Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Fleetwood)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how she measures digital inclusion.
Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Digital inclusion is a cross-cutting issue that spans social engagement, education, employment, access to services and many more elements of everyday life. Responsibility for relevant policies and activities, including monitoring and evaluation, sit across government.
Government draws on evidence from a variety of sources including the Office for National Statistics, regulators, and trusted partners and stakeholders from across the sector. Importantly, we seek to use such data and evidence to better understand the impact on day to day lives.
DSIT will continue to work with Government colleagues and with key external stakeholders from across the sector to better understand the impacts of overcoming digital exclusion and ensure that policy interventions are evidence driven. DSIT has also committed to exploring options for funding research to improve the Government’s evidence base on digital exclusion.
Found: services, including health services, social housing, and benefits.
Written Evidence Nov. 13 2023
Inquiry: Science and ScotlandFound: SS0029 - Science and Scotland Scottish Science Advisory Council Written Evidence
May. 14 2024
Source Page: Board of Commissioners meeting, 13 July 2023Found: UK government’s policy objectives for trees, woods and forests.
Jan. 11 2024
Source Page: Marine science and innovation strategyFound: Marine science and innovation strategy
May. 09 2024
Source Page: 2022-2027 Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture (ENRA) Research Programme Mid-programme Review ReportFound: 2022-2027 Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture (ENRA) Research Programme Mid-programme Review
Written Evidence Feb. 06 2024
Inquiry: Children’s social careFound: CSC0105 - Children’s social care Health Equity North Written Evidence
Jun. 23 2009
Source Page: Table showing the magazines, journals and newspapers subscribed to by the Department of Work and Pensions. 2 p.Found: Table showing the magazines, journals and newspapers subscribed to by the Department of Work and Pensions
May. 10 2024
Source Page: DESNZ: spending over £25,000, September 2023Found: Private Sector - NPISH Net Zero, Nuclear & International - INZ: Climate Finance & Strategy Climate Policy
Asked by: Craig Whittaker (Conservative - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the consultation entitled Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping, what steps her Department plans to take to enforce the proposals relating to (a) tobacco and (b) vape products bought from online retailers.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
A strong approach to enforcement is vital if the smokefree generation and youth vaping policy is to have real impact. Underage and illicit sale of tobacco, and more recently vapes, is undermining the work the Government is doing to regulate the industry and protect public health. The sale of illicit products frequently targets children and young people in disadvantaged communities, widening health disparities.
For this reason, HM Revenue and Customs and Border Force published the joint illicit tobacco strategy, Stubbing Out the Problem, in January 2024. This sets out our plans to be at the forefront of tackling illegal activity and opportunities that criminals might seek to exploit. One of the strategies key aims is to reduce the demand for illicit tobacco, which will include tackling online sales of illicit tobacco on social media platforms, gathering intelligence on social media sales, and working with social media platforms to ensure we are effective in limiting criminal groups’ ability to sell illicit tobacco through these channels.
Additionally, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is creating a framework of standards and governance, underpinned by legislation, to enable the widespread use of trusted digital identity services. This will make it possible for people to prove things about themselves in a secure way without using paper documents.
The Government wants to make sure that those under the legal age of sale cannot buy tobacco products and vapes online, so we have committed to further enhance online age verification. As set out in the command paper, Stopping the start: our new plan to create a smokefree generation, we will work with retailers that sell tobacco products and vapes to produce good practice guidance to help retailers adopt online age verification, to address underage sales.