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Written Question
Defence: Disinformation and Propaganda
Friday 26th April 2024

Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what technologies his Department is using to enhance defence against (a) cyber-propaganda and (b) misinformation campaigns.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) doesn’t focus on a technological solution to cyber-propaganda and misinformation campaigns because it is fundamentally a human issue rather than a technological one. There is a cross-Government effort to identify, counter and shut down sources of malign narratives and dis/misinformation, but ultimately our focus is on ensuring our people – military, civilian, and supporting industry – are resilient to it. Additionally, misinformation can be produced far faster than it can be countered and therefore providing MOD personnel with the right skills and mindset, including through regular mandatory training, is the best way to ensure we have resilience in the face of cyber-propaganda and misinformation campaigns.


Written Question
Semiconductors: Supply Chains
Friday 26th April 2024

Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking with allies to secure semiconductor supply chains in the context of heightened tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Safeguarding the UK against supply chain disruptions is a key pillar of the UK National Semiconductor Strategy, and international collaboration is crucial to achieving this. The UK Government works closely with international partners, including through semiconductor partnerships with Japan and the Republic of Korea. These partnerships explore shared approaches and solutions to improve global supply chain resilience and aim to establish areas of collaboration for mutual strategic advantage. Multilaterally, the UK Government is engaging with the G7 and the OECD Semiconductor Informal Exchange Network to strengthen understanding and coordination of global supply chain risks.


Written Question
Semiconductors: Manufacturing Industries
Friday 26th April 2024

Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has had discussions with her international counterparts on coordinating the global response to potential disruptions of semiconductor manufacturing as a result of geopolitical tensions.

Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The UK Government is working closely with international partners and has already signed semiconductor partnerships with Japan, the Republic of Korea and the US. These partnerships encourage greater transparency in the semiconductor market, place an increased focus on improving supply chain resilience, and establish areas of collaboration for mutual strategic advantage. Multilaterally, the UK Government is engaging with the G7 and the OECD Semiconductor Informal Exchange Network to strengthen understanding and coordination of global supply chain risks.


Written Question
Cultural Heritage
Thursday 25th April 2024

Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to preserve sites of local cultural heritage.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

His Majesty’s Government is committed to protecting the historic environment for the benefit of present and future generations. DCMS is responsible for the statutory heritage protection system and welcomes applications — through Historic England — for heritage assets to be considered for designation.

Significant public funding is distributed to heritage assets across the country, via both Government and our key partners such as Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Historic England provides funding for heritage through various grant schemes, including £11.3 million annually for Heritage at Risk. Historic England has also awarded public funding to 67 historic High Streets across England through the £95 million High Street Heritage Action Zone Programme, with the majority of this funding being used to repair and improve heritage assets.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund also provides funding for heritage projects with a community angle across the country, awarding more than £8.4 billion in Lottery funds to more than 46,000 heritage projects across the UK. The Fund has made awards in every parliamentary constituency in the UK.

Through the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund, HM Government is directly investing in many projects which benefit heritage across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The £150 million Community Ownership Fund is also open to groups across the UK to take ownership of heritage assets which are at risk of being lost to the community. Many of these projects are benefiting heritage assets in areas across the country.

DCMS also provides up to £42 million for the Listed Place of Worship Grant Scheme, which provides grants to reimburse the VAT paid on repairs and maintenance to the nation's listed places of worship, to support our historic spiritual architecture for the benefit of present and future generations.


Written Question
Culture: Urban Areas
Thursday 25th April 2024

Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether any funding opportunities are available for the development of cinemas and other cultural venues in urban areas that are currently underserved in terms of cultural infrastructure.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

His Majesty’s Government recognises that cinemas and cultural venues are a hugely important part of the UK’s cultural landscape. We are committed to supporting them and the cultural sector more broadly.

HM Government provides funding opportunities for the arts and other cultural organisations in a range of ways, including direct Government funding, via arm’s-length bodies like Arts Council England, and indirectly through local authorities.

Through Arts Council England’s current investment programme, more than £444 million of public money is being invested each year in arts and culture across England. This is an increase from £410 million in the previous portfolio, and will support 985 organisations across England – more than ever before. In addition, through Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grant funding, over £105 million of awards were provided to individuals and arts organisations in 2022/23. This funding programme is open for applications from organisations anywhere in England.

The British Film Institute (BFI) is also conscious of the pressures faced by the cinema sector. The BFI’s Film Audience Network (BFI FAN) is a collaboration of 8 film hubs, managed by leading film organisations and venues around the UK. Film hubs are centres of expertise and support which connect cinemas, festivals, and creative practitioners. You can read more about the National Lottery funding the BFI makes available to bring film to a wider UK audience, including through BFI FAN, at: https://www.bfi.org.uk/get-funding-support/bring-film-wider-uk-audience.

The Government’s £150 million Community Ownership Fund helps to ensure that important parts of the social fabric, such as cinemas, pubs, sports clubs, and theatres, can continue to play a central role in towns and villages across the UK. Round 4 is the final round of the Community Ownership Fund, and the last window for bids will open in late May. You can find out more about the next round of the Community Ownership Fund at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-ownership-fund-prospectus


Written Question
Culture: Urban Areas
Thursday 25th April 2024

Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to support the (a) establishment and (b) maintenance of (i) cinemas and (ii) cultural venues in towns.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

His Majesty’s Government recognises that cinemas and cultural venues are a hugely important part of the UK’s cultural landscape. We are committed to supporting them and the cultural sector more broadly.

HM Government provides funding opportunities for the arts and other cultural organisations in a range of ways, including direct Government funding, via arm’s-length bodies like Arts Council England, and indirectly through local authorities.

Through Arts Council England’s current investment programme, more than £444 million of public money is being invested each year in arts and culture across England. This is an increase from £410 million in the previous portfolio, and will support 985 organisations across England – more than ever before. In addition, through Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grant funding, over £105 million of awards were provided to individuals and arts organisations in 2022/23. This funding programme is open for applications from organisations anywhere in England.

The British Film Institute (BFI) is also conscious of the pressures faced by the cinema sector. The BFI’s Film Audience Network (BFI FAN) is a collaboration of 8 film hubs, managed by leading film organisations and venues around the UK. Film hubs are centres of expertise and support which connect cinemas, festivals, and creative practitioners. You can read more about the National Lottery funding the BFI makes available to bring film to a wider UK audience, including through BFI FAN, at: https://www.bfi.org.uk/get-funding-support/bring-film-wider-uk-audience.

The Government’s £150 million Community Ownership Fund helps to ensure that important parts of the social fabric, such as cinemas, pubs, sports clubs, and theatres, can continue to play a central role in towns and villages across the UK. Round 4 is the final round of the Community Ownership Fund, and the last window for bids will open in late May. You can find out more about the next round of the Community Ownership Fund at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-ownership-fund-prospectus


Written Question
Smoking
Thursday 25th April 2024

Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that lobbying by the tobacco industry does not undermine future public health policies aimed at reducing smoking rates.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Smoking is responsible for approximately 80,000 deaths a year in the United Kingdom, and causes around one in four cancer deaths in the UK. It also costs our country £17 billion a year, and puts a huge burden on the National Health Service. Smoking is an addiction, and there is no liberty in addiction. It causes harm to not only the smoker, but to society as a whole. That is why we have introduced the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to create the first smokefree generation, and enable us to further crack down on youth vaping. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is available at the following link:

https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3703

The UK is a party to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and under Article 5.3 has an obligation to protect the development of public health policy from the vested interests of the tobacco industry. As a world leader in tobacco control, the Government takes this commitment very seriously. In 2023, the Department published guidance for Government engagement with the tobacco industry, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protocol-for-engagement-with-stakeholders-with-links-to-the-tobacco-industry/guidance-for-government-engagement-with-the-tobacco-industry

The Department regularly publishes correspondence from, or to, those with links to the tobacco industry, and it is available at the following link:

https://khub.net/web/phe-national/public-library/-/document_library/v2WsRK3ZlEig/view/394794557


Written Question
Self-employed: Fines
Thursday 25th April 2024

Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether self-employed individuals who file their tax returns late but owe no tax are penalised.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC issues SA tax returns to customers when the information they hold suggests that the customer meets the published criteria for completing one. HMRC often cannot determine someone’s tax liability until they have sent in a tax return, therefore they need the return to establish whether there is tax due or not.​​ Late filing and payment penalties are charged to encourage customers to file on time but we can cancel a customer’s late filing penalty if they have a reasonable excuse. Customers can also ask HMRC to remove them from the SA process for future years if they no longer meet the criteria.​

From October 2011 the penalty legislation changed, from this point the capping of penalties was no longer factored into the calculation and any fixed penalty applied remained at the full amount regardless of liability.

Although no change to the current penalty regime has been announced, Penalty Reform within Making Tax Digital will change the way we calculate penalties for late Submission and late payment of tax. The new legislation will factor in the Liability amount, Filing frequency and length of time outstanding within its penalty calculations.

In reforming late payment and late filing penalties HMRC’s aim is to encourage those who persistently default to comply with their tax obligations rather than penalise those who make occasional errors.


Written Question
Cryptocurrencies
Thursday 25th April 2024

Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he is developing economic models to forecast (a) price trends and (b) growth potential in cryptocurrencies.

Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is not developing economic models to forecast cryptoasset trends. Rather, it uses information from a range of sources to understand broad trends in the market in order to inform policy development.

In October last year, the Treasury published its final proposals for creating the UK’s financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets, and is currently working to deliver legislation giving effect to its proposals. As part of this, the government will publish analysis of the impacts of its legislation on cryptoasset businesses in scope of the forthcoming regime in the usual way.


Written Question
Prisons: Education and Training
Thursday 25th April 2024

Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) educational and (b) vocational training opportunities are not reduced in prisons; and whether he plans to use those training opportunities to help reduce prison overcrowding.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Education is key for reducing reoffending and research indicates that prison education reduces reoffending by 9 percentage points. In September 2023, we set out our plans to deliver an improved Prison Education Service that will support more prisoners to improve their literacy and numeracy and increase the number of prison leavers employed on release.

Over the past 12 months we have seen a sustained delivery in the number vocational courses undertaken by prisoners following increases to 95,000. To ensure the right education and vocational training opportunities are available across prisons we have:

  • Introduced new Head of Education Skills and Work roles in every prison to provide tailored education plans to meet the needs of their jail.
  • Enabled the first ever prisoner apprenticeships in catering and construction through ground-breaking partnerships with Greene King, Kier and Clipper, with talks underway to open up apprenticeships in other industries.
  • Recruited Neurodiversity Support Managers in every prison to support offenders with neurodivergent needs in accessing education, skills and work opportunities within the prison.
  • Launched a Future Skills programme to train up over 2,000 offenders over the next two years in vital industries such as scaffolding and electrics, before linking them up with employers in the local community and guaranteeing interviews on release.
  • We are investing £16 million to test new ways of increasing workshop activity to get prisoners work-ready and improve labour supply.
  • £1.8 million in the Literacy Innovation Fund which is delivering pilots in 15 prisons targeting those with low literacy levels.

I am pleased to say that we have seen positive outcomes in employment in support of our work to make best use of prison capacity. The proportion of prison leavers in employment six months after release has more than doubled in the two years to March 2023, from 14% to over 30%and between 2011/12 and 2021/22, the overall proven reoffending rate has decreased from 31.3% to 25.2%.