Stephen O'Brien MP

Stephen O'Brien MP (Conservative) MP for Eddisbury. Shadow Minister for Health.

Digital Economy Bill

Contacted by at least one ORG supporter.

Surgeries

All by appointment only.

  • 12 February 2010 in Winsford
  • 26 February 2010 @ Cholmondeley Coronation Hall, Bickley Moss, Whitchurch
  • 12 March 2010 in Winsford
  • 26 March 2010 in Kelsall
  • 9 April 2010 in Winsford

Telephone: 020 7219 6315
Email: obriens@parliament.uk

  • I emailed him on 25th November. Will update when I get a response... KatieSutton 23:22, 4 December 2009 (UTC)
    • Still no response, but had a phonecall from his secretary today who said that he wouldn't make an appointment with me and was instead sending a document about the Conservatives opinion on Digital Economy Bill on Monday. Will make this document available when I get it, and request an appointment again if I'm not satisfied. KatieSutton 16:20, 11 December 2009 (UTC)
    • Form response from Tory central office received. Have pressed for further information and will update when I get a reply. KatieSutton 13:48, 14 December 2009 (UTC)

Identity cards

Labour’s ID cards will not work & money could be spent better elsewhere says Stephen O’Brien MP

"The Government’s plans for ID cards will cost the taxpayer billions of pounds and will not deliver the benefits claimed. They will do nothing to improve the safety of our citizens. They are not the answer to the threat of terrorism, as has been proven in other countries where terrorist attacks have been carried out and have ID cards, such as Spain; to benefit fraud, illegal immigration, human trafficking or to identity theft. They are a waste of money, and an incoming Conservative Government will abolish them."
"The Government’s plans are to make ID Cards compulsory for everyone, and force people to pay to be fingerprinted by the State. Instead of these intrusive, expensive and ineffective ID Cards, the money should be spent on more worthwhile projects to cut crime where it can have a real and lasting impact - such as a dedicated UK Border Police force to stop the flow of illegal immigrants and deport those that are not supposed to be here, more prison spaces and increasing the number of residential drug rehabilitation places. These projects would make a real difference in the fight against crime whereas ID cards would cost billions and deliver very little."

NHS

Shadow Minister for Health, Stephen O'Brien called Labour's NHS IT shambles

"Gordon Brown's relentless attempt to ram through a monolithic, top-down, centralised, one-size-fits-all NHS supercomputer system is crashing down around his ears."

Shadow health minister Stephen O'Brien has also called on the National Audit Office (NAO) to launch a full scale probe into the National Programme for IT (NPfIT).

"Yet again this (Accenture withdrawing) poses embarrassing questions for Patricia Hewitt about the future of the NPfIT. If Accenture are willing to cut their losses, that seriously undermines confidence in the whole programme."

News

2008-05-29 - The Telegraph - National NHS database plans delayed again
Author: Rosa Prince
Summary: Plans for a national NHS database containing all patient records have been delayed again after one of the main contractors pulled out of the deal ... Stephen O'Brien, a shadow health minister, said that the government's attempts to "ram through a top-down, centralised, one-size-fits-all central NHS computer system" has come "crashing down around their ears".
2008-05-29 - Conservative Press Release - Labour's NHS IT shambles
Author: Stephen O'Brien MP
Summary: Shadow Minister for Health, Stephen O'Brien, has attacked Labour after their plans to impose a centralised NHS IT system hit yet another setback. The NHS IT programme, which is already four years late, could experience further delays after a contract with Fujitsu, a key supplier, was terminated. £12.7 billion of taxpayers' money is now at risk. Stephen said, "Gordon Brown's relentless attempt to ram through a monolithic, top-down, centralised, one-size-fits-all NHS supercomputer system is crashing down around his ears." He accused Labour of turning a "deaf ear" to warnings about problems with the NHS IT programme. And he criticised them for deliberately trying to "spin their way out of the situation irrespective of the facts."
2008-03-14 - BBC - NHS IT delays 'hit cash savings
Summary: The potential savings from the £12.4bn NHS IT project in England have been hit by delays dogging key parts of the programme, the government admits. ... Electronic medical records and "choose and book" - an online appointments system for GPs - have been the worst-hit. ... shadow health minister Stephen O'Brien criticised the fact only £208m had been saved so far, calling it "peanuts" compared to the cost of the programme. "It is certainly nothing the government should be crowing about as it is the very least they should be doing to recover their incompetence on a grand scale."
2007-08-16 - BBC - 'Action needed' on NHS computers
Summary: Delays and costs of the multi-billion pound NHS information technology upgrade mean its future is "not looking good", a group of MPs has said. ... Shadow health minister Stephen O'Brien, said: "Doctors and nurses were left out of the planning and design of the NHS IT programme and that has been a huge problem."
2007-06-14 - Computing - Bury patients join NHS records pilot
Author: Sarah Arnott and Lisa Kelly
Summary: Bury NHS Primary Care Trust (PCT) is joining the pilot of the electronic care record system at the heart of the £12bn National Programme for NHS IT (NPfIT). The Lancashire trust’s involvement comes at a time of continued controversy over the scheme. In a House of Commons debate last week, Stephen O'Brien MP called for an independent review. And NPfIT director general Richard Granger will be among witnesses at a health select committee hearing today (Thursday).
2007-06-07 - British Computer Society - Conservatives announce NHS IT review
Summary: The Conservatives have said that they intend to carry out a review of the NHS IT programme. ... shadow health minister Stephen O'Brien said. "The programme is two years late, so by the government's own admission the consequences of its incompetent implementation are the thousands of lives the government told us the NHS IT system would save."
2007-04-26 - BBC - Doctors' job website is suspended
Summary: A controversial job application website for junior doctors has been suspended, amid fresh concerns of security lapses. The Department of Health said it was investigating claims that doctors were able to read each other's messages. The new concerns come a day after revelations that applicants' personal information could be freely accessed. ... Channel 4 News reported that applicants had been able to see each other's files by changing two digits in the personalised web address given to each individual. ... Shadow health minister Stephen O'Brien said there was a "serious lack of confidence" in MTAS. "We need the government to act upon this immediately, even if they do find their lack of leadership embarrassing," he said. "Until confidence is its security restored, I don't see how junior doctors can be expected to use MTAS."
2007-04-17 - The Register - NPfIT condemned in MPs' scathing report
Author: Lucy Sherriff
Summary: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has issued a damning report into the NHS's overdue and over budget National Programme for IT (NPfIT). ... Shadow health minister Stephen O'Brien, said the problems began when doctors and nurses were not consulted properly at the planning stages.
2006-09-29 - Kable - Accenture escapes penalities
Summary: The IT and consultancy firm has avoided huge penalty fees for withdrawing from the National Programme for IT (NPfIT) ... Shadow health minister Stephen O'Brien has also called on the National Audit Office (NAO) to launch a full scale probe into the project. "Yet again this (Accenture withdrawing) poses embarrassing questions for Patricia Hewitt about the future of the NPfIT. If Accenture are willing to cut their losses, that seriously undermines confidence in the whole programme."
2006-08-01 - BBC - Services back after NHS IT crash
Summary: Computer services are being restored to 80 NHS trusts in the North West of England and West Midlands following a massive IT failure on Sunday. ... Shadow health minister Stephen O'Brien said: "Despite the huge amounts of taxpayers' money which has been sprayed at the NHS IT system, it continues to be left wanting."
2006-06-16 - BBC - Major NHS IT upgrade hit by delay
Summary: Key parts of the £6.8bn NHS IT upgrade in England are falling behind schedule, the National Audit Office says. ... Shadow Minister for Health Stephen O'Brien said the report shed light on the delayed and "ill-planned" NHS IT programme which the government had "constantly tried to shield from public scrutiny".
2006-05-29 - BBC - 'Little delay' to NHS IT upgrade
Summary: The Conservatives have called for Connecting for Health to be reconsidered. Shadow health minister Stephen O'Brien said Accenture's withdrawal poses "embarrassing questions" for Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt. "With Accenture - the most experienced of the primary contractors saying they are going to cut their losses - that seriously undermines confidence in the whole programme," he said. Last week, the magazine Computer Weekly reported there had been 110 major technical glitches to the project in last four months.

Links

Retrieved from "https://wiki.openrightsgroup.org/w/index.php?title=Stephen_O%27Brien_MP&oldid=32758"