Asked by: Damian Collins (Conservative - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
What assessment the Government has made of the effectiveness of the Defending Democracy programme as part of its plans to bring forward legislative proposals on online harms.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The Defending Democracy programme coordinates work and expertise across government work to safeguard the integrity and security of our democratic processes.
Through the Online Harms legislative proposals, the programme is making good progress against two of its strategic objectives: to encourage respect for open, fair and safe democratic participation; and to promote fact-based discourse.
Asked by: Damian Collins (Conservative - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government has taken to prepare for trade with the EU after the end of the transition period.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The transition period will end on 31 December, and the Government made extensive preparations for the changes and opportunities that will come. We have set out a package of support for border infrastructure and the customs intermediaries sector, and provided extensive guidance to business at gov.uk/transition.
The Government has also intensified engagement with businesses, including through the Brexit Business Taskforce, and is running a major public information campaign which tells businesses and citizens the steps they need to take to prepare.
Asked by: Damian Collins (Conservative - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to establish a public warning system using mobile phone technology that includes native language options for residents and people visiting from overseas.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The Government is reviewing the opportunities of a mobile alerting capability to issue alerts to mobile devices. The Government recognises the need for messages to be easily understood by everyone receiving them.