Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take further steps to assist pensioners who are experiencing increased energy bills.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Chancellor announced on 26 May a cost-of-living package which included a pensioner cost of living payment of £300 per household to be paid alongside the winter fuel payment this coming winter increasing the amount to £500/£600 depending on age. Once added to the non-repayable £400 discount on energy bills this autumn for domestic electricity customers, this will result in all pensioners households in Great Britain receiving £900 for households with someone of state pension age and under 80 and £1,000 for households with someone aged 80 or over to help with increased fuel costs. In addition, there is a £650 Cost of Living Payment deliberately targeted at low-income households in receipt of a means tested qualifying benefit. For people above State Pension age, this is those in receipt of Pension Credit.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the Online Safety Bill on business-to-business services.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Online Safety Bill has been designed to be targeted and proportionate. Companies providing services to other companies on a business-to-business basis are not in scope of the regulatory framework.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with business representatives on the potential effect of the Online Safety Bill on business-to-business services; and if she will take steps to ensure that relevant business stakeholders are supported in understanding the effects of those legislative proposals on those services.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Business to business services are not in scope of the regulatory framework set out in the Online Safety Bill.
Ministers and officials have regular meetings and discussions with a wide range of stakeholders on a variety of issues, including business to business services. Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the GOV.UK website.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make Evusheld available on prescription to people with immunosuppressed conditions.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The Department is conducting an assessment of Evusheld, including seeking advice from clinicians on the most appropriate option for the National Health Service in line with available data, the public health situation and other treatments available. While we are considering the advice received, we are unable to confirm a timetable for any decision.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including the Gambling Commission's decisions on control of assets, in so far as those decisions may affect national security, within the scope of the National Security and Investment Act 2021.
Answered by Paul Scully
The National Security and Investment Act 2021 enables the Government to scrutinise and – if necessary – intervene in qualifying acquisitions which may raise national security risks. We will not hesitate to use these powers where our national security is at risk.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of provisions in the Online Safety Bill on innovation of internet services.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
An assessment of the potential impacts of the provisions set out on the Online Safety Bill on both competition between in-scope internet services and on innovation of in-scope services has been undertaken and was published in the Online Safety Bill impact assessment on 17 March 2022.
DCMS will also publish draft legislation to address the far-reaching power of the biggest tech firms as part of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill. The new pro- competition regime will address the underlying causes of substantial market power, creating a more competitive and vibrant digital economy.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of provisions in the Online Safety Bill on competition between internet services.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
An assessment of the potential impacts of the provisions set out on the Online Safety Bill on both competition between in-scope internet services and on innovation of in-scope services has been undertaken and was published in the Online Safety Bill impact assessment on 17 March 2022.
DCMS will also publish draft legislation to address the far-reaching power of the biggest tech firms as part of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill. The new pro- competition regime will address the underlying causes of substantial market power, creating a more competitive and vibrant digital economy.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of provisions in the Online Safety Bill relating to user ID verification requirements on legitimate uses of online anonymity.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The user identity verification duty in the Online Safety Bill will give users more control over who they interact with online. It only applies to high risk, high reach services. Users who do not want to verify themselves will not have to do so. This ensures that legitimate uses of anonymity are not restricted.
Ofcom will issue guidance to assist providers in complying with the user verification duty. Ofcom will be required to consult individuals who represent the interests of vulnerable adult users in the development of its guidance.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason the UK Health Security Agency only reports on SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and RSV in its weekly reports.
Answered by Maggie Throup
COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are monitored due to the potential public health, transmission patterns and infection to causing overt disease. Surveillance in England of other respiratory viruses including rhinovirus, adenovirus, parainfluenza and human metapneumovirus is also published in the weekly flu and COVID-19 surveillance report. Other infectious diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis and hepatis C are monitored appropriate to the nature of the transmission and how the disease manifests.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to combat unsolicited and nuisance calls.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is fully aware that unsolicited direct marketing calls, known as nuisance calls, can cause anxiety and distress, particularly for the most vulnerable people in our society.
Companies that send direct marketing communications are regulated by both the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR) and the data protection legislation (the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018). The PECR was designed to complement the data protection legislation and impose strict obligations on organisations that make direct marketing calls to individuals in the UK. The legislation is regulated and enforced by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
The Government’s response to the consultation Data: A New Direction which proposed reforms to improve the UK’s data protection regime, including potential changes to the PECR, was published on the 17th June 2022.
The Government plans to introduce new legislation to allow the ICO to take enforcement action against organisations on the basis of the number of communications (calls, texts and emails) that they generate rather than just on the number that are connected. It will also require public communications service and network providers to inform the ICO of suspicious traffic transiting their networks when they have reasonable suspicion; and increase fines for direct marketing companies that continue to break the rules. In the future, this will mean that ICO could levy fines of up to £17.5m or 4% of a businesses’ global turnover for serious infringements of the Regulations, rather than the current maximum which is set at £500,000.
These measures will upgrade the PECR enforcement regime to make it more effective, proportionate and dissuasive.