Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether officials in her Department have provided Ministers with written advice on meeting the public sector equality duty in relation to the (a) UK Science and Technology Framework, (b) National AI Strategy and (c) Life Sciences Vision.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The department does not hold an Equality Impact Assessment for the Science and Technology Framework, as it is a high-level strategic Framework through which to deliver Government policy. Individual policies that will be delivered under the Framework have or will develop Equality Impact Assessments for their policies, in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty. As set out in the published Science and Technology Framework, many of the strands have equality considerations at the heart of what they are aiming to achieve.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of engineering biology on reaching net zero.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The National Vision for Engineering Biology, published December 2023, identifies opportunities to apply engineering biology to tackle Net Zero in sectors including low carbon fuels and chemical manufacturing.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many times a year, on average, she meets representatives of the Life Sciences Council; and when she plans to next meet the council.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Secretary of State, alongside the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care co-chairs the Life Sciences Council twice a year. The most recent meeting took place on 23 November 2023 and the date for the next meeting is currently being agreed with members.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when the most recent meeting of Life Sciences Council was held; and when the council is scheduled to meet next.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The last meeting of the Life Sciences Council took place on Tuesday 21 November 2023.
The date for the next meeting is currently being agreed with members.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department plans to integrate 5G networks with public sector infrastructure; and whether she has had discussions with network providers on the role of public sector infrastructure in improving coverage.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Our 2023 Wireless Infrastructure Strategy sets out a range of measures to drive 5G adoption in the private and public sectors to ensure the UK can fully realise the benefits of 5G. This includes a commitment to drive innovation in public services, and for digital connectivity requirements for future users of infrastructure to be at the heart of planning for major infrastructure projects. This includes our commitment that all new hospitals are built with 5G or the equivalent technology.
My Department has regular engagement with network providers to explore how the public sector can be an early adopter of 5G and deliver our ambitions to improve 5G coverage nationally.
We have taken steps to encourage the use of public sector assets for wireless infrastructure deployment, including through the £7 million Digital Connectivity Infrastructure Accelerator programme, which helps local councils and the telecoms industry resolve the challenges involved with using publicly owned land, buildings and street furniture to host digital infrastructure.
DSIT has also awarded six local authority pilots a total of £1.3 million through our Smart Infrastructure Pilots Programme, to test “smart” multipurpose columns that provide wireless connectivity services and other uses, such as EV charging.
My Department has also published, via the Digital Connectivity Portal, - extensive guidance for local authorities and operators to help facilitate broadband deployment. This includes technical information, as well as examples of best practice.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the recent content licensing agreement between The Financial Times and OpenAI, what assessment they have made of the potential implications this may have for the AI industry; and what steps they are taking to further promote transparency and accountability in AI-driven content generation and distribution.
Answered by Viscount Camrose - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government wants the AI sector and our creative industries to grow together in partnership and is encouraged to see agreements being reached between AI developers and press publishers.
As set out in its response to the AI White Paper, the Government believes there should be greater transparency from AI developers in relation to data inputs and the attribution of outputs. It is considering ways to achieve this and will engage closely with right holders and AI developers.
Asked by: Thérèse Coffey (Conservative - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what proportion of households in Suffolk Coastal constituency had access to broadband speeds of over (a) 10 mbps and (b) 30mbps in (i) 2010 and (ii) the most recent period for which data is available.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
30 Mbps coverage: According to Thinkbroadband, as of May 2024, almost 98% of premises in the Suffolk Coastal constituency have access to broadband speeds greater than 30 Mbps. This is much higher than the 17.5% coverage reported in 2010.
10 Mbps coverage: According to Ofcom’s Spring 2024 Connected Nations report, based on data as of January 2024, over 98% of premises in the Suffolk Coastal constituency have access to broadband speeds greater than 10 Mbps. This is higher than the 90% coverage reported in June 2016. We do not have earlier breakdown data for 10 Mbps coverage.
Gigabit coverage: According to Thinkbroadband, as of May 2024, almost 59% of premises in the Suffolk Coastal constituency have gigabit connectivity. This is much higher than the 1% coverage reported in 2010.
To extend gigabit-capable coverage further, in June 2023 we announced that a Project Gigabit contract had been awarded to the supplier CityFibre. This contract has a value of over £100 million, covering 79,500 hard-to-reach premises in Suffolk that would otherwise miss out on a gigabit-capable connection. The first connections are expected to be made this summer and we expect the contract to be completed by December 2028.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she plans to bring forward a code of practice regarding violence against women and girls online.
Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Online Safety Act (OSA) gives online user-to-user services and search service providers new safety duties. They will need to take steps to tackle illegal content and protect children. The major social media platforms – known as ‘Category 1 services’ in the Act – will also be required to take steps to enforce their terms of service and offer user empowerment tools. As the regulator for the OSA, Ofcom will set out steps providers can take for their different duties in codes of practice and guidance. This will include steps for content which disproportionately affects women and girls.
Ofcom will also produce guidance summarising all the measures it has recommended in its different codes of practice and guidance that will protect women and girls. This guidance will ensure it is easy for platforms to implement holistic and effective protections for women and girls, across their various OSA duties.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many premises were able to access a gigabit-capable broadband connection in each constituency in the period between March 2019 and March 2024.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Constituency-level statistics detailing the percentage of premises with access to a gigabit-capable connection over this period are available from the independent website Think Broadband.com.
As of March 2024, over 81% of premises across the UK are able to access a gigabit-capable connection, up from just 6% in March 2019.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Streatham)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, which topics she has approved for sustained monitoring by the National Security Online Information Team.
Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
NSOIT remit and function is to tackle the greatest national security risks facing the UK from mis and disinformation. It is specifically tasked with looking at threats posed by foreign states, risks to elections and understanding how AI and deepfakes can be used by hostile actors to spread mis and disinformation narratives which are aimed at UK audiences. This remit is kept under regular review.