Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support the UK's cloud hosting industry, in line with their aspiration to attain sovereign capability within the UK's cloud networks.

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

This government is committed to ensuring the security and resilience and fostering diverse growth and innovation of UK data infrastructure, including cloud services.

The government recently designated data centres and cloud infrastructure as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), recognising their fundamental importance to the UK and the digital economy. This will ensure that the UK is a safe place to develop and invest in data infrastructure.

The government continues to engage with the whole sector to enable and promote a level playing field, where UK cloud hosting providers have equity of access to the public sector cloud market.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure supplier diversity and resilience in the UK’s cloud infrastructure.

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

This government is committed to ensuring the security and resilience and fostering diverse growth and innovation of UK data infrastructure, including cloud services.

The government recently designated data centres and cloud infrastructure as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), recognising their fundamental importance to the UK and the digital economy. This will ensure that the UK is a safe place to develop and invest in data infrastructure.

The government continues to engage with the whole sector to enable and promote a level playing field, where UK cloud hosting providers have equity of access to the public sector cloud market.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the UK’s cloud networks regain sovereign capability.

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

This government is committed to ensuring the security and resilience and fostering diverse growth and innovation of UK data infrastructure, including cloud services.

The government recently designated data centres and cloud infrastructure as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), recognising their fundamental importance to the UK and the digital economy. This will ensure that the UK is a safe place to develop and invest in data infrastructure.

The government continues to engage with the whole sector to enable and promote a level playing field, where UK cloud hosting providers have equity of access to the public sector cloud market.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the recent publication of the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2023, whether they have considered the merits of legislative action such as 'Herbie's Law', to support a further decrease in the number of scientific procedures performed on living animals and to support the long-term phase-out of animal experiments in medical research by 2035.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) is leading on plans to accelerate the development, validation and uptake of alternatives to animal testing.

As yet, no assessment has been made of the potential merits of introducing Herbie’s Law.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the recent publication of the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2023, what plans they have to increase funding for the further development and uptake of human-specific methods that can replace the use of animals in medical research, such as computer modelling and organ-on-a-chip technology.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) is leading on plans to accelerate the development, validation and uptake of alternatives to animal testing.

As yet, no assessment has been made of the potential merits of introducing Herbie’s Law.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the hosting of the National Data Library will be the subject of a strategic procurement in order to buy, make and sell more in Britain.

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

The National Data Library will transform the way the Government manages our national strategic data assets. ​

​It will focus on maximising the value of data for the public good, on growing the economy and creating new jobs, and on delivering data-driven AI-powered public services.

Decisions on the design and implementation of the National Data Library will be taken in due course.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Digital Voice switchover in the first areas of rollout is proceeding in accordance with any undertakings by BT, particularly in terms of communication with regard to: adequate notice to customers, ability to opt out, alternatives to switchover offered and delivered, electric power availability, quality of connection, and clarity about equipment to be provided.

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

BT are a signatory of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) charter, committing them to protect vulnerable users during the migration. BT, along with other communication providers, are not proactively switching customers to Digital Voice unless they have not used their landline for at least 12 months, though customers can choose to switch at any time. BT provide their customers with at least four weeks of notice, and ensure they have the necessary quality of connection prior to migration. BT does not provide electricity but provide in-home solutions that customers can use in the event of a power outage.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cybersecurity risks posed by prompt injection attacks to the processing by generative artificial intelligence of material provided from outside government, and whether any such attacks have been detected thus far.

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

Security is central to HMG's Generative AI Framework, which was published in January this year and sets out principles for using generative AI safely and responsibly. The risks posed by prompt injection attacks, including from material provided outside of government, have been assessed as part of this framework and are continually reviewed. The published Generative AI Framework for HMG specifically includes Prompt Injection attacks, alongside other AI specific cyber risks.

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