Tag: Chi Onwurah

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the role of the Code for America programme and its applicability to the UK.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The UK is one of the most advanced digital countries in the world. The Government is currently developing a Digital Strategy, to be published later this year, which will set out the actions we will take so we continue to lead the world in embracing the benefits of digital technology in our government, economy and society.

The Government has provided support and engagement to Code for America through a series of visits and information sharing activities as it has developed its programme, and continues to work with relevant international organisations to share best practice as appropriate to support and promote the UK’s status as a world leader in digital government.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to answer Question 23160 tabled on 19 January 2016, on the Code for America programme.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The PQ has now been answered.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-03-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential of the arts to contribute to mental well-being for people with mental illness; and what programmes his Department has in place to help deliver that contribution.

Mr Edward Vaizey

Research commissioned by DCMS has found positive associations between participation in arts and health, including mental health. The research can be found here: (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/416279/A_review_of_the_Social_Impacts_of_Culture_and_Sport.pdf

Arts Council England funds a number of organisations on behalf of the Government that support people with mental health issues.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-04-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what statistics his Department collects on the use of computers in libraries.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The annual library statistics compiled, and published in December 2015, by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy indicate that from 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015 there were 26 million recorded hours of use of computers in public libraries in England.

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

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Council of Data Science Ethics will first meet; and whether the minutes of that meeting will be published.

Matthew Hancock

The Science and Technology Committee report on the Big Data Dilemma recommended that a Council for Data Ethics be established. The Government response was published on 26th April 2016 and can be found at the following link: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmselect/cmsctech/992/99204.htm

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will publish a long-term spectrum plan for broadcast television.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The most recent assessment was made by the independent regulator, Ofcom, in their report: The Future of Free to View TV (May 2014). This is a fast moving market and as it evolves, the Government will keep these issues under review.

Detailed spectrum planning is a matter for Ofcom.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-07-11.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many contract staff are employed in his Department; and what the total wage bill (a) is in 2016-17 and (b) was in 2015-16 for such staff.

Matthew Hancock

The number of Cabinet Office non payroll staff (excluding contractors) as of May 2016, is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/payroll-costs-and-non-consolidated-pay-data

The overall total spend on agency and temporary staff in FY 2015/16 is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-annual-report-and-accounts-2015-to-2016

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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 of the UK leaving the EU on research funding across all disciplines in universities in the North East.

Joseph Johnson

The Government is committed to maintain and enhance the strength of our research base. This is why we have protected the science resource budget in real terms from its 2015/16 level of £4.7 billion for the rest of the parliament, as well as committing to invest in new scientific infrastructure on a record scale – £6.9 billion over the period 2015-2021 – including £65 million in the North East in 2014/15.

The Treasury decision to underwrite the grants of competitively bid for EU research funding will give British participants and their EU partners the assurance and certainty needed to plan ahead for projects that can run over many years. We will ensure that the UK, including science and research in the North East, continues to be a world leader in international research and innovation.

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

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the implications of online and mobile applications which require automated access to a user’s banking details for (a) accessibility of banking, (b) digital inclusion, (c) users’ banking security and (d) consumer rights.

Simon Kirby

The government is committed to increasing competition in banking to improve outcomes for consumers. This includes establishing a competitive and innovative environment where banks deliver greater choice and value to their customers. A key element of this vision is ensuring the UK remains the world-leader for financial technology (FinTech).

The Competition and Markets Authority recognised the potential of FinTech and open banking in its retail banking market investigation by requiring the nine largest UK banks to develop and adopt an open banking standard for application programming interfaces (APIs) to allow access to customer account information as set out in the revised Payment Services Directive (PSDII) which comes into force in January 2018.

This will deliver a common standard for technology that allows the sharing of bank data, allowing authorised third parties to access information such as customer banking details and usage, prices and service quality.

Harnessing the potential of open banking means that customers will be able to more easily access high quality, low cost banking services, and improve digital engagement with financial services by helping customers better understand where they could get a better deal. PSDII will set out requirements for enhanced security and consumer protections for online and mobile applications accessing users’ banking details from January 2018. The government will be consulting on the transposition of this directive shortly.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of English and mathematics teachers in further education and sixth form colleges; and what effect those steps have had.

Nick Boles

Our FE Workforce Strategy[1], published in 2014, sets out the steps the government has taken to encourage more Mathematics and English teachers to take up posts in further education colleges.

Since 2013, bursaries of up to £25,000 have been available to attract new graduates with relevant degrees to teach Maths and English, and to specialise in teaching students with SEN within the FE sector. These bursaries match those offered to trainee secondary teachers. To date, over 950 bursaries have been provided to graduates.

In March 2015, the Prime Minister announced an investment of £67m in a package of measures to improve the teaching of STEM subjects, including Maths, in secondary schools and sixth form colleges. This will see an additional 2,500 new Maths and Physics teachers trained, and a further 15,000 teachers given additional support to improve their subject knowledge.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-education-workforce-strategy

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