Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Chloe Smith and Andrew Griffith

Tuesday 7th February 2023 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Griffith]

This Government bow to nobody when it comes to cracking down on tax evasion. It is wrong and illegal, and the Government do not support it.

[Chloe Smith (Norwich North) (Con)]

T8. The Chancellor was right to argue last autumn that the NHS needs to help people into work. Will he bring forward more thinking on this as part of his inactivity review or in the Budget?

Elections: May 2021

Debate between Chloe Smith and Andrew Griffith

Wednesday 13th January 2021 Commons Chamber

[Chloe Smith]

I am grateful for the tone that the hon. Gentleman strikes, because this is critically important. I would like the message to go out loud and clear across our parties that postal voting will be a sensible option at these elections for obvious reasons. As I said, the Electoral Commission will also play a large part in this, with its usual role of public information campaigns ahead of all polls, and in this case we are already drawing up the ways in which we will encourage the public to apply for absent voting arrangements.

[Andrew Griffith (Arundel and South Downs) (Con) [V]]

Does my hon. Friend agree that, with Great Britain seen as the gold standard for well-organised elections and the peaceful transfer of power, it should be perfectly possible to run a covid-secure set of local elections, having had over a year’s notice to prepare for them?

[Chloe Smith]

Yes, it is possible, and that is precisely what we are doing. I am very glad of my hon. Friend’s support for that.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Chloe Smith and Andrew Griffith

Thursday 11th June 2020 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Griffith (Arundel and South Downs) (Con)]

What steps his Department is taking to enhance the Government’s use of digital technology.

[The Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Chloe Smith)]

The Government have implemented the technology code of practice and service standard, which provides Departments with technical support and case studies to improve how they design, build and buy digital technology to give citizens the best services. The Government Digital Service is also building digital capacity through the Digital Academy and applying the innovation that we might find in the private sector at public sector scale through the GovTech Catalyst fund, to support the use of emerging technologies.

[Andrew Griffith]

I thank my hon. Friend for her reply, and I add my thanks to the amazing work that Jen Allum and her gov.uk team have done during this crisis. Does my hon. Friend agree that there is a huge opportunity in the fact that the UK has moved quickly to cashless transactions and digital government, and that as we move beyond this crisis, it is important that we do not regress and that we unleash the opportunity for economic growth?

[Chloe Smith]

Yes, I do, and there are two points to make here. First, the Government have taken unprecedented steps to support the economy through the immediate crisis, looking towards a strong and sustainable recovery. Secondly, I think we all recognise that digital payments have positively transformed the way that many people buy things and transact, and we are committed to supporting those payments while protecting access to cash for those who need it.