Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
These initiatives were driven by Lord Holmes of Richmond, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
A Bill to make provision for the regulation of Artificial Intelligence; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to make provision for the prohibition of unpaid work experience exceeding four weeks; and for connected purposes
First reading took place on 7 June. This stage is a formality that signals the start of the Bill's journey through the Lords.Second reading - the general debate on all aspects of the Bill - is yet to be scheduled.The 2016-2017 session of Parliament has prorogued and this Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to make provision for the prohibition of unpaid work experience exceeding four weeks and for connected purposes.
Lord Holmes of Richmond has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
There is no centrally held record of government use of tools such as Pol.is or CitizenOS used as ways of gathering and understanding public opinion. The use of such is devolved to individual departments.
The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO), within Cabinet Office, is responsible for supporting departments to build and operate modern, state of the art, highly responsive, cost-effective technology that meets the needs of our end users and delivers the cross-government digital strategy.
CDDO is working with departments to establish the frameworks and policies to guide the responsible adoption of new technologies.
The Debt Resolution Services Framework will include specific lots for data and affordability solutions. These will be supplied by organisations that provide a range of technology and digital solutions including but not exclusive to; conversational artificial intelligence, open-banking, credit reference agency data, and automated standard financial statements.
Public Sector organisations can utilise these solutions and services to better understand customer financial circumstances and ensure affordable outcomes while providing increased access and choice in the way that customers interact with the services.
It is anticipated that the contract notice for the Debt Resolution Services Framework will be published in June 2021.
In 2021 the Government published its National AI Strategy – a 10-year vision to make the UK an AI superpower by investing in our ecosystem, driving adoption of AI across sectors, and ensuring we get the governance of AI right. The strategy recognised that public trust and support in government’s approach to and use of AI was crucial to maximise its opportunities and value, whilst minimising its risks.
To develop the Strategy, the Government ran an open survey through the Alan Turing Institute. The survey received over 400 responses, in addition to having engaged over 250 organisations and businesses across different sectors.
The Government also ran a consultation to inform the AI regulation white paper, published this year. We heard from over 400 individuals and organisations, with a wide range of views represented including regulators, industry, academia, and civil society. The Government has also engaged regulators, businesses, start-ups, research groups, trade unions, charities and advocacy groups through roundtables and workshops.
In advance of Government’s AI Summit to be held this month, DSIT has engaged broadly with stakeholders to ensure voices and views of diverse groups and individuals have helped to shape the Summit’s focus. This included four official pre-Summit events with the Royal Society, the British Academy, techUK and The Alan Turing Institute as well as public Q&As on X and twitter.
We will continue to engage with the public to inform our approach to drive responsible innovation in AI including through the work of the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI). The CDEI’s Public Attitudes team conducts an ongoing programme of quantitative and qualitative research to engage the public on AI. This has recently included focus groups and deliberative dialogues with diverse groups to understand public attitudes towards the use of AI in society. CDEI also conducts a large-scale annual survey which monitors public attitudes to data-driven technology and AI, the latest wave of which will be published in November this year. CDEI disseminates the findings from its research widely, and the insight is used across government, academia and the private sector to help ensure trustworthy approaches to AI.
To date, the Department has received over 450 documents from 285 stakeholders across the UK. We are working through these inputs, which will inform the Government’s thinking. Several responses refer to the importance of private sector investment as a key lever for economic recovery and the critical role of Government in facilitating private R&D investment. We shall make further information available in due course.
Since the publication of the AI Guide, we have committed to updating and improving the guidance in order to support the public sector's adoption of AI and data technologies. This includes considering how best to ensure the safe and ethical use of AI and data technologies, including statutory or non-statutory mechanisms.
DWP is committed to harnessing the potential of new technologies in making a positive difference to our customers’ lives.
The department is currently undertaking a modernisation programme of work which does also include reimagining the future of payments, exploring using disruptive and alternative technologies to challenge traditional thinking and processes.
DWP has previously undertaken proof of concept using disruptive technologies such as Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology to challenge and change how we manage and distribute money, drive more resilience and security. In this proof of concept, DWP examined how blockchain technologies could be used to issue welfare payments to our banking partners on a near real-time basis, helping reduce 3rd party dependencies. During this initial internal proof of concept, no claimants were involved and the work was used to inform the decision to develop a future method of payment strategy that outlines DWP’s commitment to improving the methods available to make payments to customers.
We continue to explore payment innovations, including distributed ledger and blockchain technologies and their potential to securely deliver services that our customers rely on.
The Law Commission’s final report on Digital Assets did not include a draft Bill. However, the report recommended statutory confirmation of the existing common law position that certain digital assets and other intangible assets are capable of attracting personal property rights. The Government is carefully considering the Law Commission’s recommendations and will respond in due course.