Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will meet with representatives of the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The previous Minister for Pensions met with representatives from the WASPI campaign group.
She did so to hear their experiences directly and was the first Minister to do so in eight years.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make it her policy to introduce (a) fiscal and (b) regulatory measures to mitigate the potential impact of the adoption of AI on employment.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Government is implementing all the recommendations from the AI Opportunities Action Plan to ensure we shape AI to deliver productivity gains, rising living standards, and improved worker wellbeing, while mitigating the risks.
By becoming the best place in Europe to start and grow a tech company—powered by our leadership in AI—we are unlocking new opportunities for innovation, investment, and workforce development. This means helping people build world-class skills and rewarding careers in a thriving, future-facing economy.
As part of this, we have secured a partnership with leading tech firms to deliver AI skills training to 7.5 million UK workers by 2030, to help workers transition into new roles created by AI and automation.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of placing (a) transparency, (b) testing and (c) accountability requirements on private defence contracts for the development of AI systems.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The principal policy framework governing the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) safe and responsible adoption of AI is our published Joint Service Publication Dependable AI JSP 936 which sets out directives on AI safety, ethics, and governance. JSP 936 requires that externally acquired AI systems meet the same standards and give the same level of assurance as AI systems developed within the MOD. Under this framework, and in line with the National Security Strategy, we will look to leverage the UK's vibrant third-party assurance market to enable breadth, scale, and learning from other sectors.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what ethical frameworks are in place to guide the (a) development and (b) deployment of AI technologies in defence.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
We have a duty to use the best technologies to protect the UK’s interests, and we also have a duty to use these technologies in line with our legal obligations and the values of the public we serve.
All development and deployment of AI in Defence must be legal and responsible. We have set out our Responsible AI policy framework in the Dependable AI JSP 936. This mandates that all AI use cases address specific AI safety, ethical and legal considerations, in line with our five AI ethical principles published in the ‘Ambitious, Safe, Responsible’ policy paper in June 2022.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To as the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department provides guidance to businesses on the potential impact of AI systems on employment.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
We want to ensure that people have access to good, meaningful work. AI is already transforming workplaces, demanding new skills, and augmenting existing ones. Government is working to harness its benefits to boost growth, productivity, living standards, and worker wellbeing, while mitigating the risks.
The Department for Education published an analysis in 2023 outlining The impact of AI on UK jobs and training. We are currently considering our approach to updating this analysis.
Further to this, the Get Britain Working White Paper outlines how government will address labour market challenges and spread opportunity and economic prosperity that AI presents to the British public. This includes launching Skills England to create a shared national plan to boost the nation’s skills, creating more good jobs through our modern Industrial Strategy, and strengthening employment rights through DBT’s Plan to Make Work Pay.
DSIT has also published guidance for businesses adopting AI, focusing on good practice AI assurance when procuring and deploying AI systems. AI assurance could significantly manage risks and build trust, supporting business to assess and mitigate the potential impacts of AI adoption.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that vocational and adult education programmes are aligned with employment opportunities that are less vulnerable to (a) offshoring and (b) becoming replaced by AI.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government is developing a comprehensive strategy for post‐16 education and skills to break down barriers to opportunity and support the development of a skilled workforce in England.
This is backed by additional investment, as announced in the Spending Review, of £1.2 billion per year in skills by 2028-29. This will support the wide range of technical routes available across England in a broad range of sectors.
We are also widening the apprenticeships offer into a growth and skills offer, including new foundation apprenticeships, which will give more young people a foot in the door at the start of their working life.
We are targeting key growth sectors, including those identified in the Industrial Strategy, with specific skills plans to boost training in areas such as construction, manufacturing, defence and Digital and Technology.
All of this will be underpinned by the work of Skills England, which has been established as the national body responsible for identifying skills needs, simplifying the skills system, and aligning training to meet demand.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
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 help uphold international maritime law against Freedom Flotilla ships docking with aid in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We remain in close contact with our Israeli counterparts over the status of vessels seeking to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, and as the Prime Minister said on 21 September, the UK continues to demand that the Israeli Government permits the full and unhindered resumption of aid into Gaza immediately. By far the most effective way to meet the desperate needs of the Gazan people at the speed and scale that is needed is via overland routes, and we reiterate that Israel must immediately allow the UN and other agencies to deliver lifesaving aid to those in Gaza who so desperately need it.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the of the (a) long-term sustainability of the third sector and (b) its impact on health and social care services.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
This government recognises the vital role that charitable organisations and community groups play in improving people’s health and wellbeing. These organisations, as well as the wider Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector, are integral to the Government’s vision for national renewal and delivery of the five national missions.
DCMS supports VCSEs with their financial sustainability through a number of grant programmes, and supporting the growth of other sources of funding. The Government’s Social Enterprise Boost Fund is an up to £5.1 million package of funding to kickstart and accelerate social enterprise activity in four disadvantaged areas of England. We also provide support to charities through a range of tax reliefs and exemptions, with more than £6 billion in charitable reliefs provided to charities, Community Amateur Sports Clubs and their donors in 2023-24.
We also have the VCSE Health and Wellbeing Programme, which is a mechanism through which the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and UK Health Security Agency work together with VCSE organisations to drive transformation of health and care systems; promote equality; address health inequalities; and help people, families, and communities to achieve and maintain wellbeing. This will help the government to deliver on the Health Mission, and in particular the shift to prevention, through a cross-sector approach.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
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 help protect British (a) vessels and (b) civilians when en route to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We remain in close contact with our Israeli counterparts over the status of vessels seeking to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, and as the Prime Minister said on 21 September, the UK continues to demand that the Israeli Government permits the full and unhindered resumption of aid into Gaza immediately. By far the most effective way to meet the desperate needs of the Gazan people at the speed and scale that is needed is via overland routes, and we reiterate that Israel must immediately allow the UN and other agencies to deliver lifesaving aid to those in Gaza who so desperately need it.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with the (a) United Nations and (b) International Maritime Organisation on the access of the Global Sumed Flotilla into Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We remain in close contact with our Israeli counterparts over the status of vessels seeking to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, and as the Prime Minister said on 21 September, the UK continues to demand that the Israeli Government permits the full and unhindered resumption of aid into Gaza immediately. By far the most effective way to meet the desperate needs of the Gazan people at the speed and scale that is needed is via overland routes, and we reiterate that Israel must immediately allow the UN and other agencies to deliver lifesaving aid to those in Gaza who so desperately need it.