Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Abolition

Lord Scriven Excerpts

Wednesday 14th October 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

We have a huge amount of work going on across government to make sure that we use AI to its potential, from the Department of Health and Social Care looking at how it will use it in a cutting-edge AI trial to transform cancer care—albeit that that is within the health service. We are confident that AI will improve public services and boost productivity, from identifying fraud and potential fraud to making sure that we have automated policy analysts and AI tutoring tools. We are rolling out AI tools that will save time and money to get the most effective Civil Service for the public.

[Lord Scriven (LD)]

My Lords, headcount is irrelevant. The real issue is the outcomes and outputs that the department delivers. In closing the department down, what will now be able to be done more efficiently, for those in industry and for the country?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

I am going to repeat myself, with apologies to your Lordships’ House. Not just the UK but the whole world is at such a critical juncture in relation to the rapid increase and developments in AI science and technology. I understand on one level why people think “Well, we’ll put it all in one department and one box”, but putting it across government and making sure somebody is driving that progress across government is critical to making sure that this is embedded and part of everybody’s work across every department, rather than it sitting in DSIT.