Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to support the life sciences sector in Oxfordshire.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Through the Government’s Life Sciences Sector Plan, we are on a ten‑year mission to drive growth and build a prevention‑focused NHS. The Plan will make the UK Europe’s leading life sciences economy by 2030 and third globally by 2035, backed by over £2bn of government funding, alongside UKRI and NIHR investment.
This will directly benefit clusters such as Oxfordshire, supporting its world‑leading ecosystem to attract investment and create high‑value jobs. Across the UK, the sector is projected to grow by £41 billion by 2035.
We are already delivering, including up to £600 million for the Health Data Research Service, over £650 million for Genomics England, and up to £354 million for Our Future Health.
The Government is supporting life sciences in Oxford through targeted investment in world‑class research and innovation infrastructure, including major science campuses such as the Oxford Science park, and Oxford Biomedical campus, and national facilities at Harwell Science and Innovation Campus. There are already a number of world-leading spinouts from the University of Oxford including; Oxford Nanopore, Immunocore and Adaptimmun. This is complemented by measures to expand laboratory and commercial space, strengthen links between research, clinical testing and commercialisation, and improve access to finance, enabling companies to start, scale and remain in the UK.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what funding is being allocated to alternatives to animal testing, such as the advanced use of human cells.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) invests to support research which can lead to alternatives, such as organ-on-a-chip, cell-based assays, functional genomics and computer modelling. These are categorised as basic research, so calculating funding for New Approach Methodologies specifically is not possible. The Government has announced £75m of funding to accelerate alternatives and innovation, with new capabilities being developed across the UK. UKRI also invests in the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs).
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to maintain levels of funding for astronomy and space science.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
I refer the honourable Member to the answer given on 21st April 2026 to question UIN 126553.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
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 ensure that the Government can access sensitive information and data from overseas cloud software providers in the event of contract cancellation or expiration.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
When departments procure cloud software, the Government requires that contracts include clear provisions on data ownership, control and exit, so that government data can be securely accessed, transferred or deleted when contracts expire or are terminated.
Under UK data protection law, government acts as the data controller and sets binding contractual instructions on how suppliers may process government data, including requirements covering data access, retention and deletion at the end of a contract. These arrangements are underpinned by standard contractual security and data protection terms and are assured by departments in line with the sensitivity of the data involved.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of commissioning a digital industrial strategy to support public and private sector organisations in modernising their digital and cyber processes and capabilities.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government published the Modern Industrial Strategy in June 2025. Drawing on extensive analysis and stakeholder engagement, it set out our priorities and actions for supporting business and sectors to grow, including through adopting technologies. There are no plans for a further digital industrial strategy. The Government is also progressing the recommendations of the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Digital Adoption Taskforce.
For the public sector, the Roadmap for Modern Digital Government and the Government Cyber Action Plan set out cross-government efforts to replace outdated legacy systems, build data-sharing platforms, strengthen cyber security, and invest in long-term capability in the workforce.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department plans to reintroduce the gigabit voucher scheme in Oxfordshire.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As part of Project Gigabit, Gigaclear is delivering two contracts across Oxfordshire, with a combined value of £26.5 million, to provide gigabit-capable broadband to premises not included in suppliers’ commercial rollout plans. Approximately 9,500 premises across Oxfordshire are currently included in these contracts, which are being delivered until the end of 2026.
The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, which forms another part of Project Gigabit, is currently closed in the Oxfordshire area as our priority currently is to provide gigabit coverage to as many premises as possible through Gigaclear’s contracts.
We will aim to cover the remaining premises as far as possible as funding becomes available, in line with the objective of achieving nationwide gigabit coverage by 2032.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will review the adequacy of the funding levels for Project Gigabit in Oxfordshire.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As part of Project Gigabit, Gigaclear is delivering two contracts across Oxfordshire, with a combined value of £26.5 million, to provide gigabit-capable broadband to premises not included in suppliers’ commercial rollout plans. Approximately 9,500 premises across Oxfordshire are currently included in these contracts, which are being delivered until the end of 2026.
The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, which forms another part of Project Gigabit, is currently closed in the Oxfordshire area as our priority currently is to provide gigabit coverage to as many premises as possible through Gigaclear’s contracts.
We will aim to cover the remaining premises as far as possible as funding becomes available, in line with the objective of achieving nationwide gigabit coverage by 2032.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Oxfordshire has 99% gigabit coverage by 2032.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As part of Project Gigabit, Gigaclear is delivering two contracts across Oxfordshire, with a combined value of £26.5 million, to provide gigabit-capable broadband to premises not included in suppliers’ commercial rollout plans. Approximately 9,500 premises across Oxfordshire are currently included in these contracts, which are being delivered until the end of 2026.
The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, which forms another part of Project Gigabit, is currently closed in the Oxfordshire area as our priority currently is to provide gigabit coverage to as many premises as possible through Gigaclear’s contracts.
We will aim to cover the remaining premises as far as possible as funding becomes available, in line with the objective of achieving nationwide gigabit coverage by 2032.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with Building Digital UK on the existing levels of (a) fibre and (b) gigabit capable broadband of premises included in Project Gigabit in Didcot and Wantage constituency.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The latest data from the independent website Thinkbroadband.com shows that in the Didcot and Wantage constituency, over 52% of premises have access to full fibre broadband, and 86% can access a gigabit-capable broadband connection (>1000 Mbps).
To improve this further, Gigaclear is currently delivering two contracts as part of Project Gigabit that will bring gigabit-capable broadband to approximately 10,000 eligible premises across Oxfordshire, including in the Didcot and Wantage constituency.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to help ensure that infrastructure service suppliers do not leave areas of poor broadband connection in fully connected urban areas.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We aim to achieve nationwide gigabit capable coverage by 2030, connecting a minimum of 99% of premises across the UK. The regulatory regime has helped create a competition-friendly environment in commercially viable areas, supporting market entry and expansion by alternative network operators. Project Gigabit is designed to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to premises that will not be built to by the market. We continue to monitor commercial rollout plans and adapt Project Gigabit plans accordingly. We are aware pockets of unconnected premises remain in urban and suburban areas and continue to assess the best approach to addressing these