Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will take steps to require that statutory disclosures under articles 13 and 14 of the General Data Protection Regulation be presented in a standard format that (a) identifies (i) all the personal data categories processed for each purpose and (ii) the lawful basis for each purpose and (b) itemises the rights available to data subjects in each case.
Answered by Paul Scully
Articles 13 and 14 give data subjects the right to be informed about the collection and use of their personal data. Article 13 and 14 already stipulate that controllers must include (i) information about the purposes of the processing for which the personal data are intended as well as the legal basis for the processing, and (ii) information about the rights available to the data subject in relation to their information, such as the rights of access, rectification and erasure.
Article 12 of the UK GDPR states that the information provided in Articles 13 and 14 must be provided in a ‘concise, transparent, intelligible and easily accessible form, using clear and plain language’. Additionally, Article 12 makes provision for this information to be provided in a variety of formats, rather than a single, standard format (‘the information shall be provided in writing, or by other means, including, where appropriate, by electronic means’).
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) provides detailed guidance on the right to be informed. This guidance sets out that it is most effective to provide information to data subjects using a combination of different techniques including layering, dashboards, and just-in-time notices. The guidance also provides advice for controllers on what to consider when presenting this information to a data subject. This can be accessed here: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/the-right-to-be-informed/
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which NHS ambulance trusts in England operate video systems in their vehicles.
Answered by Will Quince
The information requested is not collected centrally.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Departments hold on which NHS ambulance trusts in England discontinued use of vehicle video systems.
Answered by Will Quince
The information requested is not collected centrally.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of leaseholders appointing a Building Safety Director when they live in high rise blocks with voluntary Resident Management Companies.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Building Safety Act 2022 provides that resident-led companies will have the option to appoint a person with the relevant professional expertise to their board, to support them in meeting their building safety duties. The consultation on the secondary legislation relating to the building safety director proposals is open until 7 February 2023 and we will consider all responses prior to finalising the policy.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of local authorities allocating funding to waking watches in tower blocks.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Waking Watch Relief Fund was launched in January 2021 and the Waking Watch Replacement Fund was launched in January 2022. The funds covered the cost of installing a fire alarm to replace waking watch measures in buildings where a waking watch was in place and where those costs were being passed on to leaseholders.
As of 30 November 2022, 237 applications across both funds have been approved which will enable Waking Watch measures to be replaced with an alarm system in 368 buildings. Of the 368 buildings approved for funding, 314 have completed alarm installations.
The department publishes a monthly data release which includes information on the Waking Watch Relief and Replacement Funds which can be found here.
We continue to monitor the use of waking watches and welcome comments and feedback on the properties with experience of them.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to reply to correspondence of 16 August 2022 from the Rt Hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead case number MP76084IU on a Formal Complaint about a Passport Application.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office replied on 6 December 2022.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much HMRC has spent on (a) legal advice and (b) other legal costs in relation to the loan charge since it was introduced.
Answered by Richard Fuller
HMRC does not hold an estimate of the total amount of legal costs relating to the Loan Charge since it was introduced in 2016.
HMRC will, when needed, incur costs instructing external counsel and other litigators. Costs records are maintained where required for litigation. Where such records are maintained, the costs recorded only include litigation expenses, and time spent by HMRC’s lawyers and litigators rather than total HMRC staff time and other expenses.
HMRC also has an internal legal team that provides legal advice on a number of different areas, such as developing, changing, and maintaining legislation, guidance, and interpretation of law. Therefore, to obtain and compile a total cost figure for all legal advice and other legal costs relating to the Loan Charge since 2016 would come at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the National Crime Agency’s Combating Kleptocracy Cell on combating sanctions evasion and the hiding of Russian assets in the UK, Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
The National Crime Agency’s Combatting Kleptocracy Cell (CKC) has been tasked with investigating criminal sanctions evasion and high-end money laundering, including by individuals in the UK who are linked to the Russian regime.
The Home Office and the National Crime Agency work closely together and the effectiveness of the Combatting Kleptocracy Cell is closely monitored by both. For reasons of operational security we are not able to provide further details publicly.
The NCA’s work forms one part of a cross-government effort to tackle illicit finance. As part of this, the UK government has strong engagement with the Crown Dependencies and the Overseas Territories to combat sanctions evasion. This wider work is subject to regular Parliamentary scrutiny.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has plans to maximise the potential of tidal flows on the River Severn to generate electricity from (a) barrage or (b) tidal lagoons.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government remains open to considering well-developed proposals for harnessing the tidal range energy in the bays and estuaries around our coastlines, including barrage schemes and other alternatives. Any such proposal would need to demonstrate strong evidence of value for money in the context of other low-carbon technologies, as well as details of its associated energy system benefits and environmental impact mitigation strategies before the Government could take a view on its potential case for support.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has plans to increase national energy storage potential by using grid-scale batteries.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government is facilitating the deployment of electricity storage at all scales, including grid-scale batteries, through the joint BEIS and Ofgem Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan published in 2021.