Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, who is responsible for digitisation in his Department; and what mechanisms the person with responsibility for digitisation uses to champion digitisation.
Answered by Simon Hart - Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
The Government Digital Service leads the Government’s Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) function, helping departments build and run services that are digital by default and focused on the needs of citizens.
GDS does this in a number of ways. It works with departments to set the government's strategy for digital transformation, including the Government Transformation Strategy. It runs the GDS Academy, which has upskilled over 10,000 civil servants in the skills that are essential to building public services in the 21st century, and deploys specialist DDaT teams across government to accelerate the delivery of priority projects. GDS establishes, and assures projects against, clear best practice standards to help departments deliver world-class digital services that are designed around user needs. It also helps departments to build these services by providing advice and developing solutions to common problems and making them available for reuse across government’s digital estate; removing duplication and freeing up resources for departments to focus on solving the hard problems that are unique to them.
Within government we have a strong focus on the concept of “digital maturity” which encapsulates not only delivery of excellent digital services, but improving government’s processes, tools, and infrastructure, developing digital, data and technology (DDaT) capability, and upskilling decision makers to ensure we build on these foundations to deliver digital transformation at scale.
Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, who is responsible for digitisation in his Department; and what mechanisms the person with responsibility for digitisation uses to champion digitisation.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Director General, Chief Information Officer (CIO), is responsible for digital maturity in the Ministry of Defence.
The CIO has mechanisms in place across defence to ensure that we regularly exploit modern digital opportunities to improve the outputs of defence. These mechanisms include a pan-Defence Digital & IT (D&IT) Coherence Board, a single D&IT Transformation programme, innovation centres of expertise and the maintenance of common IT architectures and standards.
Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, who is responsible for digitisation in his Department; and what mechanisms the person with responsibility for digitisation uses to champion digitisation.
Answered by George Freeman
As Minister of State for the Future of Transport, I am responsible for the digitisation agenda, with digitisation of the transport system being one of my three core priorities - digitisation, decarbonisation and (tackling) disconnection.
Delivery of this priority is overseen and managed by a group of director-level officials, including the Department’s Digital Director, which is chaired by me. This provides the primary mechanism for championing this agenda and driving progress.
At an official level, a Digital and Data Strategy Board has been established to draw together the Department’s work on digitisation to ensure that it is conducted in a coherent fashion and exploits synergies across the Departmental group and the wider transport sector.
Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, who is responsible for digitisation in his Department; and what mechanisms the person with responsibility for digitisation uses to champion digitisation.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Responsibility for digital and technology within the department is held by the Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO) who acts as functional lead for Digital, Data and Technology profession. Updates on digital and technology are provided on a semi-regular basis to the department’s Executive Committee.
The CDIO regularly attends boards and committee meetings across department agencies, and meets with Chief Executives to ensure that digital and technology needs are met.
Due to its unique constitutional position. HM Courts and Tribunal Service has its own DDAT function.
Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, where responsibility for the healthy emotional and social development of babies and young children sits within government.
Answered by Oliver Dowden - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Cabinet Office previously led on the inter-ministerial group (IMG) on early years family support. The IMG has concluded its work and has now disbanded. The recommendations are presently with Secretaries of State for consideration of next steps. We will consider publication once their view is clearer. Given that the emotional and social development of babies and young children is a broad and complicated issue, the responsibility for the area sits across multiple departments including MHCLG, DfE, DHSC and DWP.
Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to publish the recommendations of the inter-ministerial group on early years family support.
Answered by Oliver Dowden - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Cabinet Office previously led on the inter-ministerial group (IMG) on early years family support. The IMG has concluded its work and has now disbanded. The recommendations are presently with Secretaries of State for consideration of next steps. We will consider publication once their view is clearer. Given that the emotional and social development of babies and young children is a broad and complicated issue, the responsibility for the area sits across multiple departments including MHCLG, DfE, DHSC and DWP.
Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking as a result of the recommendations of the inter-ministerial group on early years family support.
Answered by Oliver Dowden - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Cabinet Office previously led on the inter-ministerial group (IMG) on early years family support. The IMG has concluded its work and has now disbanded. The recommendations are presently with Secretaries of State for consideration of next steps. We will consider publication once their view is clearer. Given that the emotional and social development of babies and young children is a broad and complicated issue, the responsibility for the area sits across multiple departments including MHCLG, DfE, DHSC and DWP.
Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to ban the physical punishment of children.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The government does not wish to interfere in how loving families bring up their children. Legislation already exists to ban the beating of children by their parents; the defence of reasonable chastisement can only be used when a parent is accused of assault and not when the charge is actual bodily harm, grievous bodily harm or child cruelty.
The government is aware of recent legislation in Scotland and plans for similar legislation in Wales. We have conducted no recent assessment of the merits of legislation to ban the physical punishment of children by their parents, nor have we gathered information about the public’s view of this issue or assessed the effect of smacking on children’s mental health. We have not collected data on the prevalence of smacking in Norfolk or the rest of England.
Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department collects information on the public’s view of corporal punishment of children.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The government does not wish to interfere in how loving families bring up their children. Legislation already exists to ban the beating of children by their parents; the defence of reasonable chastisement can only be used when a parent is accused of assault and not when the charge is actual bodily harm, grievous bodily harm or child cruelty.
The government is aware of recent legislation in Scotland and plans for similar legislation in Wales. We have conducted no recent assessment of the merits of legislation to ban the physical punishment of children by their parents, nor have we gathered information about the public’s view of this issue or assessed the effect of smacking on children’s mental health. We have not collected data on the prevalence of smacking in Norfolk or the rest of England.
Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of smacking as a form of punishment on children’s mental health.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The government does not wish to interfere in how loving families bring up their children. Legislation already exists to ban the beating of children by their parents; the defence of reasonable chastisement can only be used when a parent is accused of assault and not when the charge is actual bodily harm, grievous bodily harm or child cruelty.
The government is aware of recent legislation in Scotland and plans for similar legislation in Wales. We have conducted no recent assessment of the merits of legislation to ban the physical punishment of children by their parents, nor have we gathered information about the public’s view of this issue or assessed the effect of smacking on children’s mental health. We have not collected data on the prevalence of smacking in Norfolk or the rest of England.