To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Artificial Intelligence: Risk Assessment
Monday 11th March 2024

Asked by: Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading East)

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2024 to Question 13769 on Artificial Intelligence: Risk Assessment, how many risks have been (a) identified and (b) included on her Department's AI risk register.

Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

DSIT’s Central AI Risk Function owns the AI Risk Register and is responsible for the processes by which we identify, assess and prepare for AI risks.

Mitigating these risks is a cross-Government effort. DSIT works in partnership with relevant risk owning departments, agencies and regulators, to ensure we assess and prepare for these risks in a timely manner.

In the White Paper we committed to publishing the risk register. This will commence from Spring 2024.


Written Question
Help to Grow Schemes
Wednesday 6th March 2024

Asked by: Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading East)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the oral evidence taken before the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee on 17 May 2022, HC 207, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of amending the eligibility for the Help to grow: Digital scheme.

Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government closed the Help to Grow: Digital programme in February 2023.

An assessment of the eligibility criteria can be found in the Help to Grow: Digital scheme evaluation report on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/help-to-grow-digital-evaluation-report

While we do not routinely publish advice, decisions were informed by evidence and the scheme design was kept under review. Eligibility changes were made in Summer 2022 which responded to oral evidence, which included widening the criteria to include businesses of 1+ employee(s).


Written Question
Help to Grow Schemes
Wednesday 6th March 2024

Asked by: Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading East)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will publish the advice given to ministers that informed decisions on eligibility criteria for the Help to Grow: Digital scheme.

Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government closed the Help to Grow: Digital programme in February 2023.

An assessment of the eligibility criteria can be found in the Help to Grow: Digital scheme evaluation report on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/help-to-grow-digital-evaluation-report

While we do not routinely publish advice, decisions were informed by evidence and the scheme design was kept under review. Eligibility changes were made in Summer 2022 which responded to oral evidence, which included widening the criteria to include businesses of 1+ employee(s).


Written Question
Digital Technology: Small Businesses
Wednesday 6th March 2024

Asked by: Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading East)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to support small businesses to accelerate the adoption of digital tools to improve productivity, in the context of the closure of the Help to Grow: Digital scheme.

Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Since the closure of the Help to Grow: Digital scheme in 2023 we have been considering how best to help small businesses to adopt basic digital technologies. We know digital tools can improve firm-level productivity and a businesses’ ability to grow.

This is why in the Autumn Statement we announced that we would be setting up an industry-led taskforce to rapidly explore how best to support Small and Medium-sized Enterprises with adoption of digital technology. We will be launching the taskforce shortly

The Government continues to support small businesses in other ways, such as through the Help to Grow: Management programme and the Government-backed British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans. These schemes help business leaders to start and grow their businesses.


Written Question
Help to Grow Schemes
Wednesday 6th March 2024

Asked by: Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading East)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Help to Grow: Digital scheme in (a) Wales, (b) Scotland, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) England.

Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

At the time of the closure of the scheme, 1,507 applications had been made for a discount voucher through the Help to Grow: Digital website.

A full assessment of the take up, regional breakdown and effectiveness of the Help to Grow: Digital scheme was published and can be found in the evaluation report on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/help-to-grow-digital-evaluation-report


Written Question
Help to Grow Schemes
Wednesday 6th March 2024

Asked by: Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading East)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the level of take up of the Help to Grow: Digital scheme.

Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

At the time of the closure of the scheme, 1,507 applications had been made for a discount voucher through the Help to Grow: Digital website.

A full assessment of the take up, regional breakdown and effectiveness of the Help to Grow: Digital scheme was published and can be found in the evaluation report on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/help-to-grow-digital-evaluation-report


Written Question
Artificial Intelligence: Risk Assessment
Wednesday 21st February 2024

Asked by: Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading East)

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has set a deadline by which her Department must take steps once a risk is added to the AI risk register.

Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The appropriate mitigation plan for any risk depends on the nature of the risk itself.

DSIT’s Central AI Risk Function owns the AI Risk Register and is responsible for the processes by which we identify, assess and prepare for AI risks.

Mitigating these risks is a cross-Government effort and in many cases DSIT is not the lead Department or Risk Owner. We work extremely closely with other government departments, agencies and regulators to ensure we are preparing for these risks in a timely manner.


Written Question
Artificial Intelligence: Risk Assessment
Monday 19th February 2024

Asked by: Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading East)

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 mitigate risks which have been recorded in the her Department's AI risk register.

Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The AI Risk Register is owned and managed by the Central AI Risk Function (CAIRF). CAIRF has been established as part of our central functions which support coordination of the AI governance landscape. CAIRF conducts central risk assessment, monitors identified risks included on the register, and identifies relevant risk owners across government. DSIT will be responsible for cross-cutting mitigations to AI risks.

We are working with departments and regulators on how they best respond to AI risks within their remits. Many regulators are already taking action in line with our principles-based approach, such as the CMA’s review into foundation models.


Written Question
Artificial Intelligence: Risk Assessment
Monday 19th February 2024

Asked by: Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading East)

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to her Department's response to the AI regulation White Paper entitled A pro-innovation approach to AI regulation: government response, published on 6 February 2024, if he will publish the list of risks on the Department's AI risk register.

Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

To track identified risks, we have established an initial AI Risk Register which is owned by the Central AI Risk Function. The AI risk register lists individual risks associated with AI and outlines their likelihood and impact.

In the White Paper we committed to engaging and publishing the risk register. From Spring 2024 we will begin a call for evidence on the risks recorded on the AI risk register.


Written Question
Artificial Intelligence: Risk Assessment
Monday 19th February 2024

Asked by: Matt Rodda (Labour - Reading East)

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to her Department's response to the AI regulation White Paper entitled A pro-innovation approach to AI regulation: government response, published on 6 February 2024, what her Department's criteria is for identifying a risk and recording it on the AI risk register.

Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The central AI risk function will maintain a holistic view of risks across the AI ecosystem. It will look at risk factors that cut across many risks, such as model capabilities, adoption, release practices, use cases, actors, and other vulnerabilities as well as the extent to which existing mitigations or resilience reduce the risk, and where gaps remain.