Tag: Chi Onwurah

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-10-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the report by Cancer Research UK on the barriers to people making GP appointments, published in the Public Health Journal in October 2016.

David Mowat

Analysis of the cancer awareness measure found that the most commonly perceived barriers to seeing a general practitioner (GP) were finding it difficult to get an appointment with a particular doctor, or at a convenient time, and disliking having to talk to GP receptionists about symptoms.

Catching more cancers early is a priority and this year NHS England is investing an extra £15 million in improving early diagnosis and setting up Cancer Alliances to bring together leadership across local areas to drive improvements.

The Government is committed to improving access to GP services as part of our plan for a seven day National Health Service, and has invested £175 million in the GP Access Fund to test improved and innovative access to GP services. The 2015-16 (July 2016) GP Patient Survey found that 92.1% of patients who got an appointment found it was convenient, and 91% of patients who had a GP they preferred to see saw them at least some of the time.

The General Practice Forward View, published in April, announced £45 million of extra funding nationally over five years so that every practice in the country can help their reception and clerical staff play a greater role in care navigation, signposting patients and handling clinical paperwork to free up GP time.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will ask Ofcom to review communications markets definitions to reflect the role of advertising as a proxy for payment, particularly in regard to the standard SSNIP test.

Matt Hancock

As the independent communications regulator it is for Ofcom to determine how it should approach the issue of defining communications markets and how it applies the standard SSNIP test. Ofcom does already take into account developments such as the role of advertising and the role of data as proxy for payments in the course of carrying out its duties and will continue to do so in its assessments of market power and its analysis of competition.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the FTE equivalent headcount figures are for Ofcom for each year for which data is available since 2009.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The information requested has been provided by Ofcom and is set out in the following table:

* Reduction due to Ofcom’s comprehensive expenditure review

** Includes transfer of 48 roles due to integration of postal service regulation

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has received representations from the Nigerian government on the licensing of Radio Biafra.

Mr Edward Vaizey

We have received no representations from the Nigerian government about Radio Biafra.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when the decision was made to connect the monitoring and control of the National Grid to the internet; and what risk analysis was undertaken prior to that decision being made.

Andrea Leadsom

Cyber security is one of the Government’s top national security priorities. Whilst National Grid is a private company, DECC is working with them on cyber security, as well as broader issues of security and resilience. We are also working with other industry partners, government departments and agencies, to ensure that the risks to the energy sector are understood and that appropriate mitigations are established.

National Grid has provided the following additional information:

“National Grid’s Information Security programme has, among other steps, advocated a defence in depth strategy by instituting rigid network segmentation and isolation between our business and SCADA [Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition] systems. Further, National Grid policy does not allow for direct connection between external networks and SCADA systems.”

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-12-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what information he has received from TalkTalk concerning the cause of its recent cyber-security breach and the measures it has put in place to prevent another such breach.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The Government has been in contact with TalkTalk from the early stages of this incident, but this remains primarily a matter for the company itself and for law enforcement.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-12-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of making penalties for data breaches a criminal act in which negligence is involved.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The Government keeps the sanctions available for breaches of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) periodically under review. The Information Commissioner alreadyhas the power to serve a Civil Monetary Penalty of up to £500,000 for‘serious’ contraventions of the DPA.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what funding is available for programme making and special events licence users to encourage them to leave the 700 MHz 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 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many times the Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy has visited each region in the last year.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy has visited the following local authorities since Feburary 2015: ​Southampton City Council, City of Cardiff Council, Norwich City Council, Ipswich Borough Council, Watford Borough Council, Northampton Borough Council, Corby Borough Council, Brighton & Hove City Council, Coventry City Council, Bristol City Council, Sheffield City Council, Hull City Council, City of York Council, Leeds City Council, Chichester City Council, Guildford Borough Council, Manchester City Council, Liverpool City Council, Peterborough City Council, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, and Birmingham City Council. DCMS ministers make sure to experience the excellent work being carried out by their sectors across the country, whilst balancing their parliamentary and departmental duties in Westminster.

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

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of whether payments to AirBnB constitute remittances for the purposes of financial regulation.

Harriett Baldwin

I can confirm that Airbnb is not currently an FCA-authorised firm. However, it is not for the Government to comment on the regulatory status of individual firms. It is for the FCA to decide whether a firm should be brought into regulation, based on a detailed assessment of that firm’s activities, and with reference to the regulations that the FCA is responsible for enforcing. It is for firms to review their own business operations to see whether they are carrying out regulated activities.