Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the call for public sector application programming interfaces will include the interoperability of databases containing citizens' data.
Answered by Simon Hart - Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
There is an increased desire for standards and guidance for application programming interfaces (APIs) due to their increasing popularity and the benefits they offer to departments and their users.
APIs are being used more frequently within government because they assist the interoperability of databases in an affordable and user-friendly way.
While APIs allow interoperability to enable data sharing, in government they are programmed to only share small subsections of data or “attributes”, thereby protecting identity and limiting the specific data available.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate she has made of the number and proportion of universal credit applicants who struggle to regularly access the internet.
Answered by Will Quince
Our Universal Credit Claimant Survey, found that 98 per cent of claimants have internet access and did claim online, and the majority of those said they found the claim process overall to be straightforward. This can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-full-service-claimant-survey
The Department is committed to making the application process for Universal Credit as quick and easy as possible to ensure that claimants receive their award at the earliest opportunity.
Citizen’s Advice and Citizen’s Advice Scotland have been delivering the ‘Help to Claim’ service since April 2019, supporting claimants with making a new claim to Universal Credit. The Citizens Advice Help to Claim service offers tailored, practical support to help people make a Universal Credit claim up to receiving their first full correct payment on time, and is available online, on the phone and face-to-face through local Citizen’s Advice services.
All Jobcentre Plus offices across the country have Wi-Fi and computers available for claimants to access the internet. For those that are still unable to access or use digital services, or are not able to travel, assistance to make and maintain their claim is available via the Freephone Universal Credit helpline. In certain circumstances, a home visit can be arranged to support a claimant in making and maintaining their claim
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the application process for a local electoral identity document will be; and how identity will be verified.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Government will bring forward measures to introduce voter ID when parliamentary time allows.
As was the case in the 2018 and 2019 voter ID pilots, electors who do not have any of the required types of ID will be able to apply for a locally issued electoral identity document, free of charge. We will continue building on this experience and working with the pilot authorities who have tested voter ID, the Electoral Commission, and the Cabinet Office pilot and reference group to develop a process for national implementation.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent communications he has received from each Gov.UK Verify provider on their continued participation in the scheme.
Answered by Matt Warman
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to reduce plastic waste in oceans.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK is committed to tackling the scourge of marine litter and we are making significant progress towards addressing this issue. Our approach so far has been to reduce needless plastic waste entering the marine environment in the first instance.
Our ban on microbeads in cosmetic and personal care products, one of the strongest in the world, came into force in June 2018. Our plastic bag charge has led to a 90% reduction in the use of plastic carrier bags in the main retailers and last year alone raised over £51 million for environmental causes. We have consulted on plans to extend the charge to all retailers and on increasing the minimum 5p charge to at least 10p. In May 2019, we announced that a ban on the supply of plastic straws, stirrers, and plastic-stemmed cotton buds to the end user will come into force from April 2020. These policies are helping to deliver our Resources and Waste Strategy for England, our framework for eliminating all avoidable plastic waste. It builds on commitments in our 25 Year Environment Plan and sets out plans to maximise the value we get from resources, minimise waste, promote a circular economy, and better protect the environment.
Marine litter is a transboundary problem which requires international cooperation; that is why we are leading action on the global threat of marine litter. We continue to actively engage internationally through OSPAR, the G7 and the G20, and the UN. In April 2018, the Prime Minister announced the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance, a ground-breaking initiative working with our Commonwealth partners to reduce marine plastic pollution. To help deliver this, we committed an ambitious package of up to £70 million of funding to drive research and innovation.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 3 September to Question 286366 and with reference to page 10 of the Government Transformation Strategy, which Minister made the decision to extend the objective of appointing a Chief Data Officer from by 2020 to in 2020; and on what date that decision was made.
Answered by Simon Hart - Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
No decision has been made regarding an extension of the objective of appointing a Chief Data Officer It remains our intention to appoint the Chief Data Officer in the timescales set out in the Government Transformation Strategy.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding her Department has allocated to the (a) creation and (b) implementation of the Government Data Strategy.
Answered by Nigel Adams
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many meetings Ministers in his Department have held with Ministers in the Cabinet Office on the National Data Strategy in the last 12 months.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
There have been no meetings between Ministers in the Department of Health and Social Care and Ministers in the Cabinet Office on the National Data Strategy in the last 12 months.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the methodology of the award process for the Future High Streets Fund; and what score bids within Leigh constituency received.
Answered by Jake Berry
High streets have a crucial role to play as we work to grow the economy of all parts of the country. Our £1 billion Future High Streets Fund is key to delivering this, empowering local leaders to help transform their high streets and town centres as consumer habits change, by investing in housing, workplaces, infrastructure and culture.
All expressions of interest to the Future High Streets Fund were individually assessed in line with the guidance and information published in our Prospectus and Supplementary Guidance, where we also outlined the criteria for the Fund as well as the weighting for the expression of interest questions. Both the Prospectus and Supplementary Guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/future-high-streets-fund-call-for-proposals.
As the Future High Streets Fund is still a live and open competitive process it would not be appropriate for the Department to publish individual scores, as these are commercially sensitive.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 1 October 2019 to Question 291432, if he will list the job responsibilities of the Chief Data Officer role and how they will work with the Government Chief Digital Information Officer.
Answered by Simon Hart - Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
The role of Chief Data Officer will be outlined in due course.