Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions her Department has had with the Port of Tyne on the navigability of the River Tyne and its performance as a navigation authority.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The department engages actively with many UK ports, including the Port of Tyne. However, the department has had no recent discussion with the port of Tyne on those specific points.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2024 to Question 19693 on Department for Work and Pensions: Artificial Intelligence, on what date her Department decided not to publish that equality impact assessment.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Machine learning is currently used to flag cases requiring further examination. Our equality analysis found no issues of concern as set out in the Annual Report and Accounts.

The most recent consideration of the release of this information took place following receipt of Question 19693 on 13^th December 2024 where the department considered the balance between releasing information and protecting the effectiveness of our fraud prevention and detection methods.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to page 69 of the English Devolution White Paper, published on 16 December 2024, how much funding will be available to UK Research and Innovation to extend regional partnerships.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Our ambition through the innovation commitments announced in the English Devolution White Paper is to generate innovation-led growth across the country, and help places make stronger contributions to a thriving national innovation ecosystem. Through UK Research and Innovation, we will support more local leaders, working in partnership with businesses and universities, to unlock their regions’ innovation potential.

The Spending Review settlement set out the overall R&D budget for my department, which is £13.9 billion for 2025/26. Further details of how this funding will be allocated will be announced in due course, and the next phase of the spending review will confirm multi-year budgets for innovation funding.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her plans are for higher education reform; and what the role is of innovation in that process.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government is committed to setting out a plan for reform of the higher education (HE) sector by the summer, focused on five priorities. We will expect our HE providers to:

• Play a stronger role in expanding access and improving outcomes for disadvantaged students.
• Make a stronger contribution to economic growth.
• Play a greater civic role in their communities.
• Raise the bar further on teaching standards, to maintain and improve our world leading reputation and drive out poor practice.
• Drive a sustained efficiency and reform programme.

My noble Friend, the Minister for Skills, is working closely with Lord Vallance to build on HE providers’ already significant contribution to innovation, increasing their contribution to the UK economy.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Institution of Civil Engineers' report entitled ICE policy position statement: How can the UK’s infrastructure system be made more climate resilient?, published in March 2023, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of using digital twins to improve understanding of risks to infrastructure assets.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The National Digital Twin Programme aims to determine how digital twins can support improvements in all aspects of the operation and performance of individual infrastructure assets, as well as networks and systems. This includes climate resilience in relation to both specific events, as well as the longer term impacts of changing weather patterns. Information about the NDTP can be found at National Digital Twin Programme NDTP - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions her Department has had with the Port of Tyne on it's responsibilities to the Swing Bridge.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The department engages actively with many UK ports, including the Port of Tyne. However, the department has had no recent discussion with the port of Tyne on those specific points.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the expansion of immunisation programs in northern Nigeria.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK supports immunisation programmes in Nigeria through GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation), the public-private global alliance that has helped vaccinate more than half the world's children against some of the world's deadliest diseases. The UK's contribution to GAVI is £1.65 billion over five years (2021-2025). Nigeria will receive over $1 billion in funding from GAVI between 2018 and 2028, one of the largest of any country.   
 
The UK continues to work with the Government of Nigeria to strengthen health systems in Northern Nigeria, which are crucial for ensuring access to life-saving vaccinations for the poorest and most vulnerable.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the UK-Nigeria joint communiqué, published on 6 November 2024, what support for humanitarian action is included in the new UK-Nigeria Strategic Partnership.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

In the Financial Year 2024/25, UK humanitarian support to Nigeria totalled £33.5 million in life-saving assistance and has reached approximately 1 million people with our Humanitarian and Resilience Programme (HARP), reducing mortality and increasing resilience for people with the most severe humanitarian needs. This assistance is one part of our development partnership with Nigeria - an important component of the new UK-Nigeria Strategic Partnership.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to increase the transparency in the use of artificial intelligence by public bodies.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard (ATRS) establishes a standardised way for public sector organisations to publish information about how and why they are using algorithmic tools. The ATRS is mandatory for government departments and arm’s-length bodies (ALBs), for algorithmic tools which have a significant influence on a decision-making process with public effect, or directly interact with the general public.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many full-time equivalent members of staff at UKRI work on (a) local and (b) regional innovation partnerships.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

UKRI’s leadership and staff routinely engage with stakeholders across the UK. Additionally, UKRI has several teams focussed on regional engagement, including:

• Innovate UK’s place engagement team, including a Director, Deputy Director and ten full time manager positions at Innovate UK, who work with around 400 regionally-organised business growth advisers.
• EPSRC has a team of eight regional managers.
• Research England has a team of five engagement leads.
• Members of staff focused on the investment delivery of place programmes, such as the Strength in Places Fund and Innovation Accelerators.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the English Devolution White Paper, published on 16 December 2024, within what timeframe UKRI expects to deliver a future regional innovation funding programme.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

We are developing a new local innovation funding programme to support high potential innovation clusters across the country, with delivery timelines subject to the outcome of the next phase of the Spending Review.

Our new programme will build on our experience of delivering initiatives such as the Innovation Accelerator pilots. At Budget, we announced these would be extended into 2025/26, delivering funding and bespoke support to bolster high-potential innovation clusters in Greater Manchester, Glasgow City Region, and the West Midlands.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the English Devolution White Paper, published on 16 December 2024 , what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of including local universities in engagement between UKRI and Strategic Authorities.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Universities are central to generating local economic growth. As magnets for talent and investment and anchors for clusters, they create centres of research and innovation excellence across the country. Enabling partnership working between local government, universities and businesses will be at the heart of our future regional innovation funding programme.

Enabling partnership working between local government, universities and businesses will be at the heart of our future regional innovation funding programme.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the English Devolution White Paper, published on 16 December 2024, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of supporting non-Mayoral Strategic Authorities to increase regional innovation activity.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Building on our experience of delivering the UK-wide Strength in Places Fund, Innovation Accelerators and Launchpads programmes, we will develop a new local innovation funding programme that will bolster high potential clusters across the UK, including in non-Mayoral Strategic Authorities. We will work with areas that choose not to adopt the mayoral model, to increase innovation activity in regions both with and without devolution.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the State of the relationship report 2024, published by the National Centre for Universities and Business on 5 December 2024, what steps he is taking to increase the number of interactions between businesses and universities.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Government incentivises university-business interactions through funding for UKRI programmes. Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF), provided through Research England is the largest source of knowledge exchange funding to English universities, providing £280 million annually to support engagement with a range of partners, including businesses. HEIF includes a £20 million contribution specifically for university-business collaboration and commercialisation. Innovate UK’s Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs)programme links businesses with technical experts in UK universities. Currently, around 800 businesses, 100 knowledge bases (universities and other research organisations) and over 800 graduates are involved in KTPs.

Found: Current membership Chi Onwurah (Labour; Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West) (Chair) Emily Darlington

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Chi Onwurah (Chair); Emily Darlington; Dr Allison Gardner; Tom Gordon

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Chi Onwurah (Chair); Emily Darlington; Dr Allison Gardner; Tom Gordon

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