Andrew Dismore MP (Labour) former MP for Hendon.

Digital Economy Bill

Contacted by at least one ORG supporter. Listened and voted against the bill.

Letter to constituent

Thank you for email of 18th March concerning the issue of the Digital Economy Bill.

I do not think the Bill is being rushed through, as it has had quite a lot of consideration and scrutiny.

The Joint Select Committee on Human Rights, which I chair, has reported on the Bill twice, on the various aspects relating to individual rights, and you may be interested in reviewing our reports on the issue, which can be seen on our website: http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/joint_committee_on_human_rights/joint_committee_on_human_rights_reports_and_publications.cfm .

The two reports are our 5th report and 14th report of the session of 2009/2010. You will see that we have raised a number of concerns and we have published the Government’s response to those concerns in the second report.

The Bill is now in the House of Lords, so we will have to wait and see how the Bill progresses there, as what happens in the House of Lords if of course beyond the reach of Members of the House of Commons, as we are entirely separate Houses of Parliament.

I certainly also expect there to be time to debate the Bill again in the Commons after the Lords have finished with it, before the election is called.

Yours sincerely,

Andrew Dismore

Labour Member of Parliament for Hendon

Identity cards

Andrew Dismore said February 06

I voted in support of the ID cards bill. There have been a number of improvements to the Bill and ID cards can only become compulsory after a further Bill in Parliament. This seems to me to be an appropriate safeguard: and also accords with the consultation I carried out in the constituency which showed a majority, over two-thirds, in favour of ID cards.

Discgate‎

The joint committee on human rights chairman, Labour MP Andrew Dismore, said it was "rather surprising" Mr Wills had not been informed earlier about the child benefit discs. He told him: "If the private sector had done what the government has done they would have been had for breakfast. The problem is the government is not doing what it's preaching." And he said the email exchange between staff at Revenue and Customs and the National Audit Office appeared to have "revolved around cost considerations" with no thought of data protection or the privacy of individuals concerned. 26 November 2007

Electronic Voting

House of Commons debate Local Government and Planning 20 October 2006

I draw the line at the idea of internet voting because it would disfranchise an awful lot of people who do not have access to the internet or are not computer literate. I would have classed myself in the second category several years ago, but I have improved. But I know that many of my constituents simply do not have access to these facilities because they cannot afford them.

DNA database

Written question DNA Database 30 October 2006

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Hendon residents are on the National DNA Database.

Open Source Software

Signed Early Day Motion 179 Software in Schools 21 November 2006

That this House congratulates the Open University and other schools, colleges and universities for utilising free and open source software to deliver cost-effective educational benefit not just for their own institutions but also the wider community; and expresses concern that Becta and the Department for Education and Skills, through the use of outdated purchasing frameworks, are effectively denying schools the option of benefiting from both free and open source software and the value and experience small and medium ICT companies could bring to the schools market.

Spam

Signed the Early Day Motion Spam E-Mails 16 November 2003

That this House commends the House of Commons Library Standard note on Unsolicited Electronic Mail (SN/SC/1280); notes that according to computer experts the amount of spam increased from 3.2 per cent. of total communication in 2002 to an astonishing 55 per cent. in March 2003 and that 90 per cent. of spam, most of which is pornographic in content, can be identified as emanating from 150 sources, 40 of which are located in Florida; believes that the electronic mail system is likely to collapse if the volume of spam is not reduced; commends the EU for introducing legislative measures that should stifle the operations of bulk commercial e-mailers by the end of this year by ensuring that only those opting in would receive spam messages; regrets that this legislation will not cover spam originating from the US and other off shore distribution points; expresses its concern at the Bush Administration's plans to offer only an opt out option for those wishing to block unsolicited mail; calls on the US Administration to adopt legislation based on the EU model; and calls on the Government to make urgent representations on behalf of its 20 million citizens now on-line.

Violent Computer Games

Signed Early Day Motion 1135 Self-Regulation of Computer Games Industry 29 November 2005

That this House recognises the size and importance of the computer games industry and the popularity of computer games and welcomes the contribution the industry makes to the United Kingdom's economy; notes, however, that retailers and parents often do not strictly adhere to the age guidance on the games packaging and that the guidance does not properly inform parents about what content to expect; and therefore urges the industry to adopt a self-regulatory uniform system, based on that established for the DVD industry, showing the levels of, for instance, swearing, violence, sex and nudity, as for example, strong, frequent, graphic, moderate, etc. so that parents are better informed and can make better purchasing decisions and improve control of the use of computer games by children.

Links

Andrew Dismore MP website
Andrew Dismore MP TheyWorkForYou.com
Andrew Dismore MP Wikipedia

News

2007-11-26 - BBC - Data minister 'not told of discs': Summary: Data protection minister Michael Wills has said he was not told that two discs containing 25 million people's data had been lost before an official statement. ... The joint committee on human rights chairman, Labour MP Andrew Dismore, said it was "rather surprising" Mr Wills had not been informed earlier about the child benefit discs. He told him: "If the private sector had done what the government has done they would have been had for breakfast. The problem is the government is not doing what it's preaching." And he said the email exchange between staff at Revenue and Customs and the National Audit Office appeared to have "revolved around cost considerations" with no thought of data protection or the privacy of individuals concerned.

2005-06-29 - Computing - MPs' concern growing over FireControl IT plan: Author: Sarah Arnott; Summary: An early-day motion tabled by Andrew Dismore MP in the House of Commons expresses concern that the business case for the FireControl programme warns of a high risk of total project failure. It also notes the government's poor record on major IT implementations, and calls for an independent assessment before the project proceeds.

2003-01-10 - Andrew Dismore Press Release - Dismore boosts politics on the web: Author: Andrew Dismore MP; Summary: Andrew Dismore MP, Labour Member of Parliament for Hendon, has gone on-line with an internet website built by ePolitix.com. Andrew said: "I have been well aware of the need for a website for some time, and I am very pleased that I have now been able to launch this. I expect my website to have details of recent speeches in the House of Commons, press releases, and my regular House of Commons briefings, which have proved extremely popular when sent out in the post. I hope that this proves a very useful tool for my constituents, to keep in touch with my activities on their behalf."