Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what alternative suppliers they considered for the GOV.UK chat service before selecting Anthropic's Claude model; and what assessment they have made of contracting United Kingdom based AI developers for this project.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government Digital Service has considered a range of large language models from multiple suppliers in developing GOV.UK Chat. Earlier iterations tested OpenAI’s ChatGPT models, while the current phase is evaluating Anthropic’s Claude models. Model selection decisions are based on performance, security, data protection, cost, and alignment with government standards. GOV.UK Chat is being developed entirely within the Government Digital Service by a multidisciplinary team of civil servants. The Government continues to engage with UK-based AI developers and remains open to collaboration where this supports innovation and the delivery of public services.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of ethical and legal considerations regarding Anthropic's use of copyright-protected works in training its Claude AI model before awarding the contract for the GOV.UK chat service to the company.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government Digital Service recognises the importance of ethical and legal considerations relating to the use of copyright-protected material in the training of large language models.
A range of large language models from multiple suppliers have been considered in developing GOV.UK Chat. Earlier iterations tested OpenAI’s ChatGPT models, while the current phase is evaluating Anthropic’s Claude models. Model selection decisions are based on performance, security, data protection, cost, and alignment with government standards.
GOV.UK Chat is being developed entirely within the Government Digital Service by a multidisciplinary team of civil servants. The Government continues to engage with UK-based AI developers and remains open to collaboration where this supports innovation and the delivery of public services.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support UK-based AI developers through government procurement processes, in the light of the establishment of the Sovereign AI unit.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Sovereign AI Unit was announced in the AI Opportunities Action Plan as a new initiative specifically designed to build homegrown capability in emerging areas of the AI ecosystem. Backed by £500 million at the Spending Review, the programme is focused on unlocking opportunities where targeted public intervention can support UK leadership, scale national champions, and secure long-term strategic advantage.
In relation to procurement specifically, the Digital Commercial Centre of Excellence, established earlier this year following the publication of ‘A blueprint for modern digital government’ by DSIT, plays an important role in shaping best practice in relation to technology procurement policy.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of claims that universities are threatening legal action against the Alan Turing Institute over cancelled partnerships.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Alan Turing Institute is currently undertaking a consultation process which will aim to concentrate the institute’s activities on fewer projects in line with its Turing 2.0 strategy. The Alan Turing Institute is an independent legal entity, so these consultations, and any related changes, are being handled internally within the institute.
It is important that the Institute delivers value for money and maximum impact for taxpayers, and we will continue our work to support that ambition.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential closure of the Public Policy Progamme at the Alan Turing Institute, as suggested by the recent departure of both co-directors; and what assessment they have made of the impact of this potential closure on the Institute’s charitable mission.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
In 2024, the Quinquennial Review provided advice on how to strengthen successful delivery of the Turing 2.0 strategy and help shape its future direction in a rapidly changing artificial intelligence (AI) landscape.
Following this review, the Alan Turing Institute has launched a consultation process, which will aim to concentrate the institute’s activities on fewer projects in line with its strategy. The Alan Turing Institute is an independent organisation, and these consultations are being handled internally within the institute.
We note that the CEO of the Institute has recently announced her resignation. We will continue ensuring that the Institute delivers value for money to the taxpayer.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Alan Turing Institute's progress against the terms of its £100 million funding agreement, including delivery plans, annual reviews and current status of key performance indicators.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
While the Alan Turing Institute (ATI) has made progress with its recent reforms, further steps are needed to shift away from a broad portfolio of projects toward a more focused model.
In July, Secretary of State wrote to the ATI Board proposing a set of changes to the organisation that would shift its focus to national security, defence and sovereign capability. These reforms will build on the institute’s existing strengths and increase its capacity to deliver real value for the British public.
Government is working closely with UKRI and the ATI to deliver on SoS’ vision and remains committed to working with both organisations to drive progress at the cutting edge, support the government’s missions and attract international talent.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council’s reported response to concerns raised by staff about the Alan Turing Institute in December 2024 relating to: transparency around its financial position, duty of care obligations applying to publicly funded research institutions, and protections for staff raising concerns about governance and leadership.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Alan Turing Institute (ATI) is an independent organisation and is responsible for dealing with complaints raised by its staff or about its actions and decisions. As such, UKRI did not investigate the anonymous whistleblowing complaint but shared it with the appropriate whistleblowing team at ATI for them to investigate. The response to an independent review of that complaint was provided to UKRI in line with UKRI’s standard processes.
The government has been clear on the need for the Institute to deliver value for money and maximum impact for taxpayers, and we will continue our work to support that ambition.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the applicability of the Online Safety Act 2023 to artificial intelligence chatbot providers, including those that host user-generated chatbots; and what assessment they have made of whether further guidance or legislation is required in that area to ensure the protection of children.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
Generative AI services that allow users to share content with one another or that search live websites to provide search results are regulated under the Online Safety Act. This includes services which allow users to generate their own chatbots which are then made available to other users. The Act also regulates online services publishing and the display of pornographic content, including where that pornography is AI-generated.
The Government is committed to keeping young people safe online. The Secretary of State has been clear that we will not hesitate to strengthen the law further to ensure the safety of our children and the British public.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what funding will be available for digital inclusion for the period of the Spending Review 2025 for 2026–29; and if no funding has been determined, when it will be.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
The Government is committed to delivering digital inclusion for everyone across the UK, regardless of their circumstances. In the current financial year, we’ll back local digital inclusion initiatives up and down the country, including by launching a new £9.5mn Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund. The full detail of DSIT's longer-term spending plans is still being considered, and further information will be provided to stakeholders as allocations are decided later in the year.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to make more affordable connectivity for people on very low incomes one of their priorities.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
The Government aims to make online access affordable for everyone. The Digital Inclusion Action Plan, published in February 2025, targets the removal of affordability barriers by 2030, ensuring all citizens have affordable, reliable internet and suitable devices.
A range of social tariffs are available, including for those on very low incomes, provided for by the telecoms industry. We continue to urge the industry to raise awareness of these low cost deals for those on means tested benefits, and encourage them to maintain provision.
This is part of wider efforts to address digital exclusion, especially for low-income households, older people, disabled individuals, and the unemployed.