Liam Byrne MP, Labour’s Shadow Digital Minister, responding to the news that Google are facing legal action for alleged unlawful data collection, said:

“The scale of this case shows the imbalance of power between everyday people and the companies that hoover up their data to make money.

“Google ‘You Owe Us’ legal challenge seeks to bring justice to the millions of people who may have had their data unlawfully collected and, if successful, will ensure companies like Google act in good faith when it comes to users’ data.

“The Data Protection Bill is currently going through Parliament and Labour will be aiming to put trust at the heart of the UK’s new data protection system to ensure companies can innovate but only if they collect and use data responsibly.”

Angela Rayner MP, Labour’s Shadow Education
Secretary, commenting on reports the Government are set to lose £800m from the
private sale of student loans, said:

“This is just the latest evidence that the Government should abandon
their privatisation of the student loan book.

“In the Budget, they promised to assess value for money before any sale.
We now know that they have lost £800m of taxpayer’s money on this sale.

“This cannot possibly be value for money, and they should change course
now before even more of our cash is wasted on their ideologically driven
plans.”

Barbara Keeley MP, Labour’s Shadow
Minister for Social Care,
commenting on a report from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which
has found that the current system
for providing social care is not sustainable without additional funding,
said:

“The Tory Government needs to act on
the resounding verdict of the Competition and Markets Authority and end their
swingeing cuts to local authority budgets, which have caused underfunding and
instability in the social care sector since 2010.

“Due to these cuts, £6.3 billion
will have been lost from social care budgets by March next year. This has meant
less publicly funded care for those in need, increased pressure on unpaid
family carers and worse conditions for hard-pressed care staff. 

“The Tory Government must now make
clear how they will enact the will of the House of Commons to meet the funding
gap for social care and act on the recommendations of the CMA so that the
rights of self-funders are protected.

Jonathan Ashworth MP, Labour’s
Shadow Health Secretary, responding to NHS England’s Board Meeting confirming
waiting times standards will not be met next year, said:

“NHS England’s unprecedented
confirmation that NHS constitution waiting times standards ‘will not be fully
funded and met next year’ is the direct result of Philip Hammond’s failure to
give the NHS the funding it needed in the recent Budget.

“Today NHS bosses have effectively
conceded that the 18 week target for treatment can’t be met given continued
underfunding of the NHS.

“This will mean more and more
patients waiting longer and longer in pain, discomfort and distress for
elective operations. This is the real debilitating impact on patients’ quality
of life as a result of Tory austerity.

“What’s more, there are serious
questions about the legality of effectively abandoning a standard of care
enshrined in the NHS constitution. As a matter of urgency Jeremy Hunt must
now tell us whether he intends to amend the law and the NHS Constitution
through legislation and publicly accept his Government’s funding squeeze is
jeopardizing legally guaranteed standards of patient care.”

Ends

Labour today launches a major initiative to work with people and businesses in our seaside towns on a plan to revive jobs, industry and local economies.

Leader Jeremy Corbyn will join Shadow Minister for Coastal Communities Holly Lynch at the first of a series of visits across Britain’s coastal communities.

They will meet civic and business leaders to discuss how best to support coastal industries and services post-Brexit. Other Shadow Cabinet members will hold similar events around the country in the coming months, each focusing on a key theme, such as healthcare, transport, jobs and industry.

Labour is today also launching an online consultation ahead of the Government’s Fisheries Bill, to gather views and evidence from industry experts, consumers and environmental experts.

Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn, said:

“Seaside towns hold a special place in our country’s history but they have been left behind by the Conservatives. Instead of being neglected and starved of investment, our coastal communities have enormous potential as centres for creative, digital and offshore industries.

“Labour will invest in all communities around the thousand of miles of our coastline and will work with them as we transform our economy so it serves the interests of the many, not the few.”

Holly Lynch MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Coastal Communities, said:

“Well-managed fisheries and sustainable fishing practices mean more fish, more jobs, and a greater contribution to the UK economy in the long term. There is a unique opportunity as we leave the EU to transform the way we manage our fisheries to drive economic prosperity, tourism and environmental benefits to our beautiful and unique British coast.

“Labour believes the unique position of coastal communities should not be confined to the past, but should be part of an innovative, thriving and sustainable future.”