Jacqui Smith MP

From Orgwiki

Jacqui Smith MP (Labour) MP for Redditch. Home Secretary. Former chief whip.

ORG Volunteer Felix Cohen is registered to vote in Redditch currently, and has had previous experience with Jacqui Smith over the issues of top-up fees, Iraq and local NHS issues. Is often prepared to meet with constituents in Westminster (although sometimes meetings are cancelled at the last minute).

Contents

[edit] Issues

Five News reported in sexual abuse in second life. 30 October 2007 Today Home Secretary Jacqui Smith told me she was concerned that computer generated images could be used by paedophiles to breakdown their inhibitions.

[edit] Identity cards

10 Downing Street Webchat with Jacqui Smith, Home Secretary 2 August 2007

By next spring, everyone who applies for a visa to come into the UK will have to provide fingerprints which can then be checked and used to ensure that they are who they say they are. By the end of 2008, we will also be introducing id cards for foreign nationals who are here for more than six months and expect to be issuing the first national ID cards in 2009. However, it's a very big job to get the identity register and the cards that will depend on it right and that's why we're working through the plans carefully.

New Statesman Jacqui Smith: The Interview 2 August 2007

"You do need a system which has at its heart the ability, at a national level, to tie people's identity to a record of who they are."
..."There will be an ID card,"
..."From 2009 we will be introducing ID cards for UK citizens. From 2008 we will introduce what will effectively be an ID card for those who have been in the UK for more than six months."

Written answer National Identity Card Scheme 9 July 2007

The Government remain committed to the introduction of the national identity scheme.
ID cards are essential in combating identity fraud and illegal immigration and in disrupting organised crime and the continued threat of terrorism.

On her website Jacqui Smith comments on ID Cards 24 January 2005

"ID cards will help the police fight crime. They will fight fraud and they will tackle crime that involves individuals who build up multiple identities and it will help in the fight against terrorism."
"In addition, when we provide benefits or people receive free treatment on the NHS it is important that we know who the recipients of these services are. ID Cards will help us ensure that only those who are entitled to these services get them."

[edit] Software patents

The Register reported in Democracy and the software patenting debate 7 June 2004

Labour's position is a matter of public record, as Jacqui Smith, MP, sat in the Council of Ministers' meeting on 18 May, and gave Labour's backing to the current form of the directive. She said: "The Directive does appear to meet the needs of innovators and users of software and computer-implemented inventions; it's obviously important that we keep this area as straightforward as possible. I was reassured to hear the comments of Commissioner Bolkestein making clear that companies who did abuse their position could be dealt with using competition law."

[edit] National Vehicle Tracking Database

10 Downing Street Webchat with Jacqui Smith, Home Secretary 2 August 2007

CCTV systems including automatic number plate recognition can play a really important role in tackling and investigating crime and terrorism. The police have their own camera network on some roads for tracking suspicious vehicles and identifying suspects. But no decision has been made about whether other ANPR data, for example, from congestion charging cameras should be made available to the police for fighting crime generally. Such a decision would only be taken with wide consultation and robust safeguards on the use of the information.

The Guardian 'Big Brother' plan for police to use new road cameras 18 July 2007

The leaked Home Office note emerged yesterday as it was announced that the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, had waived Data Protection Act safeguards to allow the bulk transfer of data from London's congestion charge and traffic cameras to the Metropolitan police for the specific purpose of tracking potential terrorists in and around the capital. Transport for London was very reluctant to hand over the data without the home secretary issuing a special certificate exempting it from legal action from motorists worried about breach of their privacy.

[edit] Freedom of Information

Voted in favour of a bill that would have exempt the The House of Commons from its own Freedom of Information Act, ending the compulsory legal requirement for MPs to disclose their expenses and introducing further curbs on the release of already protected MPs' correspondence.

[edit] Links

[edit] News

2008-03-06 - The Times - Identity cards link to passports is cut
Summary: The public will be allowed to apply for identity cards without having to wait to renew their passports, under moves to speed up the scheme and cut its £5.6 billion costs (Richard Ford writes). Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, will announce the move today in the belief that there is a large market for the card, which can be used for travel within the European Union. This would speed up the issuing of cards and help to get people’s biometrics on to the national identity register. Ms Smith will also announce that some foreign nationals resident in Britain will be issued with an ID card within the next few weeks under a pilot scheme.
2008-01-17 - The Register - Home Sec in anti-terror plan to control entire web
Author: Lewis Page
Summary: UK Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has decided to mount a push against cyber terror, in which the internet itself will somehow be modified to prevent people using it for terrorist purposes. ... Either this is just grandstanding to technically ignorant voters or the government actually plans to build a Chinese-style Great Firewall of Blighty. Let's hope they're just bullshitting.
2008-01-17 - Linx - Government targets terrorist Internet
Summary: The Home Secretary hinted that this she does indeed want to extend network level content blocking: Cleanfeed for terrorism: "We need to work with internet service providers. We need to actually use some of the lessons we’ve learnt about how we, for example, protect children from paedophiles and grooming on the internet to inform the way in which we use it to prevent violent extremism and to tackle terrorism as well."
2008-01-17 - BBC - Smith targets internet extremism
Summary: The home secretary has outlined plans to target websites promoting extremism, as part of efforts to stop people being drawn towards radical groups. Jacqui Smith said she wanted to use technology to stop "vulnerable people" being "groomed for violent extremism".
2008-01-17 - Associated Press - UK Says It Wants to Tackle Net Terror
Author: Raphael G. Satter
Summary: British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, giving the keynote speech at a conference on radicalization and political violence, said "the Internet is not a no-go area for government." She compared her government's plan to counter extremism on the Internet to its long-standing campaign against pedophiles and child pornography online. "If we are ready and willing to take action to stop the grooming of vulnerable young people on social-networking sites, then I believe we should also take action against those who groom vulnerable people for the purposes of violent extremism." "Where there is illegal material on the Net, I want it removed," she said.
2007-07-18 - The Guardian - 'Big Brother' plan for police to use new road cameras
Author: Alan Travi
Summary: "Big Brother" plans to automatically hand the police details of the daily journeys of millions of motorists tracked by road pricing cameras across the country were inadvertently disclosed by the Home Office last night. ... The leaked Home Office note emerged yesterday as it was announced that the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, had waived Data Protection Act safeguards to allow the bulk transfer of data from London's congestion charge and traffic cameras to the Metropolitan police for the specific purpose of tracking potential terrorists in and around the capital. Transport for London was very reluctant to hand over the data without the home secretary issuing a special certificate exempting it from legal action from motorists worried about breach of their privacy.
2007-06-29 - The Guardian - Home Office job full of challenges for 'doer' Smith
Author: Alan Travis
Summary: If Jack Straw had been given the job it would be a fairly strong bet that the future of the identity card scheme would now be in the melting pot. But a quick glance at Ms Smith's constituency website is enough to demonstrate that she is a strong supporter of the project and is likely to resist any Treasury attempt to scale it back.
2007-06-28 - BBC News - First female boss for Home Office
Summary: Jacqui Smith has become Britain's first female home secretary, having been appointed as John Reid's replacement. Her promotion to Gordon Brown's Cabinet comes after a stint as chief whip.
2007-05-20 - The Guardian - Lords to shame MPs over secrecy bill
Author: Jo Revill and Paul Kelbie
Summary: Members of Parliament who voted to remove themselves from anti-secrecy laws are to be 'put to shame' by peers gearing up to block a similar move for the House of Lords. ... despite the government's supposed 'neutrality', the proposals were reintroduced and won the backing of a sizeable number of Labour MPs. These included 26 ministers and supporters of Brown, including Ed Balls, the Treasury minister, close allies Nick Brown and Tom Watson, and Jacqui Smith, the chief whip. Other ministerial supporters included Caroline Flint, Phil Woolas, Joan Ryan, Meg Munn, Ian McCartney, Tony McNulty, Parmjit Dhanda and Maria Eagle.
2007-05-19 - The Guardian - MPs vote to exempt themselves from anti-secrecy law
Author: David Hencke
Summary: The House of Commons yesterday voted to exempt itself from its own Freedom of Information Act, ending the compulsory legal requirement for MPs to disclose their expenses and introducing further curbs on the release of already protected MPs' correspondence. ... Mr Maclean was backed by a sizeable number of Labour MPs, who turned up to vote to cut short the debate and pass the legislation. These included 26 ministers and prominent supporters of Gordon Brown, including Ed Balls, the Treasury minister, and Jacqui Smith, chief whip.
2005-06-07 - The Guardian - New minister takes ICT brief
Summary: ICT and e-strategy will form an important part of Jacqui Smith's brief as the new minister of state for schools. The ultra-loyal, Blairite MP for Redditch and former economics teacher will also be in charge of an overview of all schools strategy, including Building Schools for the Future. The 42-year-old minister has hit the ground running with a palate of new polices that match ICT with her previous experience as minister of state at the Department of Health.
2004-09-17 - The Register - DTI calls women back to science and technology
Summary: The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is to spend £4m in encouraging more women to pursue careers in science and technology. It says the UK economy is losing out because women with science qualifications too often leave the field. The money will fund a new UK Resource Centre for women in SET (Science, Engineering and Technology), based in Bradford. The goal is that businesses will use the centre support to make the most of the opportunities available to women in the sector. ... Jacqui Smith, deputy minister for women and equality, said: "We need to get more girls excited about careers in SET and more women with SET skills employed to use their specialist training and experience in good jobs and in senior positions. And we need to work with business to make sure that women who take career breaks return to quality SET positions."
2004-08-10 - The Register - UK gov moves to bust bootleggers
Author: John Leyden
Summary: The UK government's first intellectual property (IP) crime strategy was launched today by industry minister Jacqui Smith. Described as a blueprint to crack down on the trade in fake goods, the scheme involves closer inter-agency co-operation in the fight against pirates and bootleggers. ... Here the government is quoting industry figures which are wide open to question, as we'll see. ... Jacqui Smith said: "Pirates and bootleggers cheat consumers and place a drain on our economy. We cannot and we will not simply turn a blind eye to copyright and trade mark crime." "Intellectual property crime is not victimless. As well as cheating consumers, the trade in counterfeit goods costs UK companies billions of pounds and thousands of jobs every year. That is why we are working together with industry and law enforcement agencies to clamp down on this illegal trade," she added. ... Music industry chiefs like EMI chair Eric Nicoli were quick to welcome the scheme ... Compelling stuff. Or is it? It turns out that the study assumes that every piece of pirated software is a "lost sale". But IDC (which was commissioned by the BSA to conduct the study) reckons only one of 10 unauthorized copies might be a lost sale.
2004-06-07 - The Register - Democracy and the software patenting debate
Author: Lucy Sherriff
Summary:The next session of the European Parliament will be vital for the tech industry, as the directive on computer implemented inventions is due to get its second reading. ... The directive is highly controversial in its current form, for several reasons. In brief, the wording is such that it allows a very broad interpretation of what is patentable. There are three points that are particularly contentious: interoperability, lack of definition of technical effect and how patents would affect end users. ... Labour's position is a matter of public record, as Jacqui Smith, MP, sat in the Council of Ministers' meeting on 18 May, and gave Labour's backing to the current form of the directive. She said: "The Directive does appear to meet the needs of innovators and users of software and computer-implemented inventions; it's obviously important that we keep this area as straightforward as possible. I was reassured to hear the comments of Commissioner Bolkestein making clear that companies who did abuse their position could be dealt with using competition law."
2001-03-26 - BBC News - E-registering drive to beat truancy
Summary: Hundreds more secondary schools in England are to be given money next year to introduce electronic pupil registration systems. The Schools Minister, Jacqui Smith, said independent reports had shown that electronic registration could cut truancy by 10% within two years. ... The advantage of electronic registration is that, depending on the system chosen, it can be almost instant so a school can quickly contact pupils' homes to find out where they are.
1999-11-18 - BBC News - Web funding for specialist teachers
Summary: Groups representing specialist subject teachers are to be given up to £8,000 each to help develop websites. The Schools Minister for England, Jacqui Smith, said that about 20 subject associations were expected to bid for the money to help them enhance websites on subjects they represent, such as science and history.
1999-09-03 - The Register - Net uptake in schools fuels market growth
Summary: Last week the government stated that the number of primary schools online had grown almost four-fold in the last year. This increase was due to the government pumping cash into the education sector through the National Grid for Learning (NGFL), said Schools Minister Jacqui Smith. The education market is huge for the IT industry -- estimated at between £0.5 and £0.75 billion per year -- and growing rapidly. The government is investing £2 billion in infrastructure and teacher training by 2002.
1999-07-29 - BBC News - UK Politics The reshuffle in full
Summary: Department for Education and Employment, Jacqui Smith joins the government as a junior minister
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