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Wednesday Volume 646 12 September 2018 No. 183 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Wednesday 12 September 2018 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2018 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 733 12 SEPTEMBER 2018 734 and platforms to ensure they see proper debate but with House of Commons respect. I encourage the hon. Gentleman’s party to adopt, as the Conservative party has, a respect pledge to Wednesday 12 September 2018 behave properly in the social media world. Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con): Earlier this The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock year, all the Conservative councillors on Desborough Town Council resigned in protest at the abuse, harassment and intimidation suffered by the Conservative female PRAYERS chair of the council. Will my right hon. Friend ensure that, when he reviews standards of conduct in public [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] life, that applies not just to elections but to serving councillors during their term of office? Brandon Lewis: My hon. Friend highlights a worrying Oral Answers to Questions problem that we are seeing across public life: people are seeing this kind of abuse. It was raised at last week’s Prime Minister’s questions. We all have a duty to stand up against this. The criminal bar on this is in place all CABINET OFFICE year around. We are looking at elections as a separate issue in the consultation, but he is right: we all have a The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister duty to call this out to ensure that people can have for the Cabinet Office was asked— proper debate and fulfil their public duty with confidence that it will be respected. Intimidation of People in Public Life Technological Innovation 2. Alex Burghart (Brentwood and Ongar) (Con): What assessment he has made of trends in the level of 3. Trudy Harrison (Copeland) (Con): What steps he is intimidation experienced by people in public life. taking to encourage technological innovation in tackling [906829] social challenges and delivering public services. [906830] The Minister without Portfolio (Brandon Lewis): Intimidation can do real damage to our democracy and 4. Sir David Evennett (Bexleyheath and Crayford) has no part to play in healthy debate. The Minister with (Con): What steps he is taking to encourage technological responsibility for the constitution, my hon. Friend the innovation in tackling social challenges and delivering Member for Norwich North (Chloe Smith), has launched public services. [906831] a consultation on a new electoral offence of intimidating candidates and campaigners. I encourage anyone who The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Oliver has experienced this sort of unacceptable intimidation Dowden): I am determined that the public sector embraces to respond and to take part in that consultation. the huge opportunities for better public services at lower cost provided by technology. That is why last Alex Burghart: I thank the Minister for his reply. week I announced five new public sector challenges Does he agree that those who seek to interfere with the from the GovTech innovation fund and why I am also course of an election through criminal intimidation leading the development of a public services innovation should face electoral sanction? strategy to be published next spring. Brandon Lewis: My hon. Friend makes a good point. Trudy Harrison: I thank the Minister for that answer. He is absolutely right. An electoral offence has a higher Over the summer I wrote to all my 37 care homes and tariff. It is right that we are clear that our democracy is GP practices and visited most of them. They are facing precious and important. We must do everything we can unprecedented challenges with recruitment and retention. to protect robust debate with respect. How will technology help in that regard? Chris Elmore (Ogmore) (Lab): Does the Minister Oliver Dowden: I thank my hon. Friend for that agree that more work needs to be done in tackling social question. I know that she is committed to this issue. We, media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter? Does too, are committed to using emerging technologies to he think that the Government should not just introduce improve the quality of care for patients and to empower voluntary charters to govern social media platforms but staff. Under one of the GovTech challenges last week, look at legislation, because too many Members of this we are working with a healthcare trust to ensure House, the devolved institutions and councillors, and prescriptions are not interrupted when people move indeed candidates and activists, are facing unparalleled between care providers and, as Members will have seen, levels of abuse through social media platforms? That my right hon. Friend the Health Secretary is also very cannot be allowed to continue. much committed to this agenda. Brandon Lewis: The hon. Gentleman makes the very Sir David Evennett: I welcome what my hon. Friend is good point that this should not be allowed to continue. doing in this area, but what steps are the Government We must look at all options on how we can ensure that. taking to harness the power of technology to help We have said we want to work with those companies to tackle the problem of loneliness, which the Jo Cox 735 Oral Answers 12 SEPTEMBER 2018 Oral Answers 736 Commission on Loneliness, the Prime Minister and Oliver Dowden: Specifically on Verify, I would urge Members across this House have done so much to the hon. Lady not to read everything that is being highlight? speculated on in the newspapers. The Government are committed to ensuring secure online digital identities, Oliver Dowden: My right hon. Friend raises an important and Verify has already delivered for 2.7 million people. point. Under the GovTech innovation fund, in collaboration More broadly, let us take the example of gov.uk, which with Monmouthshire County Council, we are working has had 5.1 billion sessions and 15.2 billion page views. to investigate a solution to identify vehicles with spare That did not happen when the Labour party was in capacity to tackle loneliness and rural isolation. That is power. Let us also take the example of Notify, which is another example of the great potential of technology to used by hundreds of organisations. The Government help to alleviate loneliness across society and to support Digital Service is a genuine innovation of this Government, people in having meaningful social relationships. and it is delivering seamless services across Government Departments. Luke Pollard (Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport) (Lab/ Co-op): At the weekend, I visited the Clipper, a converted Leaving the EU: Contingency Plans for No Deal pub on Union Street in Plymouth that is using crowdfunding 5. Mr Simon Clarke (Middlesbrough South and East technology in conjunction with the local authority, Cleveland) (Con): What contingency plans his Department Plymouth City Council, to raise money for a refit. What is making for no deal being reached on the UK leaving support is the Minister giving to local authorities and the EU. [906832] communities to use new technologies to raise funds, especially in a time of austerity? 8. Jeremy Lefroy (Stafford) (Con): What contingency plans his Department is making for no deal being Oliver Dowden: The hon. Gentleman makes an important reached on the UK leaving the EU. [906836] point, and I would be happy to discuss the example that he has raised. Local authorities have frequently bid for The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister these GovTech funds. As I said, Monmouthshire County for the Cabinet Office (Mr David Lidington): The Cabinet Council has been successful, as have local authorities in Office has developed contingency plans for exit-related Northern Ireland, and I encourage others to make a bid policy areas that are within our remit, such as public when the next round opens shortly. procurement, and we also work with other Government Departments on their plans. These preparations are a Hywel Williams (Arfon) (PC): What progress is being sensible precaution in case of the unlikely event that the made to ensure that my constituents can claim universal UK should leave the European Union with no deal. credit online through the medium of Welsh? Mr Clarke: I thank the Minister for that answer. If Oliver Dowden: The Government Digital Service is our country is not ready for a no-deal scenario, we are committed to ensuring full accessibility to all public simply not in a position to credibly negotiate with the services, including in our home nation languages, and it EU, so will he ensure that colleagues across Government will certainly look into that point. work as hard as they can to maximise the completeness and credibility of their plans? Sir Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire) (Con): My hon. Friend will be aware that, across the public Mr Lidington: Yes. A no-deal scenario is not what we service, appointments are being missed with experts expect, and it would certainly be an unwelcome outcome. including general practitioners, consultants, nurses and It is not what we want, but it is right that we should take employment advisers. Is there a role for technology in these sensible precautions. All Ministers around the prompting members of the public to attend these expensive Cabinet table and their teams are working hard to and important appointments? ensure that those plans are developed and ready. Jeremy Lefroy: As the chief executive of Jaguar Land Oliver Dowden: My right hon. and learned Friend is Rover has said, a deal is vital for west midlands, and absolutely correct, and this is a perfect example of how indeed UK, manufacturing.