Asked by: Alan Mak (Conservative - Havant)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will publish a copy of the full contract with Faculty AI from November 2024; and what the value of that contract is.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Secretary of State had no role in awarding this contract nor did he have any discussions with the Secretary of State for Education in relation to it. The procurement process was conducted by DSIT officials in line with Cabinet Office rules and processes and ministers were not involved.
The contract commenced in February 2024, five months before last summer’s General Election and the Secretary of State’s appointment.
Details of the contract are publicly available on contract finder, including its value which is £2,344,378.
Asked by: Alan Mak (Conservative - Havant)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has recused himself in relation to decisions relating to Faculty AI.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Secretary of State had no role in awarding this contract nor did he have any discussions with the Secretary of State for Education in relation to it. The procurement process was conducted by DSIT officials in line with Cabinet Office rules and processes and ministers were not involved.
The contract commenced in February 2024, five months before last summer’s General Election and the Secretary of State’s appointment.
Details of the contract are publicly available on contract finder, including its value which is £2,344,378.
Asked by: Alan Mak (Conservative - Havant)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussion he had had with the Secretary of State or Education on the (a) policy and (b) procurement decision to award a contract to Faculty AI in November 2024.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Secretary of State had no role in awarding this contract nor did he have any discussions with the Secretary of State for Education in relation to it. The procurement process was conducted by DSIT officials in line with Cabinet Office rules and processes and ministers were not involved.
The contract commenced in February 2024, five months before last summer’s General Election and the Secretary of State’s appointment.
Details of the contract are publicly available on contract finder, including its value which is £2,344,378.
Asked by: Alan Mak (Conservative - Havant)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether the Director General for Digital Centre Design was involved in the (a) policy and (b) procurement decision to award a contract to Faculty AI in November 2024.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Director General for Digital Centre Design was not involved in the decision to award a contract to Faculty AI in November 2024.
Asked by: Alan Mak (Conservative - Havant)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether Ministers have disappearing messages in use on WhatsApp for communication with (a) private offices, (b) departmental officials and (c) other communications related to departmental business.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
DSIT Ministers use Whatsapp in line with government and departmental policies. This may, occasionally, include the use of disappearing messages where this is in line with our obligations to maintain good recordkeeping and transparency responsibilities.
Asked by: Alan Mak (Conservative - Havant)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many in-year awards have been given to officials in his Department since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
3,118 In-Year Awards were given to delegated DSIT staff from 5 July 2024 to 31 January 2025. This figure relates to all In-Year Awards paid during the months specified including awards approved prior to that period
Asked by: Alan Mak (Conservative - Havant)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what budget has been allocated to the construction of the supercomputing facility included in the AI Opportunities Action Plan.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
AI is advancing at an extraordinary pace, and its benefits extend far beyond economic growth. By investing in AI now, we are ensuring that the UK is prepared to harness its transformative potential.
The government invests in AI in several ways, including through investing in the UK’s compute capacity, the latest research and innovations, and upskilling the workforce with AI skills.
The recently announced AI Opportunities Action Plan, which was developed by Matt Clifford, is fully funded under the current Spending Review. We have already funded parts of the AI Action Plan through Spending Review Round One, including compute, R&D, and sovereign AI commitments. Departments are working through the policy details, which will be integrated into future spending plans as part of the spending review process.
As we approach the 2025 Spending Review, we will outline the next steps to ensure these commitments continue driving progress, but it would not be appropriate to speculate on spending review decisions.
Asked by: Alan Mak (Conservative - Havant)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what estimate he has made of the funding required for the AI Opportunities Action Plan.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
AI is advancing at an extraordinary pace, and its benefits extend far beyond economic growth. By investing in AI now, we are ensuring that the UK is prepared to harness its transformative potential.
The government invests in AI in several ways, including through investing in the UK’s compute capacity, the latest research and innovations, and upskilling the workforce with AI skills.
The recently announced AI Opportunities Action Plan, which was developed by Matt Clifford, is fully funded under the current Spending Review. We have already funded parts of the AI Action Plan through Spending Review Round One, including compute, R&D, and sovereign AI commitments. Departments are working through the policy details, which will be integrated into future spending plans as part of the spending review process.
As we approach the 2025 Spending Review, we will outline the next steps to ensure these commitments continue driving progress, but it would not be appropriate to speculate on spending review decisions.
Asked by: Alan Mak (Conservative - Havant)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the budget of the AI Opportunities Unit is.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
AI is advancing at an extraordinary pace, and its benefits extend far beyond economic growth. By investing in AI now, we are ensuring that the UK is prepared to harness its transformative potential.
The government invests in AI in several ways, including through investing in the UK’s compute capacity, the latest research and innovations, and upskilling the workforce with AI skills.
The recently announced AI Opportunities Action Plan, which was developed by Matt Clifford, is fully funded under the current Spending Review. We have already funded parts of the AI Action Plan through Spending Review Round One, including compute, R&D, and sovereign AI commitments. Departments are working through the policy details, which will be integrated into future spending plans as part of the spending review process.
As we approach the 2025 Spending Review, we will outline the next steps to ensure these commitments continue driving progress, but it would not be appropriate to speculate on spending review decisions.
Asked by: Alan Mak (Conservative - Havant)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the budget for UK Sovereign AI is.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
AI is advancing at an extraordinary pace, and its benefits extend far beyond economic growth. By investing in AI now, we are ensuring that the UK is prepared to harness its transformative potential.
The government invests in AI in several ways, including through investing in the UK’s compute capacity, the latest research and innovations, and upskilling the workforce with AI skills.
The recently announced AI Opportunities Action Plan, which was developed by Matt Clifford, is fully funded under the current Spending Review. We have already funded parts of the AI Action Plan through Spending Review Round One, including compute, R&D, and sovereign AI commitments. Departments are working through the policy details, which will be integrated into future spending plans as part of the spending review process.
As we approach the 2025 Spending Review, we will outline the next steps to ensure these commitments continue driving progress, but it would not be appropriate to speculate on spending review decisions.