Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will ban the DeepSeek artificial intelligence model in educational settings because of its built-in censorship.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government has a robust set of security policies in place to oversee how information is handled. We keep these policies under constant review to ensure they are applicable to new technologies.
The government's Generative artificial intelligence (AI) framework outlines that only corporately assured Generative AI tools should be used to process governmental information.
Everyone who works with government has a duty of confidentiality and a responsibility to safeguard any government information or data that they process, access or share, and all government departments are required to meet a range of mandatory security standards.
It is for educational bodies to make their own decisions on how to manage the use of Generative AI in their specific organisational and technology contexts.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his (a) American, (b) European Union and (c) NATO counterparts on the DeepSeek artificial intelligence model.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We maintain regular dialogue with our international partners on all aspects of policy including the emergence of new technologies.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2025 to Question 25333 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: China, whether those checks have revealed attempts by organisations controlled by (a) the Hong Kong Trade Office, (b) the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China and (c) Confucius Institutes to access Government funding.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Checks are conducted on all organisations that apply to receive money from the department. These checks are to ensure that the department is satisfied insofar as is possible with the information available, that the organisation is suitable to receive government funding. My department is not aware of any links between government funded programmes or attempts to receive government funding and the organisations named.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the introduction of Electronic Travel Authorisation on British National (Overseas) Passport holders without UK visas.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Electronic travel authorisations (ETAs) have been introduced to enhance our ability to screen travellers upstream and stop those who pose a threat from travelling to the UK.
ETAs were expanded to BN(O) passport holders on 27 November 2024 and are currently a requirement for this population when travelling to the UK. But this aspect of the policy remains under review, and we will update the House on any changes in due course.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of exempting people that have British National Overseas status and hold a UK passport from the Electronic Travel Authorisation requirement.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Electronic travel authorisations (ETAs) have been introduced to enhance our ability to screen travellers upstream and stop those who pose a threat from travelling to the UK.
ETAs were expanded to BN(O) passport holders on 27 November 2024 and are currently a requirement for this population when travelling to the UK. This aspect of the policy remains under review and we will update the House on any changes in due course.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's policy is on Members of Parliament holding surgeries for armed forces personnel in military barracks.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Guidance on the use of Ministry of Defence sites to host MP constituency surgeries is set out in Joint Service Publication 850, entitled Infrastructure and Estate Policy, Standards and Guidance which states that: 'Use of MOD facilities is not to be permitted for any purpose associated with a political party, a group having political associations, an organisation with political aims or for large scale assemblies/rallies which in the judgement of the Budget Holder are likely to cause a breach of the peace or result in unruly conduct.'
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of banning the use of the DeepSeek artificial intelligence model (a) on government devices, (b) in government buildings and (c) by government employees.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Everyone who works with government has a duty of confidentiality and a responsibility to safeguard any government information or data that they process, access or share, and all government departments are required to meet a range of mandatory security standards.
Government has a robust set of security policies in place to oversee how information is handled, within our buildings, on our IT and by our staff. We keep these policies under constant review to ensure they are applicable to new technologies.
In conjunction, the Government's Generative AI framework outlines that only corporately assured Generative AI tools should be used to process HMG information.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his Department issues to local authorities on the Aarhus Convention.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Aarhus Convention concerns access by the public to environmental information, to participation in environmental decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters. Defra does not issue specific guidance to local authorities on the Convention.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has issued guidance to Councils on the process for residents to issue deputations at meetings; and whether residents are required to provide the full text of their deputation in advance.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We have been clear that it is not for Government to micromanage local authorities. We do not provide guidance on allowing public participation, such as deputations, at formal local authority meetings; it is for individual authorities to decide what public participation they may permit and to put in place procedures that work for them and their residents. In support of open and accountable local government, formal council meetings must be open to the public except in limited defined circumstances where legislation requires or allows the meeting to be closed to the public.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance (a) her Department has and (b) its predecessor Departments have issued to councils on including within their constitutions provision for public participation at council meetings.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We have been clear that it is not for Government to micromanage local authorities. We do not provide guidance on allowing public participation, such as deputations, at formal local authority meetings; it is for individual authorities to decide what public participation they may permit and to put in place procedures that work for them and their residents. In support of open and accountable local government, formal council meetings must be open to the public except in limited defined circumstances where legislation requires or allows the meeting to be closed to the public.