Press briefing: morning 28 January
The Prime Minister’s Spokesperson (PMS) answered questions on child abuse, UK-France summit, and the economy.
The PMS began by giving a run-down of the Cabinet agenda that morning.
Child abuse
Asked whether child exploitation had been discussed at Cabinet today, the PMS said that the Home Secretary had updated her colleagues about on-going police investigations, criminal prosecutions and investigations within the health service.
Asked whether plans for taking action against social media companies and technology firms had been discussed, the PMS that the Secretary of State for DCMS was continuing to meet technology companies. Safety of children is very important and the government is regularly engaging with the sector about this.
Asked about whether there were any plans to have more sex education in schools, the PMS said that sex education was already part of the National Curriculum and the curriculum is based on the latest expert guidance.
UK – France Summit
Asked about the UK- France Summit, the PMS said the main themes would be defence and energy, with the opportunity to deepen on going collaboration in both sectors.
Economy
Asked whether the PM felt the economy was in the wrong sort of recovery, the PMS reiterated the PM’s position on the economy and highlighted the Chancellor’s statement in Parliament about GDP figures.
Asked whether the government is worried about construction figures, the PMS said that construction is up 4.5 % over the last year. The government wanted broad-based growth in the economy.
Security
Asked how concerned the government is that eavesdropping is made possible by apps, the PMS said it was a long standing precedent that the government does not comment on security matters.