Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what activities the Government Innovation Group (a) undertook during 2016 and (b) has undertaken in 2017.
Answered by Rob Wilson
The functions of the Government Innovation Group were transferred to the Office for Civil Society and Innovation (OCSI) and Government Digital Service in 2015. On 21st July 2016 the functions of OCSI transferred from the Cabinet Office to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Policy Lab and Business Partnerships remain part of the Cabinet Office resulting in a name change for OCSI, which is now called the Office for Civil Society (OCS). Since 1st January 2016 to date OCS has worked to deliver the Government’s vision of having a more engaged nation, one in which we take greater responsibility for ourselves and for our neighbours.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
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 notify hon. Members in the event that 21st Century Fox gives to her formal notification of its takeover bid for Sky.
Answered by Matt Hancock
I refer the Hon Gentleman to the written statement made by my Right Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State on 10 January 2018, Vol 619 Col 8WS.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of senior civil service graded posts in her Department classified as (i) deputy director, (ii) assistant director, (iii) team leader and (iv) policy manager have been based outside London in each year since 2014.
Answered by Matt Hancock
Our department is headquartered in Whitehall, and therefore the figures on the number of Senior Civil Service staff in London will reflect that.
Financial Year | Number of SCS | Proportion of SCS |
2014-15 | 0 | 0% |
2015-16 | 1 - Deputy Director |
|
2016 - to date | 1 - Deputy Director |
|
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many start-up businesses have participated in the Early Stage Accelerator programme since it began.
Answered by Matt Hancock
So far, 23 individuals are participating in the current programme which started on 12 September.
The early stage accelerator programme, called HutZero, is part of the Government’s strategy to promote the UK cyber security industry, and is designed to transform early stage ideas into workable proposals and potential new businesses. The programme supports individuals at the very start of their entrepreneurial journey.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many organisations have recertified (a) Cyber Essentials and (b) Cyber Essentials Plus in each year since each scheme's creation.
Answered by Matt Hancock
Since the Cyber Essentials scheme began it is estimated that 377 organisations have been certified more than once. This includes organisations that have both Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus certificates, as well as those that have been certified more than once with different IT systems in scope.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) FTSE 100 and (b) FTSE 350 companies have used the 10 Steps to Cyber Security guidance to date.
Answered by Matt Hancock
The Cyber Governance Health Check (published 2015) found that 58% of FTSE 350 companies had assessed themselves against the Government’s ‘10 Steps to Cyber Security’ guidance, up from 40% in 2013. The 2016 Cyber Security Breaches Survey found that 29% of large businesses [those with 250+ employees] are aware of the ‘10 Steps…’ guidance. The guidance has been viewed over 40,000 times.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many organisations held (a) Cyber Essentials and (b) Cyber Essentials Plus certification in each calendar year since 2014.
Answered by Matt Hancock
The number of certificates issued by calendar year and by Cyber Essentials and Plus is provided in the table below.
Year | Cyber Essentials | Plus |
2014, from June | 198 | 35 |
2015 | 1067 | 191 |
2016, to end September | 2188 | 341 |
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will meet representatives of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish to discuss Manchester's bid to host the 2025 World Expo.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The Government recognises the power of international events to shine a spotlight on the success of cities and towns across the UK. The UK business events industry is thriving, and Government is committed to supporting its continued growth.
Nick de Bois, Chair of the UK Events Industry Board and myself will meet with the hon Member for Denton and Reddish, and representatives of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, to discuss the ways in which the Government can support Manchester’s business events industry.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many copies of The Gazette at what cost are printed each day.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
The Gazette (https://www.thegazette.co.uk/) is the UK’s official public record and is published by Authority. First printed in 1665, The Gazette has evolved into a sophisticated online digital platform that is accessed and used by tens of thousands of commercial organisations, local and central government, and the general public, every day.
Some notices are required by statute to be published in The Gazette, whilst others are placed voluntarily, to put official information permanently on the public record and in the public domain, including state notices such as the Queen’s Birthday and New Year Honours; insolvency notices such as bankruptcy and winding up orders; legal notices relating to probate and deceased estates; public sector notices; and other notices such as the dissolution of companies or recording a change of name by deed poll.
Today, most people access and use The Gazette online. Online access to all published notices (including an archive of notices) is free, and users can easily download a pdf of the latest Gazette and print it for free. Libraries get a free pdf copy which they can make available for readers to view or print. Additionally, printed copies can be ordered from The Stationery Office at a small cost.
The London Gazette has an average daily print run of 114 copies. The Belfast Gazette has an average weekly print run of 91. The Edinburgh Gazette is printed twice a week, and has an average print run of 165. The publicly procured concession contract under which the Gazette is produced is subject to commercial confidentiality. A link to the contract can be found at https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive/contract/749253/.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the amount charged to the deceased by TV Licensing in each of the last three years.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
TV Licensing (TVL) should be notified when a licence fee holder dies. If the person making the notice has previously been covered by the licence, it will be transferred into their name. If an executor or family member notifies TVL that a property is now vacant, the licence is cancelled, and a refund is made to the deceased’s estate.
In the case of an over-75s licence, TVL is informed by the Department of Work and Pensions of deaths of those aged over 75. In this case, TVL will write to the licensed address to inform anyone living with the deceased that the licence will cover the occupants until the licence term expires.