Asked by: Damian Collins (Conservative - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what liability Amazon has in its data storage contracts with the NHS for loss of data or data breaches; and what the range of legal and financial liabilities is in contracts his Department has with other data storage suppliers.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As between the parties, the Government retains legal responsibility for any data breaches or loss of data under its contract with Amazon for data storage.
This is the main data storage contract for NHS Test and Trace. Any other data storage is acquired using Government frameworks which set out standard positions in relation to legal and financial remedies.
Asked by: Damian Collins (Conservative - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of to Question 125990, when her Department plans to complete its review of files relating to Mr Paul Cleeland (a) in its possession or (b) transferred to the Criminal Case Review Commission; and if she will make a statement on the findings of that review.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Further to the answer provided to the Hon Member’s PQ 125990 on 10 December, the Home Office has searched its own holdings and files held by the CCRC are being transferred. These will be examined as soon as practicable and the Home Office will provide the Hon Member with an update on next steps. It would not be appropriate to comment further while legal proceedings are ongoing.
Asked by: Damian Collins (Conservative - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to support humanitarian relief for people affected by the conflict in Tigray in Ethiopia; and what recent discussions he has had with his Ethiopian counterpart on restoring peace to that region.
Answered by James Duddridge
The UK is supporting life-saving assistance for people affected by the conflict in Tigray, including health and malnutrition treatment and water and sanitation delivered through UN agencies, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and NGO partners. We continue to work closely with the UN and partners, in calling for sustained, free and unfettered humanitarian access across Tigray, in line with the guiding principles laid down by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Since the Foreign Secretary met the Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister in London on 25th November we have continued to press the Government of Ethiopia for a political solution to restore peace, including in my call with the Ethiopian Finance Minister on 16 December.
Asked by: Damian Collins (Conservative - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government has taken to prepare for trade with the EU after the end of the transition period.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The transition period will end on 31 December, and the Government made extensive preparations for the changes and opportunities that will come. We have set out a package of support for border infrastructure and the customs intermediaries sector, and provided extensive guidance to business at gov.uk/transition.
The Government has also intensified engagement with businesses, including through the Brexit Business Taskforce, and is running a major public information campaign which tells businesses and citizens the steps they need to take to prepare.
Asked by: Damian Collins (Conservative - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what date officials of her Department were notified of Mukhtar Ablyazov's asylum in France; and whether Mukhtar Ablyazov remains subject to an arrest warrant in the UK”.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not hold this information.
The Home Office is not informed when an individual is granted asylum in another country.
Arrest warrants are a matter for the police and the UK’s independent prosecution authorities. There is no Ministerial involvement.
Asked by: Damian Collins (Conservative - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will allow the hon. Member for Folkestone and Hythe's constituent, Mr Paul Cleeland, to have access to her Department's files that have been placed with the Criminal Cases Review Commission relating to his conviction for the murder of Terry Clarke in 1972.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
As stated in the answer provided to PQ 114151 on 18 November, a review of Home Office file holdings on this subject is ongoing. The Home Office will work with the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) to review any Home Office material the CCRC holds concerning Mr Cleeland.
Asked by: Damian Collins (Conservative - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to develop UK offensive and defensive cyber capabilities.
Answered by James Heappey
The Ministry of Defence has funded programmes to mitigate cyber risks against our platforms, weapon systems and core digital infrastructure. And building on the National Offensive Cyber Programme, the new National Cyber Force will design and deliver cyber operations, from supporting warfighting operations to countering serious crime and combatting terrorism.
We are developing a cyber-aware workforce to embed cyber security into our business and operations, and establishing a dedicated career stream for our most highly-skilled military cyber professionals for which various possible remunerative options are being explored.
Asked by: Damian Collins (Conservative - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's (FinCEN) files on the alleged crimes of Mukhtar Ablyazov; and whether her Department has requested further information from FinCEN on Ablyazov's use of British banking institutions with American branches.
Answered by James Brokenshire
The Home Office does not confirm or comment on individual operational matters. The UK is internationally recognised as having some of the strongest controls worldwide for tackling money laundering and terrorist financing. As a global financial centre, we are determined to go further to crack down on illicit finance and financial exploitation, to protect our security and prosperity.
Asked by: Damian Collins (Conservative - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason her Department asked Sir John May in 1991 to investigate the Metropolitan Police Science Laboratory; whether that work included an examination of the evidence presented by John McCafferty during the prosecution of Paul Cleeland for the murder of Terry Clarke in 1972; and if she will publish the results of those investigations.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
A review of any Home Office file holdings on this subject is currently being undertaken. It would not be appropriate to comment further while legal proceedings are ongoing.
Asked by: Damian Collins (Conservative - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason (a) Sir John May investigated the conviction of Paul Cleeland for the murder of Terry Clarke in Stevenage in 1972 as part of his work for her Department on potential miscarriages of justice and failings in the use of forensic science to gather and present evidence in criminal cases and (b) Paul Cleeland was not informed of that investigation (i) when his case was considered by the Court of Appeal in 2002 and (ii) at any other time; and what the findings were of Sir John May's investigation in that case.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
A review of any Home Office file holdings on this subject is currently being undertaken. It would not be appropriate to comment further while legal proceedings are ongoing.