Tag: Chi Onwurah

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

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the result of the EU referendum on inward investment to the (a) North and (b) North East of England.

Simon Kirby

Before the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU, the UK government published short-term and long-term assessments of the likely impact on all regions of the UK economy from leaving the EU. HM Government is monitoring economic developments closely and the independent Office for Budget Responsibility will produce an updated economic forecast alongside Autumn Statement 2016.

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 information his Department holds on the potential number of eligible claimants for the warm homes discount scheme that have been contacted by a third party using data shared with them as part of that scheme; how his Department monitors the use made of information given to such third parties; and how many complaints his Department has received on such contacts.

Jesse Norman

The Warm Home Discount scheme uses a secure data share between the Department for Work and Pensions and participating energy suppliers in order to deliver direct assistance with energy bills each winter to eligible households.

Suppliers already hold data on customers’ names and addresses – the only additional information they receive under the secure data share for the Warm Home Discount is which of their customers are eligible for the rebate. The Regulations under Section 142 of the Pensions Act 2008[1] only allow suppliers to use the information they obtain through the data share to provide energy bill rebates or defined relevant assistance such as energy efficiency advice and measures.

The regulations make it an offence to disclose the information without lawful authority. Any transfer and storage of personal data by the energy suppliers would also be subject to the requirements of the Data Protection Act. Energy suppliers are required (under contract) to demonstrate that they have secure measures in place for the handling, transferring and deletion of the personal data that has been supplied to them under the secure data share.

In addition, individuals are able to ‘opt out’ of the data share for the Warm Home Discount scheme, meaning that DWP would not share any state pension credit information on that individual with energy suppliers. For Scheme Year 6 (this year), six people have formally taken up this option.

There is a formal complaints procedure in place between BEIS, DWP and Serco, who manage the WHD contact centre. No complaints of this nature have been made under this complaints procedure against energy suppliers.

[1] The Disclosure of State Pension Credit Information (Warm Home Discount) Regulations 2011

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, when the Chief Data Officer will be appointed.

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.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-09.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how the Government decided on the priorities for the National Infrastructure Commission; and for what reason digital connectivity was not chosen as one of those providers.

Greg Hands

The Commission’s first three priority studies concern some of the most pressing infrastructure issues facing the country. They were chosen because independent quality advice will help Government make a better decision and accelerate the process of getting infrastructure built. The Commission will examine digital connectivity when it conducts its first long-term needs assessment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the requirements are for the funding and delivery of wifi on existing rail franchises.

Claire Perry

On all Department for Transport-controlled rail franchises, in England and Wales, free Wi-Fi is being introduced. All train operators bidding for new franchises and direct award agreements will have to include this specification in their bid.

Where there was no new franchise agreement due by December 2016, almost £50 million of funding is being released from the Department for Transport to ensure Wi-Fi is available on selected services. The operators in this group are:

• Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN);
• Southeastern;
• Chiltern; and
• Arriva Trains Wales.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the £10 million investment for better broadband infrastructure in the South West announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015 is part of a larger investment programme; for what reasons the South West was chosen for the £10 million investment; and what funding will be made available by the Government for other regions.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The Government has allocated £10 million to the South West broadband fund, commencing in April 2016. This fund extends the support already being provided through the superfast programme and will also stimulate the ultrafast market. The South West region has some of the most difficult topography in the UK for fixed broadband deployment and this fund will help provide coverage in challenging areas within the region. In addition, the Prime Minister recently announced the ambition to give people the legal right to request a connection to broadband with speeds of 10 Mbps, no matter where in the country they live.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to raise awareness amongst solicitors of the risks of their clients being targeted in scams by people purporting to operate in the name of their solicitor requesting transfer of funds; and what estimate he has made of the number of such scams that took place in the last three years.

Mr Shailesh Vara

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), as an independent regulator, is well aware of the risks identified by the honourable member. It regularly issues scam alerts and in July this year published a paper outlining key risks. This paper will be updated again next spring. The SRA has advised that in 2014 it issued 183 scam alerts.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on the devolution of European Regional Development Fund funding to local authorities.

James Wharton

The Government will consider devolving decisions in relation to the European Regional Development Fund as part of devolution deals where this will deliver improved outcomes.

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