Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
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 reduce duplication in animal testing.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Government is taking several steps to avoid unnecessary duplication in animal testing. Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, applicants must demonstrate that they have considered existing evidence and alternative approaches before animal use can be authorised. Home Office inspectors assess whether proposed studies are scientifically justified and whether the 3Rs have been applied as part of the project licence process. Licence holders must also avoid conducting procedures where the required data already exist. In addition, the Government’s Replacing Animals in Science strategy supports increased data sharing and the development and uptake of non-animal methods.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help protect intellectual property rights in the training of AI models.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The government recognises the importance of protecting intellectual property rights for creators and rightsholders. It published a report and impact assessment on AI and copyright on 18 March outlining the steps it is taking on the use of copyright works in AI training.
This includes publishing a review of the mechanisms available for creators to control their works online, establishing a taskforce on labelling AI-generated content, launching a working group on independent and smaller creative organisations, and launching a consultation on ‘digital replicas’.
We continue to listen to the views and perspectives of a range of stakeholders on these issues.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when she plans to set out a timetable for phasing out animal testing where alternatives are viable.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Government’s Replacing Animals in Science strategy sets out a long-term, science-led approach to reducing reliance on animal testing. Where validated alternatives are available, existing legislation already requires them to be used in place of animals. The Government will not set an arbitrary timetable for the complete phase-out of animal testing, as progress depends on scientific and regulatory developments. Instead, we will publish timelines for specific actions and targeted replacements, alongside key performance indicators and delivery updates to track progress
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
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 potential merits of setting annual targets for reducing the number of instances of animal testing.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Government has considered the importance of measuring progress in reducing reliance on animals in science. However, it is not yet possible to replace all animal use due to the complexity of biological systems and ongoing regulatory requirements. Any reduction must be science-led and delivered in step with the development, validation and regulatory acceptance of alternative methods. For this reason, the Government will not set arbitrary annual targets for overall reductions in animal testing. Instead, progress will be tracked through transparent milestones, timelines for specific actions, key performance indicators and regular public reporting under the Replacing Animals in Science strategy.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that Freedom of Religion and Belief is integrated into UK aid programmes that promote gender equality, the rights of disabled people and assistance to other groups in Central Asia.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK recognises that women and girls from religious or belief minority communities can suffer disproportionally because of both their gender and faith- as addressed, for example, in the answer provided on 24 June in response to Question 9814 on the treatment of women from religious minorities in Afghanistan - and we routinely take these factors into account when drawing up our programmes to uphold human rights in different countries. The Department's next report on human rights will be published later this year, covering the period since the current Government came to office, including our work on freedom of religion or belief.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to prioritise issues concerning freedom of religion or belief in future Human Rights and Democracy Reports.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK recognises that women and girls from religious or belief minority communities can suffer disproportionally because of both their gender and faith- as addressed, for example, in the answer provided on 24 June in response to Question 9814 on the treatment of women from religious minorities in Afghanistan - and we routinely take these factors into account when drawing up our programmes to uphold human rights in different countries. The Department's next report on human rights will be published later this year, covering the period since the current Government came to office, including our work on freedom of religion or belief.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to promote youth employment in the IT sector.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
With over one million young people not in education, employment and training, this Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. The Government is investing an additional £2.5 billion over the next three years into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.
This includes an expanded network of Youth Hubs, earlier and more intensive support in Jobs Centres through the new Youth Guarantee Gateway, additional work experience and training opportunities, a £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant and a fully funded six-month job for long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds.
Alongside this. DWP is working closely with national IT and digital employers to promote youth employment. Through our Strategic Relationship Team we are encouraging the creation of accessible entry-level roles, supporting more skills-based recruitment practices and co-designing Sector-based Work Academy Programmes aligned to industry needs.
We are also supporting young people to access pathways into digital careers through a range of established provision, including digital bootcamps, apprenticeships, traineeships and work experience. This includes a range of apprenticeship standards available such as the level 2 Software and Data foundation apprenticeship, level 3 Digital Support Technician and level 5 Data Engineer.
More widely, to support our ambition of 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships we are introducing a £2,000 hiring payment, and fully funding apprenticeship training, for non-levy paying employers (typically SMEs) that recruit 16-24-year-old apprentices.
Job Centres working with employers and training providers, also support young people to develop digital skills for job search, including building confidence in navigating online recruitment processes and using digital tools, such as AI, to improve CVs, applications and interview preparation.
We also recognise the crisis of participation that Alan Milburn has so clearly laid out in his interim report. We will use this interim report to continue to build our reforms and look forward to final recommendations in the Autumn.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of Government IT contracts have been granted to companies predominantly based outside the UK since 2024.
Answered by Chris Ward
This Government is committed to supporting British industries and making best use of our procurement and spending power to drive economic growth across the United Kingdom.
The vast majority of Government contracts are awarded to UK firms and those with a UK presence, contributing important jobs, skills and economic growth.
On 24 February 2025, the Government launched the Find a Tender website that details which suppliers Government contracts have been awarded to.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consideration she has given to negotiating a short-term mobility and work framework for touring creatives.
Answered by Mike Tapp
The UK has an excellent immigration offer for touring artists. The UK visitor route is among the most liberal routes globally, and creative workers can undertake a range of permitted activities, including some paid activities.
The Creative Worker visa allows people who can make a unique contribution to the UK's rich cultural life, for example, as an artist, dancer, musician, entertainer, or model, to come to the UK and work for up to two years.
At the UK-EU Summit in May 2025 the UK and EU committed to continue their efforts to support travel and cultural exchange.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to secure multilateral and bilateral agreements for relaxed cabotage rules for the cultural sector.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is aware of concerns raised by the cultural and creative sectors regarding the impact that cabotage arrangements can have for the cultural sector.
Cabotage terms are governed by international agreements, including the UK‑EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) and the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) multilateral permit system, which provides additional but limited access. While there are currently no plans to pursue sector-specific cabotage agreements, the Government engages regularly with international partners to explore opportunities to facilitate transport operations more broadly, including through existing bilateral road haulage agreements where appropriate.
The Government also engages with the EU, EU Member States and wider international partners on barriers affecting cultural exchange, including touring. As part of this engagement, we continue to make the case for practical measures that support the movement of artists, crews, equipment and the specialist services that underpin international exchange, as well as engaging with the cultural and the live touring sector to understand the practical impacts of cultural arrangements, including for organisations that operate ‘own account’ vehicles transporting their own equipment.