Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of using blockchain and distributed ledger technologies in the public sector.
Answered by Ben Gummer
Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT) and blockchain are exciting new developments. The Government is open minded about their potential, along with other emerging technologies, to help better meet user needs. At this stage more research is needed in order to determine their potential uses and whether the technologies are appropriate as a vehicle for public service delivery. The Government will be guided by the Chief Scientific Adviser’s 2016 report on the topic available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/distributed-ledger-technology-beyond-block-chain
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will estimate the amount lost to cyber fraud in the public sector in each year since 2010.
Answered by Matt Hancock
We are unable to provide an estimate of the loss to cyber fraud in the public sector each year since 2010. We have considered the information available to us and do not have any data available to help inform such an estimate.
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many new technology businesses have been registered in (a) Windsor constituency, (b) Berkshire and (c) the UK since 2010.
Answered by Rob Wilson
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations were abolished in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Maude of Horsham
In 2010 the Coalition pledged to reduce the number and cost of public bodies. Our Public Bodies Reform Programme is the largest restructuring of public bodies in a generation. It will make the landscape smaller, more accountable, and will offer better value for money to the public.
By April 2011 the reforms brought about by the programme had reduced the number of public bodies by 46. During 2011-2012 the numbers reduced by a further 56. To date over 185 public bodies have been abolished and more than 165 have been merged into fewer than 70.
The total number of public bodies has reduced by over 285.
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of savings to businesses in (a) the UK, (b) the Thames Valley and (c) Windsor constituency as a result of the Red Tape Challenge.
Answered by Nick Hurd
ThePrime Minister announced in January 2014 that that this would be the first government in modern history to reduce overall domestic regulation for business while in office. As part of this, he announced that the Red Tape Challenge programme had identified over 3,000 regulations to scrap or improve, delivering estimated savings to UK businesses of over £850m per year by the end of the Parliament. Analysis of the impact of the deregulatory reforms on a geographical basis has not been developed.
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much was saved as a result of digitising data records in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13.
Answered by Lord Maude of Horsham
The Government announced Digital and IT savings of £0.3bn for 2010-11, £0.2bn for 2011-12, and £0.5 bn for 2012-13, against a 2009-10 baseline.
We don't hold full details of the discrete savings made by departments in digitising their data records.
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what contribution intangible exports made to UK GDP in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
Asked by: Adam Afriyie (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he for the future of the UK Census; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Maude of Horsham
The Government recognises the value of the census but I have long said that it is outdated in its current form and could be more effectively and more cheaply delivered. Decisions about its future will be announced in the usual way, but the Government agrees with the conclusion of the Public Affairs Select Committee that the census needs to change.