Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect intellectual property from being used in the training of artificial intelligence technology.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Copying protected material continues to infringe copyright unless it is licensed, or an exception applies.
The Government recently consulted on several topics relating to the interaction between copyright and artificial intelligence (AI). Its priority now is to complete the analysis of the consultation responses which will help inform next steps in this area.
The Government will continue to engage extensively on this issue and its proposals will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how new trade agreements with the European Union will uphold the outcome of the 2016 EU referendum.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union in 2016, and this government respects that result. This government has closed deals in the national interest with the USA, India and the EU as an independent, sovereign nation.
The renewed agenda we have agreed with the EU looks to build upon the 2020 Trade and Cooperation Agreement. The 2025 agreement covers a wide range of areas such as energy cooperation, SPS and a security and defence partnership. This package delivers for the British people, without compromising on our red lines - no return to the customs union, no return to freedom of movement and no re-joining the single market.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that output in UK energy-intensive industries has fallen to a 35-year low, and of the impact of rising energy costs on that sector.
Answered by Baroness Curran - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Ministers meet frequently with representatives of sectors to discuss challenges faced by manufacturers, including high energy costs. Government is committed to continuing to listen and engage with the sectors.
For Energy Intensive Industries overall, our Clean Power 2030 target is the key to long-term sustainable price reductions. Our mission is for clean power by 2030 because clean, homegrown energy is the best way to protect billpayers and boost Britain's energy independence. We are also already bringing energy costs for UK industries closer in line with other major economies through the British Industry Supercharger. This fully exempts eligible firms from certain costs linked to renewable energy policies, particularly those exposed to the high cost of electricity. Government will always keep support under review based on the needs of industry.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the practice of importing energy from other countries during periods of high demand; and what assessment they have made of how that practice affects the stability of the UK's energy supply.
Answered by Baroness Curran - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Importing cheaper electricity during peak times reduces the need to turn on carbon-intensive domestic generation. By providing access to a more diverse generation pool that complements our domestic energy mix, interconnectors can help to ensure security of supply in a range of conditions. Our transition to clean energy is carefully managed through the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan, which sets out how we will maintain energy security while delivering a decarbonised grid/power system.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of scientists leaving the UK, and what steps they will take to attract scientists to the UK.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
While the government does not collect data on the exact number of scientists leaving the UK, the government is committed to ensuring the UK is the top destination for globally mobile research talent based anywhere in the world.
The UK boasts a world-leading science base, supported by top universities and research institutions, and has an ambitious funding offer through UKRI and the National Academies, which offer prestigious fellowships and professorships. On 19 May, the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering announced they will launch new Accelerated International Routes for their respective existing Faraday Discovery Fellowship and Green Future Fellowship schemes.
We keep our offer continually under review and will set out the details of any plans to enhance our offer in due course.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of investing in technology that uses artificial intelligence to analyse full body scans to aid in the early detection of cancer.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is testing artificial intelligence (AI) in areas that cause the most harm to health and to our economy. Through the £113 million AI award, a number of technologies that support with cancer detection and diagnosis have been tested.
The £21 million AI diagnostic fund was also focused on technologies that support with lung cancer diagnosis, such as chest x-ray and computed tomography scans.
On 4 February 2025, the Department announced that nearly 700,000 women across the country will take part in a world-leading trial to test how cutting-edge AI tools can be used to catch breast cancer cases earlier. The Early Detection using Information Technology in Health trial is backed by £11 million of Government support via the National Institute for Health and Care Research.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to invest in new energy infrastructure, and whether they intend to focus more on (1) renewable, or (2) nuclear, energy generation focus for future energy development.
Answered by Baroness Curran - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government will enable investment in a range of generating technologies to ensure a reliable supply of clean power to meet rising demand. For instance, the UK ’s public finance institutions deliver a range of financing tools to support government policy goals in line with their government set mandates.
The Clean Power 2030 Action Plan outlines a path where renewables and nuclear will form the backbone of a clean electricity system by 2030, supporting the UK’s Net Zero target.
The UK is expanding its nuclear power offer. Nuclear power, as one of the most reliable, secure, low-carbon sources of electricity, is and will continue to be an essential part of the energy mix on our journey to net zero by 2050.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what initial assessment they have made of the effectiveness of their artificial intelligence tool 'Humphrey'; and on average, how much time per day it saves users of the technology.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The ‘Humphrey’ toolkit announced in January refers to a series of prototypes developed by the Incubator for AI to enhance civil servant productivity and improve government processes.
The Incubator has released an evaluation of Consult, a tool to analyse consultation responses, used in a live consultation with the Scottish government. Evaluation showed reviewing Consult’s themes is quick, with a median time of 23s per response. By reducing analysis time, Consult freed up time to focus on the implications.
In testing, Minute, an AI transcription tool, reduced the time taken to complete minutes for a 60 minute meeting by one hour, which users reallocated to more critical tasks.
Parlex, a suite of AI tools to analyse parliamentary developments, is still in early-stage user testing.
Testing with 282 users of Redbox, a tool to provide secure access to LLMs, suggested time savings for 89% of users. For the 269 survey participants who flagged the task they used Redbox most on, the median time saving on this task was 2 hours per week.
The Incubator for AI will be publishing upcoming evaluation results on AI.GOV.UK and via the new AI Knowledge Hub.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the launch of their artificial intelligence tool 'Humphrey', how they intend to regulate the use of artificial intelligence within government departments.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
A range of existing regulation already applies to the use of AI in government departments, including data protection law and obligations under the Equality Act 2010 (including the Public Sector Equality Duty). The Information Commissioners Office and Equality & Human Rights Commission have issued guidance on how to apply these regulations in the context of AI.
In addition to regulation, there is also a range of internal policy and guidance for how government uses AI, including the AI Playbook, and mandatory transparency policy under the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve infrastructure for autonomous vehicles to operate effectively.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Self-driving vehicles will need to be able to safely operate using existing infrastructure as is and therefore we do not anticipate any immediate changes in current road maintenance practices.
Road authorities may choose to develop their networks to maximise the benefits of new technologies (e.g. sending a warning of a hazard on a road).
National Highways are exploring the impacts of automated vehicles on road layout, lane markings and roadwork design, and digitisation across the Strategic Road Network (SRN).