Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of why households in the Merseyside and Northern Wales electricity region face the highest standing charge under the energy price cap; and what steps she is taking to ensure that regional differences in standing charges do not disproportionately disadvantage households in areas that contribute to the UK's energy generation.

Answered by Polly Billington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Regional variations in electricity standing charges arise from differences in distribution costs, including the costs of maintaining and upgrading local networks and the number of consumers across whom those costs are spread.

The Government recognises concerns about regional disparities, including in North Wales and Merseyside, and that too much of the burden of energy bills is placed on standing charges.

The Government is working closely with Ofgem through its Cost Allocation and Recovery Review, which is considering how fixed system costs, including network costs commonly recovered through standing charges, should be allocated across consumers. This includes whether costs could be recovered in fairer and more progressive ways and consideration of regional differences. The Government will continue to work with Ofgem to ensure future charging arrangements are fair and do not disproportionately disadvantage consumers.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the current voluntary arrangements for the independent safety testing of advanced AI models; and what steps he is taking to ensure that the AI Security Institute has the statutory powers necessary to require developers to provide models for independent safety testing.

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.