Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that businesses simplify the processes of cancelling subscriptions.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 introduces new consumer protections for consumers in subscriptions. Once the new regime comes into force, businesses will be required to provide clear information before the consumer signs up, send regular reminders about renewals, and ensure it is straightforward to cancel. This includes allowing online cancellation if the consumer can sign up online. In addition, consumers will have a new 14-day renewal cooling-off period after a trial or a contract of 12 months or more auto-renews.

Government has consulted on regulatory proposals to implement the regime and the response can be found here.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Government on sharing technology, research and technical standards developed by the Justice AI Unit with the devolved justice administrations.

Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

While the Ministry of Justice has not explicitly shared technology, research, and technical standards developed by the Justice AI Unit with the Scottish Government, the department has had informal engagement with Scottish Government officials, and we continue to engage all devolved governments at ministerial level on technology and artificial intelligence via the Inter-Ministerial Group for Justice. We welcome continued collaboration with the Scottish Government and the other devolved governments.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Government’s timetable is for bringing buy now, pay later products within the financial-services regulatory framework.

Answered by Rachel Blake

In July 2025, Parliament passed legislation to bring Buy-Now, Pay-Later (BNPL) products within the scope of Financial Conduct Authority regulation. The new regulatory regime came into force on 15 July 2026 and last month the FCA published its final rules for BNPL lending.

Under these rules, BNPL providers will be required to carry out affordability checks as well as provide consumers with clear and upfront information about costs and repayment obligations. Consumers will also benefit from stronger rights, including access to the Financial Ombudsman Service and protection under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, making it easier to obtain refunds where purchases go wrong. These new rules will ensure that BNPL products remain a useful payment option while protecting consumers from harm.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent progress he has been made on enforcement measures relating to fake or misleading online reviews.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA), online platforms must take reasonable steps to ensure consumer reviews on their sites are genuine. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published guidance for businesses that publish reviews to help meet their legal obligations.

The DMCCA has given the CMA new direct enforcement powers to decide if certain consumer laws have been breached and to fine businesses up to 10% of annual turnover.

The CMA currently has five live investigations into businesses that may have infringed consumer law in relation to online reviews: Fake and misleading reviews: 5 businesses under CMA investigation - GOV.UK

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 with the Department for Work and Pensions and Ofcom to identify people eligible for broadband social tariffs and notify them automatically of that eligibility.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)

There are currently around 36 social tariffs with at least one of these being available across 99% of the UK. Government's approach has been to work with industry and Ofcom to improve awareness, simplify access, and support switching to cheaper deals and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology continues to work with Ofcom to monitor take-up of social tariffs.

The Government has taken steps to increase uptake among eligible households. In February 2026, Government secured commitments from major telecoms providers through the Telecoms Consumer Charter, which requires providers to proactively signpost social tariffs to eligible customers and make them easier to find.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of AI assistants and answer engines on traffic and revenue received by public-interest news publishers; and whether her Department is considering requirements relating to source attribution and links to original reporting.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

We recognise the impact on public interest news publishers of generative AI platforms and services, including AI assistants and answer engines, which risk diverting audiences and advertising revenue by presenting news summaries which limit the need to click through to news websites.

As set out in our Local Media Action Plan, published in March, these summaries can also be inaccurate or misleading, with one recent study finding that 81% of news-related responses from AI assistants contained issues relating to accuracy, editorialisation, sourcing errors or limited contextualisation. These summaries also risk distorting the market by drawing on a narrow range of prominent newsbrands. Over the long term, this risks further commercial harm to local media and other news providers, to public trust in news as a whole, and to the quality of news accessed by citizens.

The Action Plan committed to helping news providers adapt to the emerging challenges of AI-generated news summaries, and supporting a healthy licensing ecosystem while also working with industry to ensure proportionate transparency. We want to support all rights holders, including news publishers, to be able to license their work in the digital age, while allowing AI developers to benefit from access to creative material in the UK. Our taskforce on AI labelling will put forward proposals for Government on best practice to ensure consumers understand whether content has been made using AI. Alongside this, we will also publish a review of the mechanisms available for creators to control their works online. This will include standards, technical solutions and best practice on input transparency. This review will inform where there are gaps and whether there is an appropriate role for government in addressing them.

This builds on other work already underway in this area. The CMA recently imposed the first Conduct Requirement under the Digital Markets regime on publisher controls in Google Search and search advertising, aiming to ensure transparency, attribution and choice for publishers in how their content is used in Google’s AI services. We also welcome the news industry’s proactive efforts to address concerns in this area, including through the Standards for Publisher Usage Rights (SPUR) coalition, which is focused on bridging the gap between news publishers and AI developers and developing shared industry standards. SPUR has recently published a draft of a Content Telemetry standard, an open standard which enables publishers and content owners to directly understand how AI systems are using their content.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of the number of jobs in the Glasgow City Region supported by defence spending.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence is committed to ensuring defence is an engine for growth. However, we have made no assessment of the number of jobs in the Glasgow City Region supported by defence spending.

The Defence Investment Plan, published on 30 June 2026, and the Defence Industrial Strategy, published on 8 September 2025, set out a clear vision for making defence an engine for economic growth – directing increased investment into key defence areas and regions across the UK to create high-quality jobs. We estimate that the Defence Investment Plan will result in an additional 60,000 jobs nationwide.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HM Revenue and Customs is taking to ensure that people unable to use digital services can continue to manage tax affairs by telephone, post and face-to-face support.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)

Improving day-to-day performance is a key priority for HMRC.

HMRC is not able to provide the average time taken to respond to written correspondence from individual taxpayers in the last year as providing this information would exceed the cost threshold for responding to parliamentary questions.

HMRC aims to clear 80% of priority post within 15 working days, and 95% within 40 working days.

Regular performance updates on these service standards are published on GOV.UK - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-quarterly-performance-updates

HMRC is committed to ensuring that all customers can access its services in a way that meets their needs.

While HMRC continues to improve and expand its digital services, customers who are unable to use digital channels can continue to contact HMRC by telephone and post. HMRC also provides additional support for customers who need extra help through its Extra Support Service, including face-to-face support.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average time taken by HM Revenue and Customs to respond to written correspondence from individual taxpayers was in the last year.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)

Improving day-to-day performance is a key priority for HMRC.

HMRC is not able to provide the average time taken to respond to written correspondence from individual taxpayers in the last year as providing this information would exceed the cost threshold for responding to parliamentary questions.

HMRC aims to clear 80% of priority post within 15 working days, and 95% within 40 working days.

Regular performance updates on these service standards are published on GOV.UK - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-quarterly-performance-updates

HMRC is committed to ensuring that all customers can access its services in a way that meets their needs.

While HMRC continues to improve and expand its digital services, customers who are unable to use digital channels can continue to contact HMRC by telephone and post. HMRC also provides additional support for customers who need extra help through its Extra Support Service, including face-to-face support.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what contingency arrangements are available to people who are unable to demonstrate their immigration status because of a technical failure affecting her Department’s digital services.

Answered by Mike Tapp

Our online immigration status services are designed to be highly resilient and are subject to rigorous testing and monitoring. Outages are rare, and where issues do arise, we work to resolve them as quickly as possible.

Support is available for people who are unable to access or use their online immigration status because of a technical issue. The UK Visas and Immigration Resolution Centre can assist people in these circumstances and, where necessary, enable a person’s status to be verified through alternative means. If someone needs to demonstrate their immigration status for travel to the UK, the carrier may contact the UK Border Force Carrier Support Hub for advice, 24/7.

Employers and landlords in England can also use the Employer Checking Service and Landlord Checking Service respectively. Other Government Departments that are unable to confirm an individual’s immigration status can seek clarification through the Home Office Status Verification Enquiry and Checking Service.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of barriers for grocery retailers seeking to open full-service stores in low-income urban communities with limited access to fresh food; and whether her Department plans to convene retailers and local authorities to help reduce those barriers.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government recognises the important role that grocery retailers play in providing communities with access to affordable and nutritious food. Decisions on store locations are primarily commercial matters for retailers. The Department engages regularly with retailers on issues affecting the grocery sector through established forums, including the Defra Retailer Forum. We will continue to work with retailers, local authorities and other stakeholders to achieve the Good Food Cycle outcome on access for all to safe, affordable, healthy food.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Ukrainian personnel have completed military training in the UK under UK-led programmes.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

Under UK-led programmes, over 68,000 Ukrainian personnel have completed military training in the UK.

Question

To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what steps the Electoral Commission is taking to protect elections from foreign interference.

Answered by Jeremy Wright

Elections in the UK continue to be well-run, but the Electoral Commission has highlighted that the electoral system faces growing threats, including from foreign interference.

The Commission’s regulatory remit is focused on ensuring the safeguards against foreign interference in the political finance system are properly enforced. The Commission also makes recommendations to further strengthen the law, a number of which are being taken forward in the Representation of the People Bill.

The Commission also plays an important convening role, with partners, to enable the sharing of election-related security information with the electoral community, particularly in the run-up to elections. It is part of the Defending Democracy Taskforce and earlier this year it organised a briefing event for political parties with National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) and National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to discuss their guidance that covers protecting democratic institutions.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help improve the reliability of Wi-Fi on long-distance rail services.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Department for Transport has secured funding to support the introduction of low earth orbit satellite connectivity on mainline trains, which is expected to deliver a significant improvement in the reliability and performance of onboard Wi‑Fi for passengers across the rail network.

Subject to final Treasury approval, the Department is working closely with Network Rail to commence procurement and design activity later this year. This work aligns with Network Rail’s Project Reach programme, delivered in partnership with Neos Networks and Freshwave, which will support the provision of more consistent connectivity and improved digital services for passengers travelling across the network.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the European Union on defence co-operation.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

In May 2025, the UK agreed a Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) with the European Union, as part of this Government’s commitment to strengthening European security, supporting economic growth and reinforcing NATO.

Since then, the UK has maintained regular and constructive dialogue with the EU at multiple levels to implement the SDP. The Defence Secretary and the Foreign Secretary jointly hosted the first formal foreign and security policy dialogue in October 2025. In addition, officials from the Ministry of Defence and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office have engaged with EU counterparts through a Security and Defence Dialogue held in March. This is in addition to ongoing engagements through Coalition of the Willing talks, and dialogues on thematic security issues including hybrid threats.

We remain committed to defence cooperation with the EU and European partners that aligns with our NATO First policy and delivers for the UK taxpayer.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to help small technology companies to work with the Department.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) represents a fundamental transformation of how the Ministry of Defence (MOD) approaches innovation. We recognised that for too long, innovative companies and start-ups faced significant barriers when trying to engage with defence innovation programmes.

UKDI works closely with UK industry and academia, including Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), to identify and invest in innovative technologies that address our most pressing capability challenges as well as publishing our future priorities to incentivise investment. We are transforming processes to drive this at pace and are already testing and deploying these technologies.

The Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) commits to significantly increasing SME participation and spending, recognising their critical role in strengthening capability and economic prosperity.

We have established a dedicated Office for Small Business Growth in January to remove barriers, improve access, and drive delivery against our SME ambitions across Defence.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions she has had with stakeholders on steps to increase the number of banking hubs in Scotland.

Answered by Rachel Blake

The Government understands the importance of banking services to communities and high streets and is committed to supporting the financial services industry’s roll-out of 350 banking hubs by the end of this Parliament. Banking hubs are a voluntary service which were developed by the financial services sector in the context of legislation to protect access to cash under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023.

Over 275 hubs have been announced so far, and more than 240 are already open. In Scotland, 33 have been announced so far and over 30 are already open.

The Government has commissioned an independent Review into Access to Banking Services to assess whether changes in access to in-person banking services are causing consumer detriment, the scale of any detriment, and who it affects. The Review was launched on 8 June, with the publication of the Call for Evidence. The Call for Evidence will run for six weeks and will close on 20 July. It seeks input from a wide range of people including market participants, consumer representatives, community organisations, and industry across the UK, including Scotland.

The consultation survey can be found here: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/accesstobankingservices

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to help improve smart-meter coverage in tenement buildings.

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

Energy suppliers are extending smart metering Home Area Network connectivity in properties including tenement buildings where there are obstacles such as concrete floors between the apartment and the meter.

'Dual band' communications hubs serve many previously hard to reach properties. For the minority of properties where these cannot provide connectivity, the Alternative Home Area Network solution provides an additional smart metering HAN connectivity option for properties such as the higher floors of high-rise buildings. Finally, the Crowded Meter Room Resolution model is now available in buildings where meter room space constraints previously prevented installation of the Alt HAN solution.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the devolving of power to local authorities.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government is firmly committed to empowering local leaders and communities across the whole of the United Kingdom.

I regularly meet with Scottish Government Ministers to discuss how our two governments can work together to drive economic growth and improve public services.

During these discussions, I have consistently championed the vital role that local government plays. The UK Government already works closely with Scottish local authorities through our joint delivery of City Region and Growth Deals, and the new Local Growth Fund, and we will continue to encourage the Scottish Government to ensure that local councils across Scotland have the appropriate powers and resources they need to deliver for their communities.

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 help support film and television production in Glasgow.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government is committed to growing the UK screen sector across all nations. Glasgow, identified as a high-potential creative cluster in the Creative Industries Sector Plan, is well placed to benefit from the Government's £75 million Screen Growth Package.

This includes the UK Global Screen Fund, with Scottish-led co-productions securing significant awards and Screen Scotland contributing to the Fund's Advisory Board. The British Film Institute also supports Scotland's screen sector through UK-wide funding, including the National Lottery Skills Cluster, which helps address skills and crew shortages.

We are also investing in skills through the National Film and Television School, including its Glasgow hub at BBC Scotland's Pacific Quay and the Edinburgh-based Sean Connery Talent Lab. This complements our refreshed £9 million Creative Careers Programme, which was piloted in Scotland.

We continue to work with Screen Scotland and the wider sector to strengthen screen production across Scotland and the UK, supported by stable and competitive tax reliefs that benefit all nations. The BBC Charter Review also provides an opportunity to support the BBC's central role in Scotland's screen economy.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, and what steps are being taken to improve coordination and data sharing between UK-wide law-enforcement bodies and Police Scotland on online scams.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Whilst policing is a devolved matter in Scotland, the UK Government works closely with Police Scotland and other partners to ensure a coordinated UK-wide response to all fraud. The National Crime Agency (NCA), City of London Police and other law enforcement partners work with Police Scotland on intelligence sharing, investigations and operational activity. This includes through the recently established dedicated Cyber and Fraud Unit in Police Scotland to work with UK law enforcement partners and develop a more effective response to online fraud and cyber-enabled crime

The City of London Police are also working with Police Scotland to build the foundations that will enable future participation in the Report Fraud service

The Government's Fraud Strategy 2026–2029 announced the creation of the Online Crime Centre (OCC). Led by the Home Office and the NCA, and backed by £37 million of public investment, the OCC will bring together law enforcement, Government, intelligence agencies and industry partners. The OCC combines data, expertise and capabilities from across the public and private sectors to identify criminal methodologies and enablers, improve intelligence development and data sharing, and coordinate disruption activity against online fraud and cyber crime. This will strengthen the collective response to online fraud affecting communities across the UK.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of competition in the grocery market in communities with limited access to large supermarkets.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The Government has not assessed the adequacy of competition in the grocery market in communities with limited access to large supermarkets. Responsibility for such assessments falls to the Competition and Markets Authority, the UK’s principal competition authority. The CMA has published several reports on competition and pricing in the groceries market.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the UK plans to nominate a candidate for a seat on the European Committee of Social Rights at the Council of Europe.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We are aware of the ongoing nomination process, but any decision to nominate a candidate will be announced in the normal way.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions the Department has had with arena and stadium operators on increasing participation in the voluntary levy to support grassroots music venues.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government has been clear that arenas and stadiums have a vital role to play to accelerate adoption of the £1 ticket contribution to support grassroots music. The Government has convened the live music industry, including arena and stadium operators and their representative bodies, to drive further uptake of the voluntary levy and to understand remaining challenges and opportunities. As set out in our Music Plan, published on 13 July, we support the industry's leadership on this so far, with the LIVE Trust already having distributed £1.5 million to vital initiatives. However, we want to see uptake increase further, and we have consistently said that we are prepared to explore legislative options if required.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Department is taking to ensure that freelancers and small creative businesses can access practical guidance on the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

DCMS is working with Sally Davies, AI Champion of the Creative Industries, and others to consider how best to support AI adoption. Sally has been engaging closely with the sector to inform her AI Adoption Plan for the Creative Industries, which was published in June.

Sally’s recommendations are not formally part of government policy, however we will carefully consider next steps in order to allow our creative industries to best seize the opportunities for innovation and growth presented by AI. This includes recommendations to raise the practical AI knowledge and confidence and develop trusted guidance, standards and tools for AI adoption.

We aim to help creative businesses, especially SMEs and the self-employed, build the skills and confidence to use AI safely and effectively. The government joins the AI Champion in supporting an augmentation-first approach to AI Adoption in the creative industries. AI should support human creativity, not displace it.

We are committed to working with Sally and the sector to increase accessibility to industry-backed knowledge, infrastructure and support, so as to empower creatives to make an informed decision on whether they’ll use AI or not.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many civil servants employed in digital, data and technology roles are based in the Glasgow City Region; and what plans she has to increase that number.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government does not hold Workforce Commission data specifically at Glasgow City Region level. The latest available data indicates approximately 2,800 civil servants in digital, data and technology roles across Scotland.

The Government's ambition is for Digital, Data and Cyber Professions to reach 10% of the Civil Service workforce by 2030, up from approximately 5.8% today. This is being taken forward through the Roadmap for Modern Digital Government and the forthcoming Digital Workforce 2030 Strategy, which set out plans to address workforce shortages, strengthen digital leadership, and improve recruitment, retention and cross-sector mobility.

This includes expanding entry and development routes such as TechTrack apprenticeships, the Digital Fast Stream, AI and Data Science Accelerator programmes, returnship opportunities, and access to learning and accreditation through initiatives such as Get Tech Certified and the Government Digital and Data Hub. The Government is also reforming the Digital, Data and Cyber Pay Framework and strengthening profession capability frameworks to support recruitment and retention of specialist talent.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of jobs in Glasgow supported by contracts for the Royal Navy Type-26 frigate programme.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Type 26 programme supports approximately 2,000 jobs at BAE Systems' Glasgow shipyards and further jobs in the supply chain.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to introduce mandatory reporting of ransomware incidents and payments.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Last year, the Government consulted on a package of legislative measures to tackle ransomware, including the introduction of mandatory reporting requirements. The consultation demonstrated strong support for greater transparency, with 63% of respondents backing an economy-wide reporting regime covering both ransomware incidents and ransom payments.

The proposed measures are intended to strike at the ransomware business model by increasing the information available to law enforcement and improving the Government’s understanding of the threat landscape. Bringing ransomware activity out of the shadows will enhance the intelligence picture and support more effective disruption of those responsible.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Department is taking to increase knowledge in artificial intelligence, semiconductors and quantum technologies in the diplomatic network.

Answered by Seema Malhotra

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is strengthening knowledge of artificial intelligence, semiconductors and quantum technologies across the diplomatic network through targeted training, specialist resources, and expert engagement, building on the core capabilities of the Science and Technology Network, active in 65 locations worldwide and co-sponsored with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. A technology policy curriculum is available to all staff, supported by a dedicated knowledge hub, regular events and expert-led talks and discussions. The FCDO also delivers specialist learning programmes with external partners on AI policy, governance and other critical technologies, helping staff in the UK and overseas to engage effectively on these issues. These activities complement wider Civil Service AI skills programmes and Departmental guidance on the safe and effective use of AI.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to improve the availability of large scale capital in the UK for late stage start up businesses.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The government is taking action to improve the availability of large-scale growth capital available to UK scale-ups. Through a new strategic mandate and reforms to the British Business Bank (BBB), the BBB is increasing support for late-stage businesses, including through larger and faster investments. The government has increased BBB’s financial capacity to £25.6 billion, enabling it to invest both directly and through funds at scale, helping to mobilise private capital and ensuring late stage UK companies can access the finance they need to scale and remain in the UK.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps the Department is taking with employers to ensure that qualifications and digital badges earned through the AI Skills Boost programme are recognised in recruitment and workplace progression.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)

The government is committed to building a digitally skilled workforce to support long-term economic growth, drive innovation and expand individual opportunity across the UK.

Skills England has developed a framework outlining the foundational AI skills that are needed to thrive in today’s AI economy. AI Skills Boost courses are underpinned by this framework, and a number of these courses carry additional accreditations.

Anyone who completes an AI Skills Boost Course covering all 6 foundation skills will receive a virtual badge to show they have met this benchmark, which can be displayed on their LinkedIn profile to demonstrate their skills to employers. These courses and virtual badges help employers to know that workers can use AI tools in a safe, effective and responsible way.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to measure the impact of Civil Service artificial intelligence training on productivity and the quality of public services.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Cabinet Office measures the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) training that we provide to civil servants through a range of methods aligned with government evaluation guidance in the magenta book. We are further developing our approach to the measurement of the impact of AI training on productivity and public services, and are planning to publish a monitoring and evaluation framework later this year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cybersecurity vulnerabilities affecting medical devices have been reported to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in each of the last three years.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for ensuring medicines, medical devices, and blood components for transfusion meet applicable standards of safety, quality, and efficacy. The MHRA rigorously assesses available data, including from the Yellow Card scheme, and seeks advice from their independent advisory committee, the Commission on Human Medicines, where appropriate to inform regulatory decisions.

The presence of a report on the adverse incident database does not necessarily demonstrate a causal relationship between the device and the event reported. The reported event may be attributable to patient, user, or other factors. As such, the data should not be regarded as a summary of confirmed adverse reactions to the device and should be interpreted with caution.

Adverse incidents are classified using the terminology developed by the International Medical Device Regulators Forum (IMDRF), with further information available at the following link:

https://www.imdrf.org/

This provides a standardised approach to coding information, including medical device malfunctions and patient or user outcomes. Annex A of the IMDRF coding system contains the codes used to describe medical device problems and malfunctions reported in adverse incident reports, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.imdrf.org/working-groups/adverse-event-terminology/annex-medical-device-problem

The following table shows the number of Yellow Card reports reporting IMDRF Annex A code A1105 – Computer System Security Problem in 2024, 2025, and 2026 until 14 July:

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the Department is taking to raise awareness among small businesses of the expanded role and powers of the Small Business Commissioner.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government is committed to ensuring that small businesses are aware of the Small Business Commissioner’s expanded role and powers. The Commissioner already provides advice, guidance and support through its website, outreach activity and communications channels, and these will be strengthened as new powers are introduced. The Department will work closely with the Commissioner to deliver a comprehensive communications and engagement programme, helping small businesses understand their rights, access support, and benefit from the stronger protections and enforcement measures provided by the Commercial Payments Bill.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the Department is taking to ensure that the design of the UK’s electronic invoicing regime minimises costs and administrative burdens for small businesses.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Electronic invoicing, or e-invoicing, will become mandatory for VAT transactions from April 2029. E-invoicing will help business productivity and efficiency, reduce late payments and streamline tax administration.

DBT and HMRC ran a consultation between February and May 2025 to gather views on e-invoicing from a wide range of stakeholders, including small businesses and business representative organisations.

We are now working collaboratively to co-design e-invoicing policy, including with business representative organisations and accountancy and bookkeeping networks who champion small business interests.

The government will publish an Implementation Roadmap at Budget 2026 to update on progress and set out key milestones ahead of the mandate.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps the Department is taking with the Cabinet Office to help innovative scale-up businesses navigate public procurement processes and secure opportunities to supply the public sector.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department for Business and Trade is working closely with the Cabinet Office, HM Treasury and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (including the Commercial Innovation Hub) to improve public procurement of innovation.

Through the Industrial Strategy and measures announced at Autumn Budget 2025 the government is going further to support innovative UK scale-ups to access public procurement – including through the establishment of an Innovation Marketplace, expanded use of Advance Market Commitments and appointment of Innovation Champions in all departments.

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 help improve the recruitment and retention of cybersecurity specialists.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)

To improve the recruitment and retention of cyber security professionals across Government, DSIT launched the Government Cyber Profession in February 2026. The profession will introduce a competitive total employee offer, establish a dedicated Cyber Recruitment Hub to streamline recruitment, and create a clear career framework aligned with UK Cyber Security Council professional standards. This will directly address our cyber skills gaps, increase access to and help retain talent, establish cross-government standards, and provide learning and development programmes.

At the national level, the £200 million TechFirst programme is building the UK's domestic cyber talent pipeline, complemented by the UK Cyber Security Council's professional standards which support recruitment and retention across industry.

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 operational and national-security risks arising from government departments deploying a small number of cloud-service providers.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)

The State of Digital Government Review, published in January 2025, highlighted that concentrating workloads on a limited number of suppliers creates systemic concentration risks. The National Risk Register 2026, published on 14 July, further identifies disruption to third-party suppliers and digital infrastructure as a significant resilience risk.

Existing Government cyber policy and technology frameworks already support a range of resilience measures to tackle this, by requiring departments to assess security, resilience and business continuity risks when procuring and operating cloud.

The Government's Cloud First policy encourages organisations to consider all suitable suppliers and supports competition in cloud procurement, while the Multi‑Region Cloud Policy promotes deployment across multiple regions to improve resilience. Public procurement seeks to maintain a diverse supplier base, while the Competition and Markets Authority is independently examining competition in the UK cloud market.

Alongside this, Government is tackling these risks through the implementation of the Government Cyber Action Plan, which sets out our approach to enhancing cyber security and resilience across the public sector, including through enhanced cyber assurance and oversight.

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 help protect the public from harmful deepfake content.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)

Under the Online Safety Act, deepfake content is regulated when it is shared on an in-scope service and meets the definition of either illegal content, or content which is harmful to children. The largest user-to-user services will also need to enforce their terms of service including in relation to AI generated content.

We have banned the creation of non-consensual sexual deepfakes, nudification apps, and criminalised AI models which have been optimised to create this content. We have updated the existing laws criminalising ‘paedophile manuals’ to cover the abuse of AI to produce Child Sexual Abuse Material.

We have also introduced new requirements on platforms and search services to remove non-consensual intimate images within 48 hours of a valid report and ensured that senior managers can be held criminally liable when platforms fail to meet their duties. We have also taken powers to bring currently unregulated chatbots within scope of the Online Safety Act’s illegal content duties.

We continue to explore technical solutions to support the transparency of AI-generated content, including through the Deepfake Detection Challenge, the AI Labelling Taskforce and media literacy work.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what non-digital and assisted-digital routes are available to people who are unable to use GOV.UK One Login; and how the use of those routes is monitored.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

GOV.UK One Login has been designed as a digital service, and offers multiple ways for users to prove their identity. Users are able to use either the GOV.UK One Login app, answer security questions online, or visit the Post Office to prove their identity in-person. We continually monitor feedback, complaints and data to drive improvements.

While we expect GOV.UK One Login to become the primary method for accessing online government services, departments will continue to provide offline alternatives for users who are unable to prove their identity through GOV.UK One Login. Alternative routes are decided and monitored by the relevant government service.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what face-to-face support is available to people in accessing digital immigration status in Glasgow.

Answered by Mike Tapp

The Resolution Centre within the Home Office continues to provide a dedicated telephone line for support organisations, across the UK, to escalate cases to the Home Office. Access is available to charities, voluntary sector organisations and Local Authorities.

Applicants who need independent immigration advice or representation should be signposted to the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA). These are regulated advisers and organisations authorised to provide immigration advice. Both fee and non-fee charging advice can be found on the IAA website - Adviser Finder

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Department is taking with food retailers and charities to improve the use of real-time data to increase the redistribution of edible surplus food.

Answered by Mary Creagh

In May, the Prime Minister committed to a national programme to redistribute surplus food to support those in need. Defra is working with food retailers, redistribution organisations, and charities to increase the redistribution of edible surplus food and reduce waste. In 2024, redistribution organisations received around 210,000 tonnes of surplus food, equivalent to 500 million meals worth approximately £870 million. We know that improving the use of real-time data and strengthening links between businesses and redistribution networks means that surplus food can be identified and redirected more quickly, ensuring more edible food reaches those who need it rather than going to waste. We are looking at opportunities for the sector to maximise the use of data.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Department is taking with the Home Office and Crown Prosecution Service to improve the secure transfer of digital evidence between police, prosecutors and courts and reduce avoidable delays.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Under the Criminal Procedure Rules, parties are required to assist the court in the active management of cases, and prosecutors are responsible for serving prosecution evidence on the court and other parties where the rules require it. This includes ensuring that evidence is provided in a format that can be used effectively by the court. The Department is supporting this through work with criminal justice partners on digital case progression, including through the Police Digital Case File programme, and associated improvements to the presentation of digital evidence in court. These reforms are intended to improve the quality and accessibility of case material, reduce reliance on manual processes and help avoid delays caused by missing, incomplete or unusable evidence.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to ensure that the Great British Railways brand supports a unified national rail network across Great Britain.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Great British Railways (GBR) brand represents putting railway passengers and the public interest firmly in the driving seat. The GBR brand will support a unified rail network across Great Britian by providing passengers with a simpler railway with a consistent identity. Well-known names like Great Western Railway and London Northeastern Railway will be preserved as regional identifiers under the GBR brand. ScotRail, Transport for Wales, Caledonian Sleeper, Open Access Operators, and some services in places like Liverpool and London have different arrangements and will not be branded as GBR.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many central government websites and mobile applications do not currently meet the required public-sector accessibility standards; and what steps are being taken to remedy that.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The accessibility monitoring team in the Government Digital Service (GDS) has found that for central government websites that operate independently of GOV.UK - including those run by the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish governments - 61% met accessibility requirements at time of assessment. The GOV.UK website is regularly tested for accessibility and central government organisations are expected to use GOV.UK for their publishing.

In May 2026, GDS issued a survey to 10 central government departments to better understand barriers to compliance with government’s accessibility requirements. The survey has since closed and GDS is currently considering the responses.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to involve voluntary, community and faith organisations in local and national emergency preparedness exercises.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office recognises the valuable role that the voluntary, community and faith sector (VCFS) can play in all aspects of resilience. The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 requires local Category 1 responders ‘to have regard’ to the activities of voluntary organisations while carrying out their duties. This is reinforced in guidance and standards, which provide further detail on the benefits of including the VCFS within local exercising.

The Cabinet Office is committed to conducting one major ‘Tier 1’ ministerial-led exercise annually under the National Exercising Programme. On 15th July and as part of the national resilience annual statement, the government announced that the next Tier 1 exercise (Exercise ALBISTON SHADOW) will focus on homeland defence.

Under a Tier 1 exercise, Government departments, agencies, non-governmental organisations and local responders are all involved to deliver the objectives and requirements of each year's exercise. In support of this, work is also underway to ensure that guidance, best practice, frameworks and other tools are made available to all parts of the system so that high-quality exercising can happen at all levels, not just during Tier 1 exercises.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Department is taking to expand the use of synthetic training environments to enable joint training between the Armed Forces and NATO allies.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The UK has provided the primary hub for NATO Distributed Synthetic Training since 2025, supporting secure and operationally relevant joint training for NATO personnel across the maritime, land and air domains.

Following the direction of the 2025 Strategic Defence Review, the Ministry of Defence is developing a single virtual training environment and embedding synthetic training requirements within future procurement programmes.

This will enable personnel to train together more effectively, improve the re-use of existing capabilities, and increase interoperability with NATO Allies and partners.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Department is taking to ensure that UK-funded humanitarian programmes collect age-disaggregated data and include older people in needs assessments and programme design.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We recognise that people with existing vulnerabilities, including older people, can be disproportionately affected by humanitarian crises. All organisations which receive Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office funding are therefore required to demonstrate commitment to equality and inclusion in the planning, delivery and monitoring of their work, to ensure our assistance reaches those in greatest need.

I also refer the Hon Member to the Inclusive Data Charter Action Plan, where age is included in principle 2, as one of the dimensions for which we aim to collect disaggregated data. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/leaving-no-one-behind-our-promise/inclusive-data-charter-action-plan#principle-2-all-data-should-wherever-possible-be-disaggregated-to-accurately-describe-all-populations