Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using revenue generated by spectrum Annual Licence Fees to support improved mobile coverage.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Ofcom sets mobile spectrum fees independently to promote the optimal use of spectrum. The Government recognises the cost of these fees to the industry. Supporting investment in mobile networks is a priority and the Government continues to assess what further interventions are needed to support 5G deployment.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 Ofcom on increasing spectrum available to mobile operators.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
I have not had any discussions with Ofcom directly on increasing the spectrum available to mobile operators, but my officials are in regular discussion with them on spectrum issues. The Government recognises the importance of ensuring access to suitable spectrum across different sectors, the opportunities this creates for growth, and that a focus on innovation and enhanced shared use of spectrum will become increasingly important to realise this.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of AI zones on local infrastructure.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
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.
AI Growth Zones will encourage the development of advanced AI data centres in areas of the country with plentiful power, such as post-industrial towns and areas with significant renewable energy capacity.
The investment in AI-enabled data centres will have a spillover effect in local communities, providing jobs, improving local infrastructure, rejuvenating areas, and driving the UK’s ambition to become a global hub for AI talent and investment.
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.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will make an estimate of how many and what proportion of (a) children, (b) adults and (c) pensioners in digital poverty in each year since 2018.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
There is no single accepted definition of digital poverty, but we know that digital exclusion impacts people broadly across demographics with some, including older people, at higher risk.
According to Ofcom in 2024, 6% of UK adults did not have internet access at home. For those aged 75+, the figure is 29%. 34% of households with school-aged children did not have an appropriate device for accessing online schoolwork.
This Government is determined to remedy this by closing the digital divide and ensuring everyone has the access, skills, support and confidence to participate in our modern digital society, whatever their circumstances.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the progress of Project Gigabit; how many premises have been connected; and what the status of the outstanding procurements is.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
As of the end of March 2024, over one million premises had been upgraded to gigabit-capable broadband through government-funded programmes. Additionally, more than £2 billion of contracts have been signed to provide gigabit-capable coverage to over a million more premises.
All planned Project Gigabit contracts for England and Wales have been signed. In the last few months alone, the first premises have been given coverage as part of these contracts in areas including North Yorkshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and South Wiltshire. Build is under way in many other parts of the country too.
The Scottish Government has four procurements in progress and details of a contract covering the Borders and East Lothian area are expected to be announced shortly. Remaining areas of Scotland will be included within a procurement which is currently under way with Openreach, managed by the UK Government. A single procurement is also in progress in Northern Ireland, managed by the Department for Economy.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much funding the Government has allocated to media literacy initiatives since 4 July 2024; and what recent assessment he has made of the impact of those initiatives on media literacy.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government is committed to empowering internet users with the skills to engage critically with online content and make informed decisions.
Since 2022, nearly £3 million in funding has been provided for media literacy projects. This includes £0.5 million in 2024 to scale up two programmes to provide media literacy support to teachers, children aged 11-16, and professionals working with families. That funding covers the 2024/25 financial year.
Robust evaluation and monitoring are key requirements of the grant schemes. Both organisations must evaluate the impact of their programmes over the past year by March 2025.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
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 his European counterparts on the potential merits of strengthening technology regulation.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology regularly engages with international counterparts, including European partners, both bilaterally and through multilateral forums such as the G7, G20, and OECD. These discussions focus on shared opportunities and challenges posed by technological innovation, including the role of regulatory frameworks in fostering growth and innovation while ensuring security.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of AI bots on (a) community cohesion and (b) national security.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government recognises that the huge opportunities offered by AI also come with risks. This includes the potential to generate inauthentic content indistinguishable from human-generated content at higher scale and lower cost than previously possible. We continue to investigate the potential for transparency and detection and welcome technical innovation in this space.
The Online Safety Act requires social media platforms to swiftly remove illegal misinformation and disinformation or hateful content - including where AI-generated - as soon as they become aware of it. The Government also empowers users with the skills and knowledge to engage critically with online content through media literacy initiatives.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what progress his Department has made on Project Gigabit since April 2024.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Since April 2024, three new Project Gigabit contracts covering Lincolnshire and East Riding, Cheshire, and North Yorkshire have been signed.
A cross regional framework agreement with Openreach, has also been signed. The first two call-off contracts under the framework have been awarded, covering large parts of Wales and rural parts of England from Devon to Staffordshire. The first Project Gigabit procurements have also been launched in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the development of (a) a breath test to identify pancreatic cancer and (b) technologies to aid early detection of all cancers.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The project to develop a breath test to identify pancreatic cancer is funded via the NIHR i4i/OLS: Early Cancer Diagnosis Clinical Validation and Evaluation Call. This £11 million programme funds 6 projects that aim to develop technologies to aid early detection of cancer. This is one strand of the Office for Life Sciences’ (OLS) Cancer Programme, which supports the development of technologies that enable earlier, more effective cancer diagnosis and improved treatment. OLS is a joint Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT) unit, ensuring both departments are involved in this work.