Department for Science, Innovation & Technology

The appointment of the Director General Digital Centre Design was made as an approved exception to full external recruitment.

The creation of the role, recruitment approach and proposed candidate all received the appropriate approvals prior to confirmation of the appointment. We attach as an Annex approval from the Civil Service Commission on appointment via Exception 1 – Temporary Appointments.

The UK tech ecosystem achieved a record combined market valuation of $1.08 trillion in 2023. Supporting its continued development across the UK is a priority for my department, and vital to this government’s mission to kickstart economic growth.

As set out in the industrial strategy consultation, the UK has world-leading innovation and tech clusters across the country. This includes aviation technology around Cranfield, with Cranfield University acting as a magnet for talent and investment and anchor institution for its local innovation ecosystem.

Through the industrial strategy, we will explore how best to continue supporting high-potential clusters across the UK through R&D investment.

The Government is committed to keeping people safe online. Our priority is the effective implementation of the Online Safety Act so that users, especially children, can benefit from its wide-reaching protections.

In-scope services will have to take effective action to reduce the risk their service is used for illegal activity, and they must take appropriate measures to protect children against harmful or inappropriate content such as pornography and the promotion of self-harm and eating disorders. Ofcom has robust enforcement powers available against companies who fail to fulfil their duties.

We are fully committed to the goal of driving a modern digital government and harnessing data and technology to help deliver the government’s five missions.

To achieve this goal, this government is creating a new digital centre of government within DSIT, bringing together several expert teams. The new digital centre of government will champion digital and data across government, accelerating the use of digital technologies in order to deliver a modern digital government that gives citizens a better experience. This modern digital government will also build on existing programmes such as the Digital Excellence Programme and Tech Track to recruit, develop and retain digital talent across government.

Under the Online Safety Act platforms must proactively tackle the most harmful illegal content including extreme pornography, much of which disproportionately affects women and girls. The Act requires services in scope to understand risks from illegal content online and take mitigating action.

Separate to provisions in the Online Safety Act, the Independent Pornography Review, led by Independent Lead Reviewer Baroness Gabby Bertin will explore the effectiveness of regulation, legislation and the law enforcement response to pornography. The government expects the Review to present its final report by the end of the year.

Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must proactively tackle the most harmful illegal content including extreme pornography, much of which disproportionately affects women and girls. The Act requires services in scope to understand risks from illegal content online and take mitigating action.

Separate to provisions in the Online Safety Act, the Independent Pornography Review, led by Independent Lead Reviewer Baroness Gabby Bertin will explore the effectiveness of regulation, legislation and the law enforcement response to pornography. The government expects the Review to present its final report by the end of the year.

The Department of Science and Innovation and Technology regularly consults the National Quantum Technologies Programme Strategic Advisory Board (SAB) on all aspects of the National Quantum Strategy, including regulation.

SAB members have advised on and inputted into the government response to the Regulatory Horizons Council (RHC) report on quantum regulation.

Officials in my department have also consulted with a wide range of industry representatives from the quantum sector ahead of publication to ensure that the government’s regulatory strategy enables innovation in quantum.

The Secretary of State met with the European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders on 16 September and 15 October to discuss a new Data Bill and the importance of efficient and safe personal data sharing between our two jurisdictions.

Half.

DSIT has not announced any intention to publish a new National Vision for Engineering Biology.

A 2021 BEIS report estimated the total economic impact of robotics and autonomous systems uptake across a range of selected sectors (logistics, agriculture, food & drink, construction, energy, infrastructure and health; and excluding manufacturing) to be worth £6.4 billion by 2035 on current adoption trends, and £150 billion under full automation. The department has not undertaken a formal assessment of private sector investment estimates by 2030 in autonomous technologies, including delivery robots.

The manifesto commits us to partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing, and we are currently engaging with the sector as to how to take this commitment forward. Any policy changes as a result of this work will be assessed appropriately.

It is not yet possible to replace all animal use due to the complexity of biological systems and regulatory requirements. Any work to phase out animal testing must be science-led, in lock step with partners, so we will not be setting arbitrary timelines for reducing their use.

The Government is committed to keeping children safe online. Our priority is the effective implementation of the Online Safety Act so that children benefit from its wide-reaching protections.

The Act requires that all in scope services that allow pornography use highly effective age assurance to prevent children from accessing it, including services that host user-generated content, and services which publish pornography. Ofcom has robust enforcement powers available against companies who fail to fulfil their duties.

No. Project Gigabit is designed to subsidise the rollout of gigabit-capable broadband to premises that would otherwise not be reached by suppliers’ commercial plans.

These premises will predominantly be in rural areas, but the evidence from our regular engagement with the market indicates that we will also need to intervene in some urban areas in order to achieve the target of full gigabit coverage by 2030.

It’s inadequate, but the government wants all areas of the UK to benefit from mobile connectivity.

Ofcom’s recent reporting shows that 98% of Bromsgrove has 4G geographic coverage from all four mobile operators, and that basic (non-standalone) 5G is available from at least one mobile operator outside nearly 100% of premises.

I am aware that Ofcom’s data does not always reflect consumers’ experience of mobile networks. I recently wrote to Ofcom, asking them to set out steps to improve their reporting.

Our ambition is for all populated areas to have high-quality standalone 5G by 2030. We are committed to ensuring we have the right policy and regulatory framework to support investment and competition.

No.

The Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 requires that selection to the Civil Service must be on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition. There may be instances where a role may meet the requirements for use of a Civil Service Commission (CSC) exception. The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) uses these exceptions to draw on scientific and technical expertise and talent, including through the Expert Exchange Programme.

Since 5 July 2024, DSIT has made 34 appointments without open competition. Personal data such as salaries cannot be released under data processing policies.

The government has supported Lonza’s plans to relocate and expand their Centre of Excellence for biologic molecules to Thames Valley Park, Berkshire. More broadly the government has published Invest 2035: the UK’s modern industrial strategy to drive long-term sustainable, inclusive and secure growth – securing investment into crucial sectors of the economy including life sciences. By ensuring the NHS works hand-in-hand with life sciences companies and research institutions, we will drive the development of new treatments and help grow our industries across every region of the UK.

According to the independent website ThinkBroadband.com, over 98% of premises in the South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency have access to superfast broadband speeds (>=30 Mbps) and over 90% can access a gigabit-capable (>1000 Mbps) connection.

Remaining premises that are not expected to receive a gigabit-capable connection through suppliers’ commercial rollout are being considered for support through Project Gigabit. Under a cross-regional framework agreement with Openreach, we plan to procure a contract to deliver fast, reliable broadband to eligible premises in the area.

Ministers’ parliamentary declarations are reviewed as standard as part of the conflicts mitigation process. The Secretary of State declared his interests to the Permanent Secretary in line with usual practice.

The Secretary of State for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has been in contact with the Information Commissioner regarding the future development of the Information Commission. They met on 30 July and discussed the Digital Information and Smart Data Bill announced in the King’s Speech, and its implications for the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

Almost £2 billion of Project Gigabit contracts are in place, with a further £750 million allocated in live and planned procurements.

Project Gigabit spend is reported in Building Digital UK’s (BDUK) annual report and accounts. Total capital Project Gigabit spend in 2021/22 and 2022/23 was £90.9 million. Spend for 2023/24 will be published in BDUK’s next annual report and accounts.

The purpose of Project Gigabit is to fund the rollout of gigabit-capable broadband to UK premises that would otherwise not be reached by suppliers' commercial plans. Most of these will be in rural locations, but to achieve full gigabit coverage, and consistent with the programme’s original design, we will also need to address any pockets of poor connectivity in urban areas, removing barriers to efficient build plans and allocating funding where it is needed.

Almost £2 billion of Project Gigabit contracts are in place, with a further £750 million allocated in live and planned procurements.

Project Gigabit spend is reported in Building Digital UK’s (BDUK) annual report and accounts. Total capital Project Gigabit spend in 2021/22 and 2022/23 was £90.9 million. Spend for 2023/24 will be published in BDUK’s next annual report and accounts.

The purpose of Project Gigabit is to fund the rollout of gigabit-capable broadband to UK premises that would otherwise not be reached by suppliers' commercial plans. Most of these will be in rural locations, but to achieve full gigabit coverage, and consistent with the programme’s original design, we will also need to address any pockets of poor connectivity in urban areas, removing barriers to efficient build plans and allocating funding where it is needed.

Almost £2 billion of Project Gigabit contracts are in place, with a further £750 million allocated in live and planned procurements.

Project Gigabit spend is reported in Building Digital UK’s (BDUK) annual report and accounts. Total capital Project Gigabit spend in 2021/22 and 2022/23 was £90.9 million. Spend for 2023/24 will be published in BDUK’s next annual report and accounts.

The purpose of Project Gigabit is to fund the rollout of gigabit-capable broadband to UK premises that would otherwise not be reached by suppliers' commercial plans. Most of these will be in rural locations, but to achieve full gigabit coverage, and consistent with the programme’s original design, we will also need to address any pockets of poor connectivity in urban areas, removing barriers to efficient build plans and allocating funding where it is needed.

We want operators to use existing underground ducts and share infrastructure, wherever possible. There are requirements on operators to share apparatus and to use underground lines where practicable; and there are regulations in place to support this.

The Government also published the Street Works Toolkit, which contains practical guidance for telecoms companies and highway authorities who coordinate street works in their area on how to keep disruption to a minimum.

I recently met with broadband operators to ask them to share infrastructure wherever possible, and I have been clear I am prepared to regulate if providers do not take action.

The Department does not hold this information. Openreach’s annual review for 2023-24 provides some information for the largest wholesale broadband and network provider, though this does not reflect the market as a whole and does not provide regional breakdowns. This report estimates that delivering broadband across the UK involves more than 250 million kilometres of fibre optic cable and copper wire. This is available via: https://www.openreach.com/about/our-company/annual-review-and-reports

The government response to the Regulatory Horizons Council review outlines a phased and proportionate approach towards quantum regulation in order to support the responsible development of the sector. This includes:

• Influencing industry-led standards and international governance frameworks
• Convening a Quantum Regulators Forum to increase the understanding of the opportunities and risks of quantum technologies
• Supporting the development of Responsible Innovation principles through industry-led initiatives such as the Responsible Quantum Industry Forum.

The government will make announcements about other classes of pro-innovation regulatory tools as appropriate.

More broadly, the Regulatory Innovation Office will play a key role in supporting regulators to develop the capability they need to enable innovation and ensuring different regulatory bodies can work together effectively.

Since taking office, I have been in contact and exchanged views on the UK-China Science and Technology relationship with Minister Yin Hejun, my counterpart in China’s Ministry of Science and Technology.

A Project Gigabit contract for Cumbria has been awarded to the broadband supplier Fibrus. Discussion on the inclusion of the parishes of Warcop, Hilton, Murton and Ormside within the contract is currently underway with Fibrus, with the aim of reaching an agreement by the end of December 2024.

The Online Safety Act requires all services in scope of the regime to proactively tackle and prevent users from being exposed to the most harmful illegal content, much of which disproportionately affects women and girls. Illegal content includes harassment, stalking, and controlling or coercive behaviour. Under the Act, services over the designated threshold will also need to remove certain types of legal content, such as content that is abusive on the basis of sex or gender, where it is prohibited in their terms of service. Companies will need to have effective, accessible mechanisms in place for users to be able to report abuse and receive an appropriate response from the platform.

A date has still to be arranged, but I intend to visit as soon as possible.

Everyone needs the right access, skills, support and confidence to participate in a modern digital society. Government recognises that digital inclusion can have a positive impact on social wellbeing, increasing social connectivity and enabling access to mental health resources, and is committed to improving broadband and mobile access in rural areas.

Project Gigabit is delivering gigabit capable connectivity for millions of rural homes and the Shared Rural Network is improving 4G coverage in rural areas. For 5G, our ambition is for all populated areas, including rural areas, to have high-quality standalone 5G by 2030.

The Government wants to ensure the safe development of AI models. As set out in the Manifesto, the Government intends to introduce targeted requirements on the handful of companies developing the most powerful AI systems. We will be consulting on these proposals shortly.

These proposals will place the AI Safety Institute on a statutory footing. The AISI conducts research and model evaluations to assess the capabilities of frontier AI systems and works with developers and international partners to enhance the safety of models. Such policies are key to increasing public confidence in AI safety, which will drive adoption across the country.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave to question 8498.

Under the Online Safety Act platforms must proactively tackle the most harmful illegal content including extreme pornography, much of which disproportionately affects women and girls. The Act requires services in scope to understand risks from illegal content online and take mitigating action.

Separate to provisions in the Online Safety Act, the Independent Pornography Review, led by Independent Lead Reviewer Baroness Gabby Bertin will explore the effectiveness of regulation, legislation and the law enforcement response to pornography. The government expects the Review to present its final report by the end of the year.

Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must proactively tackle the most harmful illegal content including extreme pornography, much of which disproportionately affects women and girls. The Act requires services in scope to understand risks from illegal content online and take mitigating action.

Separate to provisions in the Online Safety Act, the Independent Pornography Review, led by Independent Lead Reviewer Baroness Gabby Bertin will explore the effectiveness of regulation, legislation and the law enforcement response to pornography. The government expects the Review to present its final report by the end of the year.

Previous (but not quite the same question) 16125-6 Dan Jarvis - NSOIT staffing & Publication.docx

Also see response to similar question answered by Minister Clark

The Government works closely with Ofcom who are responsible for the Call Line Identification (CLI) Guidance. Telecoms providers must comply with Ofcom’s General Conditions, part of which outlines operator’s obligations related to CLI.

In July 2024, Ofcom announced plans to update the CLI guidance, which sets out the actions operators must take to be comply with the General Condition, to extend requirements on blocking of international calls displaying a UK landline number as a Presentation Number. The updated guidance will come into effect from January 2025. Ofcom also published a Call for Input in July to explore the spoofing of UK mobile numbers from international numbers.

In accordance with UK legislation UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) only fund animal research where there is no suitable non-animal alternative available. Around 70% of research funded by their Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and Medical Research Council does not involve animals. UKRI supports the development, validation and uptake of non-animal alternatives, largely through their investment in NC3Rs. UKRI are committed to conducting a strategic review of NC3Rs in 2024/25 to determine the appropriate level of future investment. The UKRI policy on Research and Innovation Involving Animals further commits UKRI to encouraging applications with potential to advance the 3Rs.

The Government is committed to keeping children safe online. Our priority is the effective implementation of the Online Safety Act so that children benefit from its wide-reaching protections.

The Act requires that all in scope services that allow pornography use highly effective age assurance to prevent children from accessing it, including services that host user-generated content, and services which publish pornography. Ofcom has robust enforcement powers available against companies who fail to fulfil their duties.

The Government is committed to supporting the uptake and development of alternative methods to the use of animals in science. The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal.

We recognise that any work to phase out animal testing must be science-led and in lock step with partners, and are engaging in discussions on how to take this commitment forward, which may include with university vice chancellors. We have already held roundtables with stakeholders from businesses, regulators and across Government.

The Shared Rural Network has already delivered substantial improvements to outdoor 4G mobile coverage across the UK.

I’m pleased to report to the House that 4G coverage across the UK now stands at 94.9% which is an increase from 91% in March 2020 when the Shared Rural Network was agreed.

This indicates the programme will deliver the overarching 95% coverage target ahead of its December 2025 target, enabling rural businesses and communities to thrive.

It is inadequate, but we are working on it. According to figures published by Ofcom earlier this year, 88% of premises in rural areas can get superfast broadband speeds, and 47% have access to a gigabit-capable connection.

Under Project Gigabit, almost £2 billion has already been allocated in contracts to connect homes and businesses that will not be reached by suppliers' commercial rollout. These premises are predominantly in rural areas.

The Government actively supports AI research by collaborating with academic institutions and industry, investing in talent development, and funding research projects.

UKRI has allocated over £1 billion to AI research including doctoral training, the Alan Turing Institute, Bridge AI, Responsible AI UK, and BRAID programmes.

We are focused on reducing barriers to research through initiatives such as AISI’s Systemic Safety Grants Programme, which provides funding of up to £200,000 to innovative projects addressing AI risks.