Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the use of artificial intelligence in NHS diagnostics.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) in the National Health Service is still at a relatively early stage, with the majority of AI technologies, including diagnostic tools, being deployed in a research capacity. To address this, the Department is carrying out work to assess the barriers of effective adoption and improve the way AI tools are deployed across the NHS. The NHS AI Lab’s Ethics Initiative invests in research and practical interventions that could strengthen the ethical adoption of AI within health and care and addresses risks and concerns over its use.

Additionally, the Department has supported the launch of regulatory projects such as the AI and Digital Regulation Service (AIDRS) and the AI Airlock. The AIDRS, in partnership with healthcare regulators, gives innovators and health and care providers a one-stop-shop for support, information, and guidance on the regulation and evaluation of AI technologies. The AI Airlock is a Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency-led initiative, supported by the NHS AI Lab, designed to create a controlled testing environment where developers can rigorously validate AI tools in real-world clinical settings before full-scale deployment, ensuring they meet NHS standards for safety, efficacy, and integration into existing healthcare workflows.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is her policy to allow Household Support Fund allocations to be used by local authorities to purchase (a) slow cookers and (b) kettles.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In England, the Household Support Fund is a scheme providing discretionary support to those most in need towards the cost of essentials, such as food, energy and water and to support with essentials linked to these for example, energy efficient items which reduce bills and the purchase of equipment such as slow cookers.

Local Authorities have the discretion to design their own local schemes within the parameters of the guidance and grant determination that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have set out for the fund. This is because they have the ties and the knowledge to best determine how support should be provided in their local communities.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of bilateral programme funding had a gender equality policy marker in the last two years for which information is available; and what proportion of that funding had gender equality as a (a) principal and (b) significant objective.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Official data, sourced from the Statistics for International Development, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Creditor Reporting System, is available for 2022 and 2023. This data indicates that in 2022, 58% of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) programmes had a focus on gender equality (using OECD DAC markers Significant and Principal), with (1) 45% marked as Significant and (2) 13% marked as Principal. In 2023, 52% of FCDO bilateral ODA programmes had a focus on gender equality, with (1) 40% marked Significant and (2) 12% marked as Principal. The FCDO remains committed to ensure at least 80% of FCDO's bilateral aid programmes have a focus on gender equality by 2030.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to reduce transfer fees on family remittances.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) co-convene, with Save the Children, a UK-based Remittances Working Group which works with key partners including remittance service providers, diaspora communities, NGOs, and other UK government departments to seek solutions that can drive down costs associated with sending and receiving remittances. The FCDO also supports a remittances project trialling new ways to reduce remittance transfer fees for individuals, working with East African diaspora members in the UK who are sending money back to Kenya.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will collect data on family remittances from the UK.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not collect or report this data on the flow of family remittances out of the UK. The best source is the World Bank Group's remittance data which captures flows through formal banking systems and is published annually.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether the digital driving licence will be accepted as a valid form of photo ID.

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

While the legal purpose of the driving licence is to convey driving entitlement, they are already commonly accepted as proof of age or identity. The Department for Science and Technology’s (DSIT) ambition is that, in time, the digital driving licence will be usable in the same way as its physical counterparts. In order to achieve this, and as part of our work to deliver a UK digital driving licence, we will be exploring all legal, regulatory, and technical implications.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made recent representations to the authorities in Afghanistan on the treatment of women and girls in that country.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We repeatedly condemn the Taliban's draconian restrictions on women and girls' rights, both bilaterally and internationally. The UK Mission to Afghanistan in Doha continues to press Taliban acting ministers and Afghan officials on their grotesque human rights abuses. UK officials most recently visited Kabul in January 2025 to raise human rights issues with senior members of the Taliban, including their policies which limit women and girls' freedoms.

While in New York in January I publicly demonstrated my support for Afghan women and girls at the UN, ahead of the International Day of Education on 24 January.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure the long-term stability of (a) NGOs and (b) aid agencies that (i) provide humanitarian support and (ii) have other operations in Afghanistan.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is a strong supporter of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and aid agencies in Afghanistan. We are planning £161 million in aid to Afghanistan this financial year (2024-25), much of which supports NGOs to deliver lifesaving humanitarian aid for women, girls and other marginalised people. UK officials regularly lobby the Taliban on the vital role of NGOs and risk of further restrictions on their activities. The UK underlined the importance of the humanitarian response in a G7+ senior officials' joint statement on 20 December, and in a statement by UN Security Council members on 27 December.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to his Department's press release of 21 January 2025 entitled Shake up of tech and AI usage across NHS and other public services to deliver plan for change, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of making these tools available to (a) parliamentary staff, (b) the public sector and (c) more widely.

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

The Government is excited about the opportunity presented to adopt AI for the public good, including for parliamentary staff and the public sector at large. In service of this, the Government has introduced the GDS Blueprint which outlined the GovAI toolkit. This is a set of productivity tools designed to enhance civil service operations and delivery of ministerial priorities. Developed by the Incubator for AI within the Government Digital Service, these tools are rapidly prototyped and deployed across the public sector once productivity benefits have been established.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to deliver humanitarian aid to Sudan.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK continues to provide humanitarian assistance to support people in Sudan and those who have fled the country. The UK has recently doubled its Official Development Assistance (ODA) this year in response to the conflict in Sudan to £226.5 million - the vast majority of which is spent on vital humanitarian aid including support for the regional refugee crisis. This funding includes support to key UN agencies such as the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF which are providing life-saving food assistance in Sudan. We are also one of the largest donors to the UN-led Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) which delivers life-saving multi-sectoral support to communities across Sudan and is now piloting support to the Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs). The UK also continues to support the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), including their work on emergency preparedness and response, protection of civilians, and providing life-saving healthcare across Sudan.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of implementing recommendation 6 of the NHS Race & Health Observatory's report entitled Review of NHS health communications with (and for) the Jewish community, published in December 2024.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The merits of including Jewish or Sikh as an option when recording ethnicity in National Health Service data, and other issues relating to how the NHS records information on protected characteristics, are being considered by the Unified Information Standard for Protected Characteristics programme. This programme will help inform a view on next steps.

Information is not held centrally on the number of NHS services which allow patients to identify as Jewish or Sikh under ethnicity questions, or to record Judaism or Sikhism as their religion. There are SNOMED CT codes, the terminology used for recording patient information consistently across the NHS, for Judaism and Sikhism under religion.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of updating the national mandatory standard for the (a) collection and (b) analysis of ethnicity to include (i) Jewish, (ii) Sikh and (iii) other options.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The merits of including Jewish or Sikh as an option when recording ethnicity in National Health Service data, and other issues relating to how the NHS records information on protected characteristics, are being considered by the Unified Information Standard for Protected Characteristics programme. This programme will help inform a view on next steps.

Information is not held centrally on the number of NHS services which allow patients to identify as Jewish or Sikh under ethnicity questions, or to record Judaism or Sikhism as their religion. There are SNOMED CT codes, the terminology used for recording patient information consistently across the NHS, for Judaism and Sikhism under religion.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS services allow patients to identify as (a) Sikh under ethnicity questions and (b) Sikhism as their religion.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The merits of including Jewish or Sikh as an option when recording ethnicity in National Health Service data, and other issues relating to how the NHS records information on protected characteristics, are being considered by the Unified Information Standard for Protected Characteristics programme. This programme will help inform a view on next steps.

Information is not held centrally on the number of NHS services which allow patients to identify as Jewish or Sikh under ethnicity questions, or to record Judaism or Sikhism as their religion. There are SNOMED CT codes, the terminology used for recording patient information consistently across the NHS, for Judaism and Sikhism under religion.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS services allow patients to identify as (a) Jewish under ethnicity questions and (b) Judaism as their religion.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The merits of including Jewish or Sikh as an option when recording ethnicity in National Health Service data, and other issues relating to how the NHS records information on protected characteristics, are being considered by the Unified Information Standard for Protected Characteristics programme. This programme will help inform a view on next steps.

Information is not held centrally on the number of NHS services which allow patients to identify as Jewish or Sikh under ethnicity questions, or to record Judaism or Sikhism as their religion. There are SNOMED CT codes, the terminology used for recording patient information consistently across the NHS, for Judaism and Sikhism under religion.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment has he made of the potential impact of AI Growth Zones on AI capabilities in the UK.

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

The AI Growth Zones (AIGZs) will help secure the UK’s position as a global leader in AI innovation, ensuring benefits for the whole of the UK. AI infrastructure is the backbone of the AI ecosystem, and is crucial to supporting its growth. AIGZs are closely aligned with wider government initiatives, including Local Growth Plans.

AIGZs will deliver substantial regional and national benefits, such as upskilling and employment opportunities. The investment in AI-enabled data centres will have a spillover effect in local communities, providing jobs, enhancing skills, rejuvenating areas, and driving the UK’s ambition to become a global hub for AI talent and investment.

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 promote the creation of AI infrastructure including (a) data centres and (b) high-performance computing to support the growth of AI technologies in (i) Birmingham and (ii) the West Midlands.

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

The government recognises the critical role of AI infrastructure in supporting advanced AI technologies. The AI Opportunities Action Plan outlines how the UK can build the cutting-edge compute infrastructure needed to lead in AI development and deployment, securing long-term economic growth and staying at the forefront of AI innovation.

We are ramping up compute capacity to deliver game-changing innovation for businesses, public services, and to drive growth across the whole of the UK. We will partner with devolved administrations, regional and local authorities to establish AI Growth Zones, ensuring substantial regional and national benefits, such as upskilling and employment opportunities, are felt across the country.

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 promote the development of AI infrastructure including (a) data centres and (b) high-performance computing facilities to support the growth of AI technologies.

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

The government recognises the critical role of AI and data centre infrastructure as the backbone of the AI ecosystem and the importance of supporting its growth.

The AI Opportunities Action Plan, which was developed by Matt Clifford, sets out how the UK can lay the foundations for AI growth, by building the cutting-edge compute infrastructure needed to lead in AI development and deployment.

New purpose-built, modern AI data centres will be built in the newly announced AI Growth Zones. The Growth Zones will help secure the UK’s position as a global leader in AI innovation and will deliver substantial regional and national benefits.

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 improve AI skills in the workforce.

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

Lifelong learning and adaptability are key to ensuring everyone can prosper in an increasingly technology-driven world.

Matt Clifford’s AI Opportunities Action Plan outlines the steps the UK must take to build a strong, diverse talent pipeline, realising AI benefits across sectors and the government has agreed to take forward its recommendations.

Skills England will work closely with DSIT and the Industrial Skills Council. They will bring together businesses, training partners, and unions with national and local government to assess the country’s AI skills needs and map pathways to fill them.

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 establish international partnerships in AI research and development.

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

The UK is committed to working closely with our international partners to promote the development and use of AI, including by driving collaboration on shared research and development initiatives. We will deliver on the recommendations recently announced AI Opportunities Action Plan, including expanding the Turing AI Fellowships offer, doubling the capacity of the AI Research Resource (AIRR) and strengthening the UK’s participating in the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC). This will facilitate joint AI research by broadening the compute resources that UK researchers and businesses can access.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment has he made of the AI skills gap.

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

Reducing the AI skills gap is critical for increasing the UK’s productivity and delivering long-term growth. DSIT regularly reviews the status of the UK’s AI labour market, and most recently commissioned Gardiner & Theobald LLP to conduct a survey of the labour market, which we will publish this year. In response to the recommendations set out in the AI Opportunities Action Plan developed by Matt Clifford, DSIT will also work closely with DfE and Skills England to assess the size of the AI skills gap and map pathways to fill it. Skills England will publish its first assessment in the spring.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve development cooperation with the European Union.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We are committed to working closely with partners, including the EU, to deliver our new approach to development. The Foreign Secretary and then High Representative for Foreign Affairs agreed at the October EU Foreign Affairs Council to strengthen their co-operation on international issues. I discussed this ambition again with the EU Commissioner for International Partnerships on 5 February. As a practical example of UK-EU collaboration, the EU confirmed through a 'Pillar Assessment' last autumn that the UK is eligible to manage EU funds on the EU's behalf.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to develop an Africa strategy.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign Secretary launched a five-month consultation to inform the UK's new approach to the African continent during his visit to Nigeria and South Africa in November 2024. This follows the manifesto commitment to develop a fundamentally transformed partnership that engages with African countries as equals, promotes our economic growth and supports migration priorities. In recent weeks, the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Africa met with African Ambassadors, High Commissioners, civil society, and African experts to discuss opportunities for building a long-term mutually beneficial UK relationship with African countries.