Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much has been awarded under the Alignment Project; to how many projects; and what proportion of funding came from (a) the UK Government and (b) other funders.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Alignment Project awarded 60 grants with a combined value of £21.8 million to projects that are dedicated to accelerating progress in AI alignment research. This figure is part of a wider £27 million programme that includes compute and other partner support. Of the grant funding, roughly 55% is from the UK Government (AISI), 7% is from other UK public bodies (UKRI and ARIA), and 38% comes from other funders.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether she has adopted the National Cyber Security Centre's guidance entitled Timelines for migration to post-quantum cryptography of 20 March 2025 as the standard for its own departments and arm's length bodies.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office has adopted the National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) guidance on timelines for migration to post-quantum cryptography as the standard for its departments and arm's-length bodies
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the AI Economics Institute has an allocated office space within HM Treasury.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
Following the machinery of government changes in July 2026, the AI Economics Institute (AIEI) will operate as a joint unit of the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury. It brings together expertise in economics, data and tech to provide robust analysis on how AI is affecting the labour market and wider economy.
The Institute is currently being stood up and based in former Department for Science, Innovation and Technology offices whilst a permanent location is identified.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Minister for AI has made any direct ministerial appointments.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Minister for AI has not yet made any direct ministerial appointments.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Cabinet Office news story, Dr Jade Leung appointed Vice-Chair of the AI Security Institute and Security Advisor to the AI Taskforce, published on 23 September 2026, who is the AI Security Institute’s interim Chief Technology Officer, and whether there will be an open competition for the replacement.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The AI Security Institute is not recruiting a direct replacement for the role of Chief Technology Officer. The newly appointed Chief Strategy Officer, as well as the Institute's two Research Directors, will take on the role's relevant responsibilities.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what date the AI Security Institute's access to frontier AI models developed in the United States was (a) interrupted and (b) restored.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
As I outlined in my speech on 12 October, the Government has been working closely with the US government and frontier labs to ensure AISI continues to have access to the most powerful AI models. AISI holds trusted, voluntary relationships with the world's leading AI companies, and continues to have access to frontier models for testing both before and after public release. AISI scientists continue to conduct rigorous evaluations of the latest generation of models, including GPT-6 Astra and Gemini 4 Argon.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of placing the AI Security Institute on a statutory footing.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The AI Security Institute (AISI) has trusted, voluntary relationships with the world's leading AI companies. This collaborative approach lets us keep pace with a fast-moving technology and adapt as it evolves.
As I outlined in my speech on 12 October, the Government has been working closely with the US government and frontier labs to ensure AISI continues to have access to the most powerful AI models before they are released.
AI scientists at AISI continue to conduct rigorous evaluations of the latest generation of models to build a scientific understanding of the risks posed by the most advanced AI systems and develop technical mitigations against them, so that policy decisions are grounded in evidence.
This Government remains committed to ensuring AISI is equipped to fulfil its vital role, and will continue to keep the House updated on its work.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what is the contact email address for correspondence by hon. Members with the AI Security Institute.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
Hon. Members can write to the AI Security Institute through the Cabinet Office's ministerial correspondence mailbox, [email protected].
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the policy paper, Introducing the AI Economics Institute, published on 8 June 2026, what is the timetable for the Institute to be fully operational.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The AI Economics Institute is currently operational, with a small core team already in place and a recruitment campaign for additional roles to launch imminently. A Director has been appointed, taking up post in early November 2026.
Professor Simon Johnson, Nobel Prize-winning economist, former Chief Economist of the IMF, has been appointed as Chair of the Institute. His appointment brings a wealth of experience in understanding how AI can create good jobs and boost shared prosperity, and how institutions are formed and affect economic growth.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps have been taken by the AI Security Institute to help improve pre-release access to frontier models.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
As I outlined in my speech on 12 October, the Government has been working closely with the US government and frontier labs to ensure the AI Security Institute continues to have access to the most powerful AI models before they are released.
AI scientists at the AI Security Institute continue to conduct rigorous evaluations of the latest generation of models, including Gemini 4 Argon, to build a scientific understanding of the risks posed by the most advanced AI systems and develop technical mitigations against them, so that policy decisions are grounded in evidence.