Tag: Chi Onwurah

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what consideration his Department has given to making funding available for equipment manufacturers to research and develop equipment for operation in new spectrum allocated for use by the Programme Making and Special Events sector since the reallocation of the 700MHz band.

Mr Edward Vaizey

Ofcom have published a consultation outlining alternative spectrum bands for PMSE users. The PMSE community have been involved in the process to identify alternative suitable spectrum. We are currently working closely with Ofcom to look at how PMSE users can be supported if they need to purchase new equipment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-02-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of her Department’s spending was allocated to (a) Nigerian state organisations, (b) non-governmental organisations and (c) the private sector in the last three years for which figures are available.

Mr Nick Hurd

No UK aid goes directly through Nigerian government systems. Our bilateral aid is delivered through commercial service providers (private sector), international organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

The table below provides a breakdown of our payments over financial years 2012-13 to 2014-15.

	2012/13	2013/14	2014/15
Private Sector	£145.724m	£185.146m	£156.147m
International Organisations	£31.905m	£52.343m	£40.505m
NGOs	£22.401m	£28.498m	£27.667m

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-03-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what requirements or guidelines her Department issues on the reference or inclusion of digital and online resources in the curriculum (a) in general and (b) for students without access to broadband at home.

Nick Gibb

The National Curriculum, introduced from September 2014, focuses on the essential knowledge that teachers should teach, not on how they should teach it.

Schools are best placed to decide which resources meet their needs and to secure these accordingly. Wherever possible, the development of new resources and training should be sector-led, with schools prioritising their use of funding in their budgets in order to best exploit the opportunities offered by the new National Curriculum.

The Government is in favour of schools embracing digital technology in order to improve educational outcomes. We want to see schools making informed decisions about what and how technology will best meet their specific needs, keeping in mind that pedagogy should drive the use of technology.

Where teachers use digital resources in the curriculum, we would expect them to take into account the circumstances of all pupils and make appropriate provision for those without access to broadband at home.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect on consumers of businesses issuing seven-day legal procedure notices with invoices.

Nick Boles

In response to the Law Commissions’ report on Consumer Redress for Misleading and Aggressive Practices in March 2012, the Government introduced an amendment to the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 giving consumers new powers to pursue civil redress for misleading and aggressive practices.

The regulations expressly cover demands for payment from a consumer in full or partial settlement of the consumer’s liabilities or purported liabilities to the trader (regulation 2(1A)). This means that misleading and aggressive practices in respect of such demands could lead to both criminal sanctions as well as private redress.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-05-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how the planned further opening of the BBC archive will be funded at the stage of (a) capture, (b) preservation, (c) cataloguing, (d) digitisation, (e) storage, (f) licensed use and (g) non-licensed use.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The BBC receives over £3.7 billion of public money each year through the licence fee. As set out in the Government’s White Paper, ‘A BBC for the future​: a Broadcaster of Distinction’, we encourage the BBC to do more to open up its archive and ensure that it can be used by the public and as wide a range of institutions and organisations as possible​. ​How the BBC uses the public money it receives to achieve this is matter for the BBC.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-06-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the timetable is for the Digital Economy Bill.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The Digital Economy Bill will be introduced to Parliament shortly.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the ease with which people can view algorithms which use their data in the public sector.

Matt Hancock

The Government Office for Science published an evaluation report on Distributed Ledger Technology: beyond block chain on 19 January 2016, which provides an assessment. In addition, the report recommends 8 actions for government to maximise the opportunities and reduce the risks of this new technology. A copy of the report is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/492972/gs-16-1-distributed-ledger-technology.pdf

Consumers’ rights with regard to the collection, processing and disclosure of their personal data are governed by the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA). The DPA provides rights for individuals in respect of their personal data, including rights in relation to automated decision-making, the right of subject access, the right to prevent processing likely to cause damage or distress compensation for failure to comply with certain of the Act’s requirements, and the right to have data rectified, blocked, erased or otherwise destroyed in certain circumstances.

There have been significant advances in digital technology since the DPA came into force nearly 20 years ago. The Government is reviewing the current regulatory framework to ensure it is fit for purpose for the digital age.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what meetings he has had with manufacturers in the North East on the (a) immediate effect of the outcome of the EU referendum and (b) short- and long-term effect of the UK leaving the EU.

Mr David Jones

We are determined to hear from all sectors as we work to build a national consensus around our negotiating position. As part of this we will listen and talk to as many organisations, companies and institutions as possible – all over the country – alongside a series of roundtables with key sectors. This will ensure that all views and specific regional considerations are reflected in our analysis of the options for the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union.

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 consumer protection is available for people who book and pay for accommodation through Airbnb and then find that the accommodation does not exist.

Margot James

Consumer protection is a cornerstone of a well-functioning economy that works for everyone. As such, all UK consumers, including those in the sharing economy, are covered by consumer protection regulations against unfair commercial practices.

As the sharing economy continues to grow and diversify an important part of the success of companies, such as AirBnB, will be ensuring the safety and confidence of consumers is paramount. The Government has worked closely with sharing economy businesses and recognises that a number of companies are taking welcome steps to achieve this. Alongside this, the trade body SEUK, has recently developed a Kitemark to give consumers increased trust and confidence.

The Government will continue to work with industry to consider what further steps may be necessary to ensure consumers are adequately protected as part of a sharing economy that works for all.

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

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2015 to Question 11489, if he will make available the minutes of the Data Steering Group.

Matthew Hancock

The Data Steering Group has been established, chaired by the National Statistician, John Pullinger, which brings together leading experts to advise government on the strategic direction of the new Government Data Programme. Notes of these meetings will be made available on the Government Data Programme blog page on GOV.UK in due course.