Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, who is responsible for digitisation in her Department; and what mechanisms the person with responsibility for digitisation uses to champion digitisation.
Answered by Conor Burns
Holly Ellis, Director of Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT), alongside Departmental Directors and DGs, is responsible for ‘digitisation’
Digitisation, and maturing our current digital services and approach, is championed through a variety of means, including:
- Demonstrating benefits to colleagues across the Department, so they understand the productivity gains, increased customer satisfaction and reach.
- Delivery of training and communication to build capability, helping employees understand possibilities and how to engage on DDaT projects.
- DDaT and other function joint boards for cross-departmental buy-in and delivery of digitisation projects.
- The DIT DDaT strategy has been approved by the Executive Committee.
Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many meetings she had with her Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser from 1 June to 31 August 2019.
Answered by Conor Burns
My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade did not meet the Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 June and 31 August 2019.
However, the Chief Scientific Adviser is closely involved in policy development and meets regularly with the Permanent Secretary, members of the Department for International Trade’s (DIT) Executive Committee and many other senior officials more broadly both within DIT and across Government.
Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many meetings he held with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019.
Answered by George Hollingbery
My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade met the Chief Scientific Adviser three times between 1 March 2019 and 31 May 2019.
The Chief Scientific Adviser contributes fully to policy development, including through frequent meetings with the Permanent Secretary, Chief Trade Negotiation Adviser and other members of DIT’s Executive Committee, as well as engaging more broadly with policy development such as through the Chief Scientific Advisers’ Network.
Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many meetings he held with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 December 2018 and 28 February 2019.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary for State and Chief Scientific Adviser met for a one-to-one meeting on 19th December 2019. The Secretary of State and Chief Scientific Adviser also led a delegation of 100 to the annual CES in the USA from the 7th to 10th of January 2019.
The Chief Scientific Adviser contributes fully to policy development, including through frequent meetings with the Permanent Secretary, Chief Trade Negotiation Adviser and other members of the Department for International Trade’s Executive Committee; as well as engaging more broadly with policy development such as through the Chief Scientific Advisers’ Network.
Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many meetings he had with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 September and 30 November 2018.
Answered by George Hollingbery
During the requested time period: Department for International Trade (DIT) Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) presented an update to the DIT Board on 19th November, at which my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State was present as a member of the Board. The CSA updated the Board on his activities during the past year and priorities for 2019.
The Secretary of State and the CSA do meet for bilaterals and the Secretary of State takes a keen interested in the CSA’s work.
Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many meetings he had with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 January and 31 March 2018.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ministerial offices have been engaging with the Chief Scientific Adviser. My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade recently met with the Chief Scientific Adviser’s Head of Office and has a meeting in his diary to meet the Chief Scientific Adviser in June 2018.
The Chief Scientific Adviser contributes fully to policy development, including through frequent meetings with the Permanent Secretary, Chief Trade Negotiation Adviser and other members of DIT’s Executive Committee; as well as engaging more broadly with policy development such as through the Chief Scientific Advisers’ Network.
Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many meetings he held with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between October and December 2017.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Dr Mike Short CBE has recently taken up his position as Chief Scientific Advisor at the Department for International Trade (DIT). My Rt. Hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade publicly welcomed his appointment when it was announced, stating how ‘Dr Short’s many decades of experience in technology, innovation and public policy will ensure that cutting-edge scientific and technical know-how is firmly at the core of DIT’s work’. The Secretary of State will be formally meeting Dr Short in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans he has to appoint a Chief Scientific Adviser.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Department for International Trade has recently concluded a recruitment campaign to appoint a Chief Scientific Adviser. The appointment will be announced in due course.