Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress his Department has made on implementing recommendations of the first interim report of the Infected Blood Inquiry.
Answered by John Glen
The Inquiry’s first interim report contained the recommendation that an interim payment of no less than £100,000 be paid to all those infected and bereaved partners registered with existing support schemes. The Government made these payments in October 2022, and these payments continue to be made to eligible beneficiaries upon being accepted onto the schemes.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people died from alcoholism in (a) St Helens and (b) the North West in each year since 2018.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon gentlemen Parliamentary Question of 25th April is attached.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many times and on what dates the Ministerial Cyber Steering Group has met since its inception.
Answered by Michael Ellis
Following the Cabinet reshuffle on 15 September 2021 and subsequent updates to the Cabinet Committee structure, the government’s cyber priorities are now overseen by the relevant Cabinet Committees. The Prime Minister has asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to be lead minister for cyber. In line with previous answers, information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees, including when and how often they meet, is generally not disclosed. To do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the (a) status and (b) composition is of the Ministerial Cyber Steering Group.
Answered by Michael Ellis
Following the Cabinet reshuffle on 15 September 2021 and subsequent updates to the Cabinet Committee structure, the government’s cyber priorities are now overseen by the relevant Cabinet Committees. The Prime Minister has asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to be lead minister for cyber. In line with previous answers, information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees, including when and how often they meet, is generally not disclosed. To do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the £1.9 billion allocated by the Government to the National Cyber Security Strategy 2016-2021, how that funding has been (a) spent and (b) allocated in each year since the inception of that strategy.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The National Cyber Security Strategy 2016-2021, supported by a £1.9 billion investment, is delivering transformational change, building new capabilities and intervening to protect the UK from cyber attacks.
For national security reasons we are unable to provide details of the National Cyber Security Programme budget, but we have made significant progress, as the Strategy explains, some of the ambitions go beyond its five year timescale. This is why the Spending Review provided further funding for the NCSP in 2021-22 and why we will be setting out a new long-term strategy for cyber security this year. The National Cyber Security Strategy 2016 - 2021 Progress Report 2020 sets out further detail on the progress we have made since 2016 and the impact our interventions are having.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government is on course to reach the objectives set out in the National Cyber Security Strategy 2016-21.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The National Cyber Security Strategy 2016-2021, supported by a £1.9 billion investment, is delivering transformational change, building new capabilities and intervening to protect the UK from cyber attacks.
For national security reasons we are unable to provide details of the National Cyber Security Programme budget, but we have made significant progress, as the Strategy explains, some of the ambitions go beyond its five year timescale. This is why the Spending Review provided further funding for the NCSP in 2021-22 and why we will be setting out a new long-term strategy for cyber security this year. The National Cyber Security Strategy 2016 - 2021 Progress Report 2020 sets out further detail on the progress we have made since 2016 and the impact our interventions are having.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much funding his Department has provided to each veterans' organisation based in (a) St Helens and (b) Merseyside in each of the last five years.
Answered by Johnny Mercer
Further to the answer given on 28 April 2020 to PQ 37764 and to PQ 96068 on 28 September, the charitable and voluntary sector plays an important role in the support available to veterans and the wider Armed Forces Community. The Government provides a range of financial support to the sector including through regular grants to the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, which this year received £20m to distribute. A further £6m was provided to nearly 100 charities through the COVID-19 Impact Fund. This includes both funding for local projects and for organisations who operate nationally, including in the North West. The Government does not hold centrally a complete breakdown of the funding charities and organisations which support veterans in St Helens and Merseyside have received.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether it is Government policy that Cabinet ministers use the NHS covid-19 app, including contact tracing.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
We encourage everyone to download and use the NHS COVID-19 app.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the list of responsibilities and roles undertaken by the National Security Adviser.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The National Security Adviser is the principal adviser to the Prime Minister and Cabinet on national security strategy, policy, capability and civil contingencies.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what dates the National Security Council has met since 24 July 2019; who chaired those meetings; and which Ministers were present.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
Details of the National Security Council's membership is publicly available on GOV.UK. It is a long established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not shared publicly.