Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the accessibility of suicide fora to children through gaming chats.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Online Safety Act requires in-scope services, including in-scope gaming services, to prevent all users from encountering illegal suicide and self-harm content, and children from legal content encouraging, promoting, or providing instructions for suicide or self-harm.
It is difficult to estimate how many children access online suicide fora. Ofcom research indicates that fewer than 3 secondary school students in a thousand encounter suicide content through a broad category of websites, that would include suicide fora, during a four-week period. Five in a thousand encountered suicide content through online gaming platforms during the same period.
Ofcom’s first investigation under the Act targeted a pro-suicide forum. On 6 January, Ofcom confirmed it informed the forum provider that Ofcom is working towards issuing a provisional notice of contravention in relation to Act breaches.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what estimate she has made of the number of children accessing online suicide fora.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Online Safety Act requires in-scope services, including in-scope gaming services, to prevent all users from encountering illegal suicide and self-harm content, and children from legal content encouraging, promoting, or providing instructions for suicide or self-harm.
It is difficult to estimate how many children access online suicide fora. Ofcom research indicates that fewer than 3 secondary school students in a thousand encounter suicide content through a broad category of websites, that would include suicide fora, during a four-week period. Five in a thousand encountered suicide content through online gaming platforms during the same period.
Ofcom’s first investigation under the Act targeted a pro-suicide forum. On 6 January, Ofcom confirmed it informed the forum provider that Ofcom is working towards issuing a provisional notice of contravention in relation to Act breaches.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to support the removal of sexualised deepfake content from X.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Sexually manipulated images of women and children are despicable and abhorrent. The government is clear that no one should have to go through the ordeal of seeing intimate images of themselves online. There are no excuses not to act, and services must deal with this urgently.
Sharing, or threatening to share a deepfake intimate image without consent is a criminal offence. The government has made it a priority offence under the Online Safety Act, meaning services need to take proactive steps to tackle this content. Ofcom has robust enforcement powers to use where providers are not complying with their duties.
This week we havesigned the commencement order to urgently bring powers to criminalise the creation of intimate images without consent into force.
Ofcom has confirmed that they have opened a formal investigation into X and have the government’s full backing to take necessary enforcement action.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with X over reported sexualised deepfake content on its platform.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government is clear that no one should have to go through the ordeal of these horrendous images online.
Ofcom has confirmed that they have opened an investigation into X and have our full backing to take necessary enforcement action.
The commencement order for the offence of the creation, or requested creation, of intimate images will be signed this week meaning that individuals are committing a criminal offence if they create – or seek to create – such abhorrent content. This will also be made a priority offence, meaning platforms must take proactive action.
This is not about restricting freedom of speech but upholding the law.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with Ofcom over reported sexualised deepfake content on X.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government is clear that no one should have to go through the ordeal of these horrendous images online.
Ofcom has confirmed that they have opened an investigation into X and have our full backing to take necessary enforcement action.
The commencement order for the offence of the creation, or requested creation, of intimate images will be signed this week meaning that individuals are committing a criminal offence if they create – or seek to create – such abhorrent content. This will also be made a priority offence, meaning platforms must take proactive action.
This is not about restricting freedom of speech but upholding the law.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of (a) the adequacy of the level of pricing transparency of fixed term mobile and broadband contracts; and (b) the impact of this on people (i) experiencing financial difficulty and (ii) with mental health conditions when they enter the negotiation process at the end of those fixed term contracts.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Affordability and transparency of telecoms services is important for Government and something we are keeping an eye on. The department monitors the market and consults stakeholders who conduct relevant research, including Ofcom, the independent regulator of telecommunications, and Citizens Advice.
In 2022, Ofcom introduced a requirement for providers to give new customers a one-page summary of their contract before signing, clarifying terms and price changes.
Operators are required under Ofcom’s General Conditions (C5) to follow guidelines on treating vulnerable consumers fairly, including for those facing financial or mental health challenges.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of artificial intelligence on public expenditure.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The primary focus of the government’s analysis has been to assess the potential for AI to enhance public sector productivity and efficiency, which are key determinants of future spending levels. Analysis by DSIT for the State of Digital Government Review found an estimated £45 billion per year in unrealised savings and productivity benefits in the public sector, 4-7% of public sector spend, which could be achieved through full digitisation of public sector services. Opportunities are based predominantly on process simplification, AI-driven automation of manual tasks, greater availability, adoption of low-cost digital channels and reduced fraud through compliance automation.
Of this, £36 billion in potential annual savings are from using AI to simplify and automate delivery across the public sector. This was estimated through a detailed analysis of 350,000 public sector roles using Civil Service data, scaling productivity savings from automating or augmenting routine tasks to the wider public sector workforce.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of regulating AI systems at the point of (a) use and (b) development.
Answered by Feryal Clark
Artificial intelligence is the defining opportunity of our generation, and the Government is taking action to harness its economic benefits for UK citizens. As set out in the AI Opportunities Action Plan, we believe most AI systems should be regulated at the point of use, with our expert regulators best placed to do so. Departments are working proactively with regulators to provide clear strategic direction and support them on their AI capability needs. Through well-designed and implemented regulation, we can fuel fast, wide and safe development and adoption of AI.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
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 number of employees required for Ofcom’s Online Safety Directorate to effectively carry out its duties.
Answered by Feryal Clark
In 2023/24, Ofcom had 189 full-time equivalent posts in the Online Safety Group. This does not include staff who work on online safety in other groups such as legal, enforcement and research.
The government has ensured Ofcom has the funding it needs to deliver online safety regulation effectively, with £72.6 million allocated for online safety spend in 2025/26. This additional funding will result in additional staff for the Online Safety Group and other divisions.
Asked by: Caroline Dinenage (Conservative - Gosport)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many people work for Ofcom’s Online Safety Directorate.
Answered by Feryal Clark
In 2023/24, Ofcom had 189 full-time equivalent posts in the Online Safety Group. This does not include staff who work on online safety in other groups such as legal, enforcement and research.
The government has ensured Ofcom has the funding it needs to deliver online safety regulation effectively, with £72.6 million allocated for online safety spend in 2025/26. This additional funding will result in additional staff for the Online Safety Group and other divisions.