Chi Onwurah MP: written questions 2024
87 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Bicycles: Manufacturing IndustriesDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 19 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14941More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) innovation and (b) growth in the bicycle manufacturing industry.
Answer: Small businesses and manufacturers are vital to high streets and communities, and essential to the success of the Government’s growth mission. At the Budget, the Government announced we would be continuing funding for key business support programmes in 20...
Answered 26 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordProject Gigabit and Shared Rural NetworkDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 19 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14940More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2024 to Question 13205 on Project Gigabit and Shared Rural Network, what minimum service levels his Department expects 4G coverage delivered as par
Answer: The Shared Rural Network is delivering good 4G outdoor coverage across rural parts of the UK. For 4G networks, Ofcom defines good coverage based on the minimum signal strength required to deliver a 95% probability of making a 90-second telephone call succ...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: FinanceDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 19 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14939More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 15 November 2024 to Question 13206 on Government Departments: Finance, which Departments are included in the first tranche; what the new system is; and how the
Answer: The first full tranche includes Cabinet Office, Department for Culture, Media & Sport, Department for Business & Trade, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology and Department for Energy Security & Net Zero plus associated Arm’s-Len...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordResearch: EqualityDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 19 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14938More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his department is taking to help increase diversity in the research workforce.
Answer: DSIT is committed to increasing diversity in the research workforce. We are supporting the pipeline of diverse talent, for example through the CREST Awards and the UKRI funded STEM Ambassador programme. We are supporting UKRI’s EDI Strategy to ensure that...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordResearch: FinanceDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 19 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14937More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to consult the research sector on the Government’s plans for 10 year budgets for R&D activities.
Answer: We recognise the importance of stakeholder engagement and are actively involving stakeholders from the research sector throughout the process. Further details on ten-year budgets will be set out in the Spring as part of the next phase of the Spending Revi...
Answered 27 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordMembers' Constituency Work: Artificial IntelligenceHouse of Commons CommissionTabled 18 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14618More
Question: To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, what progress the Commission has made in making AI technology available to help hon. members in their constituency work.
Answer: The House Administration actively considers how AI can benefit Members. This consideration has a number of threads:(1) Exploring the use of AITeams across Parliament are working together through Parliament’s AI Working Group to consider how AI may be used...
Answered 26 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordLondon North Eastern Railway: WiFiDepartment for TransportTabled 15 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14457More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2024 to Question 13473 on London North Eastern Railway: WiFi, what period the most recent report covers; and whether that report is publicly available.
Answer: The Office of Rail and Road publishes complaints data on a quarterly basis for all rail operators. London North Eastern Railway also undertakes its own research to understand and respond to passenger needs. The latest Office of Rail and Road passenger com...
Answered 20 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordShared Rural NetworkDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 12 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13761More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Shared Rural Network.
Answer: The Shared Rural Network (SRN) has already delivered substantial improvements to outdoor 4G mobile coverage across the UK. 4G coverage from at least one mobile network operator has increased from 91% when the programme was agreed in March 2020 to 94.9% ac...
Answered 18 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordResearch: South EastDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 11 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13478More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to increase the amount spent on research outside the Greater South East by 40%.
Answer: This public R&D regional investment target is set out in the statement of missions laid in relation to the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023.Increasing productivity right across the UK is fundamental to our mission to kickstart economic growth. T...
Answered 14 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordArtificial Intelligence: LegislationDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 11 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13477More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Assuring a Responsible Future for AI, published on 6 November 2024, what assessment he has made of the role of legislation in dri
Answer: AI assurance supports organisations to demonstrate their compliance with existing – and future – standards and regulations. To complement the existing focus on proportionate, sector-specific regulation, the UK Government remains focused on its intention t...
Answered 19 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordCybersecurity: Small BusinessesDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 11 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13476More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the (a) annual and (b) consolidated take up is of cyber essentials by small and medium sized businesses.
Answer: a) Cyber Essentials certificates awarded to small and medium sized businesses:i. November 2023 to October 2024: 41,162, including 9,680 Cyber Essentials Plus certificates.ii. November 2022 to October 2023: 26,674, including 7,966 Cyber Essentials Plus cer...
Answered 14 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordArtificial Intelligence: ProcurementDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 11 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13475More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Assuring a Responsible Future for AI, published on 6 November 2024, what assessment he has made of the role that Government procu
Answer: We know that Government procurement is a powerful lever to drive innovation, giving businesses confidence to invest in and shape markets by signalling Government needs and intent, and this is no different with AI assurance. By embedding them in public sec...
Answered 14 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Business and Trade: FinanceTreasuryTabled 11 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13474More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2024 to Question 12054 on Department for Business and Trade: Finance, whether the figures referenced are included in the £20.4 billion mentioned on page 65 of the Autumn Budget 2
Answer: The £20.4bn referenced on page 65 of the Budget document refers to all departmental research and development budgets for 2025/2026.This includes a research and development allocation for the Department for Business and Trade for 2025/2026 of £329m. This i...
Answered 14 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordLondon North Eastern Railway: WiFiDepartment for TransportTabled 11 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13473More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the quality of wifi on London North Eastern Railway services; and if she will have discussions with that company on improving that wifi.
Answer: The Department is working closely with London North Eastern Railway (LNER) to ensure all aspects of onboard experience, including WiFi, meet customers’ expectations. LNER reports on customer satisfaction to the Department every rail period and their most ...
Answered 14 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: FinanceDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 8 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13206More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to paragraph 4.99 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October 2024, HC 295, over what period will £80 million be invested in corporate services across Government;
Answer: The multi-year investment relates to the Matrix Shared Services Transformation programme, which plays an important part in driving a modern digital government, giving people a more satisfying experience and their time back in nine government departments. ...
Answered 15 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordProject Gigabit and Shared Rural NetworkDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 8 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13205More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to paragraph 4.96 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October 2024, HC 295, by what process the figure of £500 million to invest in Project Gigabit and the Shared
Answer: The Autumn Budget set out funding of over £500m in 2025/26 for Project Gigabit and the Shared Rural Network. This only referred to the capital funding for these programmes, resource is allocated separately. The funding allocation is based on estimated del...
Answered 13 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordManufacturing Industries: Digital TechnologyDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 8 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13204More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to paragraph 4.94 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October 2024, HC 295, by what process the figure of £37 million for the Made Smarter programme was arrived at
Answer: We will announce further details on the allocation of the R&D budget in 2025/26 in due course. We will ensure we continue to build on the success of the Made Smarter Innovation Challenge, which has supported more than 400 organisations, of which over ...
Answered 15 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordUniversities: ResearchDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 8 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13203More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to paragraph 4.94 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October 2024, HC 295, by what process the support for the commercialisation of university research will be al
Answer: DSIT and UK Research and Innovation are designing a new process to allocate this funding. This will build on engagement earlier in the year with the university sector on how to design proof-of-concept funding. While the benefits realised will depend on th...
Answered 15 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordNew Businesses: FinanceDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 8 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13202More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to paragraph 4.94 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 October 2024, HC 295, how much he plans to spend over what time period on an extension of the Innovation Acce
Answer: The Government will extend the Innovation Accelerators pilot for a year to continue to bolster high-potential innovation clusters in the Glasgow City Region, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands. We will announce further details on the allocation of t...
Answered 18 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordHorizon Europe: Investment ReturnsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 8 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13201More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to paragraph 4.94 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 August 2024, HC 295, whether he has made an estimate of the return on investment in Horizon (a) this year and
Answer: We expect to contribute over £8bn to Horizon Europe between 2024-2027, and are aiming for UK researchers to be awarded the maximum amount possible through successful funding bids. Our priority is to boost UK application and success rates to maximise this ...
Answered 13 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordResearch: FinanceDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 8 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 13200More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to paragraph 4.94 of the Autumn Budget 2024, published on 30 August 2024, HC 295, whether this applies to all UK universities; and what metric she will use to assess whet
Answer: The Autumn Budget 2024 announces at least £6.1 billion of funding for core research, growing this allocation at least in line with inflation. Core research funding directly and indirectly supports universities through a range of programmes, including comp...
Answered 13 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordResearch: FinanceTreasuryTabled 6 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 12938More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 4 November 2024 to Question 11881 on Research Finance, if her Department will publish a tabular summary of Capital DEL allocated in the Budget to research and development by Department for
Answer: The departmental research and development (R&D) allocations for 2024-25 are set out in the table below. The numbers represent departmental plans as of Autumn Budget 2024, which reflect underspends identified through the Public Spending Audit 2024-25, ...
Answered 14 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Business and Trade: FinanceTreasuryTabled 31 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 12054More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 3.19 of Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, whether the funding for growth-driving sectors will be allocated to the Department for Business and Trade.
Answer: This government is committed to delivering a modern Industrial Strategy. The Budget took a first step towards supporting our growth driving sectors, by providing funding in 2025-26 for life sciences manufacturing, allocated to the Department for Science, ...
Answered 8 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordResearch: FinanceDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 31 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 12053More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the evidential basis is for the calculation that the increase in his Department’s R&D budget to £13.9 billion is a rise by 8.5% in real terms.
Answer: DSIT’s capital budget in 2024/25 was £13.3bn, with £12.5bn allocated for investment in R&D. As outlined in the Autumn Budget 2024, DSIT’s R&D allocation has risen to £13.9bn in 2025/26, a £1.4bn cash-terms uplift.Using the latest OBR GDP deflator ...
Answered 5 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordHigher Education: FinanceDepartment for EducationTabled 30 Oct 2024AnsweredUIN 11884More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Autumn Budget 2024 on higher education institutions.
Answer: Although my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, did not announce new funding for the higher education (HE) sector, we have since announced measures across fees, maintenance and wider HE reform to address financial pressures faced by the se...
Answered 8 Nov 2024
Original Parliament record
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