Tag: Chi Onwurah

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-06-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department or Ofcom has made of the effect on consumers of data leakage (a) between applications on a consumer device and (b) between a consumer’s device and application servers.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The privacy aspects of this issue are regulated under the Data Protection Act (DPA). Compliance with the DPA is regulated and enforced by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) which maintains guidance relating to the Act. ICO guidance for app developers on privacy in mobile apps is available here: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/online-and-apps/ (PDF document here:https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisations/documents/1596/privacy-in-mobile-apps-dp-guidance.pdf)

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-07-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of tracking of digital devices through Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on consumer rights and privacy.

Matt Hancock

The Government takes both the protection of personal data and the right to privacy extremely seriously. Under the Data Protection Act owners should be informed how their data will be handled.

The independent regulator for information rights, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), has produced guidance on privacy on mobile apps, which is available at;

https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisations/documents/1596/privacy-in-mobile-apps-dp-guidance.pdf

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on levels of unemployment in the North East of (a) the outcome of the EU referendum, (b) the UK leaving the EU in the (i) short-term and (ii) long-term.

Margot James

The Department is currently working closely with the Department for Exiting the EU to understand the impacts that withdrawal from the EU will have on businesses, consumers and other economic actors. Due to the decisions this Government has taken, the British economy is fundamentally strong and we are well-positioned to negotiate our departure from the EU. Employment in the UK is at a record high. There are 68,000 more people in employment in the North East compared with 2010 and 23,000 fewer people unemployed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-10-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the energy-saving capacity of 5v USB outlets; and what assessment he has made of their potential effect on national domestic energy consumption.

Joseph Johnson

The Department has not made a specific assessment of whether 5v USB outlets offer any energy-saving capacity nor of their effect on national energy consumption.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the funding was for the Digital Inclusion team in his Department in each year for which figures are available.

Mr Edward Vaizey

As announced by the Prime Minister in Written StatementHCWS278 on 29 October 2015, policy responsibility for digital inclusion transferred from the Cabinet Office to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 1 November 2015.

Government is already investing in world class infrastructure (e.g. in the form of superfast broadband coverage) but access alone isn’t enough – people need the skills to benefit from online. The most recent funding figures available are £0.12m in 2013/14 and £0.30m in 2014/15. Our Digital Inclusion Strategy, published in April 2014, sets out how we plan to increase the level of digital engagement across the UK. Significantprogress in this area is already being made by public, private and voluntary sector organisations – dozens of which have signed up to the Digital Inclusion Charter.You can find more information on the Charter here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-digital-inclusion-strategy/uk-digital-inclusion-charter

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether NHS charges claim forms include a box for universal credit.

Alistair Burt

Some NHS Help with Health Costs claim forms, for example HC5 refund claim forms, have been amended to include a specific tick box to enable Universal Credit recipients to claim entitlement.

Form HC1 (NHS Low Income Scheme application form) has been amended to include a sentence about Universal Credit, to advise those applying that until 31 October 2015, anyone in receipt of Universal Credit does not need to complete the form, as they will already be entitled to Help with Health Costs.

Other forms, including: NHS prescription forms (FP10); dental treatment claim forms (FP17) and claims for NHS funded sight tests (GOS 1) and for vouchers for glasses or contact lenses (GOS 3) will be amended to include a Universal Credit box in due course.

A patient can make a claim for entitlement by ticking the “gets income based Jobseekers Allowance” on relevant forms. Guidance for both the public and healthcare practitioners (such as pharmacists, dentist and opticians) has been included on NHS Choices with links from the Universal Credit webpages on Gov.uk.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on the Quicksilver project to build out wifi and mobile infrastructure alongside rail lines; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry

Project Quicksilver was a rail industry procurement led by Network Rail to improve mobile coverage along railway routes for the benefit of passengers.

Despite receiving a number of positive bids, the industry was not able to find a solution that satisfied the commercial requirements of all parties and delivered the desired connectivity improvements. As a result, Network Rail terminated the procurement.

The Government recognises that dropped calls and intermittent access to the internet are frustrations felt by many rail passengers. We are working with the rail and telecommunications industries to reach a collective understanding of the technical and commercial challenges and the potential solution to this problem.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-25.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an estimate of the amount of financial provision required to affect the level of competition between broadband providers by means of the broadband investment fund announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015.

Greg Hands

The Spending Review and Autumn Statement announced that the government will investigate the feasibility of setting up a new broadband investment fund, to be supported by both public and private investors, and managed by the private sector on a commercial basis.

Access to cost effective, commercial finance is critical for any business to grow and expand. The government will hold discussions with industry participants to determine whether enhancing access to finance through a dedicated, commercial investment fund could help support the growth of alternative network developers in the broadband market. Decisions on the feasibility and size of the fund will be made following this market engagement.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-12-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many convictions resulted from reports to Action Fraud in each year since it was set up.

Mike Penning

The Home Office does not hold this information. The Ministry of Justice are responsible for statistics on convictions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-01-13.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of (a) the number of websites using the HM Revenue and Customs logo without permission and (b) how many people have paid to use them; and what steps he is taking to identify and proceed against such websites.

Mr David Gauke

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has a dedicated Customer Protection Team, within its Cyber Security capability, who proactively seek out websites abusing their brand. Such websites fall into two categories: fraudulent websites that seek to dupe unsuspecting customers into divulging personal information and websites which inappropriately use the HMRC brand and/or logo in order to purvey an affiliation with HMRC when offering services to customers.

HMRC’s Customer Protection Team has taken down over 15,000 fraudulent websites in the last year and taken successful action against 130 websites inappropriately using the HMRC brand.

The Customer Protection Team utilises a blended approach of internally developed tools and processes alongside partnerships with leading third parties, search engines and enforcement agencies, such as the National Trading Standards Board e-Crime Unit, to take action against any websites using the HMRC logo or brand without permission, undertaking criminal proceedings where appropriate.