New Term Excitement for Children’s Arts and Media
CMF Executive and Board member Jayne Kirkham reveals the latest developments at the All Party Parliamentary Group supported by CMF.
The last couple of years have been somewhat challenging for the APPG for Children's Arts and Media. However, despite the upheavals caused by general elections and referenda, the group has continued to make a significant contribution to the debates in Westminster around children's culture, including:
- A successful amendment to the Digital Economy Bill to introduce Age Verification to commercial online pornography sites.
- A successful amendment to the Digital Economy Bill giving Ofcom the power to urge commercial public service broadcasters to commission more children's television programmes.
- Working with like-minded APPGs in the 'Drawn Together' campaign, raising awareness of the importance of the arts in formal education.
Of course there is still much to be done - the details of how those amendments will work in practice for a start. But there is that Autumnal thrill in the air and, having successfully re-registered, and with new officers (Co-chairs Baroness Benjamin and Julie Elliott MP, and NSOs Andrew Rosindell MP and Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall), it definitely feels like New School Term (new shoes and haircuts for some!) and we are raring to get stuck into supporting the provision of the arts and media that our young people need and deserve.
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