Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government which ministers, officials, and external experts attended the meeting held at 10 Downing Street on Wednesday 16 April regarding the establishment of UK sovereign AI capacity; and what criteria were used to select the expert participants.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The AI Opportunities Action Plan, launched in January, outlines 50 actions to drive AI development. We are committed to strengthening the UK sector and supporting the emergence of leading UK AI companies. A broad programme of engagement is a critical part of this commitment. The sovereign AI team has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders, including academics, founders, and investors throughout the UK and will continue to do so.
This recent event, focused on building UK capabilities, was part of that ongoing engagement, and participants were invited accordingly.
Ministerial meetings are published according to normal transparency requirements on the GOV.UK website.
Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to develop UK sovereign AI capacity; and on what timeframe.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The AI Opportunities Action Plan, launched in January, outlines 50 actions to drive AI development and deployment. The government has committed to taking forward all recommendations, including the establishment of a new, sovereign AI unit with a clear mandate to maximise the UK's stake in frontier AI.
Building sovereign capabilities will enable the UK to harness the economic potential of advanced AI whilst safeguarding our national security, in the context of rapid AI development. The government has already partnered with leading AI companies, such as Anthropic, to explore AI opportunities in the UK. More details of the sovereign AI programme will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the costs and benefits of the UK Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai; and whether the findings of that assessment will be made publicly available.
Answered by Baroness Gustafsson - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
DBT conducted an evaluation of the UK presence at Expo 2020 Dubai. This provided accountability and learning to inform continuous improvements. The lessons are directly feeding into planning and delivery of the UK presence at Expo 2025 Osaka.
Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of AI-integrated health monitoring tools to manage unsupervised use of medications such as semaglutide.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Currently, no assessment has been made on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor the unsupervised use of these medications. However, we recognise the potential of AI and monitoring systems to support people’s health and care, including through the monitoring of vital signs. The United Kingdom has a world-leading regulatory system which ensures that medical technologies on the market are safe for use, including AI technologies. Should the National Health Service begin to assess AI-integrated health monitoring tools, they will be held to the same regulatory standards as other tools used by the NHS.
Medications such as semaglutide are prescription only medicines and should not be used unsupervised. It is illegal to obtain a prescription medicine without a prescription.
Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what insights or lessons from the UK pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai have informed the planning and design of the UK pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, which opened on 13 April.
Answered by Baroness Gustafsson - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
DBT have taken lessons learned from previous Expos and other major events (including Commonwealth Games and Investment Summits) to inform the planning and design of the UK Pavilion at Expo Osaka.
Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) benefits and (2) risks of using wearable technology and AI-driven monitoring systems to track vital signs in patients who are prescribed semaglutide; and whether those systems could be used to automatically alert healthcare providers or patients in the event of adverse reactions.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published early value assessment guidance on digital technologies for delivering multidisciplinary weight management services. This includes recommendations on which technologies can be used in the National Health Service to prescribe and monitor obesity medicines and deliver multidisciplinary weight-management services in adults.
The Department has not commissioned, and has no current plans to commission, research or an assessment into the use of artificial intelligence or wearable technology for people using obesity medicines. However, we recognise the potential of artificial intelligence, wearable technologies, and monitoring systems to support people’s health and care, including through the monitoring of vital signs.
Whilst we have not made a specific assessment of their use in patients prescribed semaglutide, we are actively exploring where these technologies can be safely, effectively, and appropriately used in the health and care system. Ensuring the safe integration of wearable technologies and artificial intelligence into clinical pathways requires careful consideration and collaboration with clinicians, patients, and technology developers.
Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have commissioned, or plan to commission, studies into the use of artificial intelligence to monitor individuals who purchase semaglutide for weight loss, particularly in regard to patient follow-up and supervision.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published early value assessment guidance on digital technologies for delivering multidisciplinary weight management services. This includes recommendations on which technologies can be used in the National Health Service to prescribe and monitor obesity medicines and deliver multidisciplinary weight-management services in adults.
The Department has not commissioned, and has no current plans to commission, research or an assessment into the use of artificial intelligence or wearable technology for people using obesity medicines. However, we recognise the potential of artificial intelligence, wearable technologies, and monitoring systems to support people’s health and care, including through the monitoring of vital signs.
Whilst we have not made a specific assessment of their use in patients prescribed semaglutide, we are actively exploring where these technologies can be safely, effectively, and appropriately used in the health and care system. Ensuring the safe integration of wearable technologies and artificial intelligence into clinical pathways requires careful consideration and collaboration with clinicians, patients, and technology developers.
Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Vallance of Balham on 25 March (HL5666), what further details they will provide on meetings Ministers from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology have held with external stakeholders abroad, including the names of the companies and individuals involved.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Ministers and officials have regular meetings with a range of external stakeholders abroad.
Ministerial meetings and engagements are published through quarterly transparency reports on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what specific funding initiatives are currently allocated to support traditional craftsmanship and skills preservation within Stoke-on-Trent's historic pottery industry; and whether they intend to increase investment in apprenticeship programmes focused on ceramic manufacturing skills.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The craft sector has developed the level 3 craft technician apprenticeship standard, which includes a ceramicist training option. In February 2025 the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education and the Heritage Crafts Association held a stakeholder engagement event for heritage craft industries promoting the benefits of apprenticeships and technical education qualifications.
The department will continue to support learners who wish to have a career in pottery and ceramic manufacturing through its technical education offer, with a range of high-quality qualifications and apprenticeship opportunities available at all levels. We recognise the crucial role that colleges and providers play in delivering the skills training and innovation needed for our current and future workforce. An example of this is T Levels in Craft and Design, giving 16 to 19-year-olds the knowledge and skills needed for entry to a range of occupations in this sector.
Local skills improvement plans (LSIPs) are an initiative funded by the department to support meeting local skills needs. The Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire LSIP, developed by Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce as the designated employer representative body, includes engineering and advanced manufacturing, including ceramics, in its key sectors and priorities.
Stoke on Trent College’s accountability statement highlights how their strategic aims and objectives align to the LSIP priorities, including ceramics. It delivers ceramics and pottery throwing skills and the adult level 2 award in ceramics together with their apprenticeship provision supports local pottery manufacturing, typically via engineering apprentices for members of their technician staff.
Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many meetings about artificial intelligence and copyright issues took place between Ministers and officials from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and representatives of the Tony Blair Institute between July 2024 and March 2025; and what were the dates and outcomes of those meetings.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Ministers and officials have regular meetings with a range of stakeholders about AI and Copyright issues, including the Tony Blair Institute.
Ministerial meetings and engagements are published through quarterly transparency reports on gov.uk.