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.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will finalise their priorities for action on digital inclusion under the Digital Inclusion Action Plan: First Steps, published on 26 February.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
The Government is delivering on the commitments it made in the Digital Inclusion Action Plan published in February. Progress continues to be made on each of these. Future priorities will be informed by the Call for Evidence launched alongside the Action Plan; this closed on 9 April 2025 and a summary of responses was published on GOV.UK on 17 July 2025. Ongoing collaboration across government departments and with external partners, input from the Digital Inclusion Action Committee and DSIT’s longer-term spending plans, currently still being considered, will also contribute to the shaping of priorities.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the development of sovereign digital capabilities when procuring government digital services.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
The Government’s blueprint for modern digital government published in January sets out a coordination approach to strengthening procurement of digital capabilities across the public sector, making use of governments' scale to unlock greater value and procure in a way that drives creation of responsible, inclusive and secure technologies.
While each department is responsible for creation of their own requirements and making procurement decisions based on their specific needs, the Government Digital Service will continue to support departments through guidance such as the Technology Code of Practice.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what priority they will give to the development of sovereign digital capabilities, excluding artificial intelligence, under their new industrial strategy.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government’s Modern Industrial Strategy commits to supporting the digital and technologies sector as a high growth industry. As part of the Digital and Technologies Sector Plan we have prioritised six frontier technologies with the greatest growth potential and strategic importance. The Sector Plan commits to grow domestic capabilities in these technologies, including through programmes to boost our semiconductor chip design capability, targeted R&D investment in advanced connectivity technologies and a ten-year funding commitment for the National Quantum Computing Centre. We will develop a domestic skills base in these technologies through a new £187 million TechFirst programme to grow the UK’s digital talent pipeline.