Peter Kyle Portrait

Peter Kyle

Labour - Hove

First elected: 7th May 2015

Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology

(since September 2023)

Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
29th Nov 2021 - 4th Sep 2023
Shadow Minister (Education) (Schools)
14th May 2021 - 29th Nov 2021
Education (Careers Guidance in Schools) Bill
22nd Sep 2021 - 27th Oct 2021
Shadow Minister (Justice)
10th Apr 2020 - 14th May 2021
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee
2nd Mar 2020 - 11th May 2020
Business and Trade Committee
2nd Mar 2020 - 11th May 2020
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee
11th Sep 2017 - 6th Nov 2019
Business and Trade Committee
11th Sep 2017 - 6th Nov 2019
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee
17th Oct 2016 - 3rd May 2017
Business and Trade Committee
17th Oct 2016 - 3rd May 2017
Business, Innovation and Skills Committee
8th Jul 2015 - 17th Oct 2016


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Peter Kyle has voted in 636 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All Peter Kyle Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Victoria Atkins (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
(30 debate interactions)
Alex Chalk (Conservative)
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
(20 debate interactions)
Jess Phillips (Labour)
(18 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Northern Ireland Office
(98 debate contributions)
Home Office
(88 debate contributions)
Cabinet Office
(64 debate contributions)
Ministry of Justice
(30 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Peter Kyle's debates

Hove Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petition Debates Contributed

As a country we see many water-related fatalities every year. We see many more call outs to water related incidents. Throughout lockdown year our coastguards were tasked to almost double the call outs than in the previous year. Our children NEED to learn about Cold water shock & rip currents.

Currently, it is not compulsory for primary or secondary school students to be educated on Britain's role in colonisation, or the transatlantic slave trade. We petition the government to make education on topics such as these compulsory, with the ultimate aim of a far more inclusive curriculum.

Isolation essential to the Government’s strategy for fighting coronavirus, and UK citizens must remain healthy and exercise whilst keeping adequate distance between people. The Government should allow golf courses to open so families or individuals can play golf in order to exercise safely.

In the event of a spike we would like you not to close gyms as a measure to stop any spread of Covid. Also for gyms to not be put in the same group as pubs in terms of risk or importance. Gyms are following strict guidelines and most members are following rules in a sober manner.


Latest EDMs signed by Peter Kyle

27th May 2021
Peter Kyle signed this EDM as a sponsor on Thursday 27th May 2021

Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 (S.I., 2021, No. 161)

Tabled by: Keir Starmer (Labour - Holborn and St Pancras)
That the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 (S.I., 2021, No. 161), dated 18 February 2021, a copy of which was laid before this House on 19 February 2021, in the last Session of Parliament, be revoked.
9 signatures
(Most recent: 24 Jan 2022)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 8
Green Party: 1
27th May 2021
Peter Kyle signed this EDM as a sponsor on Thursday 27th May 2021

Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 (S.I., 2021, No. 161) (No. 2)

Tabled by: Keir Starmer (Labour - Holborn and St Pancras)
That this House believes no child in care should be placed in unregulated accommodation; welcomes measures to ban unregulated accommodation for children aged 15 and under; and regrets the failure of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 (S.I., 2021, No. 161) to extend this ban …
13 signatures
(Most recent: 24 Jan 2022)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 10
Green Party: 1
Independent: 1
Liberal Democrat: 1
View All Peter Kyle's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Peter Kyle, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Peter Kyle has not been granted any Urgent Questions

Peter Kyle has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

2 Bills introduced by Peter Kyle


A Bill to make provision about the duties and responsibilities of the Victims’ Commissioner and about the Victims’ Code; to make provision about the rights of victims of persistent anti-social behaviour; to require local police forces to prepare victims’ services plans and take steps in connection with victim representative bodies; to establish a duty to report suspected child exploitation by those working in regulated activities; to establish a right of appeal by victims against a decision to cease a criminal investigation; to make provision for reviews of open or reopened homicide cases; to make provision about court procedures relating to vulnerable victims and witnesses; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Tuesday 9th February 2021
(Read Debate)

The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to reduce the voting age to 16 in parliamentary and other elections; to make provision for auto-enrolment onto the electoral register for people aged 16 to 24; to make provision about the use of educational establishments as polling stations; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Wednesday 19th July 2017
(Read Debate)

Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
26th Apr 2021
To ask the Attorney General, how many victims contacted the CPS to make a referral under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme in the most recent time period for which figures are available; whether his Department holds data on the number of referrals by type of offence in the relevant cases; and how many of those referrals resulted in a change to the sentence length of the offender.

Requests for referral under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) Scheme are made to the Attorney General’s Office (AGO). Many victims contact the AGO directly and do not go to the CPS, and therefore the CPS do not hold all relevant data. All requests made via the CPS are reflected in the AGO statistics.

The AGO received 787 requests to review sentences under the ULS in 2020 and 144 requests were from victims and family members of victims. Of those 84 were eligible for review within the scheme and 14 of those were referred to the Court of Appeal. The data held by the AGO shows of the 14 cases referred: 4 were homicide cases, 8 were non-fatal offences against the person and 2 cases were categorised as rape and sexual offences. The Court of Appeal increased the sentence in 9 of those cases.

Lucy Frazer
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
23rd Apr 2021
To ask the Attorney General, how many and what proportion of victims that contacted the CPS to make a unduly lenient sentence referral had that referral rejected for being outside the 28 day time limit from the point of sentencing.

Unfortunately, the CPS does not hold this information. The 28-day statutory time limit is absolute; the statute provides no power to extend or to apply for leave to refer sentences to the Court of Appeal out of time. I very much welcome the introduction of the new Victim’s Code which was introduced on 1 April 2021 and which places an obligation on Witness Care Officers to notify victims about the unduly lenient sentence scheme.

Lucy Frazer
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
19th Oct 2020
To ask the Attorney General, with reference to page 8 of the 2020 UK annual report on Modern Slavery, how many prosecutors dealing with high-volume drug crime in the Youth Courts have received face-to-face training on recognising the signs of criminal exploitation.

The CPS recognises that the exploitation, grooming, and trafficking of children and young people is abhorrent and it takes great care to ensure the right people are prosecuted for the right offences.

Face to face training on the circumstances in which a prosecution would not be appropriate has been delivered to in excess of 330 prosecutors dealing with high volume drug crime in Youth and Magistrates’ Courts in the last three years. This includes training on section 45 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

The CPS also delivers a face-to-face Youth Specialist course which includes training on how to recognise the signs of exploitation and slavery and has been delivered to in excess of 300 prosecutors this year. Both courses have been adapted for delivery via videoconference during the Covid-19 crisis.

19th Oct 2020
To ask the Attorney General, with reference to page 8 of the 2020 UK annual report on modern slavery, what plans she has to roll out face-to-face training on recognising the signs of criminal exploitation to prosecutors dealing with other types of crime in the Youth Courts.

The CPS recognises that the exploitation, grooming, and trafficking of children and young people is abhorrent and it takes great care to ensure the right people are prosecuted for the right offences.

Face to face training on the circumstances in which a prosecution would not be appropriate has been delivered to in excess of 330 prosecutors dealing with high volume drug crime in Youth and Magistrates’ Courts in the last three years. This includes training on section 45 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

The CPS also delivers a face-to-face Youth Specialist course which includes training on how to recognise the signs of exploitation and slavery and has been delivered to in excess of 300 prosecutors this year. Both courses have been adapted for delivery via videoconference during the Covid-19 crisis.

9th Oct 2020
To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 30 September 2020 to Question 95701, if she will publish the number of cases pursued by the Crown Prosecution Service that resulted in unsuccessful outcomes due to victim issues by offence type in each quarter since the third quarter of the 2018-19 financial year.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the outcomes of completed prosecutions, as a count of the number of defendants finalised, and collates the data collected by quarter. Each non-conviction (or ‘unsuccessful’) outcome is allocated a reason, indicating the principal reason the defendant was not convicted. The CPS also collects data which reports the number of prosecuted defendants allocated to twelve Principal Offence Categories.

The table below shows the number of non-convictions due to victim issues by Principal Offence Category in each quarter from Q3 2018-19 (October to December 2018) to Q4 2019-20 (January to March 2020).

18/19-Q3

18/19-Q4

19/20-Q1

19/20-Q2

19/20-Q3

19/20-Q4

Homicide

2

2

2

3

1

3

Offences Against The Person

2,770

2,687

2,419

2,520

1,997

1,992

Sexual Offences

96

65

47

49

59

49

Burglary

55

58

44

49

31

73

Robbery

59

81

49

86

68

62

Theft And Handling

106

104

112

100

84

98

Fraud And Forgery

22

23

22

16

26

15

Criminal Damage

237

218

189

199

162

159

Drugs Offences

7

5

6

14

8

9

Public Order Offences

150

140

151

147

134

127

All Other Offences (excluding Motoring)

21

23

14

17

17

19

Motoring Offences

66

60

47

67

51

57

Other (No Category Allocated)

3

2

9

19

5

10

Total Non-Convictions due to Victim Issues

3,594

3,468

3,111

3,286

2,643

2,673

Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System

The table below provides a breakdown by Principal Offence Category of prosecution outcomes resulting in a non-conviction due to victim issues as a percentage of all prosecutions. The table shows that the proportion of non-convictions due to victim reasons are a very small proportion of all prosecutions.

18/19-Q3

18/19-Q4

19/20-Q1

19/20-Q2

19/20-Q3

19/20-Q4

Homicide

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Offences Against The Person

2.3%

2.2%

2.1%

2.1%

1.8%

1.9%

Sexual Offences

0.1%

0.1%

0.0%

0.0%

0.1%

0.0%

Burglary

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.1%

Robbery

0.0%

0.1%

0.0%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

Theft And Handling

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

Fraud And Forgery

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Criminal Damage

0.2%

0.2%

0.2%

0.2%

0.1%

0.1%

Drugs Offences

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Public Order Offences

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

0.1%

All Other Offences (excluding Motoring)

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Motoring Offences

0.1%

0.0%

0.0%

0.1%

0.0%

0.1%

Other (No Category Allocated)

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Non-Convictions due to Victim Issues as a percentage of all prosecutions

3.0%

2.8%

2.7%

2.8%

2.4%

2.5%

Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System

22nd Jul 2020
To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2020 to Question 75406 on Sexual Offences: Private Rented Housing, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the updated January 2019 CPS guidance on sex for rent arrangements and advertisements; and whether that guidance has resulted on prosecutions.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of prosecutions for sex for rent arrangements and advertisements under section 52 or 53 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. This information could only be obtained by an examination of individual CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost. Therefore, the CPS is unable to make an assessment of the effectiveness of updated CPS guidance on prosecutions of sex for rent arrangements and advertisements.

Prosecutors will consider all guidance available to them when applying the Code for Crown Prosecutors to determine whether there is enough evidence to charge and if it is in the public interest to bring a case to court.

22nd Jul 2020
To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2020 to Question 75406 on Sexual Offences: Private Rented Housing, what estimate she has made of the number of prosecutions for Sex for Rent Arrangements and Advertisements under section 52 or 53 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in the last 12 months.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of prosecutions for sex for rent arrangements and advertisements under section 52 or 53 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. This information could only be obtained by an examination of individual CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost. Therefore, the CPS is unable to make an assessment of the effectiveness of updated CPS guidance on prosecutions of sex for rent arrangements and advertisements.

Prosecutors will consider all guidance available to them when applying the Code for Crown Prosecutors to determine whether there is enough evidence to charge and if it is in the public interest to bring a case to court.

1st May 2020
To ask the Attorney General, what steps his Department is taking to protect victims of crime from the suspects of those crimes that have been released from remand following delays to their trial as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

The Crown Prosecution Service is working to to protect the interests of victims and witnesses by ensuring that defendants properly remanded in custody remain in custody.

Custody Time Limits (CTLs) apply to all cases in which a defendant has been remanded in custody pending trial. Those time limits can be extended if the courts are satisfied that there is good and sufficient cause and if the prosecution have acted with all due diligence and expedition. The adjournment of criminal trials may require an extension of a CTL.

Following the suspension of jury trials the CPS agreed a Protocol for Custody Time Limit Cases with the Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales and Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS). The Protocol is a temporary framework during the Coronavirus pandemic for the efficient handling of cases that involve a custody time limit. The Protocol sets out an agreed process for the listing and handling of CTL cases; an agreed understanding of the law in the context of the Coronavirus pandemic; and arrangements for information sharing.

The courts consider the issue of bail at each hearing and on any application for bail made by a defendant. Should the court decide to grant bail, whether at the end of any CTL or at another hearing, the court can impose conditions to ensure that a suspect does not interfere with witnesses or obstruct the course of justice, including the electronic monitoring of suspects.

4th Mar 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to complete algorithmic transparency reports for the ten pilot programs being developed by the Incubator for AI.

The Government has made transparency around automated decision-making a priority through the publication of the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard (ATRS). The ATRS was endorsed by the Data Standards Authority (DSA), and the first approved version was published in January 2023. Any standards that have been designated by the DSA have an expectation that they will be adopted where there is a use case.

The i.AI team are committed to the development of safe, secure and transparent government AI. The pilot programmes are at various stages of development, and each will be subject to robust testing and evaluation in collaboration with other government expert teams including CDDO, DSIT and the AISI. This will include the completion of Algorithmic Transparency Standards for projects that move past Alpha stages, informed by user testing and pilot programmes.



Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
19th Jan 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer on 18 January 2024 to Question 9578 on Artificial Intelligence, in which private offices the Red Box Copilot is being tested.

The Red Box Copilot has been made available to the Private Offices of Minister Burghart, of the Cabinet Secretary, and of the Chief Operating Officer of the Civil Service, in which it is either currently or will shortly be going through more formal testing.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
15th Jan 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the GOV.UK chat experiment.

Government Digital Service (GDS) tested an early prototype of a Large Language Model (LLM) powered chatbot (GOV.UK Chat) in December 2023. Feedback, and the quality of answers provided, were analysed from 200 users.

Nearly 70% of users found the prototype-generated responses to be useful and the answers were assessed to be accurate 80% of the time.


Ensuring the highest level of accuracy and efficiency is a priority, which is why the next phase of development and testing will focus on how to improve accuracy of the model and explore how users could best discover and use the service.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
15th Jan 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to complete an algorithmic transparency report using the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard for the Artificial Intelligence Red Box ministers are piloting.

The government has made transparency around automated decision-making a priority through the publication of the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard (ATRS). The ATRS was endorsed by the Data Standards Authority (DSA), and the first approved version was published in January 2023.

The Red Box Copilot is currently in Alpha, being tested in a controlled, transparent manner in a small number of private offices.

Any standards that have been designated by the DSA have an expectation that they will be adopted where there is a use case. As the AI Red Box is being piloted, the Government will consider the publication of an ATRS record, post evaluation.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
30th Jun 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of people have (a) witnessed and (b) personally experienced antisocial behaviour in their local area for each local authority in the last 12 months.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.

2nd Mar 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what procurement process was undertaken before selecting Hanbury Strategy and Communications Limited to recruit Government special advisors.

Special Advisers are appointed to assist a Minister of the Crown after being selected by that Minister personally. All appointments must be approved by the Prime Minister. This is set out in Section 15 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.

Separately, and in advance of Ministerial approval in accordance with the statutory requirement, it is open to political parties to undertake activity to identify individuals that Ministers may wish to consider for selection. This is not part of the appointment by Government but rather for the political party concerned.

Previously, the existence of such opportunities has generally not been made public. Openly encouraging people to express their interest, with greater information about what the opportunities may entail, will help broaden the field of potential candidates.

2nd Mar 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many companies were considered before Hanbury Strategy and Communications Limited were selected to recruit Government special advisors.

Special Advisers are appointed to assist a Minister of the Crown after being selected by that Minister personally. All appointments must be approved by the Prime Minister. This is set out in Section 15 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.

Separately, and in advance of Ministerial approval in accordance with the statutory requirement, it is open to political parties to undertake activity to identify individuals that Ministers may wish to consider for selection. This is not part of the appointment by Government but rather for the political party concerned.

Previously, the existence of such opportunities has generally not been made public. Openly encouraging people to express their interest, with greater information about what the opportunities may entail, will help broaden the field of potential candidates.

4th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to paragraph 5.148 of the Autumn Statement 2023, what recent progress her Department has made on establishing a taskforce with industry to help support SMEs to adopt digital technology.

The Department for Business and Trade is currently setting up an industry-led taskforce to rapidly explore how best to support SMEs to adopt digital technology. Progress is being made on the remit, Chair and membership of the taskforce and we will be launching the taskforce shortly

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
13th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the opening statement by the Secretary of State at the Lords Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee on 12 March 2024, what the total cost to the public purse was of legal fees including the (a) £15,000 settlement paid and (b) other legal expenditure.

A sum of £15,000 was paid without admitting any liability. This approach is intended to reduce the overall costs to the taxpayer that could result from protracted legal action.

Costs relating to legal fees incurred by the department will be published as part of DSIT’s Annual Report and Accounts.

Andrew Griffith
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
13th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what her policy is on producing reports into the online activity of academics on UKRI boards.

The Secretary of State is a staunch believer in free speech and would not authorise a sweeping collection of the views of academics.

Andrew Griffith
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
7th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to paragraphs 7.16 and 7.17 of the Ministerial Code, on how many occasions Ministers in her Department have informed the Law Officers that they are the defendants in a libel action in (a) their personal capacity, (b) their official position and (c) both since 7 February 2023.

As has been the practice under successive Governments, it is not the convention to comment on where the Law Officers have, or have not been, informed or advised on such legal matters. This is reflected in paragraph 2.13 of the Ministerial Code.

Andrew Griffith
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
6th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to her letter of 28 October 2023 to UK Research and Innovation on that organisation's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion board, how much her Department paid to Professor Kate Sang.

I refer the hon. Member to the opening statement by the Secretary of State at the Lords Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee on 12 March 2024.

Andrew Griffith
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
5th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Britain to be made AI match-fit with £118 million skills package, published on 31 October 2023, what progress she has made on the creation of a new dedicated visa scheme for the world’s most talented AI researchers to come to the UK on internships and placements, early in their careers.

The Government has invested over £290m in AI skills and talent initiatives as we’re committed to building a sustainable pipeline of skilled workers in the UK. My Department has been working closely with the Home Office on developing a new dedicated visa scheme for the world’s most talented AI researchers to come to the UK on internships and placements, early in their careers, to encourage them to build their careers, ideas and businesses here.

This will further strengthen the UK’s generous and points-based immigration system, which enables talented international researchers to come to the UK through a number of visa routes, including the approved Temporary Worker Government Authorised Exchange schemes for individuals interested in short-term internships, training and work experience.

Andrew Griffith
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
4th Mar 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many staff does the Responsible Technology Adoption Unit have.

The Responsible Technology Adoption Unit has 31 staff members currently in post with 8 positions in active recruitment.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
19th Jan 2024
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the (a) effectiveness of and (b) adequacy of the levels of industry co-funding for the AI and data science postgraduate conversion course scholarship programme.

The £30 million AI and Data Science Conversion Course programme was established in 2020 to broaden the supply of talent in the UK AI labour market. It funded universities to develop masters level AI or data science courses suitable for non-STEM students and 2,600 scholarships for students from backgrounds underrepresented in the tech industry.

We are already seeing the positive impact the programme is having in addressing the AI skills gap. As of March 2023 6,300 students have enrolled on the programme, almost three times our targets. 73% of scholarships awarded to women, 35% awarded to Black students, and 26% awarded to disabled students. The courses are successfully converting non-STEM students to enter the AI labour market: 88% of employed graduates were in employment directly related to AI or data science, either in the public or private sector.

In 2023 an industry co-funding element was added, whereby industry could support the programme through in-kind support or scholarship funding. As of November 2023, this amounted to over £6.5 million in in-kind support and scholarship funding. The in-kind contributions directly support student employability and includes co-design and delivery of course content to ensure students gain skills to meet sector need; providing access to software and applications to support learning and skills development; and opportunities to engage with industry through employer-led talks and workshops, industry mentoring support, and provision of work-based projects and placements.

Saqib Bhatti
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
23rd Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many times the National Science and Technology Council met in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023 as of 23 November.

It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly.

Andrew Griffith
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
22nd Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2023 to Question 1948 on Artificial Intelligence: Public Sector, and with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Introducing the AI Safety Institute, published on 2 November 2023, whether it remains her Department's policy to identify new uses for AI in the public sector.

As the Department with responsibility for AI policy and strengthening the UK’s capabilities in AI, DSIT will continue to look to identify new uses for AI in the public sector. The work the department started on AI for Good during the summit will support this. We will work with the recently established Incubator for Artificial Intelligence and with departments and public sector organisations leading on identifying use cases in their remit to drive responsible innovation in AI across the public sector.

Saqib Bhatti
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
14th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November to Question 334 on Artificial Intelligence: Public Sector, if she will provide a table of all new uses of AI in the public sector her Department has identified as of 14 November 2023; and whether they have been adopted.

Each public sector organisation leads on identifying new uses of AI specific to them, and therefore the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) does not identify and track these. DSIT itself has not adopted or deployed any AI tools, it is working to use technologies such as automation and AI innovatively to improve outcomes and efficiency, but we are in the pilot stage at the moment.

Saqib Bhatti
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
14th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Answer of 7 November to Question 333 on Social Media: Antisemitism, if she will publish the written responses of the social media companies.

The Government agreed to keep written summaries confidential. These summaries contain commercially sensitive information, as well as information about special measures put in place to tackle content related to the conflict, which could be exploited by bad actors if published.

However, the Government has been clear with platforms that they should be adequately protecting their users. The Government is in regular contact with platforms as part of the process of closely monitoring their responses. The Government also convened social media platforms and community groups to facilitate direct feedback about the impact of this content.

Saqib Bhatti
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
7th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when she plans to publish a response to the consultation entitled A pro-innovation approach to AI regulation.

Government is moving quickly to establish the right guardrails for AI to drive responsible, safe innovation. In March, we published the AI Regulation White Paper which set out our first steps towards establishing a regulatory framework for AI.

We will be publishing our response to the consultation later this year, to ensure we can take into account the outcomes of the productive discussions of the AI Safety Summit held at the beginning of November.

Since publishing the White Paper, we have taken rapid steps to implement our approach. We have established a central AI risk function in DSIT which will ensure that we can identify, measure and monitor existing and emerging AI risks. We also announced the world’s first AI Safety Institute which will carefully examine, test and evaluate new types of AI. This builds on our investment of £100 million in the Frontier AI Taskforce – more funding for AI safety than any other country in the world.

7th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Answer of 19 October 2023 to Question 202862 on Companies: Social Media, how many of the social media companies in question have provided written responses confirming the steps they are taking to tackle extremely violent and anti-Semitic content.

The Government held a roundtable with social companies including YouTube, Meta, X, TikTok and Snapchat on 11 October to discuss the ongoing conflict in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

During this meeting, companies were asked to follow-up in writing to confirm the steps they are taking to tackle extremely violent and antisemitic content. These companies have all since followed up in writing. The Government continues to engage directly with individual companies and will keep the current approach under review.

7th Nov 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to identify new uses for AI in the public sector.

The UK government is taking a leading role promoting ethical, safe and responsible adoption of AI, as illustrated by our leadership of the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park last week. This includes the use of AI to improve public services and boost public sector productivity.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is looking to identify new uses for AI in the public sector. Examples include: the AI Life Sciences Accelerator Mission giving £100 million of funding to capitalise on AI’s game-changing potential in healthcare; the Department for Education providing up to £2million to Oak National Academy to improve and expand Artificial Intelligence tools for teachers; the Department of Health and Social Care using AI to identify language indicating mental distress in public social media posts and signposting people to a NHS-endorsed mental health service; and the Royal Navy using AI to connect with potential recruits faster through an AI-driven virtual recruiter.

17th Oct 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many artificial intelligence researchers work in her Department.

The Department currently has 14 researchers as part of the Frontier AI Taskforce but intends increase that number. The Frontier AI Taskforce was launched by the Prime Minister in June to build an AI research team inside government that can evaluate risk at the frontier of AI.

16th Oct 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has received written responses from all the social media companies she met on 11 October 2023.

The Government is continuing to work closely with social media companies to understand the policies and processes they have in place to prevent harmful and illegal content from being dispersed online, and their crisis management response.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is engaging with individual companies and will be keeping the approach under continual review.

Michelle Donelan
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
7th Dec 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill on the free flow of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

We have published an impact assessment for the Bill which is available on GOV.UK. Departments will assess, where required, the impacts of any changes to REUL they make using the powers in the Bill in due course.

Nusrat Ghani
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
15th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to HC debate on 9 November 2022 col 241, relating to Benefits of the Union, what the timetable for delivery in Northern Ireland of (a) the £400 energy support scheme and (b) £100 alternative fuels payment; and if he will make a statement.

Households in Northern Ireland will receive a £400 discount on their energy bills through the Northern Ireland Energy Bills Support Scheme (NI EBSS) this winter. The Government is working intensively with electricity suppliers to deliver a solution and to provide the support as soon as possible.

The Government has doubled to £200 the level of support for households that use alternative fuels to heat their home, which will be delivered as soon as possible this winter. The Government will provide this payment to all Northern Ireland households in recognition of the prevalence of alternative fuel usage.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
7th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2022 to Question 67265 on Housing: Fuel Oil, what were the values used in the calculation of (a) heating oil demand for a typical Northern Ireland home, (b) the Northern Ireland heating oil price and (c) a typical Northern Ireland heating oil bill.

As set out in the Impact assessment published on GOV.UK:

  • The heating oil demand for an average off-grid home in Northern Ireland has been modelled as 1817 litres over the past year.
  • The average price of heating oil in Northern Ireland was 45.1 pence per litre in September 2021 and 104.6 pence per litre in September 2022.

It is on the basis of these figures that we have calculated that the cost of an average heating oil bill in Northern Ireland over the past year, based on typical demand, was £820 at September 2021 prices, and £1900 at September 2022 prices.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
2nd Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 22 to Question 36829 on energy bills rebate, what progress the Government has made in identifying a route for the delivery of the Northern Ireland energy bills support scheme; and what the timeframe is for that support being delivered.

Households in Northern Ireland will receive a £400 discount on their energy bills through the Northern Ireland Energy Bills Support Scheme (NI EBSS) this winter.

This will offer the same level of support as households in Great Britain are receiving under the Energy Bill Support Scheme (EBSS). The Government is working at pace to deliver a solution which accounts for the Northern Ireland market and to provide the support as soon as possible.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
2nd Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant of the Answer on 13 October 2022 to Question 53449 on Fuel Oil, what was the rate of growth in heating costs for off grid households since last autumn in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) the United Kingdom.

The annual cost of heating a typical household with heating oil rose by £903 in Great Britain (from £615 to £1,518) and £1,080 in Northern Ireland (from £820 to £1,900) from September 2021 to September 2022. This was an increase of 147% in Great Britain and 132% in Northern Ireland.

A payment of £100 will effectively limit the increase in heating costs to 130% for a typical household, in line with the benefit offered by the Energy Price Guarantee. A typical household is based on Government analysis of demand which takes into account the characteristics of the UK housing stock.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
21st Sep 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant of the Answer on 31 March 2022 to Question 14830 on Fuel Oil, if he will publish the methodology for calculating the £100 targeted support payment the Government is providing to heating oil users in Northern Ireland as part of the energy support package announced on 21 September 2022.

The support provided to off-grid households is intended to ensure that they do not face a higher rate of growth in their heating costs since last autumn, compared to those on gas supported by the Energy Price Guarantee.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
2nd Sep 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that private renters whose energy bills are included in their rent benefit from the £400 energy rebate payment paid directly to their landlords.

Where there is a domestic electricity connection and an inclusive charge is made for accommodation with no specified charge for gas or electricity and no separate agreement for the resale of energy, parties are encouraged to come to an agreement on the EBSS discount, in line with the arrangements in their respective contracts or tenancy agreements.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
2nd Sep 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that residents who (a) live in buildings with communal heating systems and (b) are not subject to the energy price cap receive financial support with their energy bills.

In respect of their heating costs, those on communal heating networks will primarily benefit through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, details of which were announced on 21 September. They will also receive support in respect of their electricity costs through the Energy Price Guarantee and the Energy Bills Support Scheme.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
28th Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to help support consumers with the rising price of heating oil in Northern Ireland.

This matter is devolved to the Northern Ireland Administration.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
29th Oct 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the position that homes built prior to 1920, which could be double glazed, and unlikely to have cavity walls would require gas central heating to reach an EPC rating of C.

The Government’s ambition is for as many homes as possible reach EPC Band C by 2035, where practical, cost-effective and affordable. The UK has already made good progress in improving the energy performance of its homes, with 40% of homes in England now at Energy Performance Ratings (EPC) Band C or above, up from just 9% in 2008.

In order to support further improvements to homes, the Government is:

  1. Consulting on phasing in higher minimum performance standards to ensure all homes meet EPC Band C by 2035, where cost-effective, practical and affordable. In setting standards, BEIS is taking account of where properties face practical constraints to making improvements. For example, in the Private Rented Sector minimum standard regulations, there is already a range of exemptions where necessary consent for improvements cannot be obtained from third parties, where particular measures may have a negative impact on a property, or where all recommended measures have been carried out.
  2. Providing further targeted funding for improvements, focussed in particular on fuel poor and low-income households. The Government’s Heat and Building Strategy announced £3.9 billion of new funding which will fund the next three years of investment through Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, the Home Upgrade Grant scheme, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, and the Heat Networks Transformation Programme.
  3. Supporting consumer action through, for example:
    • Providing tailored advice and information to homeowners on making improvements to their properties, through our Simple Energy Advice service which has been used by over 1.5 million users to date;
    • Ensuring work can be carried out to a good standard, by working with industry to agree appropriate technical standards (eg. PAS 2035) and consumer protections through Trustmark registration;
    • Catalysing low-cost green home finance to help homeowners make improvements by working with lenders, and through innovation funding for new green finance products.
Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
29th Oct 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the position where owners of flats in old buildings may need to install (a) gas central heating or (b) storage radiators which require sub-main cabling to meet the EPC rating of C in the most cost-effective way.

The Government’s ambition is for as many homes as possible reach EPC Band C by 2035, where practical, cost-effective and affordable. The UK has already made good progress in improving the energy performance of its homes, with 40% of homes in England now at Energy Performance Ratings (EPC) Band C or above, up from just 9% in 2008.

In order to support further improvements to homes, the Government is:

  1. Consulting on phasing in higher minimum performance standards to ensure all homes meet EPC Band C by 2035, where cost-effective, practical and affordable. In setting standards, BEIS is taking account of where properties face practical constraints to making improvements. For example, in the Private Rented Sector minimum standard regulations, there is already a range of exemptions where necessary consent for improvements cannot be obtained from third parties, where particular measures may have a negative impact on a property, or where all recommended measures have been carried out.
  2. Providing further targeted funding for improvements, focussed in particular on fuel poor and low-income households. The Government’s Heat and Building Strategy announced £3.9 billion of new funding which will fund the next three years of investment through Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, the Home Upgrade Grant scheme, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, and the Heat Networks Transformation Programme.
  3. Supporting consumer action through, for example:
    • Providing tailored advice and information to homeowners on making improvements to their properties, through our Simple Energy Advice service which has been used by over 1.5 million users to date;
    • Ensuring work can be carried out to a good standard, by working with industry to agree appropriate technical standards (eg. PAS 2035) and consumer protections through Trustmark registration;
    • Catalysing low-cost green home finance to help homeowners make improvements by working with lenders, and through innovation funding for new green finance products.
Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
29th Oct 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government plans to take to help make it easier for people with homes in conservation areas to achieve an EPC rating of C or higher.

The Government’s ambition is for as many homes as possible reach EPC Band C by 2035, where practical, cost-effective and affordable. The UK has already made good progress in improving the energy performance of its homes, with 40% of homes in England now at Energy Performance Ratings (EPC) Band C or above, up from just 9% in 2008.

In order to support further improvements to homes, the Government is:

  1. Consulting on phasing in higher minimum performance standards to ensure all homes meet EPC Band C by 2035, where cost-effective, practical and affordable. In setting standards, BEIS is taking account of where properties face practical constraints to making improvements. For example, in the Private Rented Sector minimum standard regulations, there is already a range of exemptions where necessary consent for improvements cannot be obtained from third parties, where particular measures may have a negative impact on a property, or where all recommended measures have been carried out.
  2. Providing further targeted funding for improvements, focussed in particular on fuel poor and low-income households. The Government’s Heat and Building Strategy announced £3.9 billion of new funding which will fund the next three years of investment through Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, the Home Upgrade Grant scheme, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, and the Heat Networks Transformation Programme.
  3. Supporting consumer action through, for example:
    • Providing tailored advice and information to homeowners on making improvements to their properties, through our Simple Energy Advice service which has been used by over 1.5 million users to date;
    • Ensuring work can be carried out to a good standard, by working with industry to agree appropriate technical standards (eg. PAS 2035) and consumer protections through Trustmark registration;
    • Catalysing low-cost green home finance to help homeowners make improvements by working with lenders, and through innovation funding for new green finance products.
Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
29th Oct 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government is taking to help make it easier for people with homes without cavity walls to achieve an EPC rating of C or higher.

The Government’s ambition is for as many homes as possible reach EPC Band C by 2035, where practical, cost-effective and affordable. The UK has already made good progress in improving the energy performance of its homes, with 40% of homes in England now at Energy Performance Ratings (EPC) Band C or above, up from just 9% in 2008.

In order to support further improvements to homes, the Government is:

  1. Consulting on phasing in higher minimum performance standards to ensure all homes meet EPC Band C by 2035, where cost-effective, practical and affordable. In setting standards, BEIS is taking account of where properties face practical constraints to making improvements. For example, in the Private Rented Sector minimum standard regulations, there is already a range of exemptions where necessary consent for improvements cannot be obtained from third parties, where particular measures may have a negative impact on a property, or where all recommended measures have been carried out.
  2. Providing further targeted funding for improvements, focussed in particular on fuel poor and low-income households. The Government’s Heat and Building Strategy announced £3.9 billion of new funding which will fund the next three years of investment through Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, the Home Upgrade Grant scheme, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, and the Heat Networks Transformation Programme.
  3. Supporting consumer action through, for example:
    • Providing tailored advice and information to homeowners on making improvements to their properties, through our Simple Energy Advice service which has been used by over 1.5 million users to date;
    • Ensuring work can be carried out to a good standard, by working with industry to agree appropriate technical standards (eg. PAS 2035) and consumer protections through Trustmark registration;
    • Catalysing low-cost green home finance to help homeowners make improvements by working with lenders, and through innovation funding for new green finance products.
Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
29th Oct 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the merits of gas central heating in providing a more beneficial score in an EPC rating than any form of electrical heating.

Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) use an Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) to measure the energy performance of homes based on their estimated running costs. Since energy costs can be a significant outlay, it is important that homeowners and occupiers are aware of the running costs of their home. Basing the rating and recommendations of the EPC on cost ensures that improvements recommended by the EPC will lead to a reduction in energy costs.

The Government continues to keep the metrics on the EPC under review as we develop policy to decarbonise buildings and tackle fuel poverty. Recent consultations on policies that use EPCs, such as minimum energy efficiency standards in the private rented sector, have sought views on different metric options, such as the use of both a carbon-based and cost-based metric.

Furthermore, to ensure electric heat pumps will be no more expensive to run than gas boilers, we want to work with energy providers to reduce the price of electricity over the next decade by shifting levies and obligations away from electricity. We will launch a call for evidence on the different options for rebalancing electricity and gas prices, with a view to taking decisions in 2022.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)