Artificial Intelligence: News Media

Debate between Lord Alton of Liverpool and Baroness Twycross

Monday 7th July 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

We want to get this right and for AI to work for everyone. All our work is around protecting existing rights for creators and the press and ensuring that AI creates new revenue streams for them. We are carefully reviewing all the responses to our consultation to ensure that any proposals taken forward properly support both the AI and creative sectors, including the media.

[Lord Alton of Liverpool (CB)]

Will the Minister undertake to view the opening session of the new inquiry by the Joint Committee on Human Rights, held last Wednesday, into human rights and artificial intelligence? In particular, will she look at the evidence of Professor David Leslie, the director of the Alan Turing Institute, who was very clear that this cannot be dealt with unless there is transnational co-operation? He drew attention to the Council of Europe document, published last September, to which the United Kingdom is a signatory but has not yet ratified. Can the Minister tell us when we will do so?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

I will need to get back to the noble Lord on the second point. On the first point, I am more than happy to watch the session to which he refers. As noble Lords are aware, we have a number of late sitting days, so I will make sure I use at least one of the evenings to watch what sounds like a really interesting evidence session.

Procurement Act 2023

Debate between Lord Alton of Liverpool and Baroness Twycross

Tuesday 15th October 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

In passing the Health and Care Act 2022, Parliament recognised that healthcare services delivered to NHS patients and service users, such as 999 emergency ambulance services and cancer-screening services, had particular issues and challenges which necessitated special procurement measures. Consequently, as the noble Baroness made clear, the Procurement Act does not include special provisions for those healthcare services.

[Lord Alton of Liverpool (CB)]

My Lords, during the proceedings on the Procurement Act, the noble Baroness will recall that the House was united in not wishing to see goods made in Xinjiang by slave labour, particularly Uighur Muslims, being brought by public policy into our own supply chains. Can the Minister tell us what this Government are doing to ensure we maintain a prohibition on goods that have been made by Uighur slave labour?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

Abhorrent practices such as these have absolutely no place in public supply chains. The Procurement Act strengthens the rules around excluding suppliers due to serious misconduct anywhere in their operations, including the supply chain.