Asked by: Paul Flynn (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the findings of Oxford University Internet Institute's Computational Propaganda Research Project into voter manipulation, what steps he is taking to ensure that elections are not influenced by botnets spreading fake news.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
The National Cyber Security Centre is actively working with local authorities and will continue to work with Cabinet Office to implement successful delivery of secure elections. Our manifesto included various commitments regarding the media, including the need to protect the reliability and objectivity of information essential to our democracy.
Asked by: Paul Flynn (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2017 to Question 1450, on organ donors, if he will review that strategy to ensure it meets the target to achieve a consent rate of over 80 per cent by 2020.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The 2020 Oversight Group (with membership from the Department and the devolved administrations, NHS Blood and Transplant, professional bodies and voluntary sector stakeholders) was set up to review the progress of the ‘UK Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020’ Strategy (2013). The Group reviewed the strategy in November 2016 and developed a supplementary action plan, including identifying new actions that might contribute to increasing consent rates. The Group continues to monitor the impact of these actions
Data for 2016/17 show the highest ever consent/authorisation rates, deceased organ donor and transplants rates but we want those rates to rise further, so everyone requiring a transplant stands the best chance of receiving one.
Asked by: Paul Flynn (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the report, Taking organ transplantation to 2020: a detailed strategy, published in 2013, what progress his Department has made towards increasing consent rates for deceased organ donation to 80 per cent by 2020.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is the organ donor organisation for the United Kingdom and is responsible for promoting organ donation and the matching and offering of donated organs.
The UK Taking Organ Transplantation to 2020 Strategy (2013) sets an ambitious target to achieve world class consent rates to donation after death of over 80% by 2020. One action to achieve this was the development of national strategies to promote a shift in behaviour to increase consent.
The consent/authorisation rate has increased, from 59% in 2013/14 to 63% in 2016/17 but is behind the Strategy’s target of 70% for 2016/17. The rates since 2013/14, and the Strategy target dates, are set out in the table below.
Consent/Authorisation1 rates by financial year
Financial year | 2020 Strategy2 target rate (%) | Actual rate (%) |
2013/14 | 61.5 | 59 |
2014/15 | 61.5 | 58 |
2015/16 | 64 | 62 |
2016/17 | 70 | 63 |
2017/18 | 70 | N/A |
2018/19 | 75 | N/A |
2019/20 | 80 | N/A |
Source – NHS Blood and Transplant
Notes:
1 Authorisation is the term used in Scotland for consent.
2 UK Taking Organ Donation to 2020 Strategy, July 2013
The 2020 Oversight Group (with membership from the Department and the Devolved Administrations, NHSBT, professional bodies and voluntary sector stakeholders) reviewed the strategy in November 2016. In addition to the specific actions recorded in the Strategy, the Oversight Group identified new actions that might contribute to increasing consent rates. These are outlined in the supplementary action plan available at:
https://nhsbtdbe.blob.core.windows.net/umbraco-assets-corp/2296/tot20-review.pdf
NHSBT has also introduced several operational initiatives to increase the consent rate, including: a new role within the Specialist Nurse – Organ Donation team that focuses on obtaining consent to build greater expertise and experience; and a number of communications and marketing initiatives to encourage people to sign up to the NHS Organ Donor Register and to tell their family of their wishes.
Asked by: Paul Flynn (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what his policy is on the establishment of a statutory duty on political parties in Northern Ireland to publish details of donations and donors in accordance with practice in the rest of the UK.
Answered by James Brokenshire
I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave him on 5 July (UIN 1918).
Asked by: Paul Flynn (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on increasing the public transparency of political donations and donors for parties in Northern Ireland.
Answered by James Brokenshire
As I informed the House during my statement of 3 July 2017, and consistent with the commitment set out in the Conservative Party's Northern Ireland manifesto, I intend to bring forward legislation that will provide for the publication of all donations and loans received by Northern Ireland parties on or after the 1 July 2017. This will bring Northern Ireland in line with the rest of the UK with regard to the publication of information relating to political donation and loans.
Asked by: Paul Flynn (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he plans to introduce legislation to regulate spending by political parties on online advertising.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
Legislation is already in place to regulate spending by political parties on online advertising. The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 regulates certain spending by political parties in the period running up to major elections. This includes spending on advertising both online and offline.
Asked by: Paul Flynn (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to regulate the internet.
Answered by Matt Hancock
As announced in the Queen's Speech, we will put forward proposals for a Digital Charter which will set out a framework for how businesses, individuals and wider society should act online. This will ensure we get the right balance between freedom and security in the digital age, so that we can harness the power of new technology for good, and mitigate the new threats it presents.
Asked by: Paul Flynn (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Electoral Commission's powers to regulate online political campaign advertising.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
The Government is currently considering its response to both the Electoral Commission report on campaign spending and to the Lord Hodgson Review into third party campaigning.
Online political campaign advertising is regulated by the Political Parties, Election and Referendums Act 2000, in the same way as offline political campaign advertising.
Asked by: Paul Flynn (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether any Barnett consequential will arise from the confidence and supply agreement between the Government and the Democratic Unionist Party.
Answered by Alun Cairns
Like previous Northern Ireland support packages, and City Deals in Wales and Scotland, this funding is a targeted intervention to address a specific set of unique challenges.
And as was the case for those previous interventions, this exceptional funding will be made outside of the normal, ongoing, Barnett funding system. It will therefore not attract Barnett consequentials. It will be allocated as an addition to the Northern Ireland Executive’s regular block grant.
This is not unprecedented and Wales will continue to receive direct investment from the UK Government to support growth. Since 2014, the UK Government has committed over £600m of investment in Wales through City Deals and the government is committed to further City Deals. In addition, the government has also committed to £50m for the Compound Semi-Conductor Applications Catapult Centre in South Wales.
Asked by: Paul Flynn (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps he is taking to ensure that Wales is not adversely affected by trade deals negotiated when the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Alun Cairns
The Welsh economy approaches its departure from the EU in a strong position. Such strength is demonstrated in Wales’s ability to attract globally recognised brands such as Aston Martin and Qatar Airways.
As we leave the EU we are seeking to take advantage of all opportunities available to us. We want to ensure that Britain becomes a global leader in free trade, and Ministers and officials in DIT are working with counterparts in a range of markets to promote the UK, including Wales as a great place to do business and with which to trade.
The UK Government is developing a trade policy that will work for every part of the United Kingdom, and will continue to champion the interests of companies and citizens across the UK, including in Wales.