Below are the sector relevant parts of the Labour manifesto.
Page 1.7
Broadband Britain
Britain must be a world leader in the development of broadband. We are investing in the most ambitious plan of any industrialised country to ensure a digital Britain for all, extending access to every home and business.
We will reach the long-term vision of superfast broadband for all through a public-private partnership in three stages: first, giving virtually every household in the country a broadband service of at least two megabytes per second by 2012; second, making possible superfast broadband for the vast majority of Britain in partnership with private operators, with Government investing over £1 billion in the next seven years; and lastly reaching the final ten per cent using satellites and mobile broadband.
Because we are determined that every family and business, not just some, should benefit, we will raise revenue to pay for this from a modest levy on fixed telephone lines. And we will continue to work with business, the BBC and other broadcasting providers to increase take-up of broadband and to ensure Britain becomes a leading digital economy.
Page 3.4
Barriers to social mobility will be tackled by giving disadvantaged families free access to broadband to support their child’s learning.
Page 6.3
In today’s fast-changing world, parents want to be confident they have the information and choices they need to protect their children. We will continue to promote internet safety for children, building on the recommendations of Dr Tanya Byron’s review. We will support parents who challenge aggressive or sexualised commercial marketing. We will ask Consumer Focus to develop a website for parents to register their concerns about sexualised products aimed at their children.
Page 6.5
free TV licences for the over-75s;
Page 7.2
The next stage of national renewal
- A golden decade of sport with the 2012 Olympics as a great national and world-wide celebration.
- Registered Supporters Trusts enabled to buy stakes in their club bringing mutualism to the heart of football.
- Operational independence for major museums and galleries, with more lottery funding returning to the arts, sport and culture after 2012.
- Protection for the post offices and pubs on which community life depends.
- The BBC’s independence upheld; and Britain equipped with a world-leading digital and broadband infrastructure.
Page 7.3 onwards
Arts, culture and museums
We have made unprecedented investment in Britain’s cultural life, widening access by introducing free admission to museums and galleries. Every child and young person should be entitled to five hours of art, music and culture per week, through learning to play a musical instrument, visiting local museums and joining film clubs, or taking part in local theatre.
Through Creative Partnerships we are ensuring that young people in the most deprived parts of the country are able to fulfil their artistic talents by working with local arts and cultural organisations.
We have provided the first nationwide programme of free theatre to young people; now we will build on the success of the National Theatre’s £10 Season to work with theatres and sponsors to provide reduced-rate tickets for theatrical productions around Britain. Our national cultural life and creative industries can prosper only by developing young artistic talent. Creative Bursaries will support the most artistically gifted young people in their early professional careers.
So that our cultural facilities remain world-class, charities, businesses and cultural organisations must collaborate more closely in the future. We will review how incentives for philanthropic support can be strengthened. Our major museums and galleries should be operationally independent of government, so we will legislate to ensure their managerial and financial autonomy. We will maintain our commitment to free admissions, encouraging people of all ages and a wide range of backgrounds to visit. Every child will have lifetime library membership from birth. Britain is enriched by its unique historical heritage. We will review the structures that oversee English Heritage, putting mutual principles at the heart of its governance so that people can have a direct say over the protection and maintenance of Britain’s built historical legacy.
We will give public institutions new rights to borrow works of art from the national collection, so that more people can benefit from access to our national artistic heritage.
National Lottery funding is more in tune with people’s priorities than ever. We will promote greater public involvement in the way that National Lottery proceeds are spent on good causes. A proportion of Lottery funding is going to the Olympics. After 2012, this proportion will return to culture, heritage and sport.
Page 7.6
Britain’s creative industries
In every nation and region of Britain a wealth of creative talent – in industries ranging from film to fashion, design and video games – has flourished, and creative industries now account for ten per cent of the national economy. The strength of Britain’s film industry is a source of pride.
Through Labour’s film tax credit we have ensured that Britain – with its unique range of skills and facilities – is the right place to invest in film production. So that films can be enjoyed more widely too, we will maintain the film tax credit and create a merged British Film Institute and UK Film Council to establish a single body to promote film production and film heritage.
Subject to state aid clearance, we will introduce a tax relief for the UK video games industry.
We will support film festivals around the country, and establish a new biennial Festival of Britain, beginning in 2013, showcasing our major cultural achievements and young British talent across all of our creative industries.
The BBC is the most admired and trusted broadcaster in the world: respected internationally for its objectivity and its creative excellence, and here in Britain as a pillar of our cultural life.
We support an independent and world-class BBC at the heart of a vibrant public broadcasting system. Our strong support for its editorial independence and the licence fee that finances the BBC’s programmes and activities will continue. The BBC Trust should fully involve the public in decision-making.
The licence-fee is guaranteed for the ten-year Royal Charter that took effect on 1 January 2007. Channel 4 will continue as a public-service broadcaster providing distinctive competition to the BBC, alongside ITV and Channel 5. We are committed to maintaining plurality in regional news provision. We will fund three regional news programme pilots from the digital switchover under-spend in the current licence-fee period.
The digital revolution is transforming the world of broadcasting. We are working with the BBC and Digital UK to ensure that TV’s digital switch-over takes place smoothly by 2012, providing financial support and helping elderly people and the most vulnerable households in the UK.
To ensure we preserve competition and protect children and consumers on the Internet, we will safeguard the independence of Ofcom. We are extending broadband access to every business and home, ensuring universal access within a decade to high-speed broadband across the country. We will update the intellectual property framework that is crucial to the creative industries – and take further action to tackle online piracy.
