Oral Answers to Questions

Siobhan Baillie Excerpts
Wednesday 15th March 2023

(1 year, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Watch Debate Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Michelle Donelan Portrait Michelle Donelan
- View Speech - Hansard - - - Excerpts

I absolutely agree, and I believe that the event yesterday went very well. It is also important that we look at our global role models who are British, such as Professor Dame Angela McLean, who will become the first female Government chief scientific adviser, Dr Nicola Fox and Rosemary Coogan. All those people are flying the flag for women in STEM.

Siobhan Baillie Portrait Siobhan Baillie (Stroud) (Con)
- Hansard - -

T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.

Michelle Donelan Portrait The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology (Michelle Donelan)
- View Speech - Hansard - - - Excerpts

DSIT was created with a single mission: to drive innovation that will deliver improved public services and new, better-paid jobs and grow the economy. Our Department will do things differently and will be a model for how modern Government Departments should run.

We have hit the ground running. Within just a few weeks of setting up, we have set out a comprehensive framework for science and technology, announced £370 million in new spending and introduced the Data Protection and Digital Information (No. 2) Bill. We have worked with the Chancellor to take decisive action to facilitate a deal to save the UK arm of Silicon Valley Bank, protecting hundreds of jobs. That is an extraordinary amount for any Department to achieve, let alone in just five weeks, and it is just the start of a constant drumbeat.

Siobhan Baillie Portrait Siobhan Baillie
- View Speech - Hansard - -

I was thrilled that my verification campaign to tackle anonymous abuse was successful with the Government, but I have always been clear that whether someone is verified needs to be made obvious on social media. Does my right hon. Friend agree that that is important to social media users? How is the Online Safety Bill progressing through the Lords?

Michelle Donelan Portrait Michelle Donelan
- View Speech - Hansard - - - Excerpts

The Bill will soon be in Committee in the House of Lords, and we are committed to ensuring that it is passed before the end of the current Session. I pay tribute to the excellent work that my hon. Friend has done in this regard. As she knows, we are committed to dealing with abuse, and the Bill places a duty on the largest online services to give adult users the option of verifying themselves.