Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to regulate the use of AI in the defence sector following the deployment of The Nordic Warden System by the Joint Expeditionary Force.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The UK and the Joint Expeditionary Force are at the forefront of supporting Allies to protect crucial offshore infrastructure from threats, including using integrated technology with logic flows to identify vessels of interest at the pace of relevance.

The Department has a history of successfully incorporating new technologies and takes its responsibility to use AI safely and ethically very seriously, adhering to legal commitments and societal values.

We continue to collaborate with the Department for Science, Technology and Innovation and Defence Regulators to adapt our strategies to the evolving challenges of AI.

The Dependable AI JSP 936 part 1, published in 2024, gives clear guidance on applying the MOD’s AI ethical principles to create safe, effective AI-enabled capabilities with appropriate human oversight. This policy governs all Defence AI capabilities.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the availability of broadband services in the UK, particularly with regard to (1) expanding the available connections, and (2) increasing broadband access in rural low-service areas.

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

According to the independent website Thinkbroadband.com, over 85% of premises in the UK can already access a gigabit-capable connection. Building Digital UK’s latest annual report shows that between April 2023 and March 2024, 92% of premises benefitting from publicly-subsidised broadband rollout, including Project Gigabit, were rural.

To improve connectivity further, more than £2 billion of contracts have been signed to connect over a million more premises with gigabit-capable broadband. These are premises that fall predominantly in rural areas. For very hard to reach premises, we are actively discussing with industry where support might be required to accelerate the deployment of appropriate technologies.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure students leave education with sufficient skills in (1) financial literacy, and (2) financial education.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

I refer the noble Lord to the answer of 6 January 2025 to Question 21188.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likelihood that food prices will rise, and of the effect this will have on consumers, particularly those impacted by the increased cost of living.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government cares deeply about the cost of living and food security; therefore, it closely monitors food prices and the factors impacting them. After a period of high inflation experienced during 2022 and 2023, year-on-year food price inflation (based on ONS CPI data) has been at or below 2% since May 2024. In 2025 food price inflation is expected to remain positive, with current industry forecasts indicating an average rate of 3.4% for 2025.

Defra regularly engages with supermarkets and producers about a number of issues, including to explore the range of measures they can take to ensure the availability of affordable food. For example, by maintaining value ranges, price matching and price freezing measures. However, it is not for HM Government to set retail food prices nor to comment on day-to-day commercial decisions by companies. It is for each individual food retailer to take the commercial decision around which products they sell in their stores. This government is committed to ensuring that everyone in Great Britain and Northern Ireland can access nutritious and fairly priced food.

To further support struggling families, £1 billion, including Barnett impact, will be invested to extend the Household Support Fund in England by a full year until 31 March 2026, on top of the six months already announced, and to maintain Discretionary Housing Payments in England and Wales.

To support people with the cost of living we are tripling investment in breakfast clubs to over £30 million, introducing a Fair Repayment Rate for deductions from Universal Credit, and increasing the National Living Wage, boosting the pay of 3 million workers.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect consumers from rising levels of banking scams, particularly in relation to those involving AI voice cloning.

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

The Government takes the issue of fraud very seriously and is dedicated to protecting the public from this devastating crime. The Home Office continues to work with industry partners, including the financial institutions, to prevent fraudsters from targeting consumers with banking and other scams.

The “Stop! Think Fraud” communications campaign helps people spot and avoid fraud and provides fraud prevention and recovery advice. AI has the potential to assist fraudsters in impersonating others and this campaign helps protect the public by raising awareness and helping the public to protect themselves. This Government has also supported initiatives such as agreeing a safe phrase with trusted friends and family to verify their identity.

We are also developing our new, expanded fraud strategy over the coming months. In collaboration with key industry, law enforcement and civil society partners, we will be ensuring that collectively we are doing everything possible to protect the public from fraud.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that firms are not managing to reach the 22-per-cent electric vehicle sales target; and what assessment they have made of whether the UK has the appropriate (1) legislation, and (2) infrastructure, in place to support the sales of electric vehicles.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

Due to the CO₂ conversion flexibility included in the ZEV Mandate legislation, which allows a manufacturer to sell fewer ZEVs in exchange for reducing their CO2 emissions of their non-ZEVs, the Government believes that the car market as a whole has complied with the 22% target. In December the Government launched the consultation Phasing out sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 and supporting the ZEV transition which seeks views from the public and industry on how to support vehicle manufacturers to meet the targets going forward.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to develop an AI policy for healthcare services to ensure the safe and responsible use of artificial intelligence when accessing patient records.

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

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies have huge potential in improving efficiency across the National Health Service by supporting clinicians with faster and more accurate diagnosis, enhancing clinical decision-making about treatment plans and reducing the administrative burden faced by healthcare staff. The Department and NHS England are developing guidance for the responsible use of these tools and how they can be rolled out to make the day-to-day operations of the NHS more efficient.

There are strict safeguards in place throughout the NHS to protect data. All providers of services which handle patient data must protect that data in line with the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), and Data Protection Act 2018, and every health organisation is required to appoint a Caldicott Guardian to advise on the protection of people’s health and care data, and ensure it is used properly. This includes where AI is used in relation to patient records.

We are considering how regulators should approach issues of privacy such as accessibility only to authorised users and how to safeguard against bad actors.

The NHS AI Lab and Sciencewise (UK Research and Innovation) held a public dialogue on how the public feels decisions should be made about access to their personal health data for AI purposes. The AI Lab is now procuring further research to design approaches to data stewardship based on these insights.

To mitigate the likelihood and severity of any potential harm to individuals arising from use of data in AI, the Information Commissioners Office has developed detailed AI guidance which provides an overarching view of data protection, including Data Protection Impact Assessments and UK GDPR. They have also produced an AI toolkit to support organisations auditing compliance of their AI-based technologies.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of research published by LinkedIn on 7 January, LinkedIn Jobs on the Rise 2025: The 25 fastest-growing roles in the UK, which ranks 'artificial intelligence engineer' as the fastest growing job in the UK; and whether they plan to implement AI education into the national curriculum.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

Skills England and the department have not yet fully assessed the findings published in the recent LinkedIn report ‘Jobs on the Rise 2025’. However, we will consider this as part of our evidence base to identify current and future skills needs and ensure qualifications and training pathways are in place to meet them. Additionally, we are collaborating with other government departments, such as the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with their Industrial Strategy sectoral plans. This will support our thinking on how to meet current and future skill requirements in key growth areas and deliver on the skills and talent recommendations set out in the AI Opportunities Action Plan published earlier this month.

The ongoing independent Curriculum and Assessment Review will seek to deliver a curriculum that ensures children and young people leave compulsory education ready for life and work, building the knowledge, skills and attributes needed to thrive. This includes embedding digital skills in their learning.

The review group will publish an interim report in early spring setting out its initial findings and confirming the key areas for further work and will publish its final report with recommendations this autumn. The department will take decisions on what changes to make to the curriculum in light of these recommendations.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the continued fall in the value of the pound; and whether they have any plans to prevent further decline.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government does not comment on specific financial market movements. Gilt yields and the value of sterling are determined by a wide range of international and domestic factors, and it is normal for the price of sterling and the yields of gilts to fluctuate when there are wider movements in the global financial markets.

The Chancellor has commissioned the Office for Budget Responsibility for an updated economic and fiscal forecast for the 26th of March, which will incorporate the latest data.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure mortgage rates remain affordable for customers.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The pricing of mortgages is a commercial decision for mortgage lenders in which the Government does not intervene.

At present, average mortgage rates are well below the recent peaks seen in Summer 2023 and Autumn 2022.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how video games can benefit dementia patients by (1) slowing the decline of brain neurons through keeping the brain active, and (2) monitoring progress in the games to identify cognitive decline.

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

As of yet, there has been no assessment made on the impact that video gaming can have in slowing down the impact of dementia for those living with the disease.

Through partnerships with patients, researchers, funders, and charities, the Government continues to play a significant role in the global efforts against the disease. The United Kingdom has established a rich ecosystem for dementia research.

The Government’s Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Goals programme, formerly known as the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission, is investing in innovations in biomarkers, clinical trials, and implementation. Some of these innovations could support earlier diagnosis in the future, if validated for clinical use.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guideline on the assessment, Dementia: assessment, management and support for people living with dementia and their carers, provides authoritative, evidence-based guidance for healthcare professionals on best practice in the management of dementia.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the growth of the UK’s AI sector, particularly regarding (1) investment into the sector, and (2) retention of skilled workers.

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

The IMF estimates the adoption of AI across the economy could boost productivity by up to 1.5 percentage points a year - more than doubling our growth rate since 2010.The AI Opportunities Action Plan sets out game-changing initiatives to make this a reality, including a twenty fold increase in compute power and the creation of AI growth zones.

The plan also aims to address the mismatch between supply and demand of UK AI talent. It sets out the essential role that equipping our workforce with the right skills and attracting top talent will play in growing the UK’s AI sector

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent the spread of misinformation online following social media companies removing fact-checking services from their platforms.

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

Meta has stated that they are not rolling out changes to their US fact-checking policies in the UK at this stage. We are in contact with Meta to understand implications for UK users and will monitor changes as they are operationalised.

Regardless, the UK’s Online Safety Act will oblige all social media companies to remove illegal content and content harmful to children in the UK. Failure to comply could lead to significant fines and potentially legal action. We continue to engage social media companies on the implementation of the Act and urge them to counter the spread of mis/disinformation on their platforms.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports showing a decline in recruitment, what steps they are taking to encourage firms to continue hiring.

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

Economic growth is the number one mission of this Government. In November we published our Industrial Strategy Green Paper, which set out that Sector Plans will be designed in partnership with business, devolved governments, regions and other stakeholders. Sector Plans will identify key barriers to growth and describe how Government and industry intend to achieve long-term growth and create more good jobs in every part of the country.

In addition, the Government will continue to monitor carefully the impacts of the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage on the economy. The Government's remit to the Low Pay Commission's (LPC) asked the LPC to take into account the impact on business, competitiveness, the labour market, and the wider economy when recommending rates.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of healthcare professionals using AI tools to listen to and transcribe patient notes; and whether they intend to introduce regulations to ensure the data remains confidential and is stored responsibly.

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

New artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are being developed that have the potential to improve healthcare delivery and to provide significant cost savings to the National Health Service. One example is the use of automated voice to text tools, which use AI to listen to and transcribe patient notes.

Currently, there are ongoing assessments of the use of these tools in the NHS as these technologies could help ease the administrative burden faced by staff and make systems more efficient. Several NHS trusts are running trials, including a multi-site assessment of the impact of using automated transcription software. The NHS AI team is monitoring these developments and developing guidance for the responsible use of these tools. This guidance will be informed by the Government’s broader guidance on the use of generative AI in the public sector.

There are strict safeguards in place throughout the NHS to protect data. All providers of services which handle patient data must protect that data in line with the United Kingdom’s General Data Protection Regulations, and the Data Protection Act 2018, and every health organisation is required to appoint a Caldicott Guardian to advise on the protection of people’s health and care data, and ensure it is used properly. This includes where AI is used in relation to patient records.

To mitigate the likelihood and severity of any potential harm to individuals arising from the use of data in AI, the Information Commissioners Office has developed detailed AI guidance which provides an overarching view of data protection, including Data Protection Impact Assessments and UK General Data Protection Regulations. They have also produced an AI toolkit to support organisations auditing compliance of their AI-based technologies.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure a sufficient supply of minerals vital to the (1) manufacturing, and (2) technology, industries.

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

A secure supply of critical minerals is vital for the UK's economic growth and security, industrial strategy, and clean energy transition. The government is developing a new Critical Minerals Strategy which will be more targeted towards the delivery of our industrial strategy and its eight core growth sectors. This new Critical Minerals Strategy will help secure our supply chains for the long term and drive forward the green industries of the future.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of anti-competition regulation on the growth of UK businesses.

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

The Government views effective competition regulation as a key driver for growth of UK businesses. As outlined in the Industrial Strategy Green Paper, effective competition drives innovation and boosts productivity, enabling businesses to thrive. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is the UK’s primary consumer and competition authority. The CMA has returned over £23 in savings to consumers for every £1 spent by UK taxpayers over the last 3 years.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure sufficient energy availability in the wake of increased artificial intelligence use.

Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has contracted European Economic Research Limited to analyse the future net energy demand of AI, with the project being due to be completed by April 2025. The National Electricity System Operator (NESO) is investigating the future power consumption of data centres, as well as grid constraints, lead times for developers, and how to improve connection processes.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure sufficient regulations are in place to keep the use of AI in the UK ethical and responsible.

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

Most AI systems should be regulated at the point of use, and the UK's existing expert regulators are best placed to do this. In response to the AI Opportunities Action Plan, the government committed to supporting regulators to identifying their future capability needs and to understand how they intend to mitigate AI risks and drive growth.

The Government also intends to introduce targeted requirements on the handful of companies developing the most powerful AI systems. These proposals will build on the voluntary commitments secured at the AI Safety Summits and will strengthen the role of the AI Safety Institute.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that AI regulation does not create a digital border between (1) the UK and the EU, and (2) the UK and Northern Ireland.

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

Government is committed to building a regulatory regime that is proportionate and keeps pace with new advancements and risks. This includes delivering on our manifesto commitment to place new binding requirements on the developers of powerful models. It also means ensuring UK regulators have the right resources to effectively regulate AI in their respective domains.

AI knows no borders and through international cooperation, we can make progress towards ensuring effective global AI collaboration. The UK will continue to work closely with international partners, building on the work of existing multilateral and multistakeholder initiatives to achieve this critical objective.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the UK becomes the global leader in AI technologies, particularly regarding how they will encourage (1) firms to invest in the UK, and (2) talent to move to and remain in the UK.

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

The UK is the leading destination for AI growth and investment in Europe. We remain committed to building an AI sector that can win globally, ensuring AI companies want to call the UK home. The AI Opportunities Action Plan sets out how we will achieve our AI ambitions.

The UK’s immigration offer enables top AI talent to come to the UK through several visa routes such as the Skilled Worker, the Global Talent, and the High Potential Individual visas, and we continually keep our policies under review.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential for funding into AI tools and projects (1) to increase the productivity and efficiency of small businesses, and (2) to affect the market share of larger businesses.

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

The adoption of trustworthy AI across the UK public and private sectors will drive productivity and growth across the whole economy, supporting the government to deliver its Plan for Change.

We are targeting high-growth Industrial Strategy sectors and supporting diffusion across the whole economy, which includes addressing the challenges faced by SMEs. The cross-government Technology Adoption Review will set out recommendations for how government should work with industry to support businesses to adopt AI.

This builds on Innovate UK's £100 million BridgeAI programme, which has so far provided £68 million in funding to nearly 800 businesses to boost AI-enabled productivity.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure artificial intelligence technologies used to aid healthcare diagnostics are available in every hospital.

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

The Department has provided £113 million, through the National Health Service’s Artificial Intelligence in Health and Care Awards, to 86 artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, which have been live in 40% of NHS acute trusts in England, and hundreds of Primary Care Networks across the United Kingdom. This funding is helping us to generate the evidence needed to deploy effective AI tools across the NHS and improve the lives and health outcomes of our population.

Many of these AI technologies are being tested and evaluated to aid healthcare diagnostics. For example, AI is being used to analyse and interpret acute stroke brain scans to support doctors making treatment decisions in 100% of stroke units in England. In addition, the Department is focusing the £21 million AI Diagnostic Fund on the deployment of technologies in key, high-demand areas such as chest x-rays and chest computed tomography scans, to enable the faster diagnosis of lung cancer in over half of acute trusts in England.

Despite these exciting examples of AI use, the deployment of AI in the NHS is still at a relatively early stage. To address this, the Department is carrying out work to assess the barriers of effective adoption and improve the way AI tools are deployed across the NHS.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the need to research new artificial intelligence (AI) technologies; and whether they intend to invest in universities to encourage more AI research.

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

The Government actively supports AI research through a range of research programmes, infrastructure investments, and skills and talent initiatives. The UK’s publicly funded portfolio of AI R&D investments is worth £1 billion, including investments in centres for doctoral training, the Alan Turing Institute, Bridge AI, Responsible AI UK, and the AI hubs.

The AI Opportunities Action Plan includes several new initiatives, including expanding the Turing AI Fellowships offer and acting immediately to double the capacity of the AI Research Resource (AIRR). Furthermore, we are opening AIRR access to a wider pool of researchers to drive forward new AI-enabled innovations.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase levels of investment into scientific innovation as a proportion of GDP in comparison to other European countries.

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

The latest ONS figures show that economy wide R&D investment is c.2.8% of GDP, which places the UK above the OECD average (2.7%). The government is backing innovators across the UK with a record £20.4 billion in R&D spending. The UK is also a leader when it comes to attracting international investment in R&D. We are also taking steps to back high-growth firms developing new innovations, including through reforming the British Business Bank and pursuing pensions reforms to unlock £80 billion of investment. The government also has generous R&D tax relief rates, which will support an estimated £56 billion of business R&D expenditure a year by 2029-30.