Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to consult with private sector digital identification providers about the future development of the UK digital identification ecosystem, including the Gov.uk digital wallet and the mobile driving licence.

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

The Office for Digital Identities and Attributes (OfDIA) regularly engages with a wide range of stakeholders including digital verification service providers, civil society, regulators, and other experts from academia and think tanks.

With regard to the GOV.UK Wallet and the mobile driving licence, OfDIA and the Government Digital Service have an event on 14 May 2025 to engage with digital verification providers on how the GOV.UK Wallet can work with and alongside private sector solutions to offer users the best experience and appropriate choice. This will be followed by technical engagement with providers in the coming months.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on private digital identification service providers of the free use of One Login by Companies House; and whether they will refer this to the Competition and Markets Authority to ensure there is no market distortion.

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

GOV.UK One Login is a centrally funded programme, to deliver one ‘front door’ for government services in order to replace the previous landscape of siloed and duplicative sign-in and identity-proofing methods. This will save time for users and taxpayer money by avoiding duplication across government. As an organisation within government, Companies House services are included in this government programme. As is the case with all other government services on GOV.UK One Login, the service is free to use to enable inclusive and easy access to public services.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what lessons they learned from GOV.UK Verify, and how they will apply those lessons to the development and governance of the One Login digital identification system.

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

The lessons learned from GOV.UK Verify have formed a core part of how GOV.UK One Login has been developed. For example, GOV.UK One Login is a centrally funded programme to encourage adoption. GOV.UK One Login also accepts multiple types of evidence, and allows users to choose from three identity verification routes, including visiting the Post Office to prove their identity in person, increasing success rates and inclusion.

The programme is governed by a cross government programme board, to ensure that Departments using the service are kept at the centre of programme delivery and as a Government Major Portfolio Programme (GMPP) it is subject to cross government assurance. The Infrastructure and Projects Authority has reviewed the programme positively in the last three Assurance Gateway Reviews.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what requirements they have placed on BT to consult customers about the implementation of the Digital Voice rollout, particularly for vulnerable customers or those in rural areas.

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

The Government is determined to ensure that any risks arising from the industry-led migration of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are mitigated for all customers across the UK.

Major communication providers, including BT, signed a voluntary charter in December 2023 to protect vulnerable customers. A definition of vulnerable customers who may require additional support in the context of the PSTN switch-off was published in November 2024. It includes the landline-dependent and those living in rural areas. In November 2024, providers agreed to additional safeguards in the Non-Voluntary Migrations Checklist. This includes requirements for timely and repeated communication with customers ahead of their non-voluntary migration.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to establish minimum standards for battery back-up of Digital Voice services during power outages; and what assessment they have made of whether these minimum standards are sufficient for rural areas.

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

The Government is determined to ensure that any risks arising from the industry-led migration of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are mitigated for all customers across the UK.

In November 2024, providers agreed to safeguards in the Non-Voluntary Migrations Checklist including requirements to provide resilience solutions (e.g., battery back-up) for vulnerable customers, including the landline-dependent and those living in rural areas, to enable access to emergency organisations for at least one hour in a power outage. After discussions with government ministers, a number of communication providers have gone beyond this minimum, providing battery back-ups of 4-7 hours.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to publish the mandatory Data Protection Impact Assessment for the gov.uk One Login programme.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

It is not a mandatory requirement to publish a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA). We do have an obligation to let citizens know how we are processing their data, which we do via a privacy notice published on GOV.UK. We continually develop our DPIA to take into account the new identity verification journeys, such as the no photo ID route. Nevertheless, we are working on a publishable version of our DPIA which will be easy to digest for the public. The One Login programme meets with the Information Commissioners’ Office (ICO) on a monthly basis, engaging openly on programme developments, including iterations of the DPIA, and has been doing so since 2022.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision to rename Ofcom's Advisory Committee on Disinformation and Misinformation the "Committee for Online Information"; and whether the Committee will still have the remit of tackling misinformation.

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

Ofcom and its advisory committees are independent of government. The name of the advisory committee is therefore a matter for Ofcom.

The Online Safety Act makes the Committee’s role clear. The Act mandates that the Committee must advise the regulator on how providers should address mis- and disinformation on their services. It also requires them to advise Ofcom on exercising their transparency powers and fulfilling their statutory duty to promote media literacy in relation to mis- and disinformation. These duties remain unchanged and will be the focus of the new Online Information Advisory Committee.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any disparity in treatment between landline-only customers and those with broadband packages by BT’s Digital Voice rollout; and whether those with copper broadband will be able to terminate their broadband contract and retain a copper landline for telephone use only.

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

No assessment of any disparity in treatment has been made. It will not be possible to retain a copper landline for telephone use only. From April 2024 to March 2025, there were over 2,600 major incidents on the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), each affecting 500 or more customers. The decision to upgrade the PSTN has been taken by industry and is a necessity.

The PSTN migration does not affect the universal service obligations in the Electronic Communications Order 2003 which require the designated providers (BT and KCOM) to offer landline-only services throughout the UK. It is therefore possible to order a Voice over Internet Protocol landline without purchasing a general internet connection.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of BT’s Digital Voice rollout, what assessment they have made of residences lacking sufficient mains electricity supply to consistently run a router and a modern telephone.

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

The Government is determined to ensure any risks arising from the industry-led migration of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also known as Digital Voice, are mitigated for all customers across the UK.

In November 2024, providers, including BT, agreed to safeguards in the Non-Voluntary Migrations Checklist including requirements to provide resilience solutions, such as battery back-up units, for vulnerable customers, including the landline-dependent, to enable access to emergency organisations for at least one hour in a power outage. A number of communication providers have gone beyond this minimum, providing solutions that provide 4 to 7 hours that customers can use to power their router during a power cut.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to exempt off-grid premises from BT's Digital Voice transition.

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

The Government is working with the telecoms industry and Ofcom, the independent telecoms regulator, to ensure the migration happens safely. In November 2024 major communication providers agreed additional safeguards to protect vulnerable customers. It is for BT to determine their process for the migration, including for those in off-grid premises.

The Government is determined to ensure all risks arising from the industry-led migration of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also known as Digital Voice, are mitigated for all customers across the UK.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have had discussions with BT about publishing a geographical timetable for the Digital Voice rollout, particularly for rural areas.

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

The Government is determined to ensure that any risks of the industry-led migration from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), also known as Digital Voice, are mitigated for all customers across the UK.

Communication providers, including BT, signed a voluntary PSTN Charter in December 2023, committing them to protecting vulnerable consumers during the PSTN migration. In November 2024, providers agreed to additional safeguards in the Non-Voluntary Migrations Checklist. The Government is engaging regularly with the signatories of the Charter to monitor their plans and to ensure compliance with the Checklist.

The Government have not requested that providers publish geographical timetables. Providers are migrating customers only when the safeguards are in place. Further, providers are starting migrating the least vulnerable customers first, regardless of geography.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the utility of provenance tools, such as those made available by the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity, for all government communications.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

A Government Communications Service assessment of the utility of provenance tools can be found in GCS Innovating with Impact Strategy, under the subheading ‘Tackling horizon challenges head on’, a copy of which is attached.

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.

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.

Found: employer should do or have in place when the whistle is blown. 21 Employment Rights Bill LORD CLEMENT-JONES

Found: Employment Rights Bill 36 LORD CLEMENT-JONES 148_ After Clause 34, insert the following new Clause—

Found: LORD CLEMENT-JONES 148_ After Clause 34, insert the following new Clause— “Definition of AI System

Found: LORD CLEMENT-JONES 148_ After Clause 34, insert the following new Clause— “Definition of AI System