indian Manner tapestry from export

Culture Minister Matt Hancock has placed a temporary export bar on a rare tapestry by Michael Mazarind to provide an opportunity to keep it in the country.

Export bar placed on rare tapestry

The tapestry is at risk of being exported from the UK unless a buyer can be found to match the asking price of £67,500.

Inspired by Indian, Chinese and Japanese design, it is the only surviving tapestry to feature Mazarind's workshop mark. Little is known of his workshop, but it is believed he was based in Portugal Street, London, between 1696 and 1702. Michael Mazarind was relatively unknown, but is said to have connections to John Vanderbank, the Soho-based weaver.

The tapestry includes small groups of oriental figures, buildings, exotic creatures and plants. This combination of elements was described as 'in the Indian manner', and was one of the most popular decorative fashions of the period.

Minister of State for Digital and Culture Matt Hancock said:

This intricate design provides us with a unique opportunity to explore the tapestry workshops of 1600s London. I hope we are able to keep it in the country so we can learn more about our nation's textile industry, and of the decorative fashions of the time.

The decision to defer the export licence follows a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA), administered by The Arts Council.

The RCEWA made its recommendation on the grounds of significance for the study of Mazarind's work, English tapestry of the period, and London's history.

RCEWA member Christopher Rowell said:

This beautiful blue ground tapestry, with an equally unusual border of Chinese inspiration, dates from the late 1600s and is the only one to bear the woven signature of the mysterious Michael Mazarind, who was a rival of the more well-known London tapestry weaver, John Vanderbank. This type of 'Indian' tapestry depicting a Chinoiserie fantasy paradise in Cathay, with courtly and hunting scenes, was devised for the court, but soon became more broadly popular. Saving the tapestry for the nation will allow specialists to study it in detail and help to reconstruct Mazarind's contribution to tapestry production in early-Georgian London.

The decision on the export licence application for the tapestry will be deferred until 19 January 2017. This may be extended until 19 April 2017 if a serious intention to raise funds to purchase it is made at the recommended price of £67,500.

Offers from public bodies for less than the recommended price through the private treaty sale arrangements, where appropriate, may also be considered by Matt Hancock. Such purchases frequently offer substantial financial benefit to a public institution wishing to acquire the item.

Organisations or individuals interested in purchasing the tapestry should contact the RCEWA on 0845 300 6200.

Images of the tapestry can be downloaded here

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/341856 2016-10-19T10:23:00+01:00 2016-10-19T10:23:00+01:00 Speech: Broadband World Forum Minister of State for Digital and Culture addresses the Broadband World Forum

Fibre and 5G are the Future.

When it comes to digital infrastructure, we all want to be world leaders, right?

I certainly want that for Britain.

Today I want to talk about what it takes to get there, and how we will make it happen.

I want to talk about connectivity: fixed and mobile. Over copper, fibre, or the air.

It reminds me of the story of an American scientist, a French scientist and a British scientist arguing over who invented mobile technology.

The American insisted on digging for evidence, and found an ancient piece of copper. 'There', he said, 'this proves we created a copper network first'.

The French scientist dug and found a piece of glass. 'Zis proves we invented the fibre optic network first'.

The British scientist dug and found nothing. 'Evidence', she exclaimed, 'that we invented wifi'.

For customers – for citizens – it doesn't matter what the physics are: what they care about is the connection.

So the time has come for us to think about connectivity in a far more holistic way. Instead of compartmentalising, and talking in terms of wireless or wired, urban or rural, we should think of what consumers - household and business - need and want as they go about their lives in this digitised age.

They might not describe it in these terms, but what they care about are download speeds, upload speeds, reliability, latency, and how quickly you get reconnected when there's a problem.

Believe me, I know. I spend a good part of my day responding to letters people write in about their poor broadband. And increasingly emails about shoddy broadband, which shows that occasional or slow broadband isn't good enough either.

And I understand the frustration very personally. This Friday tea time, I appeared on our local news programme with positive stats about broadband in Suffolk, but at the time I was on my hands and knees under my desk, trying to fix my Wifi. It stayed off all weekend. So I say to those with poor broadband: I feel your pain.

And it's not just about reliability, or meeting today's needs, though it's undoubtedly about both.

Our task is to prepare for a world of enormously greater need. Just as More's Law has seen the halving of the cost of computing each year, so Nielson's law has seen the doubling of top-end broadband needs every two.

It's important for people to function in the modern world, at work, rest, and play.

It's important for closing the digital divide, getting more and more people online.

And it's important for our economy - all parts of it, but particularly our creative industries.

Of course, different people, different businesses have different needs.

The early adopters are leading the charge, but others will catch up.

The challenge is to come up with a plan that works for everyone - and to ensure we meet citizens' expectations not only today but in expectation of tomorrow so we always stay a step ahead.

By 2020, the volume of global internet traffic is expected to be 95 times its volume in 2005, in the UK, fixed internet traffic is set to double every two years.

We need the digital infrastructure that can support this; providing ubiquitous coverage so no one is left out, and with sufficient capacity to ensure data can flow at the volume, speed and reliability required to meet the demands of modern life.

It is essential that we keep up.

Think of it in terms of a journey: the journey of connecting not just cities and suburban conurbations, but also villages and hamlets across the country.

And the question is: are we nearly there yet?

Technology is constantly evolving. Just as you think your destination is close by, you turn a corner to find the road stretching out still further. We have to keep moving.

To paraphrase Al Gore, the last thing any of us want is to end up as roadkill on the information superhighway.

Let's look at the UK's journey. First, how did we get to where we are now?

When it comes to connectivity, it all started with a Brit, Alexander Graham Bell. Alongside the USA, we were the early pioneers of a telephone network.

Further along, the UK was one of the first countries to go mobile.

I still recall the excitement of the first car-phone in the 1980s, then the first truly mobile phone. It came with a large handbag for the battery, but I remember being astonished – and impressed - that we already had in place a network to connect it to.

Then came 2G, where the UK was again a world leader. But with 3G, and then with 4G, we fell behind, and while we now have one of the fastest rollouts of 4G in Europe, it should have happened sooner.

At the same time, we began our rollout of data capability, then broadband.. A USO was legislated for in 2003, at 28kbps – but then it was left there.

Let that be a warning to us: while 10Mbps may be enough for today's needs, it won't be enough for tomorrow's.

Around five years ago we took a strategic decision, as a nation, to drive the roll out of high-speed broadband – based largely on what we should call part-fibre, part-copper solutions.

That was the right decision then, because many countries that pursued early full-fibre strategies have left large swathes of their citizens on super-low-speeds.

Whereas in the UK superfast broadband – measured at 24Mbps – is today available to 91% of homes and businesses – and we rank first among the big European states. We also are in the top five – among fifty – on the Global Connectivity Index. Thanks to the brilliant work over many years of BDUK, in alliance with local councils and six different private providers, we are on track to reach at least 95% by the end of next year.

The next set of interim technologies: like G.fast from BT or Virgin Media's DOCSIS are coming on stream and promise to expand access to faster speeds still.

But the price we've paid for 95% superfast part-fibre broadband is that only 2% of premises have full fibre.

Yet demand marches on.

Over the time it's taken to deliver on the superfast plan, people's needs and expectations have risen further.

Let's learn from this. As we complete the last strategy, let's already be at work on the next.

So what does all this mean for our journey onwards?

First, we must complete the rollout of universal 4G and superfast broadband between now and 2020.

Second, we must deliver deeper connectivity now in areas of deep need, and support a competitive market for delivery.

Third, we must start work now on ubiquitous 5G and fibre over the decade ahead.

The destination on this journey must be to push digital connectivity out as far as it will go, treating broadband as the fourth utility.

Let me take each step in turn.

First, universal coverage.

We have set a course to deliver a new broadband Universal Service Obligation by 2020, which will give people the right to broadband of at least 10Mbps. This is the cornerstone of our Digital Economy Bill, currently making its way through Parliament.

Over the Autumn, Ofcom will consult on the details of the scheme. I welcome BT's proposal that they are willing to provide high speed broadband to 100% of premises by 2020. We are talking to them about that offer and will decide a way forward later this year in light of Ofcom's advice.

But connectivity is what matters, much more than the mode.

The agreement we signed with the mobile operators in 2014 came at a time when the market all but ceased to compete over coverage, so the licence conditions had to require that they did.

All four operators now have a legally binding obligation to each reach at least 90% landmass coverage by the end of next year, and this will also deliver near universal premises coverage.

We will ensure this agreement is properly measured and that the mobile operators deliver on their commitments.

We will support them to do that. Reforms to planning laws and the Electronic Communications Code will make it cheaper to deploy infrastructure, including more masts by permitted development, taller masts, and small cells.

We are also driving improvements in digital connectivity on rail routes, through the provision of free WiFi on trains. Through a mix of government funding and franchise obligations we are on track to deliver free WiFi for 90% of passenger journeys by the end of 2018, and almost 100% by 2020. To go further, colleagues in the Department for Transport are working to increase mobile connectivity for rail passengers by tackling rail 'not-spots'. Our goal is continuous high quality connectivity on trains across the UK.

Second, we want to see deeper connectivity in areas of deep need.

Even before 5G, there is scope for 4G to be strengthened as well as broadened, with higher speeds and more capacity where it's much in demand.

This week Ofcom announced an accelerated timescale for clearing the 700MHz spectrum, and we will do all we can to support improvement.

And on fixed-line I'm excited by the prospect of ultra-fast hotspots with very high capacity, strong backbone, and forward thinking provision. Here I want to pay particular tribute to the new entrants to the market. Often picking a particular geography, they have shown that full fibre solutions can be economic, and I'm excited about some of the plans I'm hearing.

You may have heard of the Gigabit City project in York by Sky, TalkTalk and CityFibre but also full fibre being rolled out to businesses in Bradford by BT, and to consumers in the Cotswolds by Gigaclear. We expect Virgin's full fibre roll out in Cambridgeshire and Leicestershire to expand soon to West Yorkshire, Devon and East Sussex. And Hyperoptic is rolling out full fibre in Scotland and Wales, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield and Leeds.

Our task is to make this market as competitive as possible. This means for example forcing BT with its incumbent infrastructure to open up access to, and maps of, its ducts and poles. It means ensuring a fair market in which all providers can compete for business. It also includes clarity in advertising rules, and I hope the ASA will play its part in delivering fair rules that reflect reality on speeds and prices.

In all things I will be on the side of the challenger: helping in every way I can to deliver fair competition and a level playing field.

Then third, there's the future.

And the future is fibre.

Interim technologies, yes. Part fibre, great. Satellites, sure, where necessary.

But around the world the evidence increasingly points to fibre roll out as the underpinning of a digital nation.

To those who say it's been tried and failed, I say go to Hull.

It's the one part of the country not covered by BT, and full fibre is now available to over half its businesses and homes. I'd like to give praise to Hull's KCOM, who just last week announced that 25,000 more homes and businesses are to be connected to their full fibre service within the next six months. Between May this year and the end of the next they will have doubled the number of premises that can get full fibre. All this without Government subsidy.

But there is a clear role for Government, and we intend to play it:

In setting the structure. And I am clear that we want a market structure that delivers fibre as widely as possible.

In experimentation and testing.

In reducing the costs.

And above all in leadership, in setting the ambition. In some cases even in stating the obvious.

And believe you me: we will ensure Britain gets connected.

The future is about enabling gigabit speeds, and high quality connectivity across the country. Demand is only going to rise so we need to stay ahead of the curve.

When it comes to fibre, it is a case not of if, but of when.

I was interested to read INCA's recent report, which said only a full fibre infrastructure is sufficient to support the UK's digital growth.

I agree: fibre is the future.

The market will have to lead.

But Government can support that by ensuring the right incentives are in place and any barriers are removed. When I meet the altnets, INCA's recommendations will top of my list of things to discuss. I want to know from you what we can do to reduce the cost of full fibre roll out, so that in reality as well as rhetoric, fibre is the future.

Alongside fibre, comes the other F, five G.

When it comes to 5G, we are committed to leading the way..

By defining industry standards.

By attracting and retaining investment in research, demonstration and development;

By channelling investment to build on areas of UK strength and excellence; and

By creating the right regulatory framework, in full understanding of the many cross-overs to our full fibre rollout.

Our ambition is to be a world leader in 5G - but we'll need to work hard to stay at the head of the pack if we are to deliver over the next decade.

Fibre and five G are the future.

This has never mattered more.

The UK is now forging a new independent future, and with this change comes opportunity - to do things on our own terms in a way that meets our needs. The role the whole digital sector can play in this is hugely important. We want you at the heart of our plans. To cement our role as a digital leader.

Everyone in this room - big players and small - has a contribution to make.

We in Government will play our part.

The UK is open for business, is ready for business at technology's cutting edge, and is forging ahead with plans to keep us fit for the future.

So these are our clear goals: ubiquitous connectivity by 2020, hotspots of hyper connectivity, and doing the work now to deliver fibre and 5G in the future.

I look forward to working with you to make it happen, to together, we can the hyper-connected Britain we all want to see.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/341711 2016-10-18T15:05:00+01:00 2016-10-18T15:05:00+01:00 News story: Government's first Director General for Digital and Media to help turn Britain into world-leading digital economy Matthew Gould is the UK Government's first Director General for Digital and Media, based in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Former British ambassador, who launched pioneering UK Israel tech hub, tasked with leading the nation's drive to capitalise on digital technology.

He has been tasked with overseeing the Department's digital and media policy brief, which aims to equip the nation with the skills and technology it needs to create tomorrow's world-leading digital businesses. He will also work to make sure everyone can enjoy the benefits of modern technology.

Matthew will take a prominent role in:

making sure the UK has the world-class connectivity it needs

supporting British companies with access to infrastructure and technology

helping build digital ecosystems where bright ideas can become successful companies;

equipping British people with the skills they need to flourish in a digital world

reducing the number of people excluded from the digital economy to help create an economy that works for all

working to create an innovation-friendly and cyber-secure country

Director General for Digital and Media Matthew Gould said:

Our economy is powered by innovation and we want Britain to be the safest place to do business and go online. But if we want the UK to prosper we need to make sure we have world-class connectivity, and If we want an inclusive society, we need to tackle digital exclusion and make sure everyone has the digital skills they need.

I'm determined to tackle these challenges to help make the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a digital company. It is a huge privilege to be the Government's first Director General for Digital and Media and to have the chance to help make this happen.

In his previous role as British ambassador to Israel, Matthew set up the UK Israel tech hub, which laid the foundations for the UK and Israel's powerful tech relationship. He also led the Cabinet Office's cyber security unit as its Director of Cyber Security and Information Assurance, focused on keeping Britain safe from cyber attack, including running the National Cyber Security Programme and helping to develop the Cyber Essentials Scheme.

In his new role, Matthew will work closely with Liam Maxwell, the Government's National Technology Adviser, and Antonia Romeo, the Government's Special Envoy to the US technology companies, and Her Majesty's Consul General in New York.

Read Matthew's biog on GOV.UK

Follow Matthew on Twitter

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/341725 2016-10-18T11:42:00+01:00 2016-10-18T11:42:00+01:00 Press release: Local Charities Day: 16th December Putting small, local charities and community groups into the spotlight.

Government announces Local Charities Day will take place on 16 December 2016

Local Charities Day will celebrate small, local charities and community groups

Minister for Civil Society encourages citizens to donate to local good causes through Localgiving's 'Grow Your Tenner' campaign, which launches today with £245,000 match funding from government

Local Charities Day will put small, local charities and community groups into the spotlight, helping them thrive and demonstrate the great work they do in their areas.

Minister for Civil Society, Rob Wilson, said:

On Local Charities Day, I want us all to shout from the rooftops about small, local charities: their energy, commitment, expertise and the benefits they bring to their communities.

We have already done a huge amount of work for small and local charities, reducing regulation and introducing a Bill to parliament which will make Gift Aid even more flexible and generous.

There is more to do, and Local Charities Day and campaigns like Grow Your Tenner give us a chance to ensure that these responsive, locally engaged and committed organisations get the recognition they deserve, helping us build a Britain that works for everyone.

I would encourage as many people as possible to donate to a local cause through the 'Grow Your Tenner' campaign, helping us build a compassionate Britain that works for everyone.

In the lead up to Local Charities Day on 16th December, government is providing match funding for Localgiving's 'Grow Your Tenner' campaign.

The Office for Civil Society has provided £245,000 in match funding to boost 'Grow Your Tenner', bringing the total match funding available for local charities participating in the campaign to £345,000. This money will match one time donations from the public by up to £10 and monthly direct debits by up to £10 for the first three months.

The Office for Civil Society is also contributing £5,000 in match funding for the #GiveMe5 campaign which will run on Local Charities Day, giving people another opportunity to get involved and support charities in their area.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/341653 2016-10-17T16:55:13+01:00 2016-10-17T16:55:13+01:00 Speech: Matt Hancock's speech at What Next? Minister of State for Digital and Culture speaks at What Next?

It is fantastic to be in Manchester, and in particular here at HOME - the city's cultural centre - led by the brilliant Dave Moutrey.

I'd also like to thank Sir Howard Bernstein for his leadership of Manchester Council over many years. His tenure has seen incredible things happen on the culture front - most notably the success of Manchester International Festival under its founding Director, Alex Poots, which will no doubt continue next summer under John McGrath's direction.

And, of course, the success of the Whitworth Gallery's redevelopment, led so brilliantly by Maria Balshaw, which I'll be visiting later on.

But first, I want to talk digital.

Of all the huge challenges and opportunities we face, few are as great as the technological revolution we are living through.

How do we ensure excellence in our culture and the creative industries thrive in Britain, and British creativity thrives around the world?

How do we ensure we spread access to culture to all parts of our own country here at home?

How do we ensure the next generation are able to learn about and carry forward our cultural heritage?

How can we ensure sustainable funding long into the future?

These are all vital questions. And today I hope you will permit me to address them through the prism of the digital revolution; for digital disruption affects them all.

Most of us here, I would imagine, remember our first mobile phone, the first time we accessed the Internet, our first email or first text.

How rare and exciting they seemed.

The thrill of being an early adopter. Now 80% of adults use the Internet daily, 71% have a smart phone, and 70% are on social media.

Across all generations, in all parts of the country, for the majority of people digital has been fully embedded in all our lives.

And yet - we're not even close to unlocking its potential.

I'm struck, in my first few months in this job, at just how many conversations have come back to the impact of digital transformation. I've said the hipster is the capitalist. The techie is increasingly the artist.

Maybe it's because I'm the Minister for both Digital and Culture. But I think that is itself simply a reflection of reality.

So today I want to kick off a conversation: How do we do digital?

This spring our Culture White Paper proposed making the UK one of the world's leading countries for digitised public collections and enhancing the online experience.

Last month at the BFI - who themselves are doing fantastic work in digitising the national collections of film and TV - I spoke of the synthesis between digital and creativity and the need to capitalise on it.

I believe that it's at this nexus, where world-beating content meets cutting edge technology, that our future economy will thrive and with it the well-being of our nation.

Today I want to ask very specifically how digital and culture can best partner up to drive access, excellence and synthesis?

Because everyone in the cultural and creative industries will be affected. Everyone.

In some ways, this is nothing new.

From the introduction of artificial lighting in theatres – as far as I can find out, first tested in London's Lyceum in 1816, for trivia fans – to David Hockney painting on his iPad (and that's using his iPad, not defacing the screen).

The first major tech disruptions were probably in music in the 1980s, then shortly after in film and broadcasting, and newspapers.

Now it's everywhere.

On Wednesday I was part of the Royal Opera House's Chorus, onstage in virtual reality, able to look around at the performers around me, the conductor, and out to the audience and up into the Gods.

The Philharmonia Orchestra's recent digital installation Universe of Sound, allowed audience's into the inner working of their symphony orchestra.

Here in Manchester, FutureEverything - the digital innovation lab for digital culture and annual festival, has been at the heart of the digital revolution for over 20 years, commissioning works of digital art well before it was cool.

Digital is disrupting across the spectrum: digital content, stage technologies, distribution, admin, box office, marketing, fundraising and advocacy.

Digital is, in essence, about disruption. Tom Loosemoore, one of the driving forces behind digital in government managed to define digital thus:

"Digital: Applying the culture, practices, processes & technologies of the Internet-era to respond to people's raised expectations."

Less than 140 characters of course.

The potential is extraordinary.

Digital is about removing the friction in long-established fields to bring what citizens and users want .

And with digitalisation comes a breaking down of silos between sectors, the blurring of the lines between disciplines – theatre is becoming film; computer programming merges with sculpture. We have virtual reality curatorship, art that is also animation, video gaming assisted by classical music composition. Science meets art.

People still love a book, a film, a painting, a play; more people can find these classics. But they now sit alongside a new form of cultural consumption inspired by technology.

Let's look at excellence first.

I firmly believe that digital transformation has the opportunity to see artistic excellence reach new highs, and that we can be leaders in getting this right.

Last December the National Theatre and the RSC were among 60 international arts organisations partnering with Google's Cultural Institute for a first-of-its-kind digital showcase that allowed audiences to experience more than 150 interactive stories.

Art UK, the online home for art from every public collection in the UK, has also been proving its worth as an educational resource. The site features over 200,000 oil paintings by 38,000 artists and most of this art is not on public view. But recently it has shown even greater benefits when its searchable database played a role in identifying Raphael's lost masterpiece The Haddo Madonna. It may be controversial to some, but the millions of brains of humanity are better than the very best behind closed doors. Bigger collaboration brings better results.

The British Library and findmypast are creating the British Newspaper Archive, digitising 40 million newspaper pages over the next ten years - returning the big news stories of the past to anyone with an internet connection in the present.

It's not only a question of putting existing physical content online, important as that is.

More and more content is now born digital.

Last year, here, at the Manchester International Festival, British artist Ed Atkins used mo-cap technology to create a digital record of more than 100 Festival performers and merge them into a computer-generated avatar that was both a distinct individual and an echo of all those contributing performers.

This entirely digital creation then read from Ed's poetic script - a perfect marriage of man and machine.

Communities and audiences are no longer passive receivers of culture but are directly influencing the creative process.

Digital has the potential to democratise culture and brings creators and users closer together.

As well as driving excellence, digital can blast open access: one of my passions.

That doesn't mean just setting up a website and a Facebook page.

That's just scraping the surface. It's about much more & it's about each institution doing what works for them.

A few years ago we stripped off almost all the rules and regulations around how they were run.

We trusted the people who'd been put in charge.

They now operate as independent businesses, free from central control and able to deliver some real innovations in online marketing and audience engagement.

I'd say to sponsored institutions, use these freedoms.

And I'd encourage local authorities who still keep things centralised to follow that lead.

As the new Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan said: "There is nothing so stable as change".

And whilst we are talking Bob Dylan, it's worth noting that Manchester was the scene for arguably his most famous gig, when he went 'electric'. It was described as one of the most important moments in 20th century music.

In response to dissent from the audience who felt he was betraying his folk roots - someone famously shouted out "judas" - Dylan counted in his band and told them to "Play it loud…"

Back to digital.

National Theatre Live is opening up performances previously restricted to London's South Bank, in cinemas all over the world.

The Royal Opera House now broadcasts live into the Arts Centre in Haverhill in my constituency in Suffolk.

Others are following their lead.

Just last month, Shakespeare's Globe broadcast online and for free the sold out final show of its fantastic production of A Midsummer's Night's Dream, making it available to a new audience in the UK. It's still on iPlayer now if you want to watch.

In fact, the UK is now a global leader in event cinema, with 35 active distributors of content and the only trade body for the industry, the Event Cinema Association.

In 2014 event cinema was worth over £35 million in the UK and Ireland and accounted for over 3% of total box office sales, and growing.

The recently published Digital Culture survey, conducted by Arts Council England, the Arts and Humanities Research Council and NESTA, is the first authoritative primary research into the impacts of live to digital work on audiences and organisations and its findings are encouraging.

Audiences don't see streamed content as an alternative to the live experience but as something distinct and complementary. And streamers tend to be younger and more diverse.

I'm delighted that the Arts Council have just announced £4.6m further funding for projects to open diversity, and this funding will have a digital angle.

It's not just theatre.

And of course blasting out our cultural brilliance online opens up a global audience, enhancing understanding and people's view of Britain around the world, enhancing our soft power, transcending borders, bringing people together and potentially generating income too.

Alongside the Arts Council, UK Theatre and the Society of London Theatre, are now working with organisations like Canvas and The Space to offer training for organisations to develop and distribute digital content.

One year on from the launch of The National Theatre's Learning Programme's On Demand in Schools scheme, 2,200 schools are now signed up to the free service, with two-thirds of schools located outside of London and the South East. Schools can now watch recordings of six National Theatre productions in their classroom: Frankenstein, Hamlet, Othello, She Stoops to Conquer, The Comedy Of Errors and the NT's first title aimed at primary schools, Treasure Island.

World Ballet Day 2016 more than doubled its audience with a Facebook live feed from five of the World's top ballet companies, including The Royal Ballet, from 350,000 in 2015 to over 700,000. At 20 hours, it was the longest stream ever to be shown on Facebook Live and #WorldBalletDay trended worldwide on Twitter.

Many of our cultural institutions cluster around our great cities - London, Liverpool, here in Manchester - and aren't in easy access of everybody. Digital can now make everywhere local. Earlier this year you may have seen the stunning tribute to our fallen at the Somme, We're Here Because We're Here - all those ghostly soldiers - but how many of you encountered it in person?

Certainly fewer than the estimated 30 million who experienced it via social media.

Who actually saw London's Burning, when a model of 1666 London was set alight in the Thames? Who like me watched it on Twitter?

Even the smallest organisations, and the most remote, can market their work to an international audience.

And remember this is two-way traffic. Interactivity, and crowd-sourcing models are proving hugely beneficial across all the cultural sectors. Take Historic England's Pride of Place website, which uncovers and celebrates places of LGBTQ heritage across the country and throughout its history - from the frontiers of Roman Britain to the gay pubs and clubs of today.

A key feature of this work is an interactive crowd-sourced map, where people can identify places that might otherwise be missed by conventional research.

The Imperial War Museum has used similar crowd-sourcing to identify the sites of Blitz photographs it holds.

And, for the first time, this year's Turner Prize collection at Tate Britain is positively encouraging photography - hundreds of selfies featuring buttocks, trains and pennies are appearing online every day, taking the featured works to a wider audience, all with the hashtag #TurnerPrize. Engagement, inspiration, interaction, promotion, all in one visit.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/341049 2016-10-14T11:09:53+01:00 2016-10-14T11:09:53+01:00 News story: Remembrance Sunday 2016 Find out how you can join the commemorations on Sunday 13 November

On Sunday 13 November, the National Service of Remembrance will be held at the Cenotaph on Whitehall, London.

Starting at 11am, the service will commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women involved in the two World Wars and later conflicts.

The Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) is the coordinators of the event, alongside colleagues from across government, the Armed Forces and veterans' organisations.

No tickets or passes are needed for the event and the public are welcome to watch the ceremony from the pavements along Whitehall and Parliament Street. There will be video screens north of the Cenotaph, near the green outside the main Ministry of Defence building and mounted outside the Scotland Office. If you are thinking of attending the commemorations in London, please note the schedule of the event below:

Attending and taking part

08:00: Whitehall opens to the public. The public are advised to arrive early to secure a good view, as space is limited. Please allow time to clear the police security procedures and you are advised not to bring suitcases or large bags

09:00: Royal British Legion (RBL) detachments form up on Horse Guards Parade and in Whitehall

10:00: All detachments march out from Wellington Barracks

11:00: Two minutes silence marked by the firing of guns from Kings Troop, on Horse Guards Parade. Cenotaph Service commences

11:25: Cenotaph Service concludes and Royal British Legion detachments disperse past the Cenotaph

Read the 2016  Order of Service (MS Word Document, 35.5KB)

Further information

Those wishing to take part in the official march past should contact the Royal British Legion who are the organisers of the march

Photography is permitted, but the Metropolitan Police have powers to remove obstacles (such as camera tripods) where they obstruct public access or views. We ask spectators not to take photographs during the 2 minutes silence when shutter noises can offend.

A space will be available for wheelchair users and other spectators who might find it difficult to view from the general public areas. This area is located on the west side of Parliament Street, close to the junction with King Charles Street. Space in this enclosure will be offered on a first come, first served, basis only. One carer or guest per person will also be admitted and a toilet for the use of disabled people will be available nearby.

Temporary public toilets will be located in Whitehall Place. First aid facilities, provided by St John's Ambulance, will be available at various locations along Whitehall, whilst their personnel will also be patrolling the area.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/341429 2016-10-13T16:36:58+01:00 2016-10-13T16:36:58+01:00 News story: Flag-flying from UK government buildings for the death of the King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand Union flags will be flown at half mast on UK Government Buildings from today until 2000hrs 14 October.

It is with great regret that we learn of the death of the King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand.

Union flags will be flown at half mast on UK Government Buildings from today until 2000hrs 14 October.

Any other UK national flags flown alongside the Union Flag when it is at half-mast should also be at half-mast. If a flag of a foreign nation is normally flown on the same stand as the Union Flag, it should be removed.

Local authorities are not bound by this request but may wish to follow it for guidance. Devolved administrations are responsible for issuing instructions for the flying of the Union Flag on buildings in their estate and others as necessary.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/341396 2016-10-13T13:18:16+01:00 2016-10-13T13:18:16+01:00 Speech: Rob Wilson addresses the Northern Enterprise Conference in Manchester Creating an environment for enterprises to thrive in the north.

Thank you for that introduction.

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm pleased to come to this great city and particularly at the moment; when so much is changing and we are all thinking about how that change can present opportunity.

You will be spending much of today discussing how devolution and the Northern Powerhouse present opportunities for the social economy in future years.

How more decisions, made locally, can result in better outcomes for local people and build more resilient, involved and prosperous communities.

As the Minister for Civil Society I am eager to use our great position within the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to demonstrate how we too can contribute to those goals.

We are now in the best possible place in government to deliver more help and support to those who want to grow their business, maximise their social impact and help us improve the quality of public services.

Our new department has a fantastic track record in bringing together Government, business and community to create success and social purpose.

Over 13% of GDP is in industries overseen by DCMS and often they are the fastest growing.

I'm sure I don't have to make that point too strongly to an audience sat here in the home of Media City, British Cycling and world class culture and heritage- such as the Whitworth Art Gallery.

I'm pleased to say that earlier this week I launched the Government's new Inclusive Economy Unit. It will work on growing investment for social impact, improving public services and to support responsible business.

The Inclusive Economy Unit will provide leadership expertise and advice across government and will have a broader objective to realise the potential of public service mutuals and mission-led businesses.

It carries forward the work of our existing social investment team, but will take this to a new scale; creating an inclusive economy that works for all sections of society - in particular expanding opportunity for those who are struggling to cope.

For example the unit is already working with DCLG to bring social investment knowledge to bear on government plans to build more affordable homes for vulnerable people.

It will also get behind the power of business to generate social impact, building on the current review of Mission-led Business, and deliver our ongoing work to bring the right investment opportunities to social enterprises.

Creating an inclusive economy will be a partnership between business, government and the social sector. Our focus on ways to improve services and deliver social impact, through models like social impact bonds, is still firmly on the agenda.

I'm also pleased to report that my ministerial colleague in the Business Department, Nick Hurd, and I have this week hosted a roundtable with key figures from the social enterprise sector to look at how we can keep building on our success.

And it's worth reflecting for a moment on our record so far.

1) Setting up Big Society Capital (BSC), the world's first social investment wholesaler, capitalised with £600m from dormant assets and private sector banks - represented here today and keen to drive growth.

2) The creation of Social Investment Tax Relief that already has featured in millions of pounds worth of business and dozens of deals. It's early days but it is already outsripping Treasury forecasts.

3) The creation of the the world's first Social Impact Bond. This country has more SIBs than anywhere else in the world. Successful SIB's deliver better value for money for the taxpayer, opportunity for charities and social enterprises and most importantly, better life chances for people who really need them.

Through SIBs, at risk children and vulnerable homeless people in this City are having their life chances transformed. In Newcastle, four local voluntary and community organisations are helping people with long term conditions make the best choices and have a better quality of life.

4) We have supported public service mutuals sector to grow - up from just 9 in 2010, to around 115 today. Public service mutuals deliver over £1.5 billion in public services in a range of areas - from youth services and adult social care, to libraries and building management.

Across a range of services public service mutuals are contributing to a thriving social economy - and freeing front line workers to deliver innovative, responsive services in our communities.

Take for example:

Explore in York - providing an array of library and archive services across York, including reading cafes and a mobile library, or

PossAbilities in Rochdale - delivering flexible person-centred care services to vulnerable people, their carers and families.

Social enterprises in this country already employ over two million people. We know that social enterprises have a more diverse leadership than conventional business and bring economic activity to more deprived areas.

I'm delighted to see that the agenda is being embraced here in the North. Our host here today, Rosie Jolly is the Mayoral lead for social value in Liverpool.

We have colleagues here from Salford who have declared themselves a social enterprise city, an agenda again enthusiastically embraced by Paul Dennet, the elected Mayor.

We recognise the unique value that the sector can bring to public services. That's why we implemented the Social Value Act. To open up opportunity for charities and social enterprises to grow and to improve our public services.

Our own social value awards recognised fantastic practice from across the North of England. For example, Durham County Council who has integrated social value principles across their entire procurement, going way above and beyond the requirements of the Act.

In Halton, the NHS, Clinical Commissioning Group and borough council have embedded social value into £250m worth of public sector spend.

I think that's a record to be proud of but we have so much more to do.

That's why we have launched the £80m fund to support the next step of growth for Social Investment Bonds.

Over the coming months we will be looking for new partnerships that drive innovation and deliver quality services for those most in need; looked after children, those struggling with drugs and alcohol, early years support, vulnerable young adults and services for older people.

We will also be providing good practice guidance, advice and even resources for technical support because we don't want Social Impact Bonds to be a complicated and costly process.

I also want to continue to grow the funds available for all kinds of social investment including a further look at the use of dormant assets for this purpose.

Now, I talked earlier about the potential of the Social Value Act to open up opportunities. But we know that not enough people know how to practically implement it or measure its impact.

To address this, last year we funded 8 different providers with expertise, to work with commissioners in practically applying social value. This work was known as the Social Value Implementation and Measurement Project.

Each provider has documented their experience through a case study and the first two were published on GOV.UK in early September and the rest will be available soon.

Each of these organisations worked in partnership with a public sector organisation and the aim was to explore ways to help embed social value into their processes.

We are also supporting Commissioning Academies, not least here in Manchester, to help senior commissioners leverage more social value from contracts.

We are also shining a light on our own practices by reviewing government departments' own implementation of the Act. The results of that will be published later this year.

CLOSING REMARKS

I know the whole business of procurement is bound up with European regulation and I appreciate that the future is a little uncertain.

But let me be clear on this point; our goal is to deliver more opportunity for social value procurement - not less, regardless of any change that might occur as a result of Brexit.

I have a clear goal. I want to see a more independent, commercially aware and capable charity and social enterprise sector.

A sector that can access grants, loans, philanthropy and earned income without being entirely dependent on the state. A sector that knows it's worth.

An enterprising sector; for the benefit of its communities; for the benefit of the North, for the benefit of all.

Thank you

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/341300 2016-10-12T17:00:00+01:00 2016-10-12T17:00:00+01:00 News story: Yorkshire to host 2019 UCI Road World Cycling Championships The successful joint bid includes £24 million of Government investment to leave a lasting legacy across the country.

The sensational news, announced by UCI President Brian Cookson OBE, cements Yorkshire's reputation as a world-class cycling destination.

The joint bid by Welcome to Yorkshire, British Cycling, UK Sport and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport includes a £24 million commitment from government to the event and its legacy, as well as an additional £3 million of National Lottery funding from UK Sport. The government will invest £15 million of the budget to help develop 27 cycle sport facilities across the UK, which will leave a lasting legacy at grassroots level.

Sports Minister Tracey Crouch congratulates everyone involved in successful bid

Welcoming the news, Sports Minister Tracey Crouch said:

I am delighted that our bid to host the UCI Road World Championships in 2019 has been successful. The government is backing the event with investment to stage the Championships and leave a legacy that will help strengthen cycling at the grassroots across the country.

As a nation we have a great history in staging some of the biggest events in sport and I look forward to working alongside Welcome to Yorkshire, British Cycling and UK Sport on these Championships. Yorkshire has embraced major cycling events in recent years and I know the county will put on a fantastic show in 2019.

Praise the winning application Mr Cookson said:

Since hosting the Tour de France's Grand Départ in 2014 and subsequent Tours de Yorkshire, the county has proved it is a fitting host for road cycling's leading annual event and we are sure there will be world class crowds to match.

Sir Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire said:

Today marks a moment in history. Yorkshire has shown it can host world-class events with the Grand Départ and Tours de Yorkshire, and now the county has been chosen to host the nine-day UCI Road World Championships in 2019.

Visit the dedicated Yorkshire 2019 website

About the Championships

The UCI Road World Championships is one of the most prestigious events on the professional cycling calendar.

1,000 of the best male and female riders from around 75 countries around the globe take part

The event includes individual and team time trials as well as full road races for Under 18, Under 23 and Elite riders.

The full route of the race in Yorkshire will be announced over the coming months.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/341285 2016-10-12T14:15:16+01:00 2016-10-12T14:15:16+01:00 News story: Government introduces National Citizen Service (NCS) Bill to Parliament Today the Government introduced the NCS Bill to Parliament for its first reading.

The Bill would secure the future of National Citizen Service (NCS). The flagship programme brings different communities together and gives 15 to 17-year-olds the opportunity to take part in new experiences, develop skills and give back to communities across England.

The NCS Trust will be given a Royal Charter and a clear mission to make NCS accessible to all, particularly those from deprived backgrounds, to ensure a Britain that works for everyone. The Government has committed to offering an NCS place to everyone that wants one.

The Bill would establish the relationship between NCS Trust and Parliament and ensure that the programme is delivered efficiently, effectively and transparently for the future. It would also enable more young people, and their parents or carers, to hear about NCS and how it can benefit them.

Minister for Civil Society, Rob Wilson, said:

National Citizen Service is already helping us make a society that works for everyone, boosting the life chances of more than 275,000 young people by building their confidence, resilience and leadership skills.

We want to make NCS a rite of passage for the young people of this country, uniting communities. It is a remarkable opportunity and must be accessible to all, especially those from the most deprived backgrounds.

The NCS runs in spring, summer and autumn and helps build skills for work and life, while inviting participants to take on new challenges and meet new friends. You can take part in NCS if you are 16 or 17 years old.

Visit the NCSyes site and sign up to receive more information and details of how to get involved.

You can also:

like NCS on Facebook

follow NCS on Twitter

read the independent 2011 evaluation of NCS

Read the  NCS Trust Draft Royal Charter (PDF, 216KB, 18 pages)  or download a  printer friendly version (PDF, 208KB, 20 pages)  .

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/341057 2016-10-11T09:30:00+01:00 2016-10-11T09:30:00+01:00 Press release: Government announces Inclusive Economy Unit The government today announced a new Inclusive Economy Unit to be based in the Office for Civil Society in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The new unit will bring together the expertise of the public, private and civil society sectors to help build an economy and a Britain that works for everyone, not just the privileged few.

In particular it will focus on expanding opportunities for those who are struggling to cope; harnessing the power of private investment and business for the advantage of everyone as well as improving delivery of public services.

The new unit builds on the existing Social Investment and Finance Team in the Office for Civil Society by strengthening the social investment market and social impact bonds, expanding public service mutuals, and supporting mission-led business.

The new unit will not take on any new policy roles within government, but will work in partnership with government departments.

The inclusive economy unit will continue to:

Encourage better use of private investment and support markets that deliver social impact as well as financial returns.

Improve delivery of public services: increasing social impact while bringing value for money in the commissioning of public services

Encourage responsible business, from social enterprise startups to companies that aim at 'profit with purpose'

The unit will be staffed by the existing team who have been working on social investment policy, partnering with government departments, civil society organisations and businesses.

Rob Wilson, Minister for Civil Society said:

A strong civil society works best when all parts of the economy and of society are being used to their full potential.

This unit will bring together the expertise of the public, private and civil society sectors to achieve this and help us build an economy and a Britain that works for everyone, not just the privileged few.

Karen Bradley, Secretary of State said:

This new unit will further increase DCMS' contribution to building an inclusive society with opportunity for all. There has never been a more important time for government, civil society and the private sector to come together to deliver a country that works for everyone.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/341069 2016-10-11T06:19:00+01:00 2016-10-11T06:19:00+01:00 News story: Newcastle-Gateshead chosen to host Great Exhibition of the North They will host the 2018 Great Exhibition of the North, celebrating creativity, culture and design.

Newcastle-Gateshead will host the Great Exhibition of the North, Culture Secretary Karen Bradley announced today.

Great Exhibition of the North 2018

The Exhibition will showcase the great creative, cultural and design sectors in the city and across the whole of the North of England.

The Government is contributing £5 million towards the exhibition itself and a further £15 million into a legacy fund to attract further cultural investment in the Northern Powerhouse.

Newcastle-Gateshead faced strong competition from a number of other bidding towns and cities, including the three other shortlisted bidders: Blackpool, Bradford and Sheffield.

The Tyneside bid was declared the winner on the recommendation of the Great Exhibition Board chaired by Sir Gary Verity.

The Great Exhibition of the North will take place in Summer 2018 and will celebrate the creativity of Northern England, help boost investment and tourism in the region and leave a lasting cultural legacy.

Culture Secretary Karen Bradley said:

The Great Exhibition of the North is fantastic news for Newcastle-Gateshead. It will showcase the dynamic arts, cultural and design scenes in the city and across the whole of the North.

It's so important that, regardless of where you're from in the country, everyone is able to enjoy and access great culture. This cultural investment will bring enormous benefits to the region, including regeneration, increased tourism and cultural engagement. Congratulations to Newcastle-Gateshead on their successful bid - I'm excited to see what summer 2018 will bring.

Plans for the event include three walking circuits around Tyneside focusing on arts, design and innovation; a major exhibition hub at Great North Museum: Hancock; an innovative programme of new artistic and creative commissions; an entertaining and informative summer camp at Exhibition Park for families and an extensive learning programme.

Sir Gary Verity said:

Newcastle-Gateshead put forward an exciting and innovative bid to host the Great Exhibition of the North. Their ambitious plans will showcase fantastic venues across the city and highlight their unique heritage, culture and design. People from across the country can expect an amazing show in summer 2018.

I'd like to thank the eight other towns and cities for their fantastic bids and I'm looking forward to working with them to help ensure that the Exhibition has the widest possible reach across the whole of the North.

Carol Bell, Culture and Major Events Director at destination marketing agency NewcastleGateshead Initiative, which led the development of NewcastleGateshead's bid, said:

We are delighted to have secured the Great Exhibition of the North in 2018; it's a fantastic achievement and a testament to the creative and innovative bid we developed with the support of many venues, organisations, partners and stakeholders here in the North East. Key bid partners include Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums, BALTIC, Sage Gateshead and the North East Culture Partnership.

We now look forward to extending this partnership approach right across the North of England to shine a spotlight on our collective cultural assets and strengths. Together we will develop and stage an event that the whole of the North can be proud of and which we hope will have far-reaching benefits for culture, communities, tourism and businesses – in 2018 and beyond.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/340778 2016-10-07T10:00:10+01:00 2016-10-07T10:00:10+01:00 News story: Prime Minister appoints new trustee to the National Heritage Memorial Fund / Heritage Lottery Fund Board Anna Carragher has been appointed as the new trustee for Northern Ireland on the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) / Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) Board

Anna Carragher has forty years of experience working in the public service in both executive and non executive roles. She was brought up in Belfast and attended Queen's University where she took an Honours degree in English Literature and had the great privilege of being taught by Seamus Heaney. After graduating she joined the BBC and worked across radio and television producing a range of news and current affairs programmes including Today and Any Questions on Radio Four and Man Alive, Question Time and Newsnight on BBC television. She returned to Northern Ireland as Head of Programmes in 1995 and oversaw output throughout the peace negotiations and the establishment of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Among the programmes she commissioned as Head of Programmes were Give My Head Peace, PK Tonight , Hearts and Minds, the Stephen Nolan Show and the Legacy series on Radio Ulster, which won a Sony Gold Award for Services to the Community. She became Controller, BBC Northern Ireland in 2001 with editorial and managerial responsibility for the Corporation in Northern Ireland; during her time as Head of Programmes and Controller audience numbers increased and BBC NI programmes won record number of industry awards including RTS Awards, BAFTA, an Oscar nomination and Sony Radio Awards, including both Radio Ulster and Radio Foyle winning Station of the Year.

After leaving the BBC she was the Chair of the Grand Opera House Trust. She also served as a member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and was a Commissioner for the Equality Commission of Northern Ireland. She is a member of the Board of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and is the Electoral Commissioner for Northern Ireland and a Trustee of the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust.

She has been appointed for a term of three years, from the 7th of October 2016 until the 6th of October 2019. The role attracts £20,749 per annum.

The appointment has been made in accordance with the OCPA Code of Practice. It is a requirement of the Code that political activity by those appointed is declared. Anna Carragher has declared no such political activity.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/340877 2016-10-06T17:09:30+01:00 2016-10-06T17:09:30+01:00 News story: The Prime Minister Reappoints Dr Brian Allen to the Board of the National Portrait Gallery Theresa May has reappointed Dr Brian Allen to the Board of the National Portrait Gallery for a term of four years, ending on 2 September 2020.

Brian Allen is Chairman of the Hazlitt Group that includes the Old Master art dealership Hazlitt Ltd and Arnold Wiggins and Sons, the leading dealers in historic picture frames. For 36 years he worked for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art serving as Director of Studies for 20 years. He is a specialist in 17th and 18th century British art and has written widely on this subject area. He has organised a number of exhibitions in collaboration with the Yale Center for British Art, the State Hermitage Museum and the State Kremlin Museums. A past Chairman of the National Art Collections Fund (The Art Fund), he is currently also a Trustee of the Holburne Museum, Bath, the Strawberry Hill Collection Trust, the British Sporting Art Trust, the Compton Verney Collection Settlement and the Hermitage Foundation UK. He is a member of the Arts Council's Acceptance-in-Lieu Panel and also sits on the Advisory Panel of the National Heritage Memorial Fund.

National Portrait Gallery Trustees are not remunerated. This reappointment has been made in accordance with the OCPA Code of Practice. It is a requirement of the Code that political activity by those appointed is declared. Dr Brian Allen has declared that he has not carried out any political activity.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/340860 2016-10-06T15:24:00+01:00 2016-10-06T15:24:00+01:00 Speech: Geared for Giving speech Minister for Civil Society Rob Wilson addresses the launch of the Geared for Giving campaign, supporting pay roll giving

It is great to be back at BT Tower today, a reassuring part of London's skyline. It is an operational centre that has connected different parts of the country through communications and could be described as an icon to the nation's creative industries as it has featured in TV and film titles from Doctor Who to Harry Potter.

Today I'm back here with my photo ID to talk about giving, which has a long and proud tradition in this country.

There is a great deal to celebrate:

the Community Life Survey shows that 73% of people give money to charity in the average month;

the Charities Aid Foundation World Giving Index shows that the UK is the most generous nation in Europe and one of the most generous nations in the world.

Of course, giving is about more than just the positive impact you can make through financial donations and contributions to good causes. People and communities actively contribute through volunteering initiatives. Thirty one million adults volunteer at least once per year.

And many employers, including BT, already have impressive volunteering schemes, supporting their employees to give their skills and expertise to help charities and community groups.

Giving plays an important role in the resilience, sustainability and independence of our charities and community groups.

So they can continue to do their fantastic work to support people in the communities they serve.

I am committed to growing this country's culture of giving. For example, our small charities fundraising training programme has helped hundreds of small charities to increase their income.

We're also supporting campaigns such as Remember a Charity in Your Will Week and Giving Tuesday, that encourage the public to get behind charities and their important work. We've set out plans for a Local Charities Day later this year.

And we've used incentives to encourage giving too.

But more can be done to make it easier and more compelling for people to give.

Businesses are key partners in increasing this country's culture of giving and there is more that can be done to harness the potential for giving in the workplace.

It ranges from initiatives such as payroll giving to employer supported volunteering schemes - that enable staff to lend their skills, to mentor, and to help others.

The Office for Civil Society is currently running a series of Giving Roundtables, bringing leaders together to assess what more can be done.

That included a Roundtable, kindly chaired by LSE, on how employers can further support giving.

We also worked with the Universities of Hull and Sheffield to run a series of workshops across the country with businesses and charities.

These workshops looked specifically at what could be done to help increase the quantity and quality of employer supported volunteering relationships. We are now looking at how we can respond to the feedback received.

The Government is committed to creating a Britain that works for everyone, so I see giving as a vehicle that can bring businesses and large organisations closer to the communities they operate in.

Businesses are reliant on, as well as responsible to, the communities in which they are based and they form an essential part of civil society.

Employee expectations are changing too. 64% of employees want their company to support the issues and causes that matter to them.

Many business leaders may be here today because they recognise that companies with a purpose beyond profit also make more money and grow more quickly.

According to the Harvard Business Review, globally, 58% of businesses who have prioritised purpose within their business model have seen their revenue grow by over 10% in the last 3 years, compared to just 42% of those who haven't prioritised purpose.

So it's great for businesses, great for charities and great for the beneficiaries and communities they serve.

There are some fantastic examples of how businesses have supported their staff to donate through their payroll. For example, I know that the Entertainer has an uptake of 50%.

We want others to follow its excellent lead.

That is why I am supporting the launch of the Geared for Giving campaign, which seeks to make it easy for more employers to support good causes by providing opportunities for their employees to give via their payroll.

Not only is payroll giving an effective way to give money to charity because donors get a tax relief; it is also a flexible giving mechanism that can facilitate giving to a range of different charities.

I'm delighted to see so much support in the room for the campaign.

Thank you.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/340688 2016-10-06T13:44:10+01:00 2016-10-06T13:44:10+01:00 News story: Prime Minister extends term of Imperial War Museum Trustee Theresa May has extended the term of appointment of Dame Judith Mayhew Jonas until 11 November 2017.

Dame Judith Mayhew Jonas, DBE, is special adviser to Tishman Speyer and is a global Trustee of ULI (the Urban Land Institute). She is a senior adviser at Chatham House and co-chair of the British Dutch Dialogues, The Apeldoorn Conference. She originally trained, lectured and practised in law, at first in New Zealand and then in London, rising to become Special Adviser to the Chairman at Clifford Chance (2000-2003). Her career has also included many distinguished roles in public life. She was Leader of the City of London Corporation between 1996 and 2004, has served on the board of the London Development Agency, was Chair of The Independent Schools Council and Chair of the Council of Birkbeck College, the University of London. She is a Governor of Westminster School and Westminster Abbey Choir School and has previously been a Trustee of The Geffrye Museum, the Natural History Museum, and The British Museum Development Trust. Until 2008 she was Chair of The Royal Opera House. She has also been Chair of New West End Company and London & Partners and has been on the board of Merrill Lynch. Dame Judith was awarded DBE in 2002 for services to the City of London.

Imperial War Museum Trustees are not remunerated. This extension has been made in accordance with the OCPA Code of Practice. It is a requirement of the Code that political activity by those appointed is declared. Dame Judith has declared that she has not carried out any political activity.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/340487 2016-10-01T11:14:00+01:00 2016-10-01T11:14:00+01:00 Press release: Government plans to make the UK one of the most digitally-skilled nations Government has announced plans to make training in basic digital skills free for adults lacking relevant qualifications.

The proposals, to be included in an amendment to the Digital Economy Bill, will mean publicly-funded basic digital skills training being offered free of charge to adults in England who need it. This is part of the Government's ambition for the UK to be one of the most digitally-skilled nations in the world.

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Karen Bradley said:

In today's digital economy, being able to use modern technology and navigate the Internet should be considered as important as English and Maths. But too many people struggle to get by, with more than ten million adults in England lacking the basic digital skills they need.

We will make sure all adults who need it can receive free training in digital skills to equip them for the modern world.

An ONS survey shows that an estimated 5.3 million people in the UK have never used the Internet.

A recent report by Ipsos Mori/Go ON UK found:

More than 10 million of the adult population in England lack basic digital skills. While

The problem can stop people from thriving in a digitised workplace and job market. As many as 35 per cent of people in lower socio-economic groups lack basic digital skills, compared with 13 per cent of those in higher socio-economic groups.

Age is another factor preventing people benefitting from services such as banking, shopping and government tools which are increasingly moving online. Just 43 per cent of over 65s have basic digital skills, compared to 93 per cent of 15 to 24 year olds.

Skills Minister Robert Halfon said:

We are committed to making sure that everyone, regardless of age or background has the digital skills they need to enjoy the benefits of modern technology. Whether it's applying for a job, accessing vital services or as consumers, our world is increasingly moving online - and we don't want anyone left behind.

Our reforms will mean that people who lack basic digital skills will get the training they need to get on the ladder of opportunity for the jobs of the future.

Courses will be delivered by colleges and other adult education providers, and training will be funded from the existing Adult Education Budget.

Government will consult on the details of this new offer in the coming months.

ENDS

Media enquiries - accredited journalists only. DCMS News and Communications team – 020 7211 2210.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/340419 2016-09-30T12:59:40+01:00 2016-09-30T12:59:40+01:00 News story: Expressions of Interest for Assessment Committee Members for the Queen's Awards for Voluntary Service We're seeking applications from leaders in the Community, Voluntary and Social Enterprise.

The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service is the highest award given to local volunteer groups across the UK to recognise outstanding work carried out in the community. It was created in 2002 to celebrate the anniversary of The Queen's coronation and is the MBE for volunteer groups.

Any group doing volunteer work that provides a social, economic or environmental service to the local community can be nominated for the award. Each group is assessed on the benefit it brings to the local community and its standing within that community.

We are seeking expressions of interest from leaders in the Community, Voluntary and Social Enterprise sector to apply to join the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service 'Main Assessment Committee', responsible for the judging and selection of shortlisted nominations. Applicants should have at least 5 years recent and relevant experience in volunteering and/or the voluntary, community and social enterprise/third sector, and ideally have expertise in a one or more voluntary fields.

This is a unique opportunity to champion, asses and reward local voluntary work, by becoming an assessment committee member for the prestigious Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, the MBE for voluntary groups.

For details on how to apply please see the application pack.

The deadline for applications is midnight Friday 21st October 2016.

Application pack

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 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/340192 2016-09-27T17:20:22+01:00 2016-09-27T17:20:22+01:00 Speech: Minister for Digital and Culture: Royal Television Society Speech Matt Hancock addresses the Royal Television Society conference

It is a pleasure to speak at this Royal Television Society conference - and to take up the post as Minister responsible for our most vital, cherished and thriving sector.

I've always thought that there is a risk that because people so enjoy what you make, they might take for granted the craft - the sheer industry - behind it. When you entertain, when people are laughing, or crying cathartic tears, or cheering on a favourite contestant, they don't always care to be reminded that for some people - for you - this is work. Complex, demanding work.

I do not take your work for granted. And in Government we know that you're exceptionally good at what you do.

Throughout its history, TV has been one of the UK's greatest success stories. In recent years it has grown at twice the rate of the rest of our economy, and annually generates over £13 billion in revenue. Of that, the growing independent production sector now contributes £3 billion a year.

More than just the economic statistics, your work really matters. You are one of the UK's best shop windows, introducing the world to our culture, telling them who we are as a nation. That we are hugely creative, inquisitive, innovative, silly when we want to be, daring. The export market for finished programmes, international commissions and format sales has more than doubled in size over the past decade to over a billion today.

You and your programmes are among our most powerful cultural ambassadors. Kids in South Korea queue to meet Peter Capaldi. Crowds in New York scream for Benedict Cumberbatch. And all over the world people make their arms into an X and tell Simon Cowell "No one wants this more than me." That is soft power in action. And it is great for the UK.

But of course this is also a time of great change. Digital technology is revolutionising viewing habits. And it is primarily these challenges - and these opportunities - I want to talk about today.

Traditional TV viewing, in front of the set, now accounts for only around two thirds of the nation's viewing time. It's perhaps ironic that as we watch the families on Gogglebox face a traditional screen many of us will do so on phones, laptops or tablets.

And what we watch is changing. 72% of us now regularly watch short-form videos, on YouTube and elsewhere. James Corden's car-pool karaoke, that Calvin Harris video featuring Rihanna, Hillary Clinton's latest spot ad, even back-copies of PMQs - everyone's taste is catered for, mine included.

And if we want more conventional length programmes we won't necessarily turn to the conventional channels. Netflix now reaches 4.4 million households in the UK, and Amazon Prime over a million.

These figures may sound unsettling - disruptive to the way you've always worked.

But let's bear in mind too that some of our greatest, most creative TV shows were made when the medium was relatively young. Series like Monty Python or the plays of Dennis Potter were able to experiment so freely, so successfully, because no one was yet clear what the rules were. Some of those brilliant, innovative shows, like Doctor Who and Coronation Street, are still with us today so it's easy to forget just how radical they once were.

The exciting thing about now is: the toys are new again. The rules are being rewritten. This can and should be another Golden Age of creativity.

And the Government will support you in making it so.

I've set out three core priorities for all the creative industries, and they are no less important in TV than the others.

The first is backing success.

In all we do, we want to back success where we find it; to build on and strengthen Britain's creativity.

So we have introduced new TV tax breaks. And they are working. In the first full year of the TV tax credit, nearly £400 million was invested in high-end television programmes, a further £52 million in animation, and £35 million in video games.

Amid this constant change, Public Service Broadcasting remains hugely valued in most viewers' lives. In a typical week, figures show 84% of us will watch Public Service television. And the vast majority - 73% of viewers, according to a recent poll - believe it is doing a fine job.

Following one of the largest ever consultation exercises in the UK, the new draft BBC Charter establishes the Corporation's funding, its governance, its mission and purpose, its scale and its scope for the next 11 years, beyond the life of this Parliament and the next.

The new draft Charter secures the BBC's independence by taking the next Charter review out of the electoral cycle and by creating a BBC Board that has fair and transparent appointments and the majority of whose members are appointed by the BBC itself.

And by enhancing its distinctiveness, accountability, transparency and efficiency it will make sure the BBC continues to thrive. New powers for Ofcom and the NAO, new requirements on competitive tendering, partnership and market impact, and new transparency duties on pay and genre spend are all important elements of the draft Charter reform package. And of course the BBC will enjoy an inflation-linked increase to the licence fee for the next 5 years.

The Charter also firmly embeds the BBC's historic duty to be impartial. For liberal democracy to flourish, serious debate needs to be anchored in fact. And with a proliferation of media voices the role for our trusted Public Service Broadcasters here is ever more critical.

Of course public service broadcasting is only part of the mix. The UK has a vibrant multichannel sector delivering over 500 channels via free and pay platforms.

Over half of spend on content is now from these alternative sources. And, counting investment in Film and Sport, the UK multichannel sector spent over £3 billion on content in 2015. On original UK content multichannels are investing £800 million.

These channels - and their location in the UK - bring significant benefits to our economy, including over 12,000 jobs and around £4bn of annual gross value added.

The prestige of the UK as the number one broadcasting hub in Europe is something that I'm enormously proud of and which brings very significant benefits to the UK creative sector. I know many of you worry about the impact of Brexit.

The EU referendum highlighted the need to bring this country together, and that can only be achieved by reaching out to - by directly addressing - all its constituent parts. You and your industry have that power.

And your role in defining how we see ourselves as a nation – and how we are seen around the world – is more important than perhaps any other sector's. Throughout her history Britain has succeeded best when we've been open, positive, engaged, and looking outwards, towards the whole world. You can help define Britain's place in the world today, and bring the people of Britain along with us.

On the specifics, we absolutely get the importance of: the Country of Origin principle; continuation of UK content's designation as European work; access to skilled labour; to funding and to the central importance of the broadcasting industry.

And we are working on those things as we prepare to negotiate Britain's exit.

We want to celebrate and strengthen our pre-eminent role in broadcasting as we move forward. UK success is here to stay. You can take it from me that UK success is here to stay.

That brings me to my second principle: expanding access.

It is a central objective of this Government that everyone, from every background, should have equal chance to succeed, equal chance to access arts and culture. In TV, you are already bringing culture - high-brow, middle-brow, resolutely low-brow, it really doesn't matter - into homes up and down the land.

And you do it every day of the year.

But just as your audience is wide and diverse, so should your industry be. While there is already a push for greater diversity on-screen, and we will continue to support that, it must be matched by a similar drive behind the scenes.

Among writers, directors, commissioners - executives. Ideally, this room would echo to a range of accents, from all parts of the country, from every ethnicity, from every class and gender. Does it yet? I challenge you. The BBC move to Salford has been a triumph, and it is one that I would like to see other broadcasters follow in terms of spreading people, production and investment beyond London.

On diversity and social media there is already much good practice.

I was delighted to launch Diamond in August and sure it will go from strength to strength

The BBC is on track to meet their 2017 goal of over 14 per cent BAME representation on and off screen.

ITV have achieved 14 per cent on-screen BAME representation across all channels.

85 per cent of Channel 4's commissions now meet their guidelines on diversity.

And Sky has achieved its aim of 20 per cent on screen and writing talent from BAME backgrounds

New technology and distribution is making it easier to break through. But does commissioning reflect the diversity of our modern nation? On gender, disability, sexual identity, and ethnicity, yes, you are beginning to make strides. But what of social and geographic diversity?

I ask you, and I hold you to a higher standard, because a popular, demotic industry like yours, with such a wide and diverse audience, should be leading the way.

So reflect the country you serve. Thrive on Britain's diversity. Look to opportunities beyond the nearest horizon.

Show by example that people from any walk of life can get ahead if they've got talent.

My third priority is to drive the opportunities of digital syntheses.

There is a very good reason I'm the Minister for Digital and Culture. The synergy between art and technology has never been more important. This link: between our creative and cultural assets, and the digital platforms and technology that deliver it, is, in my profound belief, how Britain will pay her way in the twenty first century

This sector is perhaps the best example of what I'm talking about: the pipes and wires of digital delivery meet the beauty and creative genius of the TV sector. Convergence has delivered exciting, disruptive new business models and programme formats like the challenge of multi platform media.

I'm very clear on our job.

If a Wikipedia page is slightly slow to load, it probably won't greatly try the patience. If a programme we're engrossed in begins to buffer it can feel like the end of the world. And all the tension you've carefully crafted - the gags you've expertly timed - are ruined.

So I'm absolutely determined the UK's digital infrastructure must-be world-leading. We have substantially invested in our digital communications infrastructure - both for mobile and fixed connectivity - with three quarters of a billion pounds from central government. We are rolling out superfast broadband across as many homes and businesses as possible. We have already achieved 90% coverage. We are on track to reach 95% by the end of next year, and we are pushing fibre too.

It will get easier and quicker, year on year, for people to access the brilliant shows you make.

And digital needs content. That nexus between technology and culture is our future economy's sweet spot, and it is at that nexus that your industry has always lived, and where it must continue to thrive.

Yes there are challenges but there are huge opportunities to reach more people, to open more minds, embrace new technology to educate, excite and entertain like never before. That is a passion we share and in doing so I will be at your side.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/340037 2016-09-26T12:57:00+01:00 2016-09-26T12:57:00+01:00 Speech: Minister for Digital and Culture speech: The Radio Festival 2016 Matt Hancock addresses delegates at the 2016 Radio Festival

It is a real pleasure to be at the Radio Festival today to celebrate this vibrant and creative industry, and to make my long-awaited return to the world of radio.

I think I somehow knew, when as a student I worked as minority sports correspondent for Oxygen 107.9 FM, that one day I'd become Minister for radio.

Maybe it was fate.

I developed a passion for radio in my youth.

It's a passion that has remained with me and that I bring to this job.

I know that it is also something I share with my predecessor.

Ed Vaizey will be a very hard act to follow - he worked incredibly hard on radio - indeed there is no greater evidence of that than his Fellowship of the Radio Academy. I have every intention of emulating his support and championing of radio.

Status of radio

It's an exciting time to be taking over.

Far from disappearing into thin air, radio has embraced new technology, has adapted, is adapting, will adapt yet more.

That dynamism means radio occupies a position of fundamental strength, with both BBC and commercial radio producing a wide range of unique, high quality content - supplemented by a vibrant array of community radio stations.

In the 1980s, radio saw off takeover by tapedeck, and survived.

In the 1990s, radio saw off takeover by music TV, and survived.

In the 2000s, radio saw and met the challenge of the internet era.

And now in the 2010s radio hasn't just survived but thrived.

For radio, disruption is the only constant.

Radio remains, as it has been for generations now, an essential medium for our world-leading music industry, which benefits greatly from commercial radio's scale and reach.

Commercial radio supports more than 12,000 jobs and contributes over £680 million to the UK economy. Meanwhile, advertisers see an average return on investment of £7.70 for every £1 spent, which demonstrates the value of radio to the wider business ecosystem.

Let's not duck the challenges. The past decade has seen radio confront some major threats: staunch competition for advertising revenues in the face of the boom in online advertising; growing competition for listeners due to the emergence of online aggregators.

But radio has once again demonstrated its resilience.

2015 saw both a rise in commercial radio's revenues and listening hours. Despite all the modern day distractions almost 90% of adults still tune in to radio on a weekly basis – me included.

Perhaps the most important indicator of radio's health is that - according to the most recent data from RAJAR's MIDAS survey - more than 75% of all audio listening is still live radio.

Radio, the oldest broadcast medium, remains far and away the primary means of consuming audio content in the UK today - in spite of all the rest.

Both the BBC and commercial radio are vital means of promoting and showcasing new British musical talent

Listeners tune in to radio in large numbers to discover the latest musical trends and to curate and explain content that covers so many varied genres and styles.

And, of course, radio has a much wider social value.

Commercial stations are an important and valued part of communities across the UK - supporting local business through advertising, and serving as incubators and springboards for local media talent – I'm tempted to say myself included again, but I'll let you be the judge of that.

Radio has always had a strong civil society ethos whether it is raising millions of pounds for charity each year, support for local events and schemes, and broadcasting much valued local news or community radio which has established itself and which delivers so much through its programming and from the work of around 15,000 volunteers

And moreover, radio has a longstanding role in shaping and reflecting our nation's culture and values.

That role was most recently and emphatically demonstrated by BBC's The Archers, the world's longest running radio soap opera.

Like many an Archers storyline before it, Helen vs Rob captivated a multitude of new listeners, and galvanized a national public debate about domestic violence and its victims.

I was not surprised to note that the Helen Titchener Rescue Fund, established by an enterprising listener, has, to date, raised nearly £170,000 for the charity Refuge.

This represents the very best of what the BBC, and radio, can achieve.

Three Principles

Today I want to set out the principles I want to bring to support for the creative industries, and how these apply to radio.

The first principle is backing success - to support and nurture all the creative industries and to encourage mutual support through the creative ecosystem.

The second principle is access - we want to build an economy that works for everyone not only the privileged few. Radio can and must play its part.

And third, synthesis: we must exploit the synthesis of culture and digital technology so that all can utilise the opportunities that digitisation can bring. Here radio is well down the track, but there's always more to do.

Backing success

BBC Charter

First, backing success. Maintaining radio as a twentyfirst century success story will need change and support.

With more than 55% of viewing hours, the BBC plays a key role in the UK radio ecology.

Through BBC Charter Review we have worked to ensure that the BBC will thrive over the next decade.

So we back the BBC's agreement with the Radio Independents Group for 60% of eligible content to be competed for by 2022

And we have set out a clear set of proposals on the need for BBC radio services to be more distinctive, both in terms of its playlists and of wider public service broadcasting content.

The BBC should also make further progress in terms of nurturing its partnership with commercial radio under the new Charter.

Radio deregulation

Another important area is radio deregulation.

In September last year we asked Ofcom to examine the scope for deregulating the radio industry on music formats, local content and local production requirements.

The continuing growth of digital radio has meant the disparity between the analogue and digital regimes is becoming increasingly apparent - analogue radio contends with an outdated and prescriptive system rooted in the 1980s, while digital enjoys a much lighter-touch regulation.

Ofcom's work concluded that there are multiple opportunities for deregulation and reducing burdens, balanced with the need for continued provision of news and locally-focussed content, which are vital and highly valued by listeners.

As listeners continue to migrate to digital, it is essential they can access such services on that platform.

So we will bring forward proposals for consultation that we've promised before the end of the year, and I look forward to working with you to get them right: to back your success and seize the opportunities of the modern world.

Access

The second area I want to address is access.

In the new increasingly digital economy we need to ensure we identify and nurture talent. Potential, not polish. Central to this is to open up access to training and opportunities. Radio has always played its part in Britain's social mobility. But driving that mobility is a passion for me, and I want to see radio do more.

I am very interested in the initiatives the radio industry is pursuing:

The new Global Academy - in partnership with the University of the Arts - which welcomed its very first students earlier this month, will equip students with the technical, business and creative skills they need to work in the broadcast and digital media industry.

The Bauer Academy - which focuses on skills training and in last two years the Academy has provided media skills training to more than 5,000 people across the UK.

Creative Access do important work in getting interns both infront of an behind the mike.

Diversity

These initiatives will help but it is crucial that all the creative industries build on initiatives like this to enhance diversity and support social mobility.

I have challenged all media to make improvements in this area. It is highly important that media reflects our whole society – the country that it serves.

I'd like to congratulate Siobhan Kenny and Radiocentre for their work, across the BBC, commercial radio and with the Community Media Association, including their analysis of the radio workforce.

You audiences reflect the full diversity – geographic, ethnic, and social – of Modern Britain – and so should you.

Synergy

The final area I want to touch on is radio's synergy with the wider digital economy.

Digital radio

Radio has grappled with this synergy – and the disruption it brings - for years.

You are engaged in what will be a lengthy transition from analogue to digital radio.

Compared to many other countries, UK radio has readily embraced the new platforms, including IP delivery, and strengthened its use and presence on social media.

UK radio is well ahead here - both the BBC and commercial.

As a result of more choice, increased car installation, and DAB coverage build out, 45% of all listening is now via a digital platform, and 30 million adults now own a digital radio - including myself, of course.

In-car listening is also up - and thanks to the partnership with SMMT 90% of new cars should have DAB installed as standard by the end of the year

Thanks to the partnership between DCMS, the BBC and commercial radio - DAB coverage will substantially match national and local FM by the end of 2016.

But as we confirmed in the Charter Review White Paper, the 50% listening threshold also needs to be met before the government considers the merits of setting out a timetable for digital switchover.

I am aware that the digital transition is important to commercial radio and that the key to this is the BBC and commercial radio going forward with a single purpose.

Indeed, the BBC market impact assessment we published in March concluded that the most positive market impact was a strengthening of the partnership between the BBC and commercial radio to accelerate the adoption of digital radio.

This make a lot of sense.

Digital radio grants spectrum access to new, dynamic stations that would not be able to broadcast otherwise, reducing the BBC's advantage over analogue networks.

The recent launch of national stations as diverse as Magic Chill, Union Jack and Awesome Radio - the UK's first national muslim radio station - is evidence of this.

But decisions on switchover are not simple or straightforward.

This issue will need careful consideration when the 50% listening criteria is reached.

Rushing this risks getting it wrong - for the industry, listeners and for the future of radio.

I want to stress the importance of us all: Government, BBC and industry, of taking time and care in how we approach these decisions

Small scale DAB

The syniergy between your creativity and digital technology brings me the success of the small scale DAB trial.

Over the past two years we have funded trials of small scale DAB multiplexes in 10 towns and cities across the country.

The trials have allowed 101 small commercial and community stations to broadcast on DAB for the first time.

Today Ofcom have published their evaluation of the trials and the report is encouraging. It concluded that the trials were highly successful and showed that the small scale approach to DAB transmission is technically sound.

I know there is widespread support from the radio industry for these types of services to be put on a proper basis, and that the trial arrangements are not a suitable basis for the long-term licensing of small scale DAB multiplexes.

I have asked my officials to look at options for introducing legislation at the earliest practical opportunity to create a light touch licensing and regulatory framework which would be more appropriate for these types of services.

Conclusion

We will support this digital disruption of radio to help the industry go from strength to strength.

But I want to end on one I don't want to disrupt.

Radio is in good shape. The relationship between the Government and radio is in good shape too.

I don't want to disrupt that.

No: I want to support radio's success.

One of the UK's greatest cultural assets – the oldest form of broadcast, and the most dynamic form of broadcast.

Freddie was right: you've yet to have your finest hour.

I'm excited to work with you to see that hour come.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/339809 2016-09-23T00:00:00+01:00 2016-09-23T00:00:00+01:00 Press release: Groundbreaking partnership between Government and tech start-ups to develop world-leading cyber security technology Tie-up marks the first step in the development of two world-class cyber innovation centres to receive £50m over five years to help keep the nation secure

Accelerator is a first for Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), Wayra UK and GCHQ, the UK's signals intelligence and cyber security agency

Will be huge boost to rapidly growing cyber security sector worth almost £22 billion to the UK economy

Call for start-ups to apply is now open

A groundbreaking partnership between DCMS, GCHQ and the nation's top tech start-ups to develop new technologies aimed at protecting the UK from cyber attacks has been announced.

Wayra UK, part of Telefónica Open Future, has been chosen to run a new cyber accelerator facility with the aim of helping UK start-ups grow and take the lead in producing the next generation of cyber security systems.

The tie-up is the first step in the development of two world-leading innovation centres as part of the Government's £1.9bn National Cyber Security Programme.

It will see start-ups gaining access to GCHQ's world-class personnel and technological expertise to allow them to expand capability, improve ideas and devise cutting-edge products to outpace current and emerging threats.

The facility will also fast-track new firms into the booming cyber security sector which contributed £1.8 billion in exports to the UK economy last year and grew from £17.6 billion in 2014 to almost £22 billion in 2015.

Minister of State for Digital and Culture Matt Hancock MP said:

We are making progress in our ambitious programme to support innovation in cyber security, grow the UK's thriving sector and protect Britain from cyber attacks and threats. Our two new Cyber Innovation Centres will bring together government, academic and business expertise, and will be invaluable in helping support start-up companies and develop world-class cyber technology.

The accelerator will be based at a new Cheltenham Innovation Centre and is due to open around the turn of the year. A second innovation centre will open in London in 2017. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is contributing £50m over the next five years to deliver the two innovation centres.

Gary Stewart, Director at Wayra UK and Telefonica Open Future (UK), said:

Wayra and Telefonica Open Future are immensely proud to be working in partnership with GCHQ on bringing further growth and opportunity to the UK's cyber security ecosystem. Our shared vision will not only safeguard the country against cyber threats but also increase opportunities for UK-based start-ups and help establish the UK as a global hub for cyber talent.

Chris Ensor, Deputy Director for Cyber Skills and Growth, GCHQ, said:

I'm really excited to be working with Wayra UK and the start-ups on what is a really novel project. Combining the knowledge and experience of GCHQ staff with some of the country's newest start-ups and most creative entrepreneurs is really powerful combination and one I'm confident will deliver benefits to the cyber security of the UK.

Cyber security is a team sport and as threats become more prolific and more complex, we should be sharing our experiences and views because there's so much we can learn from each other.

David Plumb, Digital Director at O2, said:

This is an excellent partnership and great opportunity for all of us to work together to not only support the UK economy but also encourage businesses to take a real interest and invest further in cyber-security. We're devoted to ensuring our customers' lives are made easy and security is a priority here.

We're pleased to see government investment in security, UK business nurturing and the level of expertise being shared through this partnership and I'm looking forward to seeing the benefits realised for customers.

ENDS

Notes to editors

Wayra UK will deliver the first stage of the accelerator programme.

Start-ups can apply via wayra.co.uk/gchq (page to go live at 00:01 on Friday 23st September 2016). The closing date for entries is Monday 17th October 2016. Successful start-ups will begin work in the accelerator in early 2017.

The accelerator programme will help start-ups boost and scale initial sales and business development with relevant partners and secure follow-on third-party investment. Start-ups will be given a grant by Wayra UK as well as a physical space to work in. Members will also have the opportunity to learn first-hand about cyber security best practices and gain Cyber Essential accreditation.

The programme will include insights to Government procurement processes, IP management, export controls and information assurance architecture. There will be a highly prized opportunity of gaining a fast-track cyber product assessment currently unavailable elsewhere and the opportunity to pitch products and services to Government departments including the MoD. GCHQ will also offer access to its national and international commercial partners across the cyber security sector.

Wayra UK

www.wayra.co.uk Wayra UK gives funding, acceleration and pre-acceleration services to start-ups to help promote growth, improve society and increase innovation. These include offering co-working spaces, connectivity services and mentoring. It has partnered with organisations including Velocity Health with Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited (MSD) and ASOS.

Since its launch in 2012, Wayra UK start-ups have raised almost £75 million in third-party investment.

Wayra UK works alongside regional partners to encourage growth and entrepreneurship. In Manchester start-ups can join Wayra North, a digital enterprise hub and pre-acceleration programme supported by Hack Oldham and Oldham Council. In Birmingham start-ups can use a space at Wayra Midlands at the Serendip® Smart City Incubator.

Telefónica Open Future

www.openfuture.org/en Telefónica Open Future is a global programme designed to connect entrepreneurs, startups, investors and public and private partners around the world to capture innovation and business opportunities. Its goal is to support talent at all stages of growth through a comprehensive model for acceleration that is designed to connect talent with organisations, investors and companies.

The programme incorporates all the Telefónica Group's open innovation, entrepreneurship and investment initiatives (Think Big, Talentum, Crowdworking, Wayra, Amérigo and Telefónica Ventures) through a global network that is open to participation by external partners that wish to develop their own entrepreneurial and investment strategies. To date, more than 49,000 proposals have been analysed, with a portfolio of 1,360 startups; it is in 17 countries and 384 million euros has been committed to investment by Telefónica and its partners.

GCHQ

Government Communications Headquarters is one of the three UK Intelligence and Security Agencies, along with MI5 and the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6). GCHQ works to protect the UK and its citizens from a range of threats to national security, including terrorism, serious and organised crime, and cyber-attack.

From October 2016, the new National Cyber Security Centre will lead the UK's national cyber security effort. The NCSC will simplify the current cyber security landscape by bringing together CESG, CPNI, CCA and CERT UK and establish a 'one stop shop' for cyber security in the UK. It will: * Reduce the cyber security risk to the UK; * Respond effectively to cyber incidents; * Understand the UK's cyber security environment, sharing knowledge, addressing systemic vulnerabilities; and * Nurture the UK's cyber security capability, providing leadership on key national cyber security issues.

Sources:

The UK Cyber Security Strategy 2011-2016, Annual Report (April 2016)

 Media enquiries - accredited journalists only:
DCMS News and Communications team
020 7211 2210

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/339815 2016-09-22T16:36:00+01:00 2016-09-22T16:36:00+01:00 Speech: University Museums Group Annual Conference: Better Together? Minister of State for Digital and Culture delivers keynote address at the University Museums Group Annual Conference

It is a pleasure to speak today at the University Museums Annual Conference.

You might ask why I've chosen to give my first major speech on museums at the University Museum conference. It's not just because of the work you do, Kate, to promote and support museums around the country. It's not just out of respect for my brilliant predecessor, Ed Vaizey, who committed to give this address.

It's also that, for my first speech on museums I wanted to come back to university museums where it first began.

In 1683, over three hundred and thirty years ago, twenty five miles from here the Ashmolean in Oxford was the first museum in the world to open its doors to the public.

Those first visitors were not only able to admire the impressive collection of Elias Ashmole, they could attend lectures in the School of Natural History and learn about chemistry - or Experimental Philosophy as they knew it then - in the cutting edge laboratories.

So the museum movement, so important to our understanding of the world, began in a university, with the collection a focal point linking disciplines, study and cross-fertilisation that so many museums continue to this day.

The modern museum experience, of active engagement not just passive admiration, began right here in the UK. We should all be rightly proud of that.

Our task, and our duty, is to see that admirable history become a thriving present and transform into an inspirational future.

What then of the present?

We live in an era of great challenges and great opportunities.

Money is tight and change seems the only constant. Of course some face specific problems.

Yet the creativity of our museum staff and leadership has led our museums through recent challenges to a position of strength.

Last year, three of our museums - the British Museum, the National Gallery and the Tate - were ranked in the top ten most visited worldwide. These three museums all combine the strength of our history with the very best of modern Britain.

It's not just the big museums - despite the challenges, new museums are opening. Last year footfall rose. Tourism remains strong and the capability of curating is world class.

The digital revolution offers opportunities to increase interest, to collaborate, and to reach audiences unimaginable in their breadth just a few years ago. Social media allows you to inspire humanity on a scale never before seen.

Academic collaboration globally is now the norm. Put an image of an object online, and who knows what extra information or inspiration can be gleaned?

I want to acknowledge the challenges directly, yet balance these challenges against the opportunities that are being seized, and are there to be seized.

Earlier this year we published a new Culture White Paper, the first in 50 years. It sets out this Government's vision for ensuring people from all walks of life have access to arts and culture, and our strategy for helping the sector to thrive. If you haven't read it, do. My only regret, having arrived in post after it was written, is that it doesn't have my name on it – it is an excellent piece of work.

The Culture White Paper committed us to a Museums Review to address the future of museums candidly, and deliver clear recommendations for action.

I am delighted Neil Mendoza is leading the review which will be a deep, thorough and thoughtful study both of those museums directly sponsored by government, and of what they should deliver for their core funding, along with issues faced by 'non-national' museums.

We will examine what the challenges are for the sector, and also identify the opportunities. We will discuss how the government and statutory bodies can better support you. Our focus will be on increasing access, on forging partnerships and shared services, on digitising collections, and - in our increasingly connected world – on global international work.

I encourage you to have your say. The initial call for evidence is open until 31st October, which is an age in politics but the blink of an eye in the life of a museum, so I encourage you to be quick.

The theme of this address is 'Better Together'. So today I want to discuss how we can work better together to overcome the challenges of today, and reach our shared goal.

First, how do we work better together between Government and museums. Next, how do we work better together with audiences, and finally how do we work better together in the digital age.

Let's start with the links to Government.

I believe in the intrinsic and social value of museums, in their role in shaping our society and their potential to shape for the better everyone in our society.

So I see public funding as the cornerstone of support for culture.

Of course that means direct public support, delivered through direct taxpayer support for major partner museums. It means support to help accredited museums in England become more sustainable through the Museum Resilience Fund, which in this year's funding round supported over 90 museums and organisations around the country.

Support comes in the form of HEFCE funding for universities, the DCMS/Wolfson museums and galleries improvement fund, and of course a very significant injection from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

We are bringing the learning from the creative tax credits which are helping other sectors like film, theatres and orchestras, and are currently consulting on proposed new museums and galleries tax relief to support museums in developing both a greater number of, and more higher quality exhibitions.

We want to hear your ideas and views on its design too.

This national public support for culture is important, and has risen since 2010. But public support is only part of the picture. Philanthropic support remains vital.

Social investment revenues are valuable, and the fastest rising area of revenue is commercial.

Continuing to diversify university museums income will be key to your future success.

Last week, DCMS, Arts Council England, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the innovation charity NESTA together launched a new match-funded pilot in conjunction with Crowdfunder UK to test which models of crowdfunding – which is growing rapidly - work best for your sector.

So we want to help you to think more broadly about how to boost other revenues, to help build financial resilience alongside public investment.

Next, let us turn to working together with audiences – and potential audiences.

I care deeply that we make our museums open – literally and figuratively – to all people, from all backgrounds, in all parts of our country.

In the previous Culture White Paper, Jennie Lee stressed the problems of access and inclusivity. She argued that art and culture should never be the preserve of the privileged few. Fifty years on, we assert the same goal.

Now as then we must strive so that none be excluded - from any walk of life, with any accent, from any ethnicity or any postcode.

Good work is happening.

Visitor numbers – your audiences – are up.

We have around 1,800 museums in the UK that are recognised for their high quality.

And many of these thriving museums can be found outside London.

Since its reopening after refurbishment, the Great North Museum in Newcastle has had 3 million visitors over the last six years.

The Arts Council is leading the way, both in what it looks for, for its core funding and through targeted action like the Cultural Citizens' Programme.

University Museums are the ideal spaces. In 2015, a collaboration between Oxford University's Pitt Rivers Museum and Oxford Youth Arts Partnership, called Kick Arts (I must watch how I say that), provided an inspirational setting to help re-engage young people who had left education through weekly arts workshops tailored to their interests, working towards an Arts Award qualification.

It's a great example of how university museums can contribute substantially to widening participation, often being the first contact that children and young people have with Higher Education.

Access is also about our engagement with the wider world.

Following the vote to leave the European Union, our museums, like our universities, have a vital role to play. You are absolutely central to our post-Brexit future, open and engaged with the whole world, progressive and positive in shaping how Britain sees herself and is seen the world over.

You are very clearly leading the way in innovation and research, in supporting the UK's economic success and global influence.

That's the second way we can work better together – with our audiences at home and around the world.

The third area I want to talk about is linked: how we work better together in the digital age.

I believe that we are living through a digital revolution as profound in its effects as the industrial revolution or the revolution that followed the printing press and the enlightenment it sparked.

In each case, those revolutions of the past brought with them great change, but were ultimately of huge benefit to humanity.

Just as the invention of the printing press, in the century before the founding of the Ashmolean, led to a radical collapse in the cost of storing and transmitting information, and wrought in its wake the end of feudalism, the breakdown of the power of the church, the start of mass education, the global transmission of ideas and the empowerment of man, so the digital revolution has once again radically collapsed the cost of storing and transmitting information, challenging established power, enabling the global spread of education, and bringing with it once again the disruption that causes and the potential to emancipate billions of people around the world.

Our world-class museums, including our fantastic university collections, have an exciting role to play in this great revolution.

Digitising and publishing online museum collections opens them up, potentially to all mankind.

And you know what's happening?

People are using them in remarkable ways that no-one had ever thought of.

It's the same whenever we open up data to the public. Someone, somewhere, analyses it, mashes it and uses it in ways that no one who had access beforehand could possibly have imagined. No matter how brilliant those of us with private access may be, we are nothing compared to the collective brainpower of humanity. A whole world of ideas can be brought to bear.

You here, at Reading University, are at the forefront with your pioneering work on virtual museums.

This link, this sweet spot of the combination of digital and creative cultural ideas, is our future. It is a hugely exciting opportunity for understanding the world around us, and bringing culture to as many people as possible.

Just a few weeks ago Dr Gabriele Finaldi at the National Gallery reached 200,000 viewers in a Facebook live broadcast, about "Beyond Caravaggio".

Those who've done it, who've put their collections online, tell me it doesn't replace physical footfall – it drives it.

They tell me they find out things about their collections they didn't know, and had no way of knowing, before.

It brings new ways to generate revenues, and it drives access to all.

As Minister for Digital and Culture, I want to drive this synthesis of culture with digital technology, and when it comes to the digitisation and dissemination of our great collections, I want Britain to be a world leader.

Because it's at this nexus - where Tech meets art, where digital meets creativity - that we will build a strong and thriving future economy that can work for all.

So let us work together, to rise to the challenges, to seize the opportunities, and with better collaboration, better engagement, and better use of digital technology, let us work better together for a stronger future in which all can reach their potential.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/339836 2016-09-22T13:21:00+01:00 2016-09-22T13:21:00+01:00 Press release: £4 million grants to boost volunteering among over 50s Office for Civil Society and Nesta announce 3 new grant funds to explore how more charities and public services can better tap into the skills and experience of volunteers over 50.

With life expectancy in the UK increasing, a valuable opportunity has opened up for greater numbers of volunteers to share their skills and talents with others in later life - offering a rewarding experience for both sides.

Today the Office for Civil Society and Nesta, the innovation foundation, have announced three new grant funds totalling £4 million to explore how more charities and public services can better tap into the skills and experience of volunteers over 50 for the benefit of all society. The three grant funds are the first to be funded by government through the second phase of the Centre for Social Action and will be managed by Nesta.

Older volunteers already make an important contribution in supporting our hospitals, schools and local councils, and in roles such as magistrates, first aiders and youth club leaders. As people live longer and research shows volunteering can contribute to wellbeing in later life, these new funds will explore how more can be encouraged to volunteer and how their talents and experiences can be retained.

The three funds now open to application are:

The Second Half Fund - Sharing Time and Talents for Life: Will provide grants of up to £250,000 to support the growth of new ways of mobilising the time and talents of people aged over 50 specifically in support of: children and young people, parents and families, ageing well, creating resourceful and resilient local places.

Join In Stay In: Will award grants of up to £50,000 and significant non-financial support from behavioural science experts for organisations to undertake Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) to understand what works best to encourage volunteers to continue to give their time regularly.

Give More Get More - Exploring Intensive Volunteering: Grants of up to £100,000 to support organisations to trial intensive volunteering placements for people over 50 - approaching or in retirement - that work alongside public services. These might include 'gap years', such as those VSO offers for experienced volunteers to give their time abroad.

For more information and to apply please visit the Nesta website (www.nesta.org.uk. The findings, which will be published in 2017 and 2018, will be shared with policymakers and the public sector to help inform future volunteering programmes and initiatives.

The launch of these new funds follows on from the Centre for Social Action Innovation Fund, a programme of work from Nesta and The Office for Civil Society that mobilised volunteers to work alongside public services. The three year programme rallied more than 70,000 people to help 176,000 people including helping the unemployed get back into work, peer mentoring for young people online and imparting emergency lifesaving skills to high risk young people.

Minister for Civil Society, Rob Wilson, said:

These funds represent an excellent opportunity to replicate our fantastic achievements in youth volunteering and I urge as many organisations as possible to apply. The funds will encourage more people over the age of 50 to follow the example of their children and grandchildren, get out in their communities and help us build a Britain that works for everyone.

Vicki Sellick, Director in Nesta's Innovation Lab, comments:

We know that many over 50s are already generously giving their time to help others - from reading to children in classrooms to keeping patients company in hospital. Given that those that do report far higher levels of wellbeing, and that more local communities could benefit hugely from their skills, we want to see how we can bring to bear the talents and experience that the over 50s possess to benefit even more people.

Nesta has today published the evaluation and impact data of the 39 projects supported through the Centre for Social Action Innovation Fund and will publish further key findings and recommendations later in the autumn. Visit www.nesta.org.uk.

-Ends-

About Nesta: Nesta is the UK's innovation foundation. We help people and organisations bring great ideas to life. We do this by providing investments and grants and mobilising research, networks and skills. We are an independent charity and our work is enabled by an endowment from the National Lottery. Nesta is a registered charity in England and Wales 1144091 and Scotland SC042833

About the Centre for Social Action: Since 2013 the Cabinet Office has invested more than £36 million through the Centre for Social Action to identify and accelerate the development and spread of high impact social action initiatives that complement public services and improve social outcomes. By 2020 Cabinet Office will invest £15m in a further phase of the Centre.

For more information contact Laura Scruby in Nesta's press office on 020 7438 2697/2543, firstname.lastname@example.com

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/339611 2016-09-20T11:37:00+01:00 2016-09-20T11:37:00+01:00 Press release: Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Heroes to be celebrated in Manchester and London on 17 and 18 of October The incredible performances of Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes at the Rio 2016 Games will be celebrated on October 17 and October 18 in Manchester and London respectively, Sports Minister Tracey Crouch has announced.

Parade for Team GB and ParalympicsGB stars to be held in Manchester on Monday 17 October

Event in London follows on Tuesday 18 October

The incredible performances of Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes at the Rio 2016 Games will be celebrated on October 17 and October 18 in Manchester and London respectively, Sports Minister Tracey Crouch has announced.

Watch highlights from the Manchester and London events:

Manchester and London #GBHeroes' events highlights

Watch Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes say thank you to all those that supported them during Rio and at the Manchester and London celebrations:

Team GB & ParalympicsGB athletes say THANK YOU for Manchester & London celebrations

The Government is working alongside the British Olympic Association, British Paralympic Association, UK Sport, Manchester City Council and the Mayor of London's Office on the details of the parade and celebration event with further information on timings to come.

Minister for Sport Tracey Crouch said:

The achievements of Team GB and ParalympicsGB made the whole country proud so it is only right that we host fitting celebrations to mark their incredible performances in Rio. Our athletes are an inspiration to millions and gave us so many fantastic medal moments that will live long in the memory.

I know that Manchester - a city with a rich sporting history - and London, with its strong links with the Olympic and Paralympic Games, will host brilliant celebrations that will give the British public a chance to say thank you to our amazing athlete heroes.

Mark England, Team GB's Chef de Mission said:

This will be a very proud moment for all Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes and rich reward for such fantastic efforts at the recent Games in Rio.

We appreciate the invitation from Her Majesty's Government and have no doubt Manchester and London's celebrations will be a fitting tribute and culmination of an incredible last couple of months.

Penny Briscoe, Chef de Mission for ParalympicsGB said:

The ParalympicsGB team have delivered an amazing, awe-inspiring performance in Rio at this Paralympic Games. We have had the most competitive team at the most competitive Games resulting in second place on the medal table with 147 medals, 64 of those gold. We know those performances have excited and energised the public back home and so it is right and fitting that in both Manchester and London the athletes will receive a welcome from those cities and the public can see some of their heroes back on home soil. We believe that the performances of our athletes help to inspire a better world for disabled people.

Liz Nicholl, CEO of UK Sport said:

It is fitting that as a nation truly inspired and uplifted by the record-breaking achievements of our Olympic and Paralympic athletes that we get the opportunity to once again show our appreciation to these magnificent sporting heroes who have helped achieve what no nation has ever done and win more medals at the Games post hosting. Our athletes won an outstanding 214 medals, achieving 2nd on their respective medals tables with 91 golds in total. It is an incredible achievement testament to the commitment and belief of the Government in what we set out to achieve and of course the critical investment made possible by National Lottery players.

Councillor Sue Murphy, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council, said:

As a great sporting city, the home of British cycling and taekwondo and the GB Paralympic swimming team, Manchester is honoured to be hosting the national parade for Team GB and ParalympicsGB.

We look forward to welcoming people from all over the country for a spectacular celebration of the achievements of our Olympic and Paralympic heroes and to share in an unforgettable day. Maybe seeing the stars of Rio on our streets will inspire spectators to follow their own sporting dreams and become the medalists of the future. We're proud that the elite facilities here, such as the National Cycling Centre in east Manchester, can also be enjoyed by anyone getting into the sport whatever their level.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:

The exploits of our Olympians and Paralympians have thrilled the nation and I am delighted to confirm that we are arranging a real heroes' return in the capital on October 18. It will be an opportunity to thank them, to celebrate their superhuman efforts and to inspire our next generation of athletes to follow in their path.

On Sunday 18 September the Paralympics came to a close in Rio with ParalympicsGB winning 147 medals and finishing second in the medal table. The medal count was the highest since National Lottery funding was introduced for elite athletes in 1997. ParalympicsGB smashed their medal target of 121 medals and won medals across 15 sports.

ParalympicsGB performance followed Team GB's brilliant second place in the medal table at the Olympic Games. Team GB won 67 medals, making history, as the first ever nation to achieve more medals at an away Games having previously hosted. Also, Team GB won more medals across more sports than at London 2012. At Rio they won medals across 19 sports while in London they won medals across 17 sports.

For further information contact:

 Jose Riera
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
020 7211 6971 / 07825 057405

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/339591 2016-09-20T11:00:00+01:00 2016-09-20T11:00:00+01:00 Press release: Export bar to save rare Titian drawing Culture Minister steps in to prevent Titian's Study of a Kneeling Man from export

Culture Minister Matt Hancock has placed a temporary export bar on a rare drawing by Titian to provide an opportunity to keep it in the country.

The drawing, Study of a Kneeling Man, is at risk of being exported from the UK unless a buyer can be found to match the asking price of £4.4 million (plus VAT of £81,400). It is one of only nine drawings by Titian in the UK.

Experts believe it is a preparatory drawing for the first version of Pentecost, which was a painting commissioned for the church of Santo Spirito in Isola in 1529. However, Titian made little progress and in 1541 the monks had to remind him of the commission.

By 1543 the paint had already begun peeling from his work and when the monks complained, Titian removed the original version and painted another from scratch. The original Pentecost has never been found.

The study was drawn in black chalk on blue paper, a technique made popular by Titian, and later adopted by Venetian artists, such as Tintoretto and Veronese. This style became known as one of the most distinctive features of Venetian draughtsmanship.

Minister of State for Digital and Culture Matt Hancock said:

This drawing provides us with a rare sight of one of Titian's lost works of art. It is of outstanding significance to the study of Titian, and I hope that we are able to keep it in the country to learn more about one of the greatest artists of the 16th century.

The decision to defer the export licence follows a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA), administered by The Arts Council.

The RCEWA made its recommendation on the grounds that it was of outstanding significance for the study of the working practice of Titian, one of the greatest artists of 16th century Venice.

RCEWA member Aidan Weston-Lewis said:

Remarkably few drawings have come down to us by this giant of European painting, whose career spanned seven decades, so any evidence of his activity as a draughtsman is precious. This dynamic, gutsy study of an apostle is a working drawing, with scattered stains and spots of paint most likely picked up in Titian's studio. It shows Titian exploring the fall of light and shade on the figure's drapery, and demonstrates an aspect of his draughtsmanship not otherwise represented in British collections.

The decision on the export licence application for the drawing will be deferred until 19 December 2016. This may be extended until 19 April 2017 if a serious intention to raise funds to purchase it is made at the recommended price of £4.4 million (plus VAT of £81,400).

Organisations or individuals interested in purchasing the drawing should contact the RCEWA on 0845 300 6200.

An images of the drawing can be downloaded here.

 For media information contact:
Francesca Roettger Moreda
Communications Officer
Department for Culture Media and Sport
Tel: 0207 211 6263
Email:email@example.com

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/339440 2016-09-16T14:49:01+01:00 2016-09-16T14:49:01+01:00 News story: Culture Secretary appoints new Gambling Commission Chair Bill Moyes has been appointed the new Chair of the Gambling Commission

Culture Secretary, The Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP, has appointed Bill Moyes as the new Chair of the Gambling Commision for a term of five years, commencing in September 2016.

Bill Moyes takes over from Philip Graf in the role.

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Karen Bradley said:

I am delighted Bill Moyes is taking up the position as Chair of the Gambling Commission.

He has a wealth of experience across the public, private and voluntary sectors, which will serve him well at the Gambling Commission.

Bill Moyes also serves as Chair of the General Dental Council, which regulates dental professionals in the UK.

He has previously held positions as Director General and Executive Director of British Retail Consortium, and held non-executive directorships with the Legal Services Board, the Priory Hospital Group and the Office of Fair Trading.

His earlier career was in government and the banking industry, and his pro bono roles include the Chairmanship of the Board of Directors of St Mary's Music School, Edinburgh, Scotland's leading specialist music school. The appointment was made by Culture Secretary Karen Bradley, with the approval of the Prime Minister.

The post is remunerated at £55,000 per annum. The appointment has been made in accordance with the OCPA Code of Practice. It is a requirement of the Code that political activity by those appointed is declared. Bill Moyes has declared no such political activity.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/339372 2016-09-15T15:50:00+01:00 2016-09-15T15:50:00+01:00 News story: Culture Secretary extends term of Chair of Royal Armouries Culture Secretary, The Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP, has extended General The Lord Dannatt's term as Royal Armouries Chair to 1 November 2018

General The Lord Dannatt GCB CBE MC DL

General The Lord Dannatt entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1969 and was commissioned into The Green Howards in 1971. He served seven tours of duty with the 1st Battalion in Northern Ireland and also with the UN in Cyprus and for many years in Germany before he commanded the Battalion in the airmobile role from 1989 to 1991. Amongst appointments on the Staff, as Colonel Higher Command and Staff Course/Doctrine at the Army Staff College, Camberley in 1992-93, he wrote the Army Doctrine Publication "Operations" – a revised operational doctrine appropriate to the post-Cold War era. From 1994 to 1996 he commanded 4th Armoured Brigade again in Germany and also in Bosnia during the early days of the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement.

After heading the Defence Programme Staff during the new Labour Government's Strategic Defence Review in 1997/98, he took command of 3rd (United Kingdom) Division in January 1999, and also served in Kosovo that year as Commander British Forces. In 2000 he returned to Bosnia as the Deputy Commander Operations of the NATO Stabilisation Force (SFOR). From 2001 to 2002 he was the Assistant Chief of the General Staff in the Ministry of Defence before taking command of NATO's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC). In March 2005 he took over as Commander-in-Chief Land Command, and assumed the appointment of Chief of the General Staff in August 2006, handing over to General Sir David Richards three years later.

He was awarded the Military Cross in 1973, was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1996, awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in 1999 and was appointed as a Knight Grand Cross of the most Honourable Order of the Bath in 2009. In 2010 he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for Greater London and in 2011 also as a Deputy Lieutenant for Norfolk. In the same year he became a cross bench member of the House of Lords. General Dannatt has been a Senior Adviser to Control Risks, Ricardo, Typhon and Targetfollow and is currently either a Senior Adviser or Consultant to Photonis, Cadence Consulting, Imeon Logistics and Joule Africa. From 2010 to 2012 he was a contracted columnist for The Telegraph Media Group.

General Dannatt is President and a Founder Patron of the Service charity Help for Heroes, a Patron of the war-zone charity, Hope and Homes for Children and of Street Child of Sierra Leone. He is President of the Soldiers' and Airmens' Scripture Readers Association. He has an Honorary Doctorate in Civil Law from the Universities of Durham and Kent, in Technology from Anglia Ruskin University and Laws from the University of Buckingham. He is an Honorary Fellow of Hatfield College, Durham, President of the Norfolk Churches Trust, YMCA Norfolk, Veterans Norfolk, and the Norfolk Branch of the Army Benevolent Fund. He is also Patron of The Royal British Legion in Norfolk and Chair of Trustees of the Jubilee Centre, Norwich. In August 2009 he became the 159th Constable of The Tower of London and a Trustee of Historic Royal Palaces. He relinquished both those appointments on 31st July 2016. General Dannatt became a Trustee of the Royal Armouries in August 2009, and Chairman in July 2015. He published his autobiography:" Leading from the Front" in 2010 and a second book: " Boots on the Ground - Britain and her Army since 1945" will be published on 6th October 2016.

The role is not remunerated. This extension has been made in accordance with the OCPA Code of Practice. It is a requirement of the Code that political activity by those appointed is declared. Lord Dannatt has declared that he has not carried out any political activity.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/339330 2016-09-15T11:50:01+01:00 2016-09-15T11:50:01+01:00 Statement to Parliament: Draft BBC Charter and Draft Framework Agreement Oral Statement Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Karen Bradley MP's Oral Statement on the Draft BBC Charter and Draft Framework Agreement.

With permission, Mr Speaker, I should like to make a statement.

Today I am laying before Parliament a draft of the Royal Charter for the continuance of the BBC, together with the accompanying draft Framework Agreement between the Government and the BBC. The latter sets out the detail behind the Charter, including how the BBC will operate in the new Charter period.

These drafts set out the policies contained in the White Paper, A BBC for the Future: a Broadcaster of Distinction, which was published in May.

This White Paper was the culmination of one of the largest public consultations ever. More than 190,000 members of the public - as well as industry stakeholders and experts - gave their views on how the Government could enable the BBC to continue to deliver world-class content and services over the next eleven years.

The consultation served as a reminder that the BBC matters deeply to this country – as it does to people right across the world. Far from diminishing the BBC, our changes strengthen it.

I am very grateful to my predecessor – the Rt Hon Member for Maldon – for all his brilliant work on the BBC.

My department has worked very closely with both the BBC and Ofcom – who have taken on the job of being the BBC's first independent regulator - to develop and agree these draft documents.

I am a huge fan of the BBC, Mr Speaker. At its best it is peerless. Our aim is to ensure that a strong, distinctive, independent BBC will continue to thrive for years to come – and also to improve the BBC where we can.

The new Charter and Agreement will enable a number of improvements, Mr Speaker.

They enhance the distinctiveness of BBC content – and the BBC's Mission and Public Purposes have been reformed to reflect this requirement.

The governance and regulation of the BBC will be also reformed. The new BBC Board will be responsible for governing the BBC, and Ofcom will take on the regulation of the BBC. The Charter and Agreement sets out functions and obligations that the BBC and Ofcom must follow in order to deliver this.

The Charter explicitly recognises the need for the BBC to be independent - particularly in editorial matters - and the BBC will appoint a majority of the members of the new Board - with strict rules to ensure all appointments are made fairly and openly.

The Charter also provides financial stability for the BBC – by making clear that the licence fee will remain the key source of funding for the BBC for the next Charter period.

Obligations for the BBC to consider both the negative and the positive market impacts of their activities are set out in the Charter. Ofcom must always keep these in mind when reviewing new and changed services. The BBC is obliged to work closely with others and share its knowledge, research, and expertise for wider public benefit.

The Government wants a BBC that is as open and transparent as possible. The Charter sets out new obligations in this regard, including publishing the salaries of those employees and talent who earn more than £150,000.

The BBC serves all nations and regions. It needs to be more reflective of the whole of the United Kingdom and the new Charter requires this through the Mission and Public Purposes.

This will be supported by specific Board representation, including the appointment of nations members - which for the first time will be agreed with the administrations of Northern Ireland and Wales – as well as for Scotland as is currently the case.

Provision for the nations will be regulated by Ofcom through a new operating licence regime, which will include continuing the approach of production targets for making programmes outside of London.

One of the BBC's many responsibilities is to bring people together, Mr Speaker, supporting and encouraging greater cohesion, not least among the nations of the United Kingdom.

Mr Speaker, we have made considerable progress since the publication of the White Paper and resolved a number of important areas with the BBC – allowing us to go further in the key areas of transparency, fairness, and securing independence for the BBC.

In addition to the principle of a mix of public and BBC-made appointments, all made in line with best practice, I can confirm that the Charter sets out that the BBC will appoint 9 board members - including 5 Non-Executive Directors - and that an additional 5 will be public appointments. This means that the BBC will appoint the majority of members to its new Board. This ensures the independence of the BBC board and that each nation of the UK will have a voice. This will strengthen the BBC's independence, from the position where all the BBC Trustees were appointed by the Government.

The National Audit Office (NAO) will become the BBC's financial auditor. In addition, the Charter will enhance the NAO's role and access - and allow it to conduct value-for-money studies on the BBC's commercial subsidiaries. This money subsidises the licence fee, so the public has every right to expect value-for-money.

And there will be greater transparency, with a full, fair and open competition for the post of Chairman of the new BBC Board.

This is in line with the Culture select committee's recommendation, Mr Speaker. It is a significant new post, and transparency and fairness in making the appointment is vital, not least so that industry and the public have confidence.

I am grateful to Rona Fairhead – who has decided not to be a candidate for this new post - for the work she has done as Chair of the BBC Trust and in particular for her help in reforming the governance of the BBC.

Mr Speaker, the fundamental reforms set out in the draft Charter will take time to implement - given the complexity of the changes, the need for a smooth transition, and the importance of consulting on some elements of the new regulatory structures.

There will be a short period of transition before the BBC Board and Ofcom take on their new governance and regulatory roles on 3 April next year. The BBC will continue to operate under current arrangements during this transitional period.

Further details about the transition will be confirmed in the coming months as we work closely with the BBC and Ofcom to ensure all elements of transition are managed as smoothly as possible, including the process by which the new BBC Board will be established.

Mr Speaker, Members of both Houses will now have a chance to consider the proposals in detail. To aid them in that endeavour, I have today deposited a series of information sheets in the libraries of both Houses.

I have also sent the draft documents to the devolved administrations in order that the devolved legislatures will be able to debate them over the coming weeks.

My DCMS ministerial colleagues and I look forward to Parliamentary debates on the draft Charter and Agreement in due course. Following these debates, the Government will present the Charter to the Privy Council, in order that the new Charter is in place by the end of the year.

Mr Speaker, the BBC is one of this country's greatest achievements and greatest treasures. These reforms ensure that it will continue to be cherished at home and abroad for many years to come.

I commend this statement to the House.

ENDS

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/339322 2016-09-15T11:49:00+01:00 2016-09-15T11:49:00+01:00 Press release: BBC Charter to safeguard future while delivering transparency for licence fee payers Culture Secretary Karen Bradley has confirmed the reforms to the BBC that will require the organisation to be more open and transparent while making sure the public broadcaster continues to thrive in the future.

The draft Royal Charter and the accompanying Framework Agreement published on Thursday 15 September 2016 sets out the details of how the BBC will operate in the new Charter period. They draw on the policies published in the Government's White Paper, A BBC for the Future: a Broadcaster of Distinction, published in May 2016.

Government has made a number of changes to the reforms since then to reflect the further discussions with the BBC, Ofcom and BBC Trust, as well as recommendations from the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee.

These changes include:

Greater transparency - all BBC employees who earn more than £150,000 will have their salary details published, and there will be a full, fair and open competition for the post of Chairman of the new BBC Board.

The National Audit Office (NAO) will become the BBC's financial auditor and fully scrutinise the BBC's value for money record - the Charter will enhance the NAO's role and access and allow it to conduct value for money studies on all of the BBC's activities including its commercial subsidiaries.

Appointments to the new BBC Board - in addition to the agreed principle of a mix of public and BBC appointments, all made in line with public appointments best practice, the Charter sets out that [the BBC will appoint 9 board members, (including 5 Non-Executive Directors), and an additional 5 will be public appointments] and will mean the BBC will appoint the majority of members to its new Board.

Culture Secretary Karen Bradley MP said:

The BBC produces world class programming that is admired and respected by millions around the world. The BBC's next Charter will help it adapt to the changing digital world and continue to thrive into the future.

We have made considerable progress since the publication of the White Paper and resolved a number of important areas with the BBC, which go further in the key areas of transparency, fairness and securing the BBC's independence.

Licence fee payers have a right to know where their money goes. By making the BBC more transparent it will help deliver savings that can then be invested in even more great programmes.

In summary, the new Charter and Agreement will:

Make the BBC as open and transparent as possible - the Charter sets out obligations for the BBC to be more open and transparent in its operations and the important information it shares, including the salaries of its employees and talent earning more than £150,000; and

Enhance the distinctiveness of BBC content - the BBC's Mission and Public Purposes have been reformed to reflect this requirement;

Reform the governance and regulation of the BBC - the new BBC Board will be responsible for governing the BBC, and Ofcom will take on the regulation of the BBC - the Charter and Agreement sets out functions and obligations that they both must follow in order to deliver this;

Prioritise the independence of the BBC - the Charter explicitly recognises the need for the BBC to be independent - particularly in editorial matters - and the BBC will appoint a majority of the members of the new Board, with strict rules to ensure all appointments are made fairly and openly;

Ensure the financial stability of the BBC - the Charter makes clear the licence fee will remain as the key source of funding for the BBC for the next Charter period;

Ensure that the BBC's impact on the market is proportionate to the public benefits it delivers and, where possible, positive for both the public and commercial organisations;

Ensure that the BBC serves all nations and regions and is more reflective of the whole of the United Kingdom - through operating licence obligations, specific Board representation and the continuation of production targets ensuring 50% of the BBC's programmes are made outside of London.

The next stage in the BBC Charter Review process will be parliamentary debates of the draft Charter and Agreement including in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales during the autumn. Following these debates, the Government will present the Charter and Agreement to Privy Council, to come into force on 1 January 2017.

Given the fundamental reforms set out in the draft Charter and the need to ensure there is a smooth transition, the organisations involved will need time to implement these complex changes. The Government has allowed for a short period of transition with the new BBC Board and Ofcom fully taking on their new governance and regulatory roles on 3 April 2017. The BBC will continue to operate under the current arrangements during this transitional period.

ENDS

Notes for editors

Read more details at www.gov.uk/bbccharterreview.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/339259 2016-09-14T14:52:00+01:00 2016-09-14T14:52:00+01:00 Speech: Minister for Digital and Culture addresses CBI conference Matt Hancock delivers speech about cyber security and working with industry to build a secure and successful digital economy

CBI conference key note speech

It's great to be here, back speaking at the CBI at the second annual CBI Cyber Conference. It's telling that the CBI is now running an annual conference and important that is does so.

Cyber Security has been an issue I've been involved in for some time. Both in my previous role as Paymaster General, with responsibility for tech inside Government, and now in my role as Minister for Digital and Culture responsible for tech and digital across the wider economy.

You mention my first job was in software, my family software business. These were in the days before the Internet so things were a little different. But I would say you listed the speakers today saying there were many many business speakers and you didn't, perhaps to be gentle to me, put and a Government minister.

But this point is important, because ultimately cyber security is only something that can be done through partnership between business and Government.

You at the CBI represent a third of our private-sector workforce - nearly 200,000 businesses. And you serve them well by working in partnership with Government to keep them secure in this digital age. Because there are things we can do and things you can do and it is vital we understand each other's roles in that.

I think it's worth taking some historical perspective.

When I first worked in tech we were just moving from the quarter of a mb disks that were actually floppy, to 1.4mb and over. The biggest desktop had 30mb storage, and few of them were connected to each other.

When the CBI was founded in 1965, cyber security was hardly even a concept. The world's first commercial 16-bit computer had only gone on sale that year. At $28,000, it was the size of a small car. It held just 30 megabytes of storage - barely enough for a short video on YouTube.

The progress since has been incredible. This point is important - we must never put cyber security in a different box than the wide application of the Internet. The phones in our pockets are now more powerful than the computer which took the first men to the moon - and each of us can now connect to virtually anywhere in the world. And as everybody in this room, and I can say that confidently despite not having personally met you all, is connected a huge proportion of the time - and this is a good thing.

Our lives have been transformed by Internet technology - not least how we do business. The Internet helps drive our economy, enabling industry to create and innovate, making it easier to start a business and to find and connect with customers. We in the UK are now world leaders in online commerce. Last year, 4 out of 5 UK citizens bought something online. If you think just ten years ago confidence in online retail was something brought into question, now is deemed automatic that it is safe and secure. So we always have to have that context, that cyber security is challenge within a sphere of huge opportunity.

But businesses are being attacked for their finances, their intellectual property, their customer data. Our latest research shows one in four of all businesses experienced a cyber breach or attack in the past 12 months. A quarter of large firms are hit at least once every month. That impacts not only on their cash flow - the cost of individual attacks can be enormous - but on their brand and reputation. As I'm sure you can discuss with those who have been successfully breached.

So, how are we going to protect our networks at home and abroad.

I want to touch on a few points. Firstly, what Government is doing - and how you can help.

We're investing £1.9 billion in the protection of UK cyber space.

Since the first national cyber security strategy in 2011, a five-year long strategy, we've transformed the awareness of the cyber threat. Nearly half of our top businesses now treat cyber attack as a top risk (up from 29 per cent in 2014) and nearly two-thirds report on cyber security in their annual reports. Frankly, I want to meet the other third and ask why they don't.

But there's more we can do to get cyber security engrained in the business culture.

Not just in the IT departments. Not just in GCHQ when it comes to Government, but at the top level around the board table, engaging staff at all levels.

Because, ultimately, cyber risk is your data risks. And cyber security is an issue for business owners, CEOs, for Board members alike. It should be managed just as any other corporate risk. As well as putting funding in, we've also set out clear guidance. Our "10 Steps to Cyber Security" shows an organisation of any size how you can take the steps that are deemed necessary. If you've never seen this guidance before then have a look it up on the free WiFi and make sure you use it.

We also have the Cyber Essentials scheme. We try to make it as easy as possible for businesses to be safe online.

Ultimately the truth is this: The majority, the vast majority of cyber attacks exploit basic weaknesses, whether it is in software, in systems or in people. All organisations need good basic cyber security. This can tackle the vast majority of attacks.

In a way when we hear of a cyber attack, a big cyber attack that is in all the media headlines, it seems almost inevitable that shortly afterwards will come the news story it was perpetrated by a 15-year-old sitting in their bedroom.

And my lesson from this is it demonstrates how tackling the basics well can do a huge amount for our cyber security. There is research that shows that nine out of ten cyber attacks involve human failing, whether deliberate or more frequently, inadvertently.

So getting the simple processes right, that the Cyber Essentials scheme highlights, that is the easiest way to solve the cyber security challenge. It shows how firms can protect themselves against the most common online threats. It's the equivalent to putting your takings in the safe and locking the door to the office.

I think that every organisation which relies on the Internet for business should have Cyber Essentials as a minimum.

In Government we're leading the way by requiring suppliers who handle our sensitive data to hold a Cyber Essentials certificate to try to make it the norm. We encourage industry to do the same. Every company in your supply chain that adopts Cyber Essentials in turn increases your security.

And while many organisations large and small have adopted the scheme, there is still a long way to go before it is widely used across the economy. So I urge all organisations to look carefully at it and sign up.

But rest assured, we're working from strong foundations. We already have a thriving cyber security industry here in the UK. This is the second point I want to make.

While cyber is a threat to almost all businesses it is also an opportunity for those who make their money from protecting others.

Latest figures show that the sector grew from £17.6 billion in 2014 to almost £22 billion last year. And our cyber security exports also grew, up to almost £2 billion, up a quarter since 2014. So there is an opportunity for the UK.

But in order to thrive it needs skilled individuals, and 86 per cent of IT managers report that there is currently a shortage. Again this is an area for partnership between business and the government. Research shows that 1.5 million cyber security specialists are needed globally, and thousands are needed here in the UK.

So we've already put measures in place at every level of education to improve and introduce the necessary skills - even from coding for those aged 8 and above in the curriculum, all the way up. And we continue to develop ambitious new plans, and in the forthcoming national cyber security strategy, which you mentioned, we will outline the UK's mission to be the world's most secure online economy in the space of skills and more broadly.

That brings me onto the third thing I want to talk about.

Which is we can only achieve all this in partnership with you.

On my first full day in this job I chaired the Cyber Growth Partnership, which is a joint initiative between industry and Government to promote cyber security. We discussed plans to develop two new Innovation Centres, where start-up firms can base themselves in their crucial early months, to get the best possible support and the best cyber advice. The aim is to draw together business, Government expertise and academia in order to have innovation centres that keep pushing the boundaries. The first is on track to open in Cheltenham around the turn of the year, and the second in London in 2017. They will bring together business, government and academics and help to build on our growing cyber sector.

I am committed to giving it and to giving you our full support, and everybody has a contribution to make, so that together we can - and we will - build a secure and successful digital economy.

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/338982 2016-09-11T10:33:00+01:00 2016-09-11T10:33:00+01:00 Press release: Government delivers £80 million boost to help give young people the best start in life New Youth Investment Fund to support schemes in targeted disadvantaged communities across England.

PM: We will help young people go as far as their talents can take them

funding to come from Government and Big Lottery Fund

The Prime Minister today announces an £80 million boost for England's youth sector – helping give young people the best start in life so they can go as far as their talents will take them.

The money will open up opportunities for young people to get involved in their communities and gain new experiences, to support their personal development, build character and help them succeed in the future. Local voluntary youth groups will be able to bid for a share of the funding, which builds on the Prime Minister's commitment to building a country that works for all through creating opportunity and developing individual potential. Winning youth projects could include clubs offering activities from football to basketball, arts and drama courses, enterprise training or volunteering opportunities such as encouraging healthy living in their area or supporting charities and awareness campaigns such as Guide Dog Week.

The initiatives will be jointly delivered by the government and the Big Lottery Fund. £40 million will go towards the new Youth Investment Fund, targeting disadvantaged communities across England, while an additional £40 million will provide continued support for Step Up to Serve's successful #iwill youth social action campaign.

Prime Minister Theresa May said:

I want Britain to be the great meritocracy of the world and a fundamental part of this is ensuring all young people get the best possible start in life.

This new funding demonstrates our commitment, and will be a huge boost for youth groups across the country - giving young people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, the opportunity to gain the experiences and skills they need to succeed in life.

This is all part of our determination to build a country that works for everyone – and ensure that young people can go as far as their talents allow, regardless of their backgrounds.

The £40 million Youth Investment Fund (YIF) will be open to projects in targeted disadvantaged communities, with funding available up to 2020 to help organisations invest and plan for the future. Young people will be involved in the design and decision-making of the new fund, with the first awards are expected to be made in spring 2017.

In addition, the government and Big Lottery Fund will continue their commitment to Step Up to Serve's #iwill campaign and will each invest a further £20 million each by the end of 2020.

The government will also introduce the National Citizen Service Bill next week, setting out our ongoing commitment to NCS and how we will ensure the opportunities it offers are available to all.

Dawn Austwick, Big Lottery Fund Chief Executive, said:

Putting young people in the driving seat to design and deliver the Youth Investment Fund and involving them in the development of the #iwill fund will be vital to their success. The investments will help build a stronger, more sustainable and more responsive youth sector across England, centred on the ambitions of those it benefits most.

Minister for Civil Society Rob Wilson said:

This huge boost for the youth sector will help make Britain a country that works for everyone and will have a huge impact on the lives of young people.

I want the funds to attract even more investment from a wide range of sources including local organisations, businesses and philanthropists. This will give young people access to high quality and innovative services now and long into the future, demonstrating our commitment to ensuring they have the opportunities they need to develop skills for work and life.

Notes to editors

Government and Big Lottery Fund will each invest up to £20 million into the Youth Investment Fund, which will be managed by Big Lottery Fund.

The new #iwill Fund will be launched later in the autumn and will help to transform the culture of community engagement by getting young people involved in greater volunteering opportunities.

Full application information for Youth Investment Fund will be published at www.biglotteryfund.org.uk by 20 September 2016.

Big Lottery Fund

The Big Lottery Fund is the largest funder of community activity in the UK. We put people in the lead to improve their lives and communities, often through small, local projects.

We are responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by National Lottery players for good causes. Every year we invest over £650 million and award around 12,000 grants across the UK for health, education, environment and charitable purposes.

Since June 2004 we have awarded over £9 billion to projects that change the lives of millions of people. Since the National Lottery began in 1994, £34 billion has been raised and more than 450,000 grants awarded.

#iwill campaign

The #iwill campaign is being coordinated by the charity Step Up To Serve (Charity No.1154588). In 2012, the Prime Minister David Cameron commissioned a report into how government, business, the voluntary and education sectors could support young people to engage in social action (campaigning, fundraising and volunteering) between the ages of 10 and 20. This produced a number of recommendations such as embedding opportunities in schools, developing a culture of celebrating social action and measuring the impact.

HRH The Prince of Wales is Patron of Step Up To Serve and the #iwill campaign. To date more than 600 organisations from across UK society have pledged to support the campaign goal of enabling more than 60% of 10-20 year-olds to participate in social action.

More information can be found at www.iwill.org.uk and @iwill_campaign

Full list of local authorities

Investment for the Youth Investment Fund will be focused on the following local authorities:

Barking & Dagenham

Hackney

Newham

Tower Hamlets

Waltham Forest

Havering

Redbridge

Knowsley

Liverpool

St Helens

Sefton

Wirral

Halton

Birmingham

Sandwell

Wolverhampton

Coventry

Dudley

Solihull

Walsall

Stoke-on-Trent

Middlesbrough

Hartlepool

Redcar

Stockton

Darlington

Sunderland

Peterborough

Cambridgeshire

Norfolk

Suffolk

City of Bristol

North Somerset

Somerset County Council (Mendip, Sedgemoor, South Somerset, Taunton Deane and West Somerset)

 tag:www.gov.uk,2005:AnnouncementPresenter/338856 2016-09-09T10:48:00+01:00 2016-09-09T10:48:00+01:00 Speech: Minister for Digital and Culture Creative Industries speech Matt Hancock addresses the UK's creative industries

Watch Matt Hancock's speech on the DCMS YouTube channel

This summer in Rio, Team GB had the whole world talking when we beat most of them to second place in the Olympics.

Our sports men and women proved that, when talent is supported, this small group of islands can make an outsized contribution on the world stage.

It's a point you in our creative industries make year in, year out.

Let's consider the evidence.

BBC Worldwide is the biggest non-American distributor of TV.

We are the second biggest exporter of music. The whole world sings along to Coldplay, Stormzy and Adele, though it's probably best I don't prove the point right now.

Our film studios at Pinewood and Leavesden have lately been home to some of the planet's biggest franchises; not just to British heroes like Harry Potter and James Bond but Jason Bourne and Han Solo.

And as new forms of entertainment come along, we excel at those too.

What's the best-selling entertainment product of all time?

It's Grand Theft Auto V, which took a billion dollars in just 3 days – and it was made right here in Britain, in Edinburgh.

So when people say the problem with our economy is that we don't make things any more, let's get out there and tell them this.

We make immersive stories, uplifting music, iconic characters, and beautiful designs.

We produce, on an industrial scale, all the things that enrich life and make it worth living.

As Picasso said "The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our shoulders."

And while the product is often fun, even frivolous, it's serious business.

The creative industries consistently outperform the rest of the economy.

I want to pay tribute to my brilliant predecessor, Ed Vaizey, for the work he did to help make this happen.

And creative industries will be absolutely central to our post-Brexit future.

Economically, because where artistic design intersects with digital capability is the nexus at the heart of the future economy.

This nexus of art and technology is how Britain will pay her way in the 21st Century.

But not just economically. Perhaps more importantly culturally.

As my friend and colleague Karen Bradley, our new DCMS Secretary of State, has said, art and the culture that underpins it has intrinsic value too.

Our creative industries are, and always have been, central to how we are seen and how we see ourselves as a nation.

We must define Brexit Britain as open and optimistic, gregarious and global.

Progressive and positively engaged in the world, as Britain is when we are at our best.

The creative industries are critical to securing that status.

Our cultural capital has long served as our global calling card, delivered by James Bond in his Aston Martin, Doctor Who in his TARDIS, or as a simple Hello from Adele.

This matters more than ever, not just because of Brexit, but because of the transformation technology has unleashed over a generation.

As routine work – the filing, the sifting, the sorting – is increasingly handed over to robots and AI, our human skills, our creative skills.

Empathy, intuition, aesthetic and moral judgment.

These are things which can't be taught to a machine.

Even the most sophisticated CGI relies on human creativity.

The tech revolution is happening.

No King Canute can stop it.

But we can, and must harness it, so yes we support the disruptors, but also support those disrupted by change, to change.

By growing the stock of jobs that rely on those skills, we can humanise jobs while we automate work.

And the point is this: that this sector, which is so central to who we are as a country - which can trace its lineage back to the Southwark playhouses of the sixteenth century, and beyond - is also central to our future prosperity as a nation.

This country benefits so much from your work.

From Manchester to Margate, Dundee to Dalston, start-ups and entrepreneurs come to cluster around the creative institutions that make up a city's cultural quarter.

The lesson is clear: make an area interesting and you attract interesting people to work there.

The hipster is a capitalist.

Cultural rebirth, connectivity, and economic revival go hand in hand.

So, the question I want to address today is how do we in government help you deliver on that promise?

We can't do it top-down, with a prescriptive approach.

Kennedy once said that "If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him."

This surely is true.

It's been at the heart of the Arts Council's approach over the past seventy years.

It's an approach I strongly support.

Before entering politics I worked in tech.

Just as in high art, so in the creative art of technology you can't prescribe these things from the top.

If the Government had tried to reinvent the Internet as some kind of "Open Knowledge Library" instead of leaving it to Jimmy Wales and his amazing team at Wikipedia, it would have taken years, probably billions over budget, and would undoubtedly be more ugly and clunky than the organically developed version we all love.

No, we can't prescribe creativity from above.

But similarly creativity isn't automatic or exogenous. Creativity doesn't flow down like manna from heaven.

It is in our gift to create the conditions for creativity to thrive: the spaces, the skills, the connections, the leadership and the public financial support to make that chaotic, invigorating magic ecosystem grow.

We can and must strive to create the circumstances in which the essential humanity of every person can find expression, no matter how flawed each and every one of us are.

This is a mark of a civilised society.

Today I want to set out three broad principles based on the many conversations I've had so far, that will inform my approach to this job: Principles of backing success, access and synthesis.

Let me take each in turn.

The first principle is backing success.

As I hope you can tell, we are passionately committed to the success of our creative industries, not only because of the jobs you create, but lives you enrich, the horizons you broaden, the worlds you unlock for millions.

Across music and theatre and tech and the arts, with fashion week – which I adore – next week.

From coding to craft, from publishing to production.

Advertising, architecture, TV, film, radio, photography, design, dance, drawing, games, museums and our world beating galleries.

Their full value cannot be always quantified by the Office for National Statistics but we value them for what they are.

And we have shown, time and again, we are prepared to invest.

In practical terms, what this means is: I will fight to ensure that the creative and digital industries are at the heart of this Government's industrial strategy, with a tax, regulatory and public investment framework that supports you to grow.

And whatever ideas, whatever your fears, my door will be always open and we will ensure that you are heard at the highest levels of government.

I know the huge importance industry places on the creative sector tax reliefs, and I want to assure you that they will not be adversely affected by Brexit.

And I know the Chancellor shares his predecessor's enthusiasm for the sector.

Looking at the figures, it is clear the tax reliefs have been a great success.

Since the film tax relief was introduced 1,800 films have been supported, accounting for over £8 billion of UK value.

And since then we have introduced new reliefs for video games, animation, children's television, theatres and just this week passed the legislation for the orchestra tax reliefs, to encourage business and support British creativity.

In 2013 we introduced the high-end television tax relief to capitalise on the nascent boom in high quality television dramas.

145 programmes have since been supported.

And we have provided some £45 million in video games tax relief since it was introduced in 2014, supporting over £400 million games production spend in the UK.

We have committed £60 million a year to the pioneering GREAT campaign, which works with 21 Government Departments and over 140 British Embassies and High Commissions, to support and promote your businesses abroad and attract world-class events to the UK.

Yes, there will be challenges to overcome but we are committed to ensuring that as we prepare to leave the European Union we do so in a way that protects the British economy and ensures Britain remains an attractive destination for investment.

And still more can be done.

I can today tell you that we have just launched a consultation on the next tax relief for museum and gallery exhibitions, and we want to hear your ideas and views on its design.

And I look forward very much to working with the Creative Industries Federation and Creative Industries Council, and listening to the views you represent, not least the work you've done on the challenges and opportunities of Brexit.

Working together we will build on success: the success of the creative industries and the tax credits that underpin them.

That's my first principle, backing your success to the hilt.

My second principle is access.

We want to build an economy that works for everyone not just the privileged few.

Your sector is potentially one of the greatest forces for openness and social mobility we have.

Talent knows no boundaries.

It was found in four lads from Liverpool who just wanted to make music, in a girl from Margate who wanted to share her art, in kids from homes up and down the country with a flair for acting, writing, gaming.

Imagining.

Talent is not restricted to the privileged and the comfortable.

And as talent is so even-handed, so should its gatekeepers be.

No one should be excluded from any of your industries because of their accent, their gender, or their postcode.

As the Prime Minister said on the steps of Downing Street: it's part of building a country that works for all, not just the privileged few.

Just as culture transcends boundaries and speaks to the common humanity in us all so creativity allows us to transcend the circumstances of our lives.

So let us drive open diversity. In recent years we've learnt many important lessons about how to improve diversity in elite institutions, from mentoring to name-blind recruitment and targeted campaigns.

We are ready to help you apply them in your own industries.

And I make no apology for holding you to a higher standard than the rest of the private sector.

You have a special responsibility to be a force for openness and social mobility in Britain.

There's already some great work being done.

As a backbencher I worked with Suzanne Bull and her team at Attitude is Everything to improve access for disabled people to music venues, and I want to see that agenda go further.

As Skills Minister I funded Creative Access, and I want to see that agenda go further.

Once of my first acts in this job was to launch Project Diamond, and I want that to go further.

I think you get the message: the access agenda needs to go further.

And access means more than just access to creative industry jobs.

We also need to improve geographical access to arts, culture and creativity.

It's about diversity in all its forms: it's about social mobility as well as gender, ethnicity, disability or sexual identity.

It's about education too and encouraging and supporting children and young people to engage with and have access to arts and culture from an early age both inside and outside of school to support the next generation of the creative industries.

Since 2012, we have invested over £460 million in a range of music and cultural education programmes including the creation of the National Youth Dance Company and the BFI Film Academy.

Pilots for our Cultural Citizens scheme which will connect disadvantaged children with arts organisations in their local community will start this month in three areas of England where cultural participation is low.

I'm working with my colleagues at the Department for Education to support creative subjects in schools.

As well as social mobility we want to drive geographic diversity, and see London's success matched in every part of our land.

This matters to me personally too.

Coming from Chester, support for provincial theatres like the Gateway, and for regional brilliance in Liverpool and Manchester are important to me.

And just as important, when I came to London as an enthusiastic but unconnected twenty year old, it was places like the National Portrait Gallery, the Wallace, the ENO, and then the Tate Modern that welcomed me in.

We need to pull off the trick off supporting world-beating excellence, and spreading that excellence to all parts.

If there's anyone who knows how to make the spreading of excellence build on not dilute that excellence, it is Sir Nick Serota.

So I'm absolutely delighted he is stepping up from the amazing work he's done at the Tate to pursue this agenda at the Arts Council.

We want to blast British culture out of its heartlands of WC1 to every part of our islands.

I have asked Neil Mendoza to lead a full review of our museums.

It will cover how best to support museums large and small, widening participation, supporting both digital innovation and learning.

We need to learn from the best, from the heights of the British Museum's glorious Pompeii exhibition a couple of years back, to the innovation of thriving small museums like in Wrexham.

It will give a frank assessment of the challenges, and propose ways to overcome them.

The only thing not up for review is free entry to the permanent collections of national museums.

I want all to engage in how we support our amazing museums.

Next year will see the City of Culture in Hull – a place I know well from my youth – and I'm incredibly excited to support Hull in delivering on its excellent promise – though I'm not sure I'm ready to get naked and paint myself blue just yet.

This will be a great chance to showcase the transformative power of our creative industries.

You need only look at Liverpool's renaissance since its year as City of Culture.

Then, the following year will see the first Great Exhibition of the North, a two-month display of culture, creativity and design, in one of England's great northern cities.

We have four brilliant bids - Blackpool, Bradford, Newcastle/ Gateshead, and Sheffield.

We want to show directly elected city mayors how they can use you to boost their local economies while defining a regional identity.

So those are my first two principles: backing success and improving access.

My third is synthesis, of culture with digital technology.

Like the creative industries, the digital economy is something we as a country are disproportionately good at.

London is home to the biggest and fastest growing tech cluster in Europe and similar hubs are growing all over the country.

We do more e-commerce per head than any other nation.

And on the digital transformation of government, we are the source code.

Other countries copy our methods.

But there is more that we can do to build on the symbiotic relationship between technology and culture.

There is a reason we have a Minister for Digital and Culture.

Apple became a global behemoth, not because it invented much of the tech in an iPhone but because it combined that with of Sir Johnny Ive's iconic design work.

Of course it functions amazingly well but, let's face it, the clincher is it looks so cool.

Increasingly we're able to meld time-honoured craft with cutting edge technology.

The live streaming of plays now brings West End shows to audiences nationwide - this very weekend, for the first time ever, Shakespeare's Globe will livestream a production, A Midsummer Night's Dream - while London Fashion Week streams to over 200 countries.

The soon-to-open hip-hop musical Hamilton will use Uber-style dynamic pricing, so ticket prices respond in real-time to consumer demand.

And many of our most important museums are now digitising their collections, so they can be accessed by scholars around the world.

We want to bring the two worlds even closer. Our aim is to have not only the best content in the world, but also the best digital platforms on which to display it.

This is our sweet spot for the twenty-first century.

And I want to say this about creators, platforms and the corporates who work with them.

You know just how critical, and how disruptive this nexus of culture and technology can be.

Enforcement and fair treatment of rights owners is critical to healthy creative industries.

You can't grow the digital market if you don't support content.

And ultimately, content and distribution grow together.

Yes there's a debate and negotiation about shares. But our task is to grow together.

The Digital Economy Bill, which I will take through parliament this autumn drives that forward.

This synthesis also means treating fast, reliable connectivity, broadband and mobile, as the fourth utility, as essential to modern life as access to water or electricity.

It means both digital and artistic skills getting the attention they deserve in education.

And it means a culture that is deeply supportive of enterprise, of creativity, of innovation.

Where if anyone around the world wants to test an innovation – to try their cutting edge health practices on patients or literally roadtest a driverless car, they look to the UK first.

We are living through a period of profound innovation and the digital revolution has brought huge challenges.

But it also brings exciting opportunities.

By their nature many modern advances, both digital and artistic, aren't measured in GDP.

What price the sight of a beautiful building, or of a family connecting over Skype, even of the health benefits from running around playing Pokemon Go?

Measurable or not, I passionately believe that human lives the world over are enhanced through your creativity.

It is incumbent on us to use that creativity to benefit all, not just the privileged few, to spread the advantages widely, and ensure all are supported in this time of great change.

These are the principles that will guide my approach to the creative industries: success, access, synthesis.

To maintain UK culture's immense, powerful, vital, growing, essential and defining role in our economy.

To capture the nexus of creative technology that is the sweetspot for our future prosperity.

And to make sure the benefits are felt by and the opportunities are open to everyone from every community from all parts of this land.

I can't wait and I look forward to working with you all to make that happen.