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1312001

registered interest
date	26/04/2021
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Coronavirus: Ventilators
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the spread of misinformation to critically ill patients with covid-19 on the use of ventilators.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	187138
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2021 answer text <p>The Government takes disinformation very seriously and DCMS is leading work across Government to tackle it. In response to the harmful disinformation and misinformation relating to Covid-19 we stood up the Cross-Whitehall Counter Disinformation Unit on 5 March 2020, which brings together cross-Government monitoring and analysis capabilities. Its primary function is to provide a comprehensive picture of the extent, scope and the reach of disinformation and misinformation linked to Covid-19, and to work with partners to stamp it out.</p><p>We are working closely with social media platforms to help them identify and take action to remove incorrect claims about the virus, including health misinformation and anti-vaccination content, in line with their revised terms and conditions. Major platforms have updated their terms of service and introduced new measures to tackle misinformation and disinformation related to Covid-19. Government welcomes such measures to ensure the public has access to reliable and trusted information.</p><p>We have also launched a toolkit with content designed to be shared via Whatsapp and Facebook community groups, as well as Twitter, Youtube and Instagram, to tackle false information spread through private channels. The campaign is fronted by trusted local community figures such as imams, pastors and clinicians in short, shareable videos which include simple tips on how to spot misinformation and what to do to stop its spread. This toolkit is based on the core principles of the SHARE checklist, which aims to increase audience resilience by educating and empowering those who see, inadvertently share and are affected by false and misleading information.</p> answering member constituency Gosport answering member printed Caroline Dinenage question first answered 29/04/2021 11:40:07 answering member 4008 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Dinenage
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1312002

registered interest
date	26/04/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Communication Skills: Remote Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of home schooling and social distancing during the covid-19 outbreak on children's language skills.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	187139
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2021 answer text <p>It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 29/04/2021 12:16:10 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1312003

registered interest
date	26/04/2021
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Health and Safety: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Health and Safety Executive’s operational database, for what reason the Health and Safety Executive had not brought a prosecution against an employer for breach of covid-19 workplace regulations as at 16 February 2021.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	187140
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2021 answer text <p>HSE has published an Enforcement Policy Statement which sets out the general principles and approach to enforcement and is available <a href="https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/hse41.pdf" target="_blank">here.</a></p><p>In England &amp; Wales, the decision to prosecute is made by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and in Scotland by the Crown Office and the Procurator Fiscal Service. HSE follows the Code for Crown Prosecutors and in order for a prosecution to go ahead there needs to be sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction and that the prosecution is in the public interest.</p><p>HSE will always act in the public interest and look to pursue cases where there is sufficient evidence to take action, and it is in the public interest to look to secure a prosecution.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 29/04/2021 09:08:17 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1312004

registered interest
date	26/04/2021
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	DNACPR Decisions: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the extent of use of do not resuscitate orders for people with learning disabilities during the second wave of the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	187141
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2021 answer text <p>It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before prorogation.</p> answering member constituency Faversham and Mid Kent answering member printed Helen Whately question first answered 29/04/2021 11:37:33 answering member 4527 label Biography information for Helen Whately
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1312005

registered interest
date	26/04/2021
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Digital Technology: Free Trade
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment with the Secretary of State for International Trade of the potential merits of working with his counterparts in the (a) EU and (b) US Administration to create a digital free trading zone.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	187142
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2021 answer text <p>It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution</p> answering member constituency Maldon answering member printed Mr John Whittingdale question first answered 29/04/2021 12:26:21 answering member 39 label Biography information for Sir John Whittingdale
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1312019

registered interest
date	26/04/2021
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Summertime
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of making daylight saving time permanent.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	187143
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2021 answer text <p>It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 29/04/2021 08:52:12 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1312020

registered interest
date	26/04/2021
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Artificial Intelligence: Gender
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to tackle gender disparities in artificial intelligence technology.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	187144
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2021 answer text <p>We recognise the need to address gender disparities in AI. In 2019, DCMS via the joint DCMS/BEIS Office for AI worked with the Office for Students and DfE to deliver new conversion course Masters courses at Universities across the country, with scholarships for people from underrepresented backgrounds, including women, black, and disabled students. The programme launched last September and the cohort of 1265 students that started included, 40 per cent women, one quarter black students, and 15 per cent disabled students. For those receiving a scholarship, the figures were even more encouraging – with 76 per cent of scholarship students going to women, 45 per cent of the students identifying as black and 24 per cent as being disabled. The upcoming National AI Strategy, being led by the Office for AI, looks to double down on such commitments to further improve diversity.</p><p>In addition to improving diversity via the conversion course Masters programme, in 2019, DCMS partnered with the World Economic Forum to create guidelines for responsible public sector procurement of AI systems. In June 2020, the guidelines were published on GOV.UK and operationalised through Crown Commercial Service’s AI Marketplace, launched September 2020. The Guidelines, which build on the Government’s Data Ethics Framework, recommend that AI procurement in Government be conducted by diverse teams, and stipulate that specific steps be taken to ensure the Public Sector Equality Duty is upheld – including performing an equality impact assessment alongside data protection impact assessments. Crown Commercial Services have implemented a baseline ethical standard for suppliers to be added to the procurement system. These concrete interventions are intended to mitigate against gender or racial bias being incorporated into AI systems procured into the public sector, which at 40% of the economy, sets the standard for AI suppliers in the wider economy.</p><p>The Government’s Data Ethics Framework and ‘Guide to Using AI in the Public Sector’, alongside other area-specific guidance available on GOV.UK, support the ethical and safe use of algorithms in the public sector.</p><p>Further to this, as part of our commitment in the National Data Strategy, the Cabinet Office are exploring appropriate and effective mechanisms to deliver more transparency on the use of algorithmic assisted decision making within the public sector and to monitor their impact; and are working with leading organisations in the field of data and AI ethics to do so.</p><p>The Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation, in their report into algorithmic bias, make a number of recommendations to Government to reduce or mitigate the propensity for algorithms to encode bias. The Government is currently reviewing those recommendations.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Maldon answering member printed Mr John Whittingdale grouped question UIN 187146 question first answered 28/04/2021 16:19:46 answering member 39 label Biography information for Sir John Whittingdale
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1312021

registered interest
date	26/04/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Engineering: Females
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to encourage women to (a) study and (b) take jobs in engineering.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	187145
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2021 answer text <p>The government is committed to tackling the gender imbalance in some science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects. Around half of all science A levels are taken by girls. There has been an increase of around 30% in the number of science A level entries taken by girls in England between 2010 and 2020, and we are funding programmes to further increase take-up.</p><p>The government funds extracurricular school programmes, delivered by UK Research and Innovation, to inspire young people to consider STEM studies and careers and to support the creation of a more diverse current and future STEM workforce. These include the STEM Ambassadors scheme, which supports over 20,000 STEM Ambassadors, over 40% of which are women, and the CREST Awards. Further information on the CREST Awards is available here: <a href="https://www.crestawards.org/" target="_blank">https://www.crestawards.org/</a>. Engineering UK launched the Tomorrow’s Engineers Code in October 2020, an initiative to get organisations working together to increase the diversity and number of young people entering careers in engineering.</p><p>The department funds interventions to boost girls’ participation and representation in the STEM pipeline. We are investing in programmes to address female participation, particularly in subjects like computing, physics and mathematics, which can support later study and jobs in engineering. This includes the Stimulating Physics Network, which has a specific strand focusing on increasing the number of girls studying a physics A level.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 28/04/2021 16:43:05 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1312022

registered interest
date	26/04/2021
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Artificial Intelligence: Equality
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) gender and (b) racial discrimination is not incorporated into the development of artificial intelligence systems.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	187146
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/04/2021 answer text <p>We recognise the need to address gender disparities in AI. In 2019, DCMS via the joint DCMS/BEIS Office for AI worked with the Office for Students and DfE to deliver new conversion course Masters courses at Universities across the country, with scholarships for people from underrepresented backgrounds, including women, black, and disabled students. The programme launched last September and the cohort of 1265 students that started included, 40 per cent women, one quarter black students, and 15 per cent disabled students. For those receiving a scholarship, the figures were even more encouraging – with 76 per cent of scholarship students going to women, 45 per cent of the students identifying as black and 24 per cent as being disabled. The upcoming National AI Strategy, being led by the Office for AI, looks to double down on such commitments to further improve diversity.</p><p>In addition to improving diversity via the conversion course Masters programme, in 2019, DCMS partnered with the World Economic Forum to create guidelines for responsible public sector procurement of AI systems. In June 2020, the guidelines were published on GOV.UK and operationalised through Crown Commercial Service’s AI Marketplace, launched September 2020. The Guidelines, which build on the Government’s Data Ethics Framework, recommend that AI procurement in Government be conducted by diverse teams, and stipulate that specific steps be taken to ensure the Public Sector Equality Duty is upheld – including performing an equality impact assessment alongside data protection impact assessments. Crown Commercial Services have implemented a baseline ethical standard for suppliers to be added to the procurement system. These concrete interventions are intended to mitigate against gender or racial bias being incorporated into AI systems procured into the public sector, which at 40% of the economy, sets the standard for AI suppliers in the wider economy.</p><p>The Government’s Data Ethics Framework and ‘Guide to Using AI in the Public Sector’, alongside other area-specific guidance available on GOV.UK, support the ethical and safe use of algorithms in the public sector.</p><p>Further to this, as part of our commitment in the National Data Strategy, the Cabinet Office are exploring appropriate and effective mechanisms to deliver more transparency on the use of algorithmic assisted decision making within the public sector and to monitor their impact; and are working with leading organisations in the field of data and AI ethics to do so.</p><p>The Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation, in their report into algorithmic bias, make a number of recommendations to Government to reduce or mitigate the propensity for algorithms to encode bias. The Government is currently reviewing those recommendations.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Maldon answering member printed Mr John Whittingdale grouped question UIN 187144 question first answered 28/04/2021 16:19:46 answering member 39 label Biography information for Sir John Whittingdale
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick

1312023

registered interest
date	26/04/2021
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Software: Fraud
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure that the prevalence of QR codes is not exploited by people seeking to commit fraud.
tabling member constituency	Preston
tabling member printed	Sir Mark Hendrick
uin	187147
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2021 answer text <p>QR codes are quick links which point to locations on the internet so, as with other types of links, users should avoid clicking on those which seem suspicious and be particularly wary of those from unknown sources. Some smartphones and apps enable the user to check the link address before visiting the website to assess whether it is genuine. Further information on how the public can protect themselves online is available at <a href="https://www.cyberaware.gov.uk/" target="_blank">www.cyberaware.gov.uk</a>.</p><p>QR codes are managed by companies and organisations to interact with their customers. Like other digital technologies, these carry an element of risk. Organisations are urged to follow NCSC guidance to manage their digital technologies against cyber threats. The government is working to set standards on cyber security, provide advice and guidance to businesses, organisations and consumers on how to protect themselves online and will mandate these where necessary.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Matt Warman question first answered 29/04/2021 11:23:06 answering member 4361 label Biography information for Matt Warman
tabling member	473 label Biography information for Sir Mark Hendrick