Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for competition and market access of the integration of AI tools into digital platforms; and what steps they are taking to ensure fair competition and effective regulation in digital markets.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government is committed to delivering a competitive and prosperous digital economy. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is responsible for assessing and addressing competition in digital markets. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act provides the CMA with powers to ensure the most powerful technology firms treat businesses and consumers fairly.

On 31 March the CMA announced a package of actions on business software and cloud services, in part to enable it to ensure a level playing field as AI is rapidly embedded into everyday business software tools.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that planning policy, energy provision and digital infrastructure are sufficient to support the building of AI data centres.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the long-term implications of increased use of digital payments and financial technologies for tax collection, and what steps they are taking to ensure that revenue collection remains effective.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC undertakes regular Payment Innovation landscape reviews, looking at the UK and international payment ecosystems, emerging payment technologies, and innovations relevant to tax administration and payment systems integration. This includes working with the payments sector and tracking usage of payment types.

HMRC has developed and published its Payment Strategy which sets out how it will keep pace with new and emerging technologies for payments.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increasing use of AI tools in skilled trades and service industries; and, if so, how that assessment informs their policies on workforce training and productivity.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the use of AI in the delivery of postgraduate teaching at UK universities, and (2) the impact of the use of AI for teaching on higher education quality and regulation.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of AI in supporting personalised healthcare and extending patient life expectancy; and what plans they have to develop a strategy for safe and effective integration of AI technologies in the NHS.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to establish a statutory inquiry into maternity services.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the expansion of fintech firms, including Wise, Klarna, Revolut and Paypal, into current accounts and other core banking services on competition, consumer choice and market concentration in the retail banking sector.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The UK is a world leader in Fintech, and attracted $3.6 billion of investment in 2025, second only to the US. The Government is committed to making the UK the world’s most technologically advanced global financial centre, and remaining a leading jurisdiction for fintech firms to start-up, scale and list.

Over the last decade, fintechs and specialist banks have increased their share amongst part of the retail banking market, and are an essential part of the UK's banking landscape. Over the same period, business models and financial technology have evolved substantially, increasing competitive pressure and expanding the range of products and services available to consumers.

Firms providing regulated banking and payment services are required to meet robust standards of consumer protection and operational resilience. The Government and the financial services regulators keep competition and market concentration in retail banking under review, and ensuring all individuals have access to the appropriate financial services and products is a key priority for the Government.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Times article OpenAI pauses Stargate UK investment over high energy costs, published on 9 April; and what steps they are taking to ensure that the UK remains an attractive destination for AI-related capital investment.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The UK continues to be an attractive destination for AI investment as reflected in OpenAI’s ongoing and expanding presence here through its recent announcement for a large permanent office in London, doubling the current OpenAI headcount here.

The UK Government announced measures to provide price support and accelerate planning and grid connections for AI Growth Zones in November, improving the environment for AI infrastructure in the UK.

OpenAI will continue operating in the UK and have confirmed they will bring their second HQ forward in London - a clear recognition of the UK as a global hub for AI innovation. The Government recognises OpenAI’s decision to pause Stargate UK as part of a wider recalibration of its global Stargate programme, rather than a reflection of conditions specific to the UK.

The Government remains committed to supporting large-scale AI infrastructure through the AI Growth Zone programme, including action to reduce energy costs and address regulatory barriers.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Guardian article Alarm in health service over Palantir staff being given NHS email accounts, published on 8 April, stating that external technology contractors have been granted access to NHS systems and communications; and what safeguards are in place to ensure data security, patient confidentiality and appropriate oversight.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

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 and data analytics platforms by the NHS, including in partnerships with private technology providers; and what steps they are taking to ensure that use of those platforms complies with standards of data protection and transparency.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to strengthen national cyber resilience in response to the risks arising from AI increasing the scale and sophistication of cyber attacks.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The capabilities of artificial intelligence models are accelerating quickly and this presents both risks and opportunities for cyber security, which is why the government takes these developments very seriously.

We are already taking significant action, including working across government and industry to understand the latest developments, publishing evaluations of the capabilities of the latest AI models, and taking widespread action to improve cyber resilience across the economy. On 15 April ministers wrote an open letter to businesses advising them of the actions they should take to protect against AI-driven cyber threats. On 22 April the Security Minister announced further measures to improve UK cyber resilience, including £90m of new funding to boost the cyber security of businesses and a new Cyber Resilience Pledge. In the King's speech on 13 May we announced the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will continue its passage through Parliament. The Bill improve UK cyber defences and protect our essential public services. This summer the government will publish the National Cyber Action Plan setting out how we will work with industry to drive up levels of cyber resilience across the economy.

Strengthening cyber resilience is a shared responsibility and all organisations must take ongoing action to protect themselves. Companies developing digital technologies should ensure they are secure by design, following international standards and UK codes of practice for Secure Software, AI Cyber Security, IoTs and Apps.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of AI tools to detect and prevent extremist recruitment activity on online platforms.

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

The government is delivering a fundamental reset of how we counter extremism ensuring we have the tools, capabilities, and partnerships to match the scale and nature of an evolving threat.

AI is being used for a range of purposes in the Home Office to improve business delivery as part of overall digital improvements in the department; We plan to continue to test and pilot how we can use AI, where appropriate to do so, to support effective and efficient operations.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to set national standards and oversight for the use of AI chatbots by police forces in non-urgent queries, including safeguards for vulnerable users.

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

The Police Reform White Paper published in January set out the Government’s commitment to strengthen transparency around police use of AI in England and Wales. Through the establishment of Police AI, the new National Centre for AI in Policing, and an investment of £115 million over the next 3 years, the Government will support the safe, consistent and responsible adoption of AI across policing. This includes public‑facing applications such as non‑urgent contact.

Police AI will play a central role in setting national standards and strengthening oversight across all 43 police forces in England and Wales. It will support the identification, testing and responsible scaling of AI tools, including AI chatbots, so that deployments are evidence‑based, transparent and subject to appropriate safeguards. Police AI will also provide enhanced operational guidance, training and technical assurance for tools such as AI chatbots, including testing systems for accuracy, reliability and bias, and supporting forces to implement human oversight and safeguards for vulnerable users.

The Covenant for Using Artificial Intelligence in Policing provides a high-level framework for AI adoption by police forces. It sets out clear principles for the development and deployment of AI in policing and operates alongside existing statutory obligations. It is supported by published guidance from the College of Policing and local governance and ethics arrangements within forces. We expect all law enforcement agencies to work within the current laws.

Alongside this, Home Office officials remain continually engaged with all 43 forces in England and Wales to ensure uses of AI are deployed in a way that is lawful, proportionate and aligned with public expectations.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of AI tools by the British Board of Film Classification to support content classification and age ratings; and what safeguards are in place to ensure that those tools operate with appropriate oversight.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government recognises that the use of AI tools and other forms of technical innovation is increasing. Where these tools are used, they can - as in the case of the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) - help increase efficiency in certain processes. Whilst the BBFC operates independently of government, including in the tools and processes it employs, the organisation provides regular updates to government on its work, including the use of AI tools.

The government expects the BBFC to keep at the heart of its work its responsibility for protecting audiences - in particular children - from viewing harmful or inappropriate content. This means ensuring that BBFC Compliance Officers continue, as now, to be fully involved in the classification process; ensuring that AI tools are used to complement rather than replace human oversight of that process; and ensuring the robustness of the safeguards in place around its AI tools, such as audits and spot checks.

Found: Letter dated 18/05/2026 from Baroness Lloyd of Effra to Lord Taylor of Warwick regarding a question concerning

Found: Letter dated 13/05/2026 from Baroness Lloyd of Effra to Lord Taylor of Warwick in response to a Written

Found: Letter dated 13/05/2026 from Lord Vallance to Lord Taylor of Warwick regarding what assessment the Government