Asked by: Julia Buckley (Labour - Shrewsbury)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department is taking steps to develop a single national fibre broadband coverage map that identifies gaps in connectivity.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government recognises the importance of fast and reliable broadband connectivity across the UK and is committed to identifying and addressing gaps in coverage, in line with our ambition to achieve 99% gigabit broadband coverage by 2032.
Ofcom is responsible for collecting data and reporting on broadband coverage at national, regional, and local levels. This information is already publicly available through their Connected Nations reports and interactive tool, which illustrates via heat maps coverage in nations, local authorities, and constituencies. For consumers, Ofcom also provides a broadband availability address checker.
Building Digital UK (BDUK) uses Open Market Reviews to collect and analyse data from suppliers, to identify which premises are likely to require public subsidy to receive a gigabit-capable connection and uses this information to support delivery of Project Gigabit. The raw data is published by BDUK, with the latest release in January 2026: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/september-2025-omr-and-premises-in-bduk-plans-england-and-wales.
Some third-party websites use the data published by BDUK to produce their own publicly available coverage maps.
Asked by: Julia Buckley (Labour - Shrewsbury)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2024 to Question 11001 on Animal Experiments: Public Consultation, what progress his Department has made on consulting with civil society and animal protection organisations.
Answered by Feryal Clark
The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal. The government has been consulting civil society as this process unfolds. This includes attending meetings with animal protection organisations and considering documentation sent by such organisations to the Government. The government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year.
Asked by: Julia Buckley (Labour - Shrewsbury)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2024 to Question 11001 on Animal Experiments: Public Consultation, whether his Department plans to publish the names of the organisations it consults with.
Answered by Feryal Clark
As part of the Labour Manifesto’s commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, the government has been consulting civil society as this process unfolds. This includes attending meetings with and considering documentation sent by animal protection organisations. The government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year which will consider these discussions. However, the strategy will not be publishing the specific names of the organisations it consults with.
Asked by: Julia Buckley (Labour - Shrewsbury)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to update the National AI Strategy.
Answered by Feryal Clark
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country. We will be ensuring that AI is used to drive the government’s missions and priorities. We are committed to building an AI sector that can scale and win globally, through the AI Opportunities Action Plan which will be published this Autumn. It will outline an approach to delivering the opportunities AI can bring across the system, setting out our governments ambition.