Department for Science, Innovation & Technology Alert Sample


Alert Sample

View the Parallel Parliament page for the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology

Information between 30th May 2025 - 9th June 2025

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Parliamentary Debates
Artificial Intelligence: Cross-Government Experiment
1 speech (635 words)
Monday 2nd June 2025 - Written Statements
Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
Public Switched Telephone Network Migration: Communications Campaign
1 speech (586 words)
Monday 2nd June 2025 - Written Statements
Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
Data (Use and Access) Bill [Lords]
49 speeches (7,007 words)
Consideration of Lords messageConsideration of Lords Message
Tuesday 3rd June 2025 - Commons Chamber
Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
AI Opportunities Action Plan
18 speeches (1,595 words)
Thursday 5th June 2025 - Lords Chamber
Department for Science, Innovation & Technology


Written Answers
Innovate UK: Grants
Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
Friday 30th May 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of the grants awarded by Innovate UK since 1 January 2018 have been (1) formally terminated prior to full completion, (2) suspended or places on hold due to non-performance, non-compliance, or suspected misuse of funds, and (3) subject to financial recovery or clawback proceedings; what is the total value of those grants; and what is the total number of those grants.

Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Innovate UK has robust processes in place for monitoring its grants and ensuring that only eligible costs are supported. It centralised the process for the suspension, withdrawal, and termination of grants from 1st April 23 to provide a consistent record for continuous improvement. Data is presented from then until 31st March 25. The value of grants paid for this period was £2.78 billion.

  • Grants that were formally terminated prior to completion: 90 grants (£81.1million award value), 2.92% of total grant value.
  • Suspended/placed on hold due to non-performance, non-compliance, or suspected misuse of funds: 68 grants (£106.7million award value), 3.85% of total grant value.
  • After investigation, 21 of the above 158 terminated and suspended grants were found to have some amount of ineligible costs subject to cost recovery to a total of £429,487.
Telecommunications: Infrastructure
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Friday 30th May 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the 2017 Electronic Communications Code introducing a ‘no scheme’ basis for valuing land, how they intend to ensure property-owners, including schools, hospitals, local councils, and farmers, are incentivised to host the mobile infrastructure for network roll-out.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Code statutory valuation regime provides a framework that means, in addition to an amount for permitting land to be used, site providers may also receive compensation for any loss or damage from the operator’s use of Code rights. Although the “no network” valuation regime means additional value generated by use of the land for telecommunications purposes is not taken into account, any alternative use of the land can be considered.

Taken together, these provisions strike the right balance between ensuring landowners receive fair payments for allowing their land to be used and the public need for robust digital networks.

Telecommunications: Infrastructure
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Friday 30th May 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they carried out an impact assessment before extending the 2017 Electronic Communications Code ‘no scheme’ valuation model in accordance with Part 2 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022; if not, why not; and what assessment they have made of the potential impacts on landowners and the pace of 5G roll-out.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Following the 2017 reforms, government representatives engaged regularly with stakeholders about their impact. The changes made by the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 were consulted on and received Parliamentary scrutiny during passage of the Act. The Act itself was subject to a published De Minimis Impact Assessment. A technical consultation on draft regulations related to the provisions referred to is open until 2 July.

Government’s decisions on 5G policy are informed by a wide range of evidence and information. We continue to work with mobile operators to meet our 5G standalone coverage ambition by 2030.

Broadband: Repairs and Maintenance
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Monday 2nd June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the 48-hour broadband outage window in the Automatic Compensation Scheme.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The government recognises that access to high-quality and reliable broadband is essential.

Operators have a statutory responsibility to take measures to identify, prepare for and reduce anything that compromises the availability, performance or functionality of their networks and services.

DSIT regularly engages Ofcom, the independent regulator of telecommunications services, who created the voluntary compensation scheme and any changes to the scheme is a decision for Ofcom.

We will continue to work with Ofcom to monitor the market to ensure that consumers are receiving reliable services and recourse for when things go wrong.

UK Space Agency: Recruitment
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Monday 2nd June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many people enrolled under the student recruitment system in the UK Space Agency’s Space Placements In Industry Programme in 2024.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Space Placements in Industry Programme supported a total of 135 student placements over the summer of 2024, 119 of which were UK Space Agency funded and 16 of which were company funded.

Social Media: National Security
Asked by: Lord Strasburger (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Tuesday 3rd June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of the social media content referred to social media platforms by the National Security Online Information Team for potential terms of service violations is removed by the platforms.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The content referred by DSIT's National Security Online Information Team (NSOIT) to social media platforms serve as examples of narratives which are assessed as likely to violate terms of service and sit within NSOIT’s ministerially agreed national security and public safety remit. It is up to platforms to decide whether the referred content violates their policies and what action, if any, to take with those referred examples: government cannot compel platforms to remove legal content. The proportion of content removed from platforms depends on independent decisions made by platforms or users as to whether they wish to remove the content.

National Security Online Information Team
Asked by: Lord Strasburger (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Tuesday 3rd June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what topics the National Security Online Information Team is tasked to monitor.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The National Security Online Information Team’s (NSOIT) agreed remit is to analyse narratives and trends from publicly available information online relating to national security and public safety, where ministers agree there is a high risk to UK audiences from mis and disinformation. This remit and the work of NSOIT is kept under review by ministers. NSOIT looks at threats posed by foreign states, risks to elections and risks arising from the use of AI and deepfakes.

Data, Statistics and Research on Sex and Gender Independent Review
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Tuesday 3rd June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 2 May 2025 to Question 47834 on Data, Science and Research on Sex and Gender Independent Review, whether the Government plans to publish a formal response to each of the recommendations made by the review.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

As outlined in my previous Answer of 2 May 2025 to Question 47834, relevant departments and policy teams will consider the findings in light of their ongoing policy work.

Electronic Government: Artificial Intelligence
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Tuesday 3rd June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what initial assessment they have made of the effectiveness of their artificial intelligence tool 'Humphrey'; and on average, how much time per day it saves users of the technology.

Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The ‘Humphrey’ toolkit announced in January refers to a series of prototypes developed by the Incubator for AI to enhance civil servant productivity and improve government processes.

The Incubator has released an evaluation of Consult, a tool to analyse consultation responses, used in a live consultation with the Scottish government. Evaluation showed reviewing Consult’s themes is quick, with a median time of 23s per response. By reducing analysis time, Consult freed up time to focus on the implications.

In testing, Minute, an AI transcription tool, reduced the time taken to complete minutes for a 60 minute meeting by one hour, which users reallocated to more critical tasks.

Parlex, a suite of AI tools to analyse parliamentary developments, is still in early-stage user testing.

Testing with 282 users of Redbox, a tool to provide secure access to LLMs, suggested time savings for 89% of users. For the 269 survey participants who flagged the task they used Redbox most on, the median time saving on this task was 2 hours per week.

The Incubator for AI will be publishing upcoming evaluation results on AI.GOV.UK and via the new AI Knowledge Hub.

Government Departments: Artificial Intelligence
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Tuesday 3rd June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the launch of their artificial intelligence tool 'Humphrey', how they intend to regulate the use of artificial intelligence within government departments.

Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

A range of existing regulation already applies to the use of AI in government departments, including data protection law and obligations under the Equality Act 2010 (including the Public Sector Equality Duty). The Information Commissioners Office and Equality & Human Rights Commission have issued guidance on how to apply these regulations in the context of AI.

In addition to regulation, there is also a range of internal policy and guidance for how government uses AI, including the AI Playbook, and mandatory transparency policy under the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard.

Scientists: Emigration
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Wednesday 4th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of scientists leaving the UK, and what steps they will take to attract scientists to the UK.

Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

While the government does not collect data on the exact number of scientists leaving the UK, the government is committed to ensuring the UK is the top destination for globally mobile research talent based anywhere in the world.

The UK boasts a world-leading science base, supported by top universities and research institutions, and has an ambitious funding offer through UKRI and the National Academies, which offer prestigious fellowships and professorships. On 19 May, the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering announced they will launch new Accelerated International Routes for their respective existing Faraday Discovery Fellowship and Green Future Fellowship schemes.

We keep our offer continually under review and will set out the details of any plans to enhance our offer in due course.

Telecommunications: Infrastructure
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Wednesday 4th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of patterns of ownership of electronic communications networks since the introduction of the Electronic Communications Code; and what steps they are taking to ensure that cost savings from reduced land rents benefit end-users.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

This Government has not carried out any formal assessment of electronic communications network ownership patterns. We continue to work closely with industry to understand the evolving market dynamics and, where issues present, will consider what government can do to support investment and competition for the benefit of all end-users.

The 2017 changes to the Electronic Communications Code, which included changes to the valuation regime, were intended to support network deployment and facilitate infrastructure sharing. Based on Ofcom reporting, 4G geographic coverage from at least one operator has increased from 89% in May 2018 to more than 95% in the 2025 Spring Connected Nations Update. In terms of fixed broadband, Thinkbroadband reports that over 87% of UK premises can access a gigabit capable connection, this is up from 3.4% in January 2018.

Broadband: Fylde
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Wednesday 4th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 20 May 2025 to Question 51546 on Broadband: Lancashire, if he will list which specific areas within the Fylde constituency still lack access to gigabit-capable broadband; and what is the expected timeline for extending coverage to those areas.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Building Digital UK (BDUK) collects data at premises-level, rather than by area. On 13 March, BDUK published data about the status of all premises in England and Wales, which can be accessed on: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/premises-in-bduk-plans-england-and-wales. This data is designed to help technical users, including broadband suppliers and local councils, understand which premises are included in BDUK’s plans.

This includes information about which premises are currently included in the Project Gigabit contract for Lancashire. Openreach is due to deliver the improved coverage under the contract by the end of 2030.

Artificial Intelligence: Copyright
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Wednesday 4th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect intellectual property from being used in the training of artificial intelligence technology.

Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Copying protected material continues to infringe copyright unless it is licensed, or an exception applies.

The Government recently consulted on several topics relating to the interaction between copyright and artificial intelligence (AI). Its priority now is to complete the analysis of the consultation responses which will help inform next steps in this area.

The Government will continue to engage extensively on this issue and its proposals will be set out in due course.

Telecommunications: Infrastructure
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Wednesday 4th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of land access disputes between access seekers and providers in relation to electronic communications networks since the introduction of the Electronic Communications Code; and what action they are taking in relation to increased costs or delays associated with tribunal referrals.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Government is aware of an increase in applications to the tribunal following the 2017 reforms to the Electronic Communications Code. While Government understands most applications do not proceed to a full hearing, Government is keen that agreements are reached on a consensual basis wherever possible.

The Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 introduced a requirement for operators to inform landowners of the availability of alternative dispute resolution and to consider using it before issuing legal proceedings. It is hoped that this will encourage more collaborative negotiations between operators and site providers, and reduce costs and litigation.

UK Research and Innovation: Expenditure
Asked by: Lord Nash (Conservative - Life peer)
Wednesday 4th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to page 20 of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)’s Annual Report and Accounts 2023–24, whether the decision to increase expenditure by £181 million through reprofiling quality-related funding complied with the departmental expenditure limit control rules and ringfence restrictions in the Consolidated Budgeting Guidance 2023–24; and if not, whether Treasury consent was obtained in line with paragraph 2.52 of that guidance.

Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The reprofiling of quality-related funding payments to higher education institutions in 2023-24 complied fully with DSIT’s departmental expenditure limit control rules and Consolidated Budgeting Guidance. No payments in advance of need were made and spending across the DSIT portfolio remained within departmental control totals despite the reprofile, which is designed to ensure effective utilisation of R&D budgets within and across financial years.

Project Gigabit: North Shropshire
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Wednesday 4th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the progress of the Project Gigabit rollout in North Shropshire constituency since 1 January 2025.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

As part of Project Gigabit, Freedom Fibre was awarded a contract to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to premises in North Shropshire that were not expected to be reached by suppliers’ commercial rollout.

As of 1 May 2025, Building Digital UK (BDUK) had received reports from the supplier confirming the delivery for 845 premises under this contract in the North Shropshire constituency.

Project Gigabit: North Shropshire
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Wednesday 4th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many properties had been connected to full fibre under the North Shropshire Project Gigabit contract on 1 May 2025.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

As part of Project Gigabit, Freedom Fibre was awarded a contract to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to premises in North Shropshire that were not expected to be reached by suppliers’ commercial rollout.

As of 1 May 2025, Building Digital UK (BDUK) had received reports from the supplier confirming the delivery for 845 premises under this contract in the North Shropshire constituency.

Project Gigabit: North Shropshire
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Wednesday 4th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has made and assessment of the suitability of Freedom Fibre to deliver the Project Gigabit contract in North Shropshire constituency since the termination of Freedom Fibre’s Project Gigabit contract for Cheshire.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Project Gigabit contract for North Shropshire was awarded following a procurement which was compliant with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

Officials in Building Digital UK (BDUK) meet regularly with Freedom Fibre to oversee its delivery of this contract.

Mobile Broadband: Standards
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Wednesday 4th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK's mobile network performance and 5G roll-out compared to large European markets and the USA since 2017, specifically in relation to (1) network coverage, (2) download speeds, and (3) base station deployment.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Our ambition is that all populated areas will have higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030.

Our most recent assessment on network coverage is from August 2024 where the most recent data available showed that 5G was available outside 92% of premises in the UK, compared to the EU average 5G population coverage at 89% and the USA at 98%. Since this assessment UK coverage has increased to 96%.

According to user testing by Ookla (an independent analytics company) the UK median 5G standalone download speed in the 4th quarter of 2024 was 181.9 Mbps, the US 388.4 Mbps and tests in eight other European countries ranged from 132.1 - 547.5 Mbps.

Ofcom reports that there are 3,300 5G standalone base station deployments in the UK. This is not comparable across markets as it is dependent on factors including topology and spectrum availability.

Telecommunications: Infrastructure
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Wednesday 4th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of reforms introduced by the Electronic Communications Code and Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022, particularly on market entry and infrastructure investment; and how changing market dynamics have affected the achievement of the UK's 5G aims.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Following engagement with stakeholders about the impact of the 2017 reforms, government consulted on further changes to the Code. These were included in the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022. The measures in that Act received Parliamentary scrutiny and were subject to a published De Minimis Impact Assessment. Most measures are in force, with some still to be commenced.

As market dynamics evolve, Government is working with industry to ensure we have a policy and regulatory framework that supports investment in 5G. Vodafone, VMO2 and EE have all rolled out standalone 5G in major towns and cities across the UK.

Project Gigabit: Freedom Fibre
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Wednesday 4th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with Freedom Fibre on Project Gigabit contracts since 1 January 1 2025; and whether he will publish the minutes of those meetings.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

As the executive agency responsible for delivering Project Gigabit, Building Digital UK (BDUK) holds regular meetings with suppliers, including Freedom Fibre, to discuss their progress with delivery of their Project Gigabit contracts. Ministers have had no such meetings with Freedom Fibre since 1 January 2025.

Public Sector: Digital Technology
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Wednesday 4th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the impact of (a) usage, (b) year-over-year spend and (c) potential dependencies of the Government's current software assets on cost efficiencies.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

His Majesty's Government monitors the usage of individual and enterprise licenses across a wide variety of products

Public Sector: Digital Technology
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Wednesday 4th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of restrictive software licensing on the ability to achieve the digital transformation of public services.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Government procures software via a number of agreed frameworks which are tendered via the Crown Commercial Service and are awarded under the relevant procurement regulations. The introduction of the new procurement act 2023 will provide government with an ability to consider how such services are contracted in the future.

The creation of the Digital Commercial Centre of Excellence is overseeing the development of sourcing/category strategies to co-ordinate how we shape demand, drive down usage and optmise the way such assets are used. This work is currently underway.

Electronic Government
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Wednesday 4th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 14 May (HL7009), whether the individuals who conducted the risk assessments for the One Login programme held certifications in governance and risk recognised by the UK Cyber Security Council, or an equivalent accreditation; and if not, what steps they have taken to ensure that such assessments meet government and ISO 27001-equivalent standards for competence.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Yes. Individuals conducting risk assessments for GOV.UK One Login hold professional experience and qualifications aligned to knowledge areas and skills as defined by the UK Cyber Security Council.

Electronic Government
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Wednesday 4th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 14 May (HL7013), whether the Cabinet Office Audit and Risk Committee was formally notified of the letter from the National Cyber Security Centre that warned of shortcomings and risks in the One Login system in September 2023; and if so, on what date they notified that committee; and whether they will place a copy of that letter in the Library of the House.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Representatives for GOV.UK One Login, attended two meetings into programme risks with the Cabinet Office Audit and Risk Committee (COARC), once in June 2023 and then again in April 2024. On both occasions cyber security risks that took into account NCSC advice were presented. GDS also raised cyber security as its top risk to the Cabinet Office in its quarterly risk reporting, a process which is now replaced by DSIT risk reporting.

A copy of the letter will not be placed in the Library of the House, as it forms part of ongoing security measures and internal governance processes.

Electronic Government
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Wednesday 4th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have carried out any operationally independent second-line security assurance on One Login documentation, in accordance with the Government Functional Standard 'GovS 007: Security', published on 30 July 2020.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Yes. We operate a three lines of defence process which includes employing a team of security experts, with additional scrutiny and assurance provided by GDS’s Chief Information Security Officer, the Cabinet Office’s central cyber teams and the National Cyber Security Centre.

The programme has continuously conducted multiple independent risk and threat assessments, such as regular IT Health Checks (ITHC) by NCSC accredited providers, and these will continue to be part of the programme’s operating approach. We follow the Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) GovAssure process and completed an independent Cyber Assessment Framework security exercise in 2024, with continued work and collaboration with NCSC on future mitigations.

X Corp: Radicalism
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
Monday 2nd June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to help tackle illegal extremist content on the social media platform X.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Online Safety Act gives online platforms, including X, new duties to take steps to reduce the risk their services are used to disseminate illegal extremist content. They also need to implement effective systems to remove this content when it does appear. This includes terrorist content and also illegal content which incites hatred. The illegal content duties are now in force. Ofcom is the regulator for the regime and has powers to enforce against platforms where they fail to fulfil their duties.

Electronic Government: Staff
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Thursday 5th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many personnel with privileged access to the One Login production environment held baseline personnel security standard, not full security check clearance, in each quarter since July 2022; and what proportion of those people were (1) contracted through Deloitte, and (2) working from outside the UK.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

GOV.UK One Login takes the security clearance and audit of personnel very seriously. Access to production is granted only to those that require it and is closely monitored. One Login has implemented a policy of SC clearance for all developer staff, which is higher than the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) which is considered sufficient across many parts of government.

No staff based overseas has had any access to the GOV.UK One Login production environment.

Data (Use and Access) Bill (HL)
Asked by: Robin Swann (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Thursday 5th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the lack of Legislative Consent Motion from the Northern Ireland Assembly on the progress of the Data (Use and Access) Bill.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

We have engaged with the Northern Ireland Assembly throughout the Bill's progression.

The Northern Ireland Assembly is currently considering a Legislative Consent Memorandum laid by the Northern Ireland Executive.

Members: Correspondence
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Thursday 5th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when he plans to respond to the correspondence of 2 December 2024 from the Rt hon. Member for New Forest East on research into the accuracy of data produced by the Meteorological Office.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Department attaches great importance to providing timely responses to Member’s correspondence. Regrettably a processing error has severely delayed our response in this instance, for which the Department sincerely apologises. We are taking steps to correct this system to prevent further errors of this nature. We will provide a full response urgently.

Medical Equipment: Technology
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Thursday 5th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) the Health Innovation Network and (b) other regional networks to help (i) support health technology SMEs and (ii) increase economic growth.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government continues to fund the Health Innovation Network to support health and social care teams to identify, test, and scale new solutions – including new health technologies – to major NHS challenges. Since 2018, HIN programmes have created or secured over 10,000 jobs and provided bespoke support to thousands of SME innovators, contributing >£2.6bn to UK economy with a 3:1 return on investment.

Other Government-funded regional networks include the NIHR Research Delivery Network, which enables the health and care system to attract, optimise and deliver research across England. This includes supporting the delivery of research funded by health technology SMEs.

Animal Experiments: Regulation
Asked by: Irene Campbell (Labour - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Friday 6th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has made an assessment of the merits of establishing a dedicated body, similar to the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM), to (a) oversee and (b) accelerate the (i) validation and (ii) acceptance of non-animal methods for (A) regulatory and (B) scientific use.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”. The Government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods in basic, applied, translational and regulatory research and testing later this year. As part of this, we continually monitor international developments and bodies such as ECVAM and are in discussion with our overseas colleagues as to how we can work together on this matter.

Internet: Safety
Asked by: Julian Smith (Conservative - Skipton and Ripon)
Friday 6th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring an independent alternative dispute resolution process for the resolution of disputes in relation to online safety between users and platforms.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Online Safety Act 2023 requires platforms to put in place reporting and complaints processes to resolve disputes. In the first instance, service providers are best placed to respond to individual complaints on online safety. However, the Act 2023 requires Ofcom to review the efficacy of platforms’ complaint processes and publish a report within two years of the relevant duties taking effect. We expect this in early 2028.

Following this report, the Secretary of State has a power to require Category 1 services to put in place, or engage with, an ‘alternative dispute resolution’ process.

Innovation: Aldridge-Brownhills
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Friday 6th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2025 to Question 49740 Innovation: Aldridge-Brownhills, how much Innovation Accelerator pilot grant funding has been allocated to businesses in Aldridge-Brownhills constituency.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

£33m was allocated to the West Midlands pilot of the £100m Innovation Accelerator programme. This has been supplemented by an additional £10m through the funding extension for 2025/26.

UKRI does not collect data on Innovation Accelerator funding by Parliamentary constituency. The delivery team are not aware of any grant recipients headquartered in Aldridge-Brownhills, but that does not mean that funded activity is not taking part in Aldridge-Brownhills.

Decisions on how to invest the funding in the West Midlands were led by a local partnership made up of local leaders, research organisations, and industry. This partnership has worked closely with UKRI to ensure that the projects receiving public funding will be effective in developing the local innovation ecosystem.

Cybersecurity: Northern Ireland
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Friday 6th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Assembly on supporting innovation in cyber security expansion.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

DSIT continues to support Northern Ireland’s cyber ecosystem through key investments such as the Cyber AI Hub programme at Queen’s University Belfast. The programme drives innovation in AI-based cyber security technologies, research, and skills development.

During Cyber NI Week 2025 I visited Belfast and met with NI stakeholders to discuss the strengths of the sector and explore the opportunities and challenges for growth.

More broadly, my DSIT ministerial colleagues and I regularly engage with Ministers in the NI Executive to maximise the benefits of science and technology across Northern Ireland. DSIT also has a Regional Cyber Lead in Northern Ireland who regularly engages with the sector, including relevant policy teams in the Northern Ireland Executive.

Internet: Safety
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Friday 6th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will make an estimate of the number and proportion of (a) children and (b) adults who access the internet through a virtual private network.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government does not hold this information. However, Ofcom’s Technology Tracker (2024) indicates that 30% of the UK’s population over 16 years old has connected to the internet using a virtual private network (VPN) for work, education or other purposes. This increases to 38% for 16-17 year olds. This data does not demonstrate how regularly respondents use VPNs to access the internet.

Public Sector: Older People
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Friday 6th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the accessibility of government services for elderly people.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government is committed to ensuring that digital public services are accessible to all, including elderly people.

Public sector bodies must meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines standard supporting a wide range of users.

Service Standard point 5. requires departments to consider the full range of users, including those who may lack confidence or digital skills

Service Standard point 3. ensures that alternatives to digital access, such as telephone or face-to-face, are available and usable by all.

We continue to improve inclusion across government services, recognising the importance of designing services that work well for older people and other groups at risk.

The UK government is supporting the skills pipeline in the UK, including developing the Industrial Strategy, setting up Skills England and launching the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review. Digital skills will be a critical part of this work and include skills provision for vulnerable groups’ (including older adults).

Life Sciences
Asked by: Alan Mak (Conservative - Havant)
Friday 6th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the life sciences strategy.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology and their officials have been in regular engagement with the Chancellor, HM Treasury, and colleagues across government on the Life Sciences Strategy and the wider Industrial Strategy. Health and life sciences are key drivers of economic growth, productivity, and global competitiveness—making close collaboration with HM Treasury essential to ensuring the strategy aligns with the government’s broader Plan for Growth. The strategy sets out targeted action to strengthen world-class R&D, attract investment, and accelerate healthcare innovation—supporting high-growth businesses, improving health outcomes, and reinforcing the UK’s global leadership in life sciences.

Geoengineering: Research
Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Friday 6th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what are the purposes of the solar radiation modification projects funded by the Advanced Research and Innovation Agency, and what assessment has been been made of any possible negative effects.

Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Advanced Research and Invention Agency’s (ARIA) ‘Exploring Climate Cooling’ programme, backed by £56.8 million, has been designed to build an evidence base which will enable scientists to better understand and properly assess whether or not Earth cooling approaches could help to mitigate climate change safely.

ARIA is an independent research body, and they are conducting cautious, controlled research aimed at improving understanding of the risks and impacts of Solar Radiation Modification. This will produce important information for decisions around the world.

ARIA have put in place an independent oversight committee, made up of international experts, to support effective governance of outdoor experiments and communication of their findings. Projects with field trial components will be subjected to risk and impact assessment by an independent team of experts and subjected to a degree of co-design with local communities; the results of both exercises will be publicly available prior to any outdoor experiment taking place. An independent assessment will also take place on completion of any outdoor experiment, also to be made publicly available.

Cybersecurity: Finance
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Friday 6th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to invest in technology to defend the United Kingdom against cyber attacks.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The government is taking a multi-faceted approach to driving up the cyber security of the UK economy. Programmes such as CyberASAP, CyberRunway and CyberLocal are supporting the development of new technologies, bringing together expertise in UK academia and industry. Alongside industry, government has funded the Digital Security by Design programme to address memory security bugs, which research from Google and Microsoft suggests accounts for 70% of cyber vulnerabilities. We advocate for the adoption of good cyber security through the provision of best practice guidance, ranging from our recently-published codes of practice on cyber governance, AI cyber security and software development, and via schemes like Cyber Essentials. We are driving up standards in critical infrastructure through the forthcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill and will publish a new National Cyber Strategy by the end of the year. In the public sector, the Government Cyber Security Strategy (2022-2030) sets a clear target for all public bodies to have technology resilient to known vulnerabilities and common attack methods by 2030. To date we have delivered GovAssure as our new cyber assurance regime and the Government Cyber Coordination Centre to support cross government incident response.

Biotechnology: UK Relations with EU
Asked by: Alan Mak (Conservative - Havant)
Friday 6th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on whether gene-editing technology exports to the EU will need to (a) meet UK domestic standards only or (b) conform to future changes to EU SPS rules.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

We have now agreed the parameters which will establish a UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier, cutting costs and red tape for British producers and retailers.

We will update on progress with discussions with the EU in due course, but the UK has been clear about the importance of supporting the use of new and innovative technologies.

Biotechnology: UK Relations with EU
Asked by: Alan Mak (Conservative - Havant)
Friday 6th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the UK-EU Strategic Partnership, announced 19 May 2025, what discussions he has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) his EU counterparts on whether participation in joint UK–EU research programmes will be conditional on UK adherence to EU rules on (a) gene editing technologies and (b) the precautionary principle.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

We have now agreed the parameters which will establish a UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier, cutting costs and red tape for British producers and retailers.

We will update on progress with discussions with the EU in due course, but the UK has been clear about the importance of supporting the use of new and innovative technologies.

Biotechnology: UK Relations with EU
Asked by: Alan Mak (Conservative - Havant)
Friday 6th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the UK-EU Strategic Partnership, announced on 19 May 2025, on the UK's regulatory framework for gene editing in agriculture and medicine.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

We have now agreed the parameters which will establish a UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier, cutting costs and red tape for British producers and retailers.

We will update on progress with discussions with the EU in due course, but the UK has been clear about the importance of supporting the use of new and innovative technologies.

Animal Experiments
Asked by: Irene Campbell (Labour - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Friday 6th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, on what date was the last review of guidance to companies on the use of non-animal methods to meet specific data requirements across all sectors; and whether he plans to update that guidance.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

There are a range of internationally accepted guidelines which ensure the safety assessment of new chemicals and medicines before they are licenced for use. OECD Guidelines for the Testing of Chemicals assess the potential effects of chemicals on human health and the environment, and similarly ICH guidelines assure the complete and thorough assessment of the potential quality, safety and efficacy of pharmaceuticals. Guidelines are reviewed periodically by regulators and industry stakeholders as the science supporting the guidelines evolves. This will include how and when non-animal alternatives are acceptable and can be included to meet the aims of these guidelines.

Cybersecurity: Lancashire
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Friday 6th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help protect small and medium enterprises from cybersecurity threats in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The cyber security of the UK is a priority for the Government. The Government offers free guidance, tools and training to help businesses improve their cyber resilience. This includes a new Cyber Governance Code of Practice to help boards and directors manage digital risks, and the Cyber Essentials scheme which is highly effective in protecting businesses against cyber attacks. This year the Government will introduce the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill to improve UK cyber defences and better secure our essential services and the IT infrastructure they rely upon. The PSTI Act, along with codes of practice on cyber security of AI, software and apps are helping protect organisations at scale by making technology in the UK secure by design.

In Lancashire, the Cyber Resilience Centre for the North West is part of a nationwide police-led collaboration helping strengthen cyber resilience in small and medium-sized businesses. The Government’s Stop! Think Fraud campaign provides the public and small businesses with advice on how to prevent fraud and cyber crime.

Mobile Broadband: Lancashire
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Friday 6th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to improve mobile connectivity in (a) rural and (b) semi-rural areas in (i) Fylde constituency and (ii) Lancashire.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

We base our assessment of coverage in rural and urban areas on Ofcom's rurality definition. Ofcom reports that 5G (standalone and non-standalone) is available outside 92% of rural premises in the Fylde constituency from at least one operator. Our ambition is for all populated areas to have higher quality standalone 5G by 2030, we continue to work with the mobile industry to achieve this.

I have raised my concerns about the accuracy of their coverage reporting with Ofcom and I welcome the improvements they have made to their online coverage checker which will go live in the second half of June.

We are working with the Mobile Network Operators to improve poor mobile signal in rural areas. The Shared Rural Network is delivering 4G coverage to places where there is either limited or no 4G coverage at all.

Cybersecurity: Business and Public Bodies
Asked by: James McMurdock (Reform UK - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Friday 6th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help protect (a) private businesses and (b) public bodies from cyberattacks.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The cyber security of the UK is a priority for the Government. This year we will introduce the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill to improve UK cyber defences and better secure our essential services and the IT infrastructure they rely upon. The Government offers free guidance, tools and training to help businesses and organisations improve their cyber resilience. This includes a new Cyber Governance Code of Practice to help boards and directors manage digital risks, and the Cyber Essentials scheme which is highly effective in protecting businesses against cyber attacks. The PSTI Act, along with Codes of Practice on AI, Software and Apps, are helping protect organisations at scale by making technology secure by design.

The Government Cyber Security Strategy (2022-2030) sets a clear target for all public bodies to be resilient to known vulnerabilities and common attack methods by 2030. To date we have delivered GovAssure as our new cyber assurance regime and the Government Cyber Coordination Centre to support cross-government incident response.

Small Businesses and Sole Traders: Innovation
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Friday 6th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent steps he has taken to support (a) innovation and (b) invention among (i) SMEs and (ii) sole traders.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Growth is the key mission for this government and supporting firms of all sizes to innovate is key to unlocking it. Innovate UK, the UK’s national innovation agency, supports over 10,000 businesses annually on their innovation journey and over the final six months of the previous financial year, Innovate UK launched £276m of competitions. This is in addition to work underway to increase the availability of growth capital for innovative firms, which includes increasing the National Wealth Fund’s capitalisation to £27.8bn, reforms to the British Business Bank, and new pension reforms aimed at unlocking £80 billion of investment.

Life Sciences: Research
Asked by: Alan Mak (Conservative - Havant)
Friday 6th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to help secure future life sciences research in UK.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government is taking decisive steps to secure the future of life sciences research in the UK. The upcoming Life Sciences Sector Plan sets out a bold vision to strengthen world-class R&D, attract global investment, and accelerate healthcare innovation. This includes investment in cutting-edge research infrastructure, support for talent and skills, and deeper collaboration between academia, industry, and the NHS. The recent announcement of BioNTech’s c.£1 billion R&D investment demonstrates our ambition to secure the future of life sciences research and development in the UK.

Arts: Artificial Intelligence and Copyright
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Friday 6th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of provisions within the Data, Use and Access Bill on (a) copyright and (b) AI on the long-term sustainability of the music and arts sector.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Data (Use and Access) Bill does not contain any provisions relating to copyright law and AI or the music and arts sectors. Nor does it change copyright law in any regard. In response to concerns, the Government has committed on the face of the Bill to produce an economic impact assessment and report on key matters relating to use of copyright works in the development of AI systems.

Artificial Intelligence: Nuclear Power
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Friday 6th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to use nuclear energy to support the AI Opportunities Action Plan.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government recognises the significant energy demands of advanced AI infrastructure and is exploring how this can be met through renewable power sources, including nuclear.

In February this year, the Prime Minister announced significant reforms to accelerate the development of nuclear power infrastructure, including the Nuclear Regulatory Reform Taskforce which will oversee enhancements to the nuclear regulatory framework to facilitate the timely and efficient development of nuclear projects.

DSIT is working closely with DESNZ and NESO to align AI energy demand with future energy planning and long-term sustainability, including the potential role of nuclear in supporting these objectives.

The AI Energy Council, co-chaired by the Secretaries of State for DSIT and DESNZ, will explore clean energy solutions for AI infrastructure, including small modular reactors and next-gen renewables, to ensure our AI ambitions align with the UK’s net zero goals.

Life Sciences: Research
Asked by: Alan Mak (Conservative - Havant)
Friday 6th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes in levels of funding for medicines on life sciences research.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology is working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care on the current Mid Scheme Review for the Voluntary Scheme for branded medicines pricing, access and growth (VPAG) and is aware of the impact which funding of medicines could have on life sciences research. In addition, the upcoming Life Sciences Sector Plan will set out a bold vision to strengthen world-class R&D, attract global investment, and accelerate healthcare innovation to ensure the UK remains a strong place for life sciences research.

Artificial Intelligence: Infrastructure
Asked by: Alan Mak (Conservative - Havant)
Friday 6th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to recommendation 4 of the independent report entitled AI Opportunities Action Plan, published by his Department on 13 January 2025, whether he plans to introduce a streamlined planning approvals process for AI Growth Zones.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government is committed to enabling the timely delivery of AI infrastructure across the UK. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will support the streamlining of planning approvals for AI infrastructure and data centres, building on work led by MHCLG and reinforced by the inclusion of data centres in the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects consenting approach.

The AI Opportunities Action Plan sets out measures to enable the growth of AI infrastructure, including addressing challenges such as planning and energy access. As part of this, the Government is engaging with local and regional authorities, and relevant regulators to support timely decision-making.

Life Sciences
Asked by: Alan Mak (Conservative - Havant)
Friday 6th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the life sciences strategy.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology has worked closely with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the development of the Life Sciences Strategy. The strategy has been developed in tandem with the NHS’s 10-Year Plan to ensure alignment between health and industrial policy. This collaboration has included the co-commissioning of a series of task and finish groups to support the strategy’s development and ensure strong alignment between the two plans, maximising their impact on both health outcomes and economic growth.

Internet and Mobile Phones: Fraud
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Thursday 5th June 2025

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that UK citizens are protected from online fraud and social media and text messaging scams.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Under the Online Safety Act regulatory framework, online platforms are required to take steps to reduce the risk their services are used to facilitate fraud, scams and other illegal activity. These duties have started to take effect on services. Ofcom is the regulator and has powers to enforce against non-compliance.

Government and industry are also currently developing a second Telecoms Charter. Under the first Telecommunications Charter, telecoms operators introduced firewalls that have stopped more than 1 billion scam text messages since January 2022. The Government will also ban “SIM farms”, devices used to send out scam texts to thousands of people at once.



Bill Documents
Jun. 05 2025
Bill 256 2024-25 (Lords Insistence and Reason)
Data (Use and Access) Act 2025
Bill
Jun. 04 2025
HL Bill 106-I Marshalled List for Consideration of Commons Reason
Data (Use and Access) Act 2025
Amendment Paper
Jun. 03 2025
HL Bill 106 Commons Disagreement with Lords Amendment with a Reason
Data (Use and Access) Act 2025
Bill
Jun. 03 2025
Bill 253 2024-25 (Lords Amendments to the Bill)
Data (Use and Access) Act 2025
Bill
Jun. 06 2025
Notices of CCLM Amendments as at 6 June 2025
Data (Use and Access) Act 2025
Amendment Paper
Jun. 09 2025
Notices of CCLM Amendments as at 9 June 2025
Data (Use and Access) Act 2025
Amendment Paper
Jun. 03 2025
Commons Consideration of Lords Message as at 3 June 2025
Data (Use and Access) Act 2025
Amendment Paper
Jun. 03 2025
Selection of motion relating to Lords Message by the Speaker - 3 June 2025
Data (Use and Access) Act 2025
Selection of amendments: Commons
May. 30 2025
HL Bill 104-I Marshalled List for Consideration of Commons Reason
Data (Use and Access) Act 2025
Amendment Paper
May. 22 2025
Proceedings on Consideration of Lords Message as at 22 May 2025
Data (Use and Access) Act 2025
Bill proceedings: Commons
Jun. 03 2025
Proceedings on Consideration of Lords Amendments as at 3 June 2025
Data (Use and Access) Act 2025
Bill proceedings: Commons


Department Publications - Statistics
Monday 2nd June 2025
Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
Source Page: Barriers and Enablers to Advanced Technology Adoption for UK Businesses
Document: Barriers and Enablers to Advanced Technology Adoption for UK Businesses (webpage)
Thursday 5th June 2025
Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
Source Page: International comparison of the UK research base, 2025
Document: (ODS)
Thursday 5th June 2025
Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
Source Page: International comparison of the UK research base, 2025
Document: International comparison of the UK research base, 2025 (webpage)


Department Publications - News and Communications
Monday 2nd June 2025
Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
Source Page: Telecare users and their loved ones across the UK urged to speak to telecoms providers ahead of switch to digital landlines
Document: Telecare users and their loved ones across the UK urged to speak to telecoms providers ahead of switch to digital landlines (webpage)
Saturday 7th June 2025
Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
Source Page: One stop shop for tech could save taxpayers £1.2 billion and overhaul how government buys digital tools
Document: One stop shop for tech could save taxpayers £1.2 billion and overhaul how government buys digital tools (webpage)
Sunday 8th June 2025
Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
Source Page: Transformative £86 billion boost to science and tech to turbocharge economy, with regions backed to take cutting-edge research into own hands
Document: Transformative £86 billion boost to science and tech to turbocharge economy, with regions backed to take cutting-edge research into own hands (webpage)
Monday 9th June 2025
Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
Source Page: PM unveils AI breakthrough to slash planning delays and help build 1.5 million homes: 6 June 2025
Document: PM unveils AI breakthrough to slash planning delays and help build 1.5 million homes: 6 June 2025 (webpage)


Department Publications - Transparency
Thursday 5th June 2025
Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
Source Page: Phone-paid Services Authority Limited Annual Report and Accounts 2024 to 2025
Document: (PDF)
Thursday 5th June 2025
Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
Source Page: Phone-paid Services Authority Limited Annual Report and Accounts 2024 to 2025
Document: Phone-paid Services Authority Limited Annual Report and Accounts 2024 to 2025 (webpage)
Thursday 5th June 2025
Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
Source Page: Phone-paid Services Authority Limited Annual Report and Accounts 2024 to 2025
Document: (PDF)



Department for Science, Innovation & Technology mentioned

Live Transcript

Note: Cited speaker in live transcript data may not always be accurate. Check video link to confirm.

5 Jun 2025, 9:48 a.m. - House of Commons
"Department becoming part of the Day -- DSIT. I wonder if he is aware of the risk project in Cheltenham? the risk project in Cheltenham? "
Max Wilkinson MP (Cheltenham, Liberal Democrat) - View Video - View Transcript
5 Jun 2025, 9:49 a.m. - House of Commons
"in DSIT are well aware of his views and the issues he has raised and "
Rt Hon Pat McFadden MP, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Wolverhampton South East, Labour) - View Video - View Transcript


Parliamentary Debates
Employment Rights Bill
178 speeches (52,132 words)
Committee stage
Thursday 5th June 2025 - Lords Chamber
Department for Business and Trade
Mentions:
1: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Lab - Life peer) A public consultation sponsored by DSIT, the IPO and DCMS on issues relating to copyright and AI, including - Link to Speech

Oral Answers to Questions
132 speeches (8,866 words)
Thursday 5th June 2025 - Commons Chamber
Cabinet Office
Mentions:
1: Max Wilkinson (LD - Cheltenham) Is he having discussions as part of that process to ensure that his DSIT colleagues are well aware of - Link to Speech
2: Pat McFadden (Lab - Wolverhampton South East) We are building up a real sense of expertise in DSIT, and we thought it made sense to make that change - Link to Speech



Select Committee Documents
Monday 9th June 2025
Report - 3rd Report - The UK and the Antarctic environment

Environmental Audit Committee

Found: outlined in its memorandum of understanding with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT

Friday 6th June 2025
Report - 27th Report - Government’s relationship with digital technology suppliers

Public Accounts Committee

Found: We are concerned as to whether DSIT will have the authority to instil the change that is needed in

Friday 6th June 2025
Report - 7th Report - Industrial Strategy

Business and Trade Committee

Found: Digital Industries, Siemens plc, told us that Siemens were having “quite different conversations with DSIT

Thursday 5th June 2025
Oral Evidence - Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, UKRI, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

Public Accounts Committee

Found: , from DSIT to UKRI, and from UKRI down.

Thursday 5th June 2025
Written Evidence - Innovation Expert
UKI0001 - UK Research and Innovation

Public Accounts Committee

Found: responsibilities of UKRI to be folded back into DSIT.

Thursday 5th June 2025
Written Evidence - ABPI
UKI0002 - UK Research and Innovation

Public Accounts Committee

Found: The recently announced Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT) funding allocations for

Thursday 5th June 2025
Written Evidence - The London School of Econmics and Political Science
UKI0005 - UK Research and Innovation

Public Accounts Committee

Found: This section focusses on the issues including interaction with DSIT and the Metascience Unit. 3.2 UKRI

Thursday 5th June 2025
Report - 2nd Report - Governing the marine environment

Environmental Audit Committee

Found: UK Research and Innovation (UKRI),28 under the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT

Wednesday 4th June 2025
Written Evidence - The Open University
SPA0039 - UK Engagement with Space

UK Engagement with Space - UK Engagement with Space Committee

Found: Creating a detailed implementation plan for the National Space Strategy to clarify how DSIT and UKSA

Wednesday 4th June 2025
Written Evidence - Centre for Satellite Data in Environmental Science (SENSE) Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT)
SPA0040 - UK Engagement with Space

UK Engagement with Space - UK Engagement with Space Committee

Found: fortunate to obtain additional funding from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT

Wednesday 4th June 2025
Written Evidence - RAND Europe
SPA0043 - UK Engagement with Space

UK Engagement with Space - UK Engagement with Space Committee

Found: numerous studies for UK Space Agency (UKSA), Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT

Wednesday 4th June 2025
Written Evidence - UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
SPA0044 - UK Engagement with Space

UK Engagement with Space - UK Engagement with Space Committee

Found: non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT

Wednesday 4th June 2025
Estimate memoranda - Department for Transport Main Estimates Memorandum 2025-26

Transport Committee

Found: Admin for National Insurance Contributions Neutral funding changes between departments:- Transfer to DSIT

Tuesday 3rd June 2025
Written Evidence - Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
SUK0108 - Financing and Scaling UK Science and Technology: Innovation, Investment, Industry

Financing and Scaling UK Science and Technology: Innovation, Investment, Industry - Science and Technology Committee

Found: Technology (SUK0108) This is a response from the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT

Tuesday 3rd June 2025
Written Evidence - Dr David Cleevely CBE
SUK0107 - Financing and Scaling UK Science and Technology: Innovation, Investment, Industry

Financing and Scaling UK Science and Technology: Innovation, Investment, Industry - Science and Technology Committee

Found: Reports and the Patient Capital Review, to the recent Science and Technology Framework issued by DSIT

Tuesday 3rd June 2025
Written Evidence - British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA)
SUK0106 - Financing and Scaling UK Science and Technology: Innovation, Investment, Industry

Financing and Scaling UK Science and Technology: Innovation, Investment, Industry - Science and Technology Committee

Found: Offices (TTO) maximising the return on public investment in research which is a core objective across DSIT

Tuesday 3rd June 2025
Oral Evidence - Ofcom, and Ofcom

Media literacy - Communications and Digital Committee

Found: They have a very particular role to play; they can bring together the work on online safety in DSIT

Tuesday 3rd June 2025
Oral Evidence - Home Office, Home Office, and Home Office

Home Affairs Committee

Found: Yvette Cooper: As you rightly say, DSIT is already developing digital ID.

Tuesday 3rd June 2025
Written Evidence - Smart Villages Research Group ltd
CLE0018 - Aid for community-led energy

Aid for community-led energy - International Development Committee

Found: for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT

Tuesday 3rd June 2025
Oral Evidence - Ian Merricks, and ScaleUp Institute

Financing and Scaling UK Science and Technology: Innovation, Investment, Industry - Science and Technology Committee

Found: DSIT said, “Do keep us in the loop; we’re working with Innovate UK to consider this”, and Innovate UK

Tuesday 3rd June 2025
Oral Evidence - Saul Klein OBE, and Sir Jonathan Symonds CBE

Financing and Scaling UK Science and Technology: Innovation, Investment, Industry - Science and Technology Committee

Found: The challenge there is not a single- department challenge; it is a DSIT-DBT-DfE-Home Office challenge

Tuesday 3rd June 2025
Correspondence - Correspondence from Minister of Science, in relation to the pre-appointment hearing for the Executive Chair of Innovate UK, dated 23 May 2025

Science, Innovation and Technology Committee

Found: Lord Vallance Minister for Science, Research & Innovation Department for Science, Innovation & Technology

Tuesday 3rd June 2025
Correspondence - Correspondence from Minister for the Future Digital Economy and Online Safety, in relation to the Data (Use and Access) Bill: Lords Consideration of Commons Amendments, dated 23 May 2025

Science, Innovation and Technology Committee

Found: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Department for Science, Innovation & Technology

Tuesday 3rd June 2025
Correspondence - Correspondence from Minister of Science, in relation to attracting global research talent to the UK, dated 23 May 2025

Science, Innovation and Technology Committee

Found: Committee House of Commons London SW1A 0AA 23 May 2025 E: TO BE CONFIRMED W: www.gov.uk/dsit

Monday 2nd June 2025
Written Evidence - Beckton Dickinson UK
ECO0032 - UK economic security

UK economic security - Business and Trade Sub-Committee on Economic Security, Arms and Export Controls

Found: DSIT, BEIS, DHSC, Cabinet Office).  Reactive rather than proactive risk assessment, with limited horizon

Monday 2nd June 2025
Written Evidence - RAND Europe
ECO0021 - UK economic security

UK economic security - Business and Trade Sub-Committee on Economic Security, Arms and Export Controls

Found: government/news/new-fund- announced-to-support-uks-national-security-priorities 3 Department for Science, Innovation & Technology

Monday 2nd June 2025
Written Evidence - Professor Michael Lewis
ECO0027 - UK economic security

UK economic security - Business and Trade Sub-Committee on Economic Security, Arms and Export Controls

Found: Initially funded through the Future Flight programme and more recently by DSIT and the Home Office,

Monday 2nd June 2025
Written Evidence - techUK
ECO0030 - UK economic security

UK economic security - Business and Trade Sub-Committee on Economic Security, Arms and Export Controls

Found: Cross-Departmental International Technology Task Force, including representatives from FCDO, MoD, DBT, DSIT

Monday 2nd June 2025
Written Evidence - Goldsmiths, University of London
ECO0006 - UK economic security

UK economic security - Business and Trade Sub-Committee on Economic Security, Arms and Export Controls

Found: the Research & Innovation Ecosystem), Innovation Research Caucus reportsUK has led this through UKRI/DSIT

Monday 2nd June 2025
Written Evidence - Trustonic Ltd
PHT0008 - Phone theft

Science, Innovation and Technology Committee

Found: Public awareness—DSIT/Home Office consumer campaign encouraging consumers to record, or be able to find



Written Answers
Artificial Intelligence: Private Rented Housing
Asked by: Luke Myer (Labour - Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland)
Monday 2nd June 2025

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department is taking steps to regulate the use of (a) algorithmic and (b) AI-driven decision-making tools in the private rental sector.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government is clear that tenants living in the private rented sector should be treated fairly and with respect. Landlords are responsible for any decision they make, including where they have used AI-driven tools to support their decision making process.

In designing and implementing the digital aspects of our reforms, including the Private Rented Sector Landlord Ombudsman and the Private Rented Sector Database, the Department will capitalise on the opportunities that AI offers to create modern and efficient services. These services will be built in line with the Government Digital Service Standard and the code of practice for cyber security of AI published by DSIT.



Department Publications - News and Communications
Sunday 8th June 2025
Department for Education
Source Page: PM launches national skills drive to unlock opportunities for young people in tech
Document: PM launches national skills drive to unlock opportunities for young people in tech (webpage)

Found: It comes as research commissioned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) shows



Department Publications - Policy and Engagement
Thursday 5th June 2025
HM Treasury
Source Page: Specialised Committee on Participation in Union Programmes Minutes: 11 December 2024
Document: (PDF)

Found: Member States UK Delegation (23) • UK co-chair of the SCPUP • UK Government Officials (HMT, DSIT



Department Publications - Statistics
Thursday 5th June 2025
Ministry of Justice
Source Page: Civil justice statistics quarterly: January to March 2025
Document: (ODS)

Found: 0.272727272727273 1 0.0909090909090909 8 2 0.25 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 Dept. for Science, Innovation and Technology7 DSIT

Thursday 5th June 2025
Ministry of Justice
Source Page: Civil justice statistics quarterly: January to March 2025
Document: (ODS)

Found: 0.0909090909090909 8 2 0.25 0 0.0 4 0 0.0 0 0.0 Dept. for Science, Innovation and Technology [note 7] DSIT

Monday 2nd June 2025
Department for Education
Source Page: Skills England: Skills for growth and opportunity
Document: (PDF)

Found: For Space, Skills England worked with DSIT colleagues to identify occupations most relevant to space

Monday 2nd June 2025
Department for Education
Source Page: Skills England: Skills for growth and opportunity
Document: (PDF)

Found: clear areas of future skills needs. 17 Prime Minister sets out blueprint to turbocharge AI, DSIT



Department Publications - Policy paper
Monday 2nd June 2025
Ministry of Defence
Source Page: The Strategic Defence Review 2025 - Making Britain Safer: secure at home, strong abroad
Document: (PDF)

Found: should be supported by collaboration with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT



Non-Departmental Publications - News and Communications
Jun. 09 2025
Council for Science and Technology
Source Page: Letter to the Prime Minister on improving the nation’s health through primary prevention
Document: (PDF)
News and Communications

Found: We recommend that work is undertaken by DHSC and DSIT to scope an evidence-based, holistic, and joined-up

Jun. 08 2025
Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street
Source Page: PM launches national skills drive to unlock opportunities for young people in tech
Document: PM launches national skills drive to unlock opportunities for young people in tech (webpage)
News and Communications

Found: It comes as research commissioned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) shows



Non-Departmental Publications - Transparency
Jun. 05 2025
Phone-paid Services Authority
Source Page: Phone-paid Services Authority Limited Annual Report and Accounts 2024 to 2025
Document: (PDF)
Transparency

Found: Our sponsor department was the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

Jun. 05 2025
Phone-paid Services Authority
Source Page: Phone-paid Services Authority Limited Annual Report and Accounts 2024 to 2025
Document: (PDF)
Transparency

Found: Our sponsor department was the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

Jun. 03 2025
Government Chemist
Source Page: Government Chemist 2023 Annual Review
Document: (PDF)
Transparency

Found: International Science Review, commissioned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT

Jun. 03 2025
Government Chemist
Source Page: Government Chemist 2023 Annual Review
Document: (PDF)
Transparency

Found: International Sci ence Review, commissioned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT

Jun. 02 2025
Government Digital Service
Source Page: Microsoft 365 Copilot Experiment: Cross-Government Findings Report
Document: (PDF)
Transparency

Found: Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) ● Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT

Dec. 11 2024
Phone-paid Services Authority
Source Page: Phone-paid Services Authority Limited Annual Report and Accounts 2023 to 2024
Document: (PDF)
Transparency

Found: Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT

Dec. 11 2024
Phone-paid Services Authority
Source Page: Phone-paid Services Authority Limited Annual Report and Accounts 2023 to 2024
Document: (PDF)
Transparency

Found: Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT



Non-Departmental Publications - Statistics
Jun. 03 2025
Independent Water Commission
Source Page: Independent Water Commission: review of the water sector
Document: (PDF)
Statistics

Found: 1 The Consult AI tool used is owned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT

Jun. 02 2025
Skills England
Source Page: Skills England: Skills for growth and opportunity
Document: (PDF)
Statistics

Found: clear areas of future skills needs. 17 Prime Minister sets out blueprint to turbocharge AI, DSIT

Jun. 02 2025
Skills England
Source Page: Skills England: Skills for growth and opportunity
Document: (PDF)
Statistics

Found: For Space, Skills England worked with DSIT colleagues to identify occupations most relevant to space



Deposited Papers
Tuesday 3rd June 2025
Ministry of Defence
Source Page: I. Strategic Defence Review. Making Britain safer: secure at home, strong abroad. 2025. 144p. II. Letter dated 02/06/2025 from John Healey MP to the Deposited Papers Clerk regarding the above document for deposit in the House Libraries. 1p.
Document: Strategic_Defence_Review_2025.pdf (PDF)

Found: should be supported by collaboration with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT

Monday 2nd June 2025
Cabinet Office
Source Page: I. Civil Service equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) expenditure review. 6p. II. Civil Service 2024/2025 External expenditure on equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). 2p. III. Letter dated 29/05/2025 from Georgia Gould MP to the Deposited Papers Clerk regarding the above documents for deposit in the House Libraries. 1p.
Document: Reported_Departmental_EDI_Expenditure.pdf (PDF)

Found: Cross-Civil Service Pride Funding HMT £4,000 ● Antisemitism and Anti-Islamophobia training DSIT