Therese Visits the New Home of English Football
Earlier this month, Therese joined former Ipswich Chairman David Sheepshanks as she visited St Georges Park, the FA's National Football Centre.
St George's will be the training home of the England team and a national coach education, development and sports medicine centre. David Sheepshanks is the Chairman of the project.
Therese said "as Parliamentary fellow to the FA it was a great pleasure to visit, the investment that has been put into St George's Park is fantastic. I cannot believe that it will open as quickly as September.
She added "It is a genuine vision of how to put in place the coaching that we desperately need and I pay tribute to David Sheepshanks. Credit is due to him for taking the vision along and making it a reality."
Photo from r-l: Richard Lewis, Chairman of Sport England, David Sheepshanks, Dr Therese Coffey MP, Julie Harrington, MD of St George's Park.
Campaign for Rural Mobile Coverage Triumphs
The long parliamentary campaign to bring mobile coverage to rural areas has ended in victory, as OFCOMfinallyannounced proposals to increase broadband coverage to an estimated 98% of the UK population.
Traditionally, up to 6 million people in Britain have been excluded from good mobile coverage, particularly in rural areas. (Mobile phone companies were only obliged to cover 95 % of the population, 90 % of the time).
Dr Coffey was one of the leaders of the campaign to increase the coverage. She signed a back-bench business committeedebate urging OFCOM to increase the coverage to at least 98 % of the population.
Therese then spoke in the debate, in the House of Commons on 19 May 2011 saying: "that there is a risk Ofcom is being penny wise, pound foolish, and that in future it could become very expensive for this country to have truly mobile broadband."
The motion was carried unanimously at the end of a 3 hour debate.
In October, the Chancellor of the Exchequer responded to the debate by committing an extra 150 million pounds to build thousands of new mobile phone masts to cover rural areas.
In November the Department of Culture, Media and Sport select committee, of which Therese is a member slammed OFCOM's coverage target of 95% as 'unambitious' and the call for a 98% coverage obligation.
In this week's announcement, OFCOM proposes options which should ensure that 98% or more of the population receives 4G mobile broadband coverage. This means that millions who currently do not have a mobile signal will now receive one, and that millions more will have their signal upgraded from a 2G 'voice' signal to a 4G signal, capable of carrying broadband data.
Therese said "this investment will transform the fortune of small and medium sized businesses, currently hamstrung by inadequate mobile phone and internet coverage. Homes, schools, farms and businesses will get access to decent mobile and internet coverage for the first time."
Therese backs Spectrum Auction and calls for an increase in Broadband Coverage to 98%
In a report released today, the Commons Culture Media and Sport Committee has announced that Ofcom has been doinga good job facilitating the next spectrum auction but has urged it to take place as soon as possible.
Local MP Therese Coffey, a member of the Select Committee said "The Government is doing all it can to provide fast broadband and recently pledged £530m worth of investment to upgrade the UKs broadband network. The spectrum auction is highly relevant for rural areas and is great news for increasing broadband provision"
She went on to say "Ofcom proposes that one of the spectrum licences should have a condition of providing mobile internet coverage to least 95% of the population. The Committee says that Ofcom should go further to hasten the rollout of broadband and proposes that the coverage obligation for this licence should be set at 98%. It also argues that Ofcom should consider applying this obligation to more than one licence."
However there has been some infighting between mobile operators which is delaying the rollout of faster broadband services.
The Select Committee understands that Ofcom has had a very difficult job adjudicating between competing and polarised interests and they are concerned that constant disagreement and special pleading from the four mobile network operators appears to have further delayed the spectrum auction. They believe that the basic rules for the auction are sensible and fair, and that further delays will result in the UK falling further behind in this vital area.
The Committee have argued that it is vital that spectrum users other than mobile service providers are not overlooked by policy makers and regulators. The report recommends that Ofcom's remit is widened in order that the interests of British businesses whose spectrum use plays an important part in the UK economy are best served.
Enquiry to Start into the Regulation of Gambling
When Parliament returns after the Conference season the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee of which Therese is a member, is conducting a significant investigation into gambling and the Gambling Act of 2005.
The purpose of the enquiry is to identify ways in which the regulations in relation to gambling can be made better.
Therese said "the 2005 Gambling Act had the intention of creating super-casinos and to try and keep betting on shore. It hasn't worked in either of these aspects. I am not proposing that we encourage super casinos but I would like to see the freeing up of red tape in some areas, whilst looking at tightening up the regulations in online gambling to keep betting on shore".
She went on to say "it is about getting the balance right. We need sensible regulation but we don't want to burden the amusement trade, such as the one that is so important to Felixstowe with unnecessary red tape".
Therese Speaks in Panel Debate on Football Governance
Last week, Therese took part in a live panel debate at Birkbeck College about the future of governance for English football.
The debate was chaired by Sean Hamil, Director of Birkbeck Sport Business Centre and she was joined by Erik Samuelson, CEO of AFC Wimbledon, Danny Davis, a Partner in law firm Mishcon de Reya and Damian Collins MP her colleague on the DCOMS Select Committee.
Damian and Therese were able to provide an in-depth analysis of how football governance should be changed following the investigation into the subject by the Select Committee.
The Committee presented their report in July and the Government is due to respond to it shortly. The Minister, Hugh Robertson has already said "no change is not an option".
Therese is calling for a clear commitment to youth, coaching and a particular focus on supporters. Part of this requires more robust financial governance rules.
At the panel discussion she said "in terms of timescales we anticipate that there is a year to 18 months for substantial change to occur before the start of the 2013 season – but it is clear we need to act now."
James Murdoch to be Recalled
Following the evidence given to the Culture Committee today by Tom Crone, the former News of World legal manager, theCommittee has decided to recall James Murdoch to give further evidence.
Les Hinton the former Chief Executive of the paper has also been recalled to give further evidence and this will take place before Mr Murdoch is questioned again.
Therese who sites on the DCMS Select Committee said "it's important we carry on with this investigation. It does seem that there are discrepancies in the evidence given to the Select Committee and we need to get to the bottom of what went on."
Therese on Newsnight
Therese made her debut on Newsnight last night to talk about ongoing phone hacking scandal. The Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee of which she is a member has said previously that phone hacking wasn't just concentrated at News International, and that the practice was spread wider amongst the national press. She appeared as allegations were made about the Trinity Mirror Group and Piers Morgan.
Therese said "These allegations are very strong. I just hope that the police take the evidence and if Mr Morgan wants to come back to the UK and help them with their inquiries, and I don't mean being arrested in any way, then he can add more light. I think it would help everybody, including himself and this investigation, if he was able to say more about why he wrote what he did in 2006."
Speaking after the broadcast she added " The Leveson inquiry is looking into the phone hacking scandal as a whole, it is not constrained to just looking at News International. We need to root out illegal practices wherever they happen."
Select Committee Recommend Changes to the FA
The Department for Culture, Olympics, Media & Sport Select Committee, of which Therese is a member has today urged the Football Association to make changes in the way the game is run in England.
Therese said "I recognise that the quality of football in this Country especially in the Premier League is amongst the best in the World. However it is clear when you look at the current status of the English game that improved governance at the FA is required".
She added "we need a clear commitment to youth, coaching and a particular focus on supporters. Part of this requires us to recommend more robust financial governance rules. More rigorous measures need to be introduced to ensure sustainable business."
The report suggests a strong fit and proper persons test is consistently applied.
The Minister Hugh Robertson welcomed the report and has promised that the Government will take a detailed look at the recommendations before detailing Government policy on this matter – but he did make a commitment that "no change is not an option".
Murdochs to Appear in Front of Select Committee
It has now been confirmed that both Rupert & James Murdoch will appear alongside Rebekah Brooks in front of the Culture, Media & Sport Committee next Tuesday.
The Select Committee of which Therese is a member will have the chance to grill the News Corporation executives over the phone hacking allegations.
Therese said "I am pleased that both Murdoch's have now agreed to attend. It is very rare we have to resort to a summons but this is a matter of huge importance. I think it is fair to say that Murdoch's will face some robust questioning. I feel very privileged to be part of this committee and to be able to ask questions on behalf of the nation".
She went on to say "we have to be careful not to jeopardise the police enquiry but The Committee has made clear its view that all three should appear to account for the behaviour of News International and for previous statements made to the Committee in Parliament, now acknowledged to be false. "
Murdochs and Rebekah Brooks Reported to Appear in front of MP's
Today in Parliament, Therese Coffey, with other Members of Parliament called on Rebekah Brooks, Rupert and James
Murdoch to appear before the Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport Select Committee of which she is a member.
A short while ago - it has been reported that all three of them will appear in front of the Committee next Tuesday 19th July to answer questions from MP's about the goings on at News International.
Therese said " Given the incomplete assurances from News International executives, I was pleased to support the call to invite Rebekah Brooks and the Murdochs to our committee. I am delighted that they have accepted and we will be able to ask questions on the nation's behalf"
She went on to say "We will have to be careful in what we say so as not to jeopardise the police investigation but I think it is safe to say they will experience some pretty robust questioning".
Therese to Speak in Rural Broadband Debate
Tomorrow in Parliament, Local MP Therese Coffey will contribute to the debate on Rural Broadband.
In a motion that she has added her name to, that will be debated on the floor of the House of Commons, she calls on the Government to fulfil its commitment to superfast broadband and provide everyone in the rural community with a minimum of 2 Mbps by 2015. The motion recognises that local businesses are currently undermined by the lack of mobile broadband coverage and seeks to rectify this.
Therese said "this is a real chance to bring broadband into the countryside in a practical way. The spectrum is due to be auctioned soon and we have an opportunity to influence the conditions of the licence, for which telecoms operators will bid. Now is not the time to be penny wise and pound foolish and I will be calling on the Government to take a big step forward and allow broadband to truly be mobile in the countryside as well as in the cities.
Therese Grills FA over Capello Contract
Yesterday at Wembley, Local MP and member of the Culture, Olympics, Media & Sport Select Committee, Therese Coffey asked the FA about England Manager Fabio Capello's contract.
She grilled Alex Horne, who was acting Chief Executive at the time over the changing of a clause in Capello's 4 year deal prior to the World Cup. She asked "How it was possible for Capello's contract to be renegotiated by one person without reference being made to the board". The clause made it more difficult for the FA to part company with Capello if they wished to after the World Cup and Therese was concerned that such an amendment was made without the due governance taking place.
In response Alex Horne said he felt pressured to accept the amendment amongst increasing speculation that Capello would quit after the World Cup.
The new Chief Executive David Bernstein gave Therese some assurances, promising that there would be more done in the future protocol and said the situation would not arise again under his chairmanship.
DCOMS
The Culture, Media and Sport Committee of which Therese is a member monitors the policy, administration and expenditure of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and its associated bodies, including the BBC, on behalf of the House of Commons and the electorate.
Latest Work
The Culture, Olympics, Media & Sport Committee has undertaken some key work recently ranging from the phone hacking enquiry to scrutinising the delivery of London 2012 and from reporting on Football Governance to the BBC Licence Fee.
For further details and to read the Committee's full reports click here.
What is a Select Committee?
There is a Commons Select Committee for each government department, examining three aspects: spending, policies and administration.
These departmental committees have a minimum of 11 members, who decide upon the line of inquiry and then gather written and oral evidence. Findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website. The government then usually has 60 days to reply to the committee's recommendations.
Some Select Committees have a role that crosses departmental boundaries such as the Public Accounts or Environmental Audit Committees. Depending on the issue under consideration they can look at any or all of the government departments.
