Mike Hancock CBE - Liberal Democrat MP for Portsmouth South

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Southsea
Hampshire
PO5 2SE

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Mike Hancock's concern at sudden disappearance of popular soaps from analogue TV

29 January 2009

Mike Hancock, MP (Portsmouth South – Liberal Democrat) has expressed his great concern at the sudden disappearance of popular soaps such as Neighbours and Home and Away from the TVs along the South Coast of people who still watch them on analogue TV. Digital UK announced earlier these week that Channel Five which broadcasts these popular soaps will be switched off from analogue TV in two months time on March 25th 2009 for those who get Five from the Fawley transmitter. The MP is particularly outraged that only two months’ notice has been given of the change when other regions have had years to prepare for the change.

According to Digital UK: “The analogue Five service is broadcast from the Fawley transmitter to around 100,000 homes in the Southampton, Gosport and Portsmouth areas and parts of the Isle of Wight.” One in three households according to Digital UK still have at least one analogue TV set that they watch.

MP’s concern at sudden disappearance of popular soaps from analogue TV Many others may find that their Freeview boxes suddenly stop working then. They will need to retune on March 25th from them to continue to work.

Mike Hancock said: “I am utterly dismayed that Digital UK has only given 2 months notice of this change. The Meridian TV region will be the last region for Digital Switch Over and the analogue signal to be turned off. However many local people will now have to make the choice of whether to go and buy equipment to keep enjoying their favourite shows on their TV sets. With budgets already stretched by the difficult economic situation, this is a sudden cost that many on low incomes will find difficult to meet. So I am very concerned that only two months’ notice has been given to people. If they had been given longer they could have prepared and budgeted for it.

“I am sure that many people will be confused as to why they suddenly can’t get their favourite shows because such a short time period will not have been long enough for them to have heard about it. Others will not understand why their Freeview boxes have stopped working. I am writing to the Culture minister asking that more publicity is now given to this and that organisations in the South are given details of the help to purchase digital receiving equipment that is available to those that qualify. And that elderly people in particular know why they can’t now get Five and how they can get their Freeview box to work again.”

Mike Hancock’s letter to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport is reproduced below:

Rt Hon Andy Burnham, MP
Secretary of State
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
2-4, Cockspur Street
LONDON SW1Y 5DH

OUR REF: MA/DSO

30 January 2009

Dear Secretary of State

I am writing to you because as you I am sure you aware, Channel Five on 25th March is due to be switched off analogue television for those that get it on the South Coast from the Fawley transmitter, it was announced by Digital UK on 28th January. In addition 500,000 homes served by the Rowridge Transmitter will have to retune their Freeview boxes. According to Digital UK, one in three households still have at least one TV that they watch that is analogue.

I am writing to you specifically because this is only two months away. I appreciate that there will be publicity from Digital UK about the change. However I am very concerned that two months is a very short time. I don’t believe that many, particularly the elderly will be aware of the change – either to Five or to the Freeview service. Many will suddenly wake up to find that they cannot watch their favourite shows such as Neighbours or Home and Away and not know why. Others will be bemused as to why their Freeview box is not working.

I am writing to you on several fronts. Firstly to register my dismay that Digital UK has given local people such a short time to prepare for the switch off of Five from analogue TV. I appreciate that this is not a complete switch off but other regions have had years to prepare for DSO. I appreciate that some who qualify will receive financial help for the purchase of digital equipment. However others on very limited means will have to make the choice whether to purchase new equipment to continue to be able to watch their favourite shows. Even if is not a great deal of money, they have had very limited time to plan and budget for this at a difficult economic time.

I would be grateful if you could tell me why your department has allowed Digital UK to do this so quickly. Secondly I would be grateful if you could review the plans that Digital UK have for letting people know about this and satisfy yourself that they are adequate and that everyone will be aware of the changes. I would also be grateful if you could also ensure that organisations that people may turn to, particularly bodies such as those that help the elderly or those on limited means and local councils are given both the information they need to give people advice and also funding from Digital UK or your department to help with the extra costs that they will incur at what is the end of the financial year and something that they will not have been aware of when they planned their budgets.

Given the timescale, I look forward to receiving your reply as a matter of great urgency.

Best wishes

Yours sincerely

MIKE HANCOCK CBE MP

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18 May 2012


£10m to boost literacy – Clegg

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced on Monday that there will be up to £10m additional support for Pupil Premium children who leave primary school without Level 4 literacy – the expected level.

In a keynote speech to teachers and school leaders, he said that the Education Endowment Foundation will be awarding the money to pilot projects to help disadvantaged pupils make the transition from primary to secondary school. The money will be targeted at struggling Year 7s from deprived homes.

“How can a child start secondary school unable to read with confidence?” declared Nick. “That is a basic building block of a good education and no child should begin the race so far behind the starting line. We need to do everything we can to help these children through this transition to get them up to speed.
“That is a responsibility the government takes extremely seriously. And I can confirm that the Education Endowment Foundation will shortly be inviting groups of local schools, in the areas that suffer most with this problem, to bid for extra funds for struggling Year 7s from deprived homes to help them get their reading and writing up to scratch. Extra ‘catch up cash’, if you like.
“We envisage that schools will want to use it for small catch up classes, or one-to-one tuition, or vouchers for literacy tuition that parents can spend. We will run a proper evaluation, sharing what works with all schools not just those areas taking part in these pilots. It’s likely this kind of targeted support is the best way to crack this problem – next year we’ll know.
“Of course, we hope as few pupils as possible need it, thanks to the Pupil Premium. And I know primary and secondary schools up and down the country are determined to make this work.
“Some are using the money for breakfast clubs; homework clubs; or to provide one-to-one-tuition. Some are funding counselling services, so troubled kids are in the right place, emotionally, to learn. Some are using it for educational visits to places like museums: the sort of experiences middle class children take for granted but poorer child might rarely enjoy.”

Nick also announced that he wants to “strike a deal between the Coalition government and our schools and teachers. Teachers who help these children unlock the doors that otherwise hold them back ... they are the key to an open and fair society ... the key to the opportunity Britain I am determined we build.”

The best teachers will be offered incentives to work in schools that have large numbers of disadvantaged pupils. The government will ask the School Teachers Review Body to look at giving other schools the same flexibility Academies currently have to use pay to hold on to the best teachers.

Also, from next year, there will be Pupil Premium Awards for the 50 schools that do the best to boost the performance of their poorest pupils and narrow the gap – with cash prizes of up to £10,000 for the best of the best.