Asked by: Lord Nagaraju (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the additional £140 million for the Sovereign AI Unit announced in the Budget, whether a single accountable cross-government lead has been designated for AI sovereignty, as recommended by the Council for Science and Technology; and how delivery against the Government’s AI sovereignty objectives will be reported to Parliament.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Minister for Artificial Intelligence, joint Minister in BIST and the Cabinet Office, leads on Sovereign AI. The Government will continue to keep Parliament informed of progress on AI sovereignty through mechanisms including ministerial statements, responses to Parliamentary Questions, appearances before Select Committees, and published updates.
Asked by: Lord Nagaraju (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve access to mindfulness-based cognitive therapy through NHS services in England, in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on treating depression and preventing relapse; and whether they intend to publish information on its availability and waiting times.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
People can access the NHS Talking Therapies service through general practice referral or self‑referral, and support is tailored to individual need, recognising the variation in severity and the complexity of common mental health conditions.
NHS Talking Therapies provide National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommended, evidence‑based psychological therapies, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), for adults with common mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. Treatment decisions, including the appropriateness of CBT, are assessed by trained and accredited National Health Service practitioners, using clinical judgement in line with national guidance.
The Department and NHS England keep the performance of NHS Talking Therapies under continual review, including access, waiting times, and treatment outcomes. Talking Therapy waiting times are already routinely published on the NHS England website.
We also continue to strengthen the evidence base for NHS Talking Therapies through ongoing evaluation activity, including independent analysis of specific service components, and will consider these findings as part of further work to improve effectiveness and patient outcomes.
Asked by: Lord Nagaraju (Labour - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by the Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence on 12 October (HCWS357), whether the proposed arrangements for reporting serious AI incidents and near misses will include mandatory duties for developers and deployers; and when they expect to publish details of the proposed scope, reporting thresholds, and oversight arrangements.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The government announced a range of proposals to help identify and mitigate AI-related risks affecting the UK’s essential services during the passage of the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill. These included a voluntary reporting regime that would enable regulated entities to report near-miss loss of control incidents affecting their systems; further detail on how the existing mandatory reporting duties for those entities would apply to AI incidents; and the ability to confer functions on the Secretary of State to understand loss of control incidents, share lessons and help to prevent future harm. The details of these proposals will be subject to further policy development and consulted upon as part of the implementation of the bill.
Asked by: Lord Nagaraju (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what role they intend to play in the proposed G7 tabletop exercises related to AI-enabled cyberattacks; whether the exercises will include scenarios involving (1) autonomous agents, (2) simultaneous disruption to multiple financial institutions, and (3) the failure of critical third-party service providers; and whether the principal findings will be published, subject to national security considerations.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The UK participates in G7 cross border coordination exercises which seek to enhance preparedness across jurisdictions, reinforce the financial sector’s capacity to withstand a range of cyber threats and reduce potential disruptions across G7 jurisdictions.
Cyber security is a top priority for the Government, and HM Treasury works with international partners to strengthen the financial sector’s resilience to threats and hazards of all origins.
Asked by: Lord Nagaraju (Labour - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on 15 July (HCWS254), when they intend to implement the proposed requirement for mandatory breaks for under-18s using AI chatbots; which services the proposed requirement will cover; and what further action, if any, they intend to take in relation to AI chatbots that provide dangerous, misleading or unverified mental-health advice to children.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
As announced following our landmark "growing up in the online world" consultation this summer, we will introduce mandatory breaks in AI chatbot use for under-18s. This was alongside commitments to take stronger action against chatbots that provide harmful, inaccurate or unverified mental health advice.
We are working at pace on the policy development necessary to deliver targeted, effective and proportionate regulation. Our aim is to deliver these measures quickly.
Asked by: Lord Nagaraju (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Twycross on 7 September (HLWS321) in which they stated that the risks from increasingly powerful artificial intelligence systems are “inherently transnational” and that no country can address them alone, what steps they are taking with international partners to develop shared arrangements for (1) the evaluation of advanced AI systems, (2) notification and information-sharing concerning serious AI incidents, and (3) coordinated responses to risks arising from advanced AI systems that cannot be reliably controlled or directed; and what role they envisage for the United Nations Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance in developing such arrangements.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
AI is already subject to UK law and regulation through existing laws and expert regulators. But the most advanced AI systems present risks that do not stop at national borders, and we know that these challenges cannot be addressed by a single country alone. That is why the Prime Minister has made artificial intelligence a central focus of Britain’s G20 Presidency next year, and committed to work towards principles and standards that ensure the most capable AI systems are developed securely and with appropriate transparency. The AI Security Institute (AISI) will play a key role in delivering this global commitment, with partners across industry, governments and beyond.
Asked by: Lord Nagaraju (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the global artificial intelligence principles and standards proposed by the Prime Minister at the United Nations General Assembly will include common approaches to the independent evaluation and testing of advanced artificial intelligence systems.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
On 22 September, the Prime Minister set out steps the UK is taking to ensure AI delivers on its vast potential for good. These include a commitment to work towards principles and standards so that the most capable AI systems are developed securely and with appropriate transparency.
The AI Security Institute (AISI) will play a key role in delivering that commitment, contributing its technical expertise, drawing on years of experience in evaluation, research and technical collaboration.
Through our role as coordinator of the International Network for Advanced AI Measurement, Evaluation, and Science (NAAIMES), the UK will also continue to coordinate the writing and publication of best practices for AI evaluation with partner governments, following on from Best Practice: Automated Evaluation of Large Language Models, published by the Network in 2026.
Asked by: Lord Nagaraju (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that developing countries can participate effectively in the development of global artificial intelligence principles, standards and evaluation frameworks during the United Kingdom’s 2027 G20 Presidency.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to ensuring the benefits of AI are shared globally and that all countries can help shape the frameworks that govern its use.
The Prime Minister recently announced that AI will be at the heart of our G20 Presidency agenda. Building on our programmes such as AI for Development (AI4D), the Government will champion responsible AI for sustainable development, and will work with the G20's diverse membership to hold inclusive discussions on AI, ensuring diverse perspectives are represented which reflect the priorities of all members.
Asked by: Lord Nagaraju (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for UK employment of the warning by the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund on 12 October about disruption from artificial intelligence; and what steps they are taking to support workers at risk of displacement and young people seeking entry-level jobs.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government has established the AI Economics Institute to assess AI’s economic impacts and launched the AI taskforce to drive the Government’s overall strategy. Every UK adult is eligible for free AI upskilling through AI Skills Boost, with an ambition to upskill 10 million workers by 2030.
The Government is committed to ensuring that no young person is left behind. Through an additional £2.5 billion investment in the Youth Guarantee and Growth and Skills Levy by 2029, we will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn, including through expanded Youth Hubs, enhanced Jobcentre support, work experience and training opportunities, and targeted incentives for employers.
We are also supporting over 400,000 young people to obtain TechFirst AI training, alongside developing apprenticeship schemes and Jobs Guarantee AI placements, to help ensure young people can benefit from the opportunities created by AI.
We welcome the ambition of the British Retail Consortium to create 100,000 jobs for young people in the retail sector by 2029. This will be supported by Opening Shift, a joint DWP and BRC work experience programme that will provide 18 to 24-year-old jobseekers with retail work experience, workplace support and interview preparation.
We also welcome the commitment from major hospitality employers, including Whitbread, McDonald's, Nando's, Marriott, Compass, Burger King and Wagamama, to provide over 100,000 jobs for 18 to 24-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training by the end of this Parliament. These opportunities will be supported by a hospitality training programme offering sector-specific experience, guaranteed interviews and a Hospitality Skills Passport.
Asked by: Lord Nagaraju (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government how their work on global artificial intelligence principles and standards during the United Kingdom’s 2027 G20 Presidency will complement the United Nations Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance and the work of the United Nations Independent International Scientific Panel on Artificial Intelligence.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
AI has enormous potential to improve lives and drive economic growth, but its rapidly advancing capabilities also present serious risks. As the Prime Minister has said the UK will work towards agreement on common global principles and standards.
In the coming months, we will use our convening role to bring together the right partners to use AI for good and address its risks, engaging international counterparts, industry, researchers and the wider international system, including the UN.