Tag: Chi Onwurah

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2015 to Question 16679, on railways: telecommunications systems, how much was spent from the public purse on the Quicksilver project before it was terminated.

Claire Perry

Project Quicksilver was a Network Rail programme that was initiated prior to the reclassification of Network Rail as a public body and was conducted from 2011 to 2015. Project Quicksilver covered two discrete programmes of work but was run by a single team – focused on mobile connectivity and commercial exploitation of the network. These two elements cannot be disaggregated.

The industry was not able to find a solution that satisfied the commercial requirements of all parties to deliver the mobile connectivity improvements. As a result, Network Rail terminated the procurement.

The total cost recorded by Network Rail was £6.86m.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-12-08.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment on the financial effect on the UK manufacturing sector of reductions to (a) capital allowances and (b) corporation tax since 2010.

Mr David Gauke

The Government recognises the importance of the manufacturing sector in the UK economy.

In order to support investment across the economy, including in the manufacturing sector, since 2010, the Government has reduced the corporation tax rate from 28% to 20%, and it is due to fall to 18% in 2020. Overall the corporation tax cuts delivered since 2010 will save businesses £10 billion a year from 2016. Further cuts in the corporation tax rate in this Parliament, to 19% in 2017 and 18% in 2020, will save small and large businesses a further £6.6 billion by 2021, and will benefit 1.1 million businesses. The manufacturing sector, alongside other sectors of the economy, have benefited from the corporation tax rate changes.

At Summer Budget 2015, the government announced that it would increase the permanent level of the Annual Investment Allowance to £200,000, its highest ever permanent level. The sectors with most companies benefitting include manufacturing as well as wholesale and retail, and agriculture.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-12-15.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2015 to Question 19258, if he will estimate the reduction in pounds in the amount of tax collected from the manufacturing sector as a consequence of reductions in the corporate tax rate.

Mr David Gauke

Over the course of the previous Parliament, the main rate of corporation tax was cut from 28% to 20%. The small profits rate was also cut to 20% and the two rates were merged to simplify the tax regime. Overall the cuts delivered since 2010 will save businesses £10bn a year from 2016-17. In this Parliament the Government is going to go further, and cut the rate to 19% in 2017 and 18% in 2020, further benefitting over one million companies across the economy.

Given that a number of factors impact on tax receipts from individual sectors it is difficult to estimate precisely how much tax the manufacturing sector has saved as a result of these cuts in corporation tax. But according to HM Revenue and Customs’ corporation tax statistics, published at the link below, over the past five years the UK manufacturing sector has paid an average of £5bn a year in corporation tax. So it is clear that the sector will have benefitted substantially from the tax cuts delivered since 2010, and will benefit further from the reductions to come in this parliament.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/456459/Corporation_Tax_Statistics_August_2015.pdf

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-01-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the consistency of sentencing for people convicted of online fraud.

Andrew Selous

Guidelines on sentencing are produced by the independent Sentencing Council, which was established to promote greater transparency and consistency in sentencing while maintaining the independence of the judiciary. The Council published a definitive guideline on fraud, bribery and money laundering offences in May 2014. The Council has a statutory duty to monitor the operation and effect of its guidelines.

The most recent statistics on sentencing for fraud offences is available through the attached link. The courts database does not separate online and offline fraud offences.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2014

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-02-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the additional cost to rural broadband subscribers of paying separately for satellite broadband and telephony; and what the impact of such costs is on the rural economy.

Mr Edward Vaizey

Our Satellite Broadband Scheme offers homes and businesses in some of the most remote areas of the UK a subsidised satellite broadband connection if they are currently unable to obtain an affordable broadband service of at least 2 Mbps.

The benefits of broadband are clear – and that is why we have introduced this subsidised offer to meet the Universal Service Commitment – which gives a first year only subsidy for a basic package capped at £400.

The total number of premises eligible for the universal service commitment subsidy had been substantially reduced, from around 11% in 2010 to around 1% by the end of 2015, as a result of roll-out superfast broadband by the commercial sector and through publicly-funded programmes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-02-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many companies responded to his Department’s invitation to tender for the protection of tenancy deposit scheme; and how many of those companies were small or medium-sized businesses.

Brandon Lewis

The initial procurement exercise in 2006 inviting bids to run a custodial tenancy deposit scheme and up to three insurance tenancy deposit schemes received four bids. Two of the companies were small or medium sized businesses.

In 2015, the re-procurement exercise for a new custodial tenancy scheme also received four bids. Three of the companies were small or medium sized businesses.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-04-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding his Department has allocated to (a) the digital inclusion strategy and (b) other digital inclusion measures in each year since 2011.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The 2014 Digital Inclusion Strategy, created under the last Government, is a multi sector strategy setting out a series of collective commitments for government and the private and voluntary sectors.

Increasing the level of digital engagement in the UK requires commitment from all sectors. To date, 93 organisations have signed up to collaborate with government departments and each other to increase digital engagement in the UK. A wide range of activities and programmes have been delivered by partners across the UK.

Government has invested heavily in basic digital skills; for example, BIS funds a programme to help people gain the skills needed to access employment, education and wider opportunities. In addition, last year Arts Council England oversaw government investment of £2.7m in free WiFi in libraries in England.

The Digital Engagement team moved to DCMS from the Cabinet Office in November 2015. Historically the team has been funded by different Departments. We anticipate DCMS’s contribution to staff costs during the last financial year to be approximately £200,000. The Digital Engagement team did not fund any specific digital inclusion measures between November 2015 and March 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-05-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which suppliers are approved to install the service offered under the satellite broadband subsidy scheme; and what regulation those suppliers are subject to from BT on installation procedure.

Mr Edward Vaizey

Suppliers for the main scheme are as follows:

www.ibub.co.uk/satellitescheme/

www.europasat.com/lp/bduk-national/

www.broadbandwherever.net/BDUK

http://www.primetech-bduk.co.uk

www.digiweb.com/satellite/

http://avonlinebroadband.com/broadband-vouchers/

www.corsat.co.uk/bduk/

www.ruralbroadband.co.uk/bduk

www.notspotbroadband.com/grant-schemes/

http://toowayinfo.bentleywalker.com/bduk/

Suppliers for the supplementary scheme (which include fixed wireless providers) are as follows:

http://www.voip-unlimited.net/airwave-home/

http://www.juice-broadband.com/

http://lothianbroadband.com/

https://6ginternet.com/subsidy

https://www.wessexinternet.com/

https://wispire.co.uk/

www.ruralbroadband.co.uk/

www.quickline.co.uk/

www.notspotbroadband.com/

www.avonlinebroadband.com/

http://www.symmetris.co.uk/

www.bentley-walker.com/

http://b4rn.org.uk/

www.europasat.com/

http://www.securewebservices.co.uk/

www.satelliteinternet.co.uk/

www.digiweb.com/satellite/

www.broadbandwherever.net/home

The suppliers on the main scheme are contracted by BT as being able to provide satellite products through BT Wholesale. BT only contracts with suppliers who are able to demonstrate that they have a competent network of installers who are able to meet installation standards set out as part of the contract terms between supplier and BT.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what data has been shared between Google DeepMind and the NHS; what plans there are for further data sharing under that partnership; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman

In law, individual organisations providing National Health Service care are the legal data controllers for the information that they hold, and need to take the necessary action to prevent data from being accessed inappropriately. In addition, the proper use of informatics in medical research, diagnostics, treatment and condition management is central to the NHS’s ability to deliver safe and high quality patient care. There are national standards and protocols for monitoring and maintaining data security across the NHS.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-07-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on the (a) ownership and (b) control by patients of data relating to them.

Nicola Blackwood

Patients have the legal right to access their records. It is unacceptable in anything other than the most exceptional circumstances for health and care organisations to deny patients access to their health records.

The Government is committed to providing patients with online access to their records, without charge. By 2019 individuals will be able to write comments, preferences and upload information into their electronic records. By 2020, all care records will be digital, real-time and interoperable. The Department is currently consulting on the National Data Guardian’s recommendations for a new consent and opt-out model for information sharing in the health and care system, and following that consultation will implement new arrangements that will give patients greater control over who can access their records for purposes other than direct care.