Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda and Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2024 to Question 22261 on Voice Over Internet Protocol: Telemedicine, how many written updates from Communication Providers she has received on their approach to the migration from Public Switched Telephone Network to Voice over Internet Protocol since January 2024; and if she will publish updates received.
Answered by Julia Lopez
I can confirm that extensive discussions with Communication Providers (CPs) are ongoing, with a formalised reporting system having recently been established and a first update expected in May. Separately, Ofcom has also agreed a formal incident reporting system with CPs, with the first update expected in July of this year.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda and Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will publish a list of meetings held by her Department with stakeholders on the Telecare National Action Plan.
Answered by Julia Lopez
The Department has now agreed a first version of the Telecare National Action Plan (TNAP) with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). The Plan is now being tested with key stakeholders including the telecoms sector, the telecare sector, and Ofcom, and we plan to publish it as soon as we are able.
I do not propose to publish a list of meetings held by my department on the TNAP as this engagement is ongoing, but I can confirm that extensive discussions with stakeholders from the sectors outlined above is taking place.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda and Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when she plans to publish the Telecare National Action Plan.
Answered by Julia Lopez
The Department has now agreed a first version of the Telecare National Action Plan (TNAP) with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). The Plan is now being tested with key stakeholders including the telecoms sector, the telecare sector, and Ofcom, and we plan to publish it as soon as we are able.
I do not propose to publish a list of meetings held by my department on the TNAP as this engagement is ongoing, but I can confirm that extensive discussions with stakeholders from the sectors outlined above is taking place.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda and Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when she expects the national communications awareness campaign on the switching off of the Public Switched Telephone Network to begin; and how long it will last for.
Answered by Julia Lopez
The telecoms industry is leading on developing a communications campaign which will be funded by industry and will focus on telecare users. My officials are working closely with industry, telecare providers and charities to support this. However, we cannot confirm when it will be launched as this is not a Government-led campaign.
Separately, the department has published guidance on GOV.UK about the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) migration. This resource provides details about how consumers can prepare for the switchover and where they can find additional information. The webpage can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-transition-from-analogue-to-digital-landlines.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda and Ogmore)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she plans to introduce legislation that will prohibit the sale of telecare devices that are incompatible with VoIP.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The Government is committed to ensuring the safety of telecare users in the transition from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to digital phonelines. The Department has been engaging with the telecare industry to raise awareness of the PSTN migration, and to encourage telecare suppliers to offer digitally compatible telecare equipment. The Department is not currently pursuing legislative routes for prohibiting the sale of telecare devices that are incompatible with Voice over Internet Protocol.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda and Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) gypsophila, (b) solidago, (c) orchids, (d) dianthus and (e) chrysanthemum consignments were imported from the EU between 2010 and 2020.
Answered by Mark Spencer
During the period described this data was not collected as the goods detailed were not under restriction from the EU.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda and Ogmore)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the levels of private investment in independent UK film production companies through the (a) Enterprise Investment Scheme and (b) Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme between (i) 2012 and 2017 and (ii) 2018 and 2023.
Answered by Bim Afolami
The government recognises the importance of the film and TV sector to the UK and is committed to making the UK the best place to invest through our generous and reliable fiscal support, as well as wider business support through our funded bodies like the British Film Commission.
The government keeps all tax-advantaged venture capital schemes under review to ensure they continue to meet their policy objectives in a way that is fair and effective. Information on the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme is published annually by HM Revenue and Customs. The data published relates to overall scheme statistics and not sector specific performance.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda and Ogmore)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the of the impact of changes made to the (a) Enterprise Investment Scheme and (b) Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme on levels of investment in the UK screen sector since 2018.
Answered by Bim Afolami
The government recognises the importance of the film and TV sector to the UK and is committed to making the UK the best place to invest through our generous and reliable fiscal support, as well as wider business support through our funded bodies like the British Film Commission.
The government keeps all tax-advantaged venture capital schemes under review to ensure they continue to meet their policy objectives in a way that is fair and effective. Information on the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme is published annually by HM Revenue and Customs. The data published relates to overall scheme statistics and not sector specific performance.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda and Ogmore)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of the (a) Enterprise Investment Scheme and (b) Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme for attracting investment in the screen sector.
Answered by Bim Afolami
The government recognises the importance of the film and TV sector to the UK and is committed to making the UK the best place to invest through our generous and reliable fiscal support, as well as wider business support through our funded bodies like the British Film Commission.
The government keeps all tax-advantaged venture capital schemes under review to ensure they continue to meet their policy objectives in a way that is fair and effective. Information on the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme is published annually by HM Revenue and Customs. The data published relates to overall scheme statistics and not sector specific performance.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda and Ogmore)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of switching from ISDN to SIP lines on the resilience of emergency service networks.
Answered by Julia Lopez
The Emergency Services are operationally independent and have responsibility for the operation of emergency service control rooms that process emergency calls, as overseen by local Chief Officer and relevant Lead Government Departments, including Departments in the Devolved Administrations as applicable.
The digital transition is industry led and the emergency services are being supported by their respective communications providers. DSIT is working closely with the lead government departments for the emergency services to provide advice on areas of risk which has prompted actions from the emergency services to increase resilience measures.
DSIT does not hold any data on the number of silent calls received by the emergency services.