Department for Science, Innovation & Technology

The Government’s consultation on Copyright and AI closed on 25th February.

It sought views from both AI developers and rights holders on creating an effective rights reservation system. We will not move forward with any option until we are confident that it will be effective, proportionate, and accessible to both individual creators and larger rights holders.

The Government’s priority now is to review all responses to the consultation, gathering the evidence to inform its next steps. The Government will continue to engage extensively before setting out proposals in due course.

The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024.

This consultation sought views on creating an effective rights reservation system. This would provide rights holders across the UK, including those in Leigh and Atherton, with the ability to prevent AI developers from using their copyright works in AI training, and/or negotiate licences for their use.

The consultation closed on 25 February. The Government’s priority now is to review all responses to the consultation, gathering the evidence to inform its next steps. The Government will continue to engage extensively before setting out proposals in due course.

Under the existing regulations telecommunications operators are responsible for the guidelines governing the deployment of above ground infrastructure. In response to my concerns about the installation of unnecessarily intrusive telecommunications infrastructure, the industry convened a working group to examine the existing Cabinet Siting and Pole Siting Code of Practice, and to issue new guidelines for the deployment of telegraph poles.

Whilst this work is entirely for industry to undertake, I understand that industry trade bodies expect to publish the guidelines this spring and urge them to do so as soon as possible.

The Government is implementing the October 2023 Government Policy Framework for Greater Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Resilience, which will provide greater resilience for the PNT services that the UK relies upon in the event of any disruption to Global Navigation Satellite Systems such as GPS and Galileo. The UK public and businesses still have access to the Galileo Open Service, though the UK no longer participates in Galileo, and the UK armed forces have access to the US GPS secure service. The Government will consider participation in EU programmes on a case by case basis where participation would meet the UK’s interests.

The Government outlined progress toward the Ten Point Plan in the National Space Strategy in Action - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-space-strategy-in-action/national-space-strategy-in-action.

In addition, a regular Monitoring and Insights workstream is underway, chaired by DSIT, with attendance from the UK Space Agency, the Department of Business and Trade, and the Ministry of Defence, to track progress of the delivery of the National Space Strategy.

Since July 2024, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has had no secondees from (a) the Institute for Economic Affairs, (b) the Policy Exchange, (c) the Adam Smith Institute, and (d) Labour Together.

Secondments are one way of bringing talent and experience into the civil service for short periods of time and has been used by successive governments. Secondments are arranged at a business unit level and data is held at Business Unit Level.

Since July 2024, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has had no secondees from Hakluyt.

The Government’s consultation on Copyright and AI closed on 25^th February. It would be premature to legislate now: the Government is clear that no changes will be considered unless we are completely satisfied we are delivering a solution which works for creators. Our priority is to review the evidence from the consultation which will inform the Government response, including any legislative proposals.

The Independent Pornography Review is a wide-ranging and thorough piece of work which assessed the effectiveness of pornography legislation, regulation, and enforcement. The Review’s final report was published on the 27^th of February 2025.

This is an important yet deeply complex topic. The findings of the Review continue to be assessed by the Government.

The Government is committed to hearing a broad range of views to help inform its approach to copyright and AI.

Ministerial meetings are published according to normal transparency requirements.

The current best estimate of the number of meetings involving officials at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (including the Intellectual Property Office) and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport between July 2024 and February 2025 is in the table below.

This includes meetings where officials from both departments attended.

The minutes of official level meetings are not routinely published

The Government is committed to building an AI sector that can scale and win globally The AI Action Plan sets out how we will support the growth ambitions of businesses across the AI sector.

Innovate UK awards the majority of DSIT’s business-facing R&D grants. Between 2022 and 2025 Innovate UK have achieved a 37.6% improvement on the time taken between grant competition close and grant offer letter approval. The point from which funding competitions close to applicants being notified of a funding decision has reduced from more than 62 days, to around 46 days on average, with Innovate UK continuing to explore how it can deliver further improvements.

The Government continually assesses online service providers’ duties to tackle harmful content and activity on their services, including content relating to sexual exploitation. Under the Online Safety Act, social media platforms need to assess the risk of their services being used to facilitate several kinds of priority illegal harms. These include sexual exploitation. Where there is a risk, platforms need to take steps to mitigate it. Ofcom is the regulator for this regime. It sets out steps that providers can take in codes of practice. This includes steps relating to the design and operation of their services, as well as content moderation steps.

This is an issue the Government takes very seriously. The Government is determined to ensure that any risks arising from the industry-led migration from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are mitigated, for all customers across the UK.

I chaired two roundtables with communication providers on this issue in September and November 2024, which included BT. Major communication providers and network operators signed voluntary charters in December 2023 and March 2024, and the Government secured further commitments to protect vulnerable customers during the PSTN migration in November 2024. DSIT officials regularly meet, with signatories of the PSTN charters, including BT, to monitor how they are meeting the safeguards. This includes discussions on the speed of the rollout.

The Department has acknowledged that customers who may be considered vulnerable in the context of the digital switchover may require additional support. A definition of vulnerable customers was published in November 2024. It includes those who are telecare and other social or medical alarm users. Any customer, including the elderly, can also self-identify as requiring additional support.

We are taking steps in the Data (Use and Access Bill) to require the ICO to have regard to the fact that children merit specific protection because they may be less aware of the risks in relation to the processing of their personal data. The ICO will need to take account of the new duty when carrying out its regulatory functions – for example, when providing guidance for organisations and enforcing the legislation.

We have also placed a similar duty on Information Society Service providers likely to be accessed by children. These providers will now have clear legal duties to consider how best to protect and support children when designing their data processing activities. Providers will be assisted to comply with the new duty by the ICO’s Age Appropriate Design Code, which provides practical guidance for relevant providers on complying with their obligations under the data protection legislation in relation to children who are likely to access those services.

The Government takes the integrity and security of our democratic processes seriously, including the threat of influence from foreign actors.

The UK’s Online Safety Act, will capture disinformation aimed at disrupting elections where it is a criminal offence in the scope of the regulatory framework. This includes the Foreign Interference Offence, which will shortly be in force, requiring all in-scope companies to take action against a range of state-linked disinformation and interference online.

DSIT, as a member of the government’s Defending Democracy Taskforce, also supports ongoing work to protect the democratic integrity of the UK from threats of foreign interference.

From 17 March 2025 services in scope of the Online Safety Act must take action to tackle illegal pornographic content. Publishers of pornography online also have a duty to use highly effective age assurance to prevent children from accessing pornographic content. By summer, all user-to-user services that allow sharing of pornographic content should also use highly effective age assurance if necessary to prevent children from accessing such content.

The Government published the final report of the Independent Pornography Review on 27 February 2025 and issued an initial statement in response addressing the important issues it raised. A further update will be provided in due course.

The Government is committed to hearing a broad range of views to help inform its approach to copyright and AI.

Ministerial meetings are published according to normal transparency requirements on the gov.uk website.

The current best estimate of the number of meetings involving officials at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (including the Intellectual Property Office) since July 2024 is in the table below.

This includes meetings where officials from both departments attended.

Ofcom's recent enforcement update highlights its focus on scrutinising platforms that present risks of harm from illegal content, due to their size or nature. This includes smaller sites where users might encounter priority offences such as content that encourages or assists suicide. In its January industry bulletin, Ofcom detailed its approach to driving improvements under the Online Safety Act, such as requiring specific firms - including smaller services of concern - to submit illegal content risk assessments by 31 March. Ofcom also outlined the conditions for enforcement action, including takedown orders, such as in cases of ongoing non-compliance.

Ofcom's recent enforcement update highlights its focus on scrutinising platforms that present risks of harm from illegal content, due to their size or nature. This includes smaller sites where users might encounter priority offences such as content that encourages or assists suicide. In its January industry bulletin, Ofcom detailed its approach to driving improvements under the Online Safety Act, such as requiring specific firms - including smaller services of concern - to submit illegal content risk assessments by 31 March. Ofcom also outlined the conditions for enforcement action, including takedown orders, such as in cases of ongoing non-compliance.

The Government is well prepared to ensure the integrity and security of UK electoral processes. The Defending Democracy Taskforce and broader cross-government election structures have robust processes in place to respond to threats, including novel threats from AI.

Further bolstering our response to this risk, the Central AI Risk Function works to continuously identify, assess and prepare for risks associated with AI, including to the online information environment.

Where such content amounts to a criminal offence, the Online Safety Act requires platforms to remove disinformation aimed at disrupting elections, including where it is AI-generated, as soon as they become aware of it.

The Government are delivering several initiatives to support young skilled workers enter and remain working in cyber industries in the UK. Alongside bootcamps and apprenticeships, we provide sector specific initiatives aimed at fostering talent and providing clear career pathways for the cyber sector.

The CyberFirst programme supports young people aged 11 to 25 with a range of educational courses, competitions and events, designed to develop tech skills and inspire interest in cyber careers. The CyberFirst bursary scheme provides a clear route to support UK talent into cyber jobs with 87% of bursary graduates now working in the cyber sector.

The UK Cyber Security Council, the professional body for the cyber workforce, is making it easier for young people to understand how to enter and navigate a career in cyber industries. The Government supports the work of the Council with grant funding.

We are also supporting young entrepreneurs and researchers to develop cyber products and companies through initiatives like CyberASAP and CyberRunway. These programmes offer resources, mentorship, and funding opportunities to help young people develop innovative ideas and contribute to the UK cyber sector.

The Government has regular meetings with Ofcom on matters relating to the Online Safety Act (OSA), including about how it will enforce against non-compliant providers. The ‘Small but Risky’ taskforce is part of Ofcom’s supervision team. It sits in the Online Safety Group. The Government understands there are 189 full-time equivalent posts in the Online Safety Group. Ofcom established the Small but Risky task force in recognition of their unique risks posed by these services. It will identify, manage and enforce against such services where they fail to comply with their duties. Ofcom officially started enforcing the OSA regime this week.

UK product safety law is clear that all products placed on the market must be safe. However, the Government keeps regulatory frameworks under regular review. The Department for Business and Trade has recently introduced the Product Regulation and Metrology Bill to update the UK’s regulatory framework on product safety. It will support business and economic growth whilst providing greater protection for consumers.

The Government is committed to promoting diversity in the tech sector and is doing so in a number of ways. DSIT is supporting the Tech Future Taskforce on Social Mobility, which includes helping companies to collect and act upon data to promote tech workforce diversity. As committed in the AI Opportunities Action Plan, DfE and DSIT will collaborate with industry to publish a plan to improve the diversity of the AI talent pool.

More widely, the Employment Rights Bill and Equality (Race and Disability) Bill will strengthen reporting and action on gender, race and disability by large companies, which includes tech companies.

Non-consensual sexually explicit deepfakes are degrading and harmful. We refuse to tolerate the violence against women and girls that stains our society, which is why we’ve brought forward legislation in the Data (Use and Access) Bill to ban their creation as quickly as possible.

The Home Office is funding the police to detect and remove illegal deepfake images and are working closely with them to improve officers understanding of this emerging threat.

We are already witnessing AI’s impact within the labour market: transforming the workplace, demanding new skills and displacing old ones. We remain mindful of this impact and its effect on the UK workforce, whilst working to harness the benefits that AI can bring – such as productivity gains, rising living standards, and improved worker wellbeing.

The Get Britain Working White Paper from DWP, HMT and DfE sets out how government will address key labour market challenges. We continue to work closely with these and other government departments through the AI Opportunities Action Plan to monitor this rapidly developing area.

A Government priority is for a ‘reset’ in relations with the European Union, with a particular focus on driving economic growth, and improving our security and trade relationship.

Space has a fundamental role to play in achieving these ambitions, and we will continue to work closely with EU counterparts to identify areas to strengthen our space cooperation for mutual benefit. Discussions are taking place across Government regarding future UK participation in the next EU Space Programme, ahead of the next Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF). We will continue to engage with the EU Commission as this work progresses.

The Government’s consultation on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence (AI) closed on 25^th February.

This consultation sought views on a range of approaches to clarify copyright law for both the creative industries and AI innovators. The Government’s priority now is to review all responses to the consultation, gathering the evidence to inform its next steps. The Government will continue to engage extensively before setting out proposals in due course.

The hon. Member has recently met with Openreach and my officials in Building Digital UK (BDUK) and my officials are in the process of organising a further meeting with the hon. Member to discuss broadband connectivity across his constituency in greater detail.

Last year, Airband and Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) took the decision to descope premises from their Superfast contracts in the region. Approximately 6,000 premises will remain under contract to gain access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection from Airband. Other premises have since been included in suppliers’ commercial rollout, and we are working swiftly to identify alternative solutions for the remaining, approximately 13,000, descoped premises.

Eligible descoped premises have been made available for connection via the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme. Several projects are currently under review. Any premises that are not included in voucher projects will be considered for inclusion in our Project Gigabit contracts in Devon and Somerset being delivered by the supplier Openreach.

The Government is committed to removing barriers to growth for SMEs and ensuring that they have access to resources and expertise needed to develop and scale. Over the last 2 years, Innovate UK has awarded £5.2 billion funding to more than 7,000 businesses across the UK, of which 86% were SMEs.

We are supporting UK tech startups by harnessing the benefits of AI, investment, skills, regulation, data and procurement.

The AI Action Plan sets out our intention to encourage AI development across the UK. We are already working with devolved administrations and local authorities on AI Growth Zones, to ensure all parts of the UK benefit from the investment in critical AI infrastructure.

The Government is committed to supporting the digital economy, removing barriers to inclusive economic growth, and ensuring that the UK remains one of the best places in the world for our great tech businesses to start, scale and stay.

Programmes such as the SEIS/EIS schemes and R&D Tax Credits demonstrate the UK’s commitment to supporting tech companies in thriving in the UK.

The AI Action Plan sets out our intention to support the growth ambitions of businesses across the AI sector. Initiatives include opening the AI Research Resource to a wider pool of SMEs to drive forward new AI-enabled innovations, fostering national champions within the UK startup ecosystem, and unlocking data assets for startups to access.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 5^th March to Question UIN 33658.

Copying protected material in the UK will infringe copyright unless it is licensed, or an exception to copyright applies.

The Government recently consulted on several topics relating to the interaction between copyright and artificial intelligence (AI), including seeking views on a range of approaches to clarify copyright law for both the creative industries and AI innovators.

This consultation closed on 25^th February.

The Government’s priority now is to review all responses to the consultation, to help inform its next steps. The Government will continue to engage extensively on this issue and its proposals will be set out in due course.

The Government published its consultation on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence (AI) on 17 December 2024. This closed on 25 February 2025.

The Government’s priority now is to review all responses to the consultation, to help inform its approach to copyright and AI. The Government will continue to engage extensively as it considers next steps, and its proposals will be set out in due course.

I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave on 25 February 2025 to Question HL4944.

To date the Government has not held information on where publicly procured food is sourced from.

Starting right away, for the first time ever, this government will review the food currently bought in the public sector to determine the standards that it is meeting, where it is bought from and look to introduce monitoring for transparency and accountability within those supply chains to ultimately get the best food for the consumer.

This work will be a significant first step to inform any future changes to public sector food procurement policies as we want to help make it an equal playing field for British producers to bid into the £5 billion spent each year on public sector catering contracts.

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.

The government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year, which will set out clear objectives and measurable milestones. Any work to phase out animal testing must be science-led, in lock step with partners, so we will not be setting interim targets or arbitrary timelines for reducing their use.

Ofcom sets mobile spectrum fees independently to promote the optimal use of spectrum. The Government recognises the cost of these fees to the industry. Supporting investment in mobile networks is a priority and the Government continues to assess what further interventions are needed to support 5G deployment.

The duties related to fraudulent advertising apply to Category 1 and 2A services. Category 1 services will need to tackle paid-for fraudulent advertising on their platforms, and Category 2A search services will need to address paid-for fraudulent advertising in search results.

Ofcom is responsible for developing codes of practice. It expects to consult on the codes for these duties by early 2026. The codes will recommend how companies can comply with these duties. These duties will not come into force until the register of categorised services has been published by Ofcom and the final code has been approved by Parliament.

Tackling digital exclusion is a Government priority. We published the Digital Inclusion Action Plan in February 2025, identifying five target groups to benefit most from digital inclusion initiatives, including older people.

The Action Plan outlines five immediate actions for Government, including launching the Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund to support locally delivered digital inclusion initiatives.

We are also upgrading broadband and mobile connectivity in rural areas through Project Gigabit and the Shared Rural Network and are exploring options for further support to connect very hard to reach areas.

Legal cases relating to telecommunications installations can commence in either the County Court or the Lands Tribunal. The Department does not have comprehensive data, but is aware of an increase in applications to the courts relating to telecommunications infrastructure installation since 2017. Applications can cover a range of different situations. We do not know how many relate specifically to 5G masts. Most applications do not proceed to a full hearing, but are resolved consensually.

Sections 58,59 and 61 – 64 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 have some limited retrospective effects. Other provisions are not considered retrospective.

The Independent Pornography Review assessed the effectiveness of current pornography legislation, regulation and enforcement. The Review has now concluded, and the report was published on Thursday 27 of February 2025. It is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/creating-a-safer-world-the-challenge-of-regulating-online-pornography.

I have not had any discussions with Ofcom directly on increasing the spectrum available to mobile operators, but my officials are in regular discussion with them on spectrum issues. The Government recognises the importance of ensuring access to suitable spectrum across different sectors, the opportunities this creates for growth, and that a focus on innovation and enhanced shared use of spectrum will become increasingly important to realise this.