Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of developing regulations to safeguard against the mis-use of DNA synthetic screening.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
In the Integrated Review the Government committed to review and reinforce the cross-government approach to biosecurity. The refreshed UK Biological Security Strategy (BSS), due to be published in late 2022, will outline the 2030 Vision for biological security and the outcomes and deliverables to achieve this vision. Both the Department for Health and Social Care and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have been integral to developing the refreshed strategy and will be key implementation leads for commitments. The BSS will outline the UK Government’s ambition and priorities for responsible innovation, including to safeguard against the mis-use of DNA screening.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
What recent assessment the Government has made of the (a) viability and (b) value for money of the Verify scheme.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Verify continues to work well, supporting 19 services. More than 8 million Verify accounts have been created, with over 2.3 million added since the start of the pandemic as citizens accessed critical online services.
Building on the lessons and experiences of Verify, and as we announced in last year's Spending Review, the Government Digital Service is collaborating with other departments - including the Department for Work and Pensions, HMRC and Home Office - to develop a new login and identity assurance system that will make it easier for more people to use online services safely. While this new system is being developed, users and connected services will continue to rely on GOV.UK Verify. The Government has therefore decided to extend the current Verify service, enabling new users to sign up until April 2022.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
What recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of GOV.UK Verify.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Verify continues to work well, in support of 22 government services. Over 8 million people have used Verify, with 2 million added in the last year as citizens accessed critical online services during the pandemic.
Building on the lessons and experiences of Verify, and as we announced in last year's Spending Review, the Government Digital Service is collaborating with other departments to develop a new login and identity assurance system that will make it easier for more people to use online services safely.
For example, we know that extra data sources will be needed for a more inclusive service, so we are also working with the Home Office on its digitisation of birth, marriage and death records.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress has been made on implementing a fully digital trade documentation system to help facilitate the cross-border movement of goods and reduce delays for (a) businesses reliant on just-in-time food supply chains and (b) other businesses.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
In December 2020, the Government published the 2025 Border Strategy. As we set out in this strategy, we are committed to developing a Single Trade Window for the UK, which will create a single portal through which information required to import and export can be submitted to border agencies. We will invest £16m during 2021-22 to take forward the foundational elements of this project across Government.
Alongside the work to develop the UK’s Single Trade Window, we continue to identify and pursue opportunities to digitise border documentation wherever possible, including paperwork which stems from international requirements. Aligned with this, we are identifying opportunities to make permanent a number of digitisation changes which have been implemented as a short term response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to mitigate against (a) under-counting of populations in cities with large university populations not residing in that area as a result of the covid-19 outbreak and (b) potential under-funding allocated on that per-capita basis.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled, Handling Correspondence from Members of Parliament, Members of the House of Lords, MEPs and members of Devolved Administrations, when Ministers plan to recommence signing off directly correspondence from hon. Members.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The right of MPs to take up constituents’ cases and other issues directly with the Government is an important part of the democratic process and underlines the accountability of Ministers to Parliament. It is essential that MPs receive carefully considered and prompt responses to their enquiries from all Government Departments, which address constituents’ concerns.
Further to the Leader of the House of Common’s comments during the Business Statement of 6 May 2020, the Cabinet Office guidance for departments on handling correspondence states that replies to letters from MPs by officials should only be authorised in certain exceptional cases, for example, when dealing with a large volume of letters on the same issue or under certain circumstances where an official reply would be more appropriate.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the timescale is for holding elections for the Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The Government has postponed this poll for 12 months as part of the Coronavirus Act which is the same for all local, mayoral and Police and Crime Commissioner elections scheduled for 7 May. This decision was taken following advice from the Government’s medical experts in relation to the response to the Covid-19 virus and those delivering elections.
Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England and Wales, including for the Cambridgeshire police force area, will now take place on the next ordinary day of elections on 6 May 2021.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to the Information Commissioner's report, Outsourcing oversight: the case for reforming access to information law which was published in January 2019.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Government responded to the IC's report to Parliament on the 24 April 2019.
Copies of the response have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether non-UK EU citizens will be able to vote in local elections after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Chloe Smith
This is part of the wider issue of the rights of EU citizens and UK expats that need to be considered during the Brexit preparations. The rights of both sides should be taken together.
We will continue to recognise the value that EU citizens bring to our society, and we have already reached broad agreement with the EU on wider citizens’ rights. We will remain an open and diverse country after we leave the European Union.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office of 22 November 2017, Official Report, c1033, if that Minister will meet with Cambridge Assessment and the hon. Member for Cambridge to discuss the updating of freedom of information arrangements aside from the review of the code of practice.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
We continue to keep the scope of the FOI Act under review, and I am grateful to you for bringing this situation to my attention. I would be very happy to meet with you and Cambridge Assessment on this matter.