Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology's press release entitled New law to tackle AI child abuse images at source as reports more than double, published on 12 November 2025, when she plans to provide designated bodies powers to test AI models.

The Government is committed to tackling child sexual abuse and protecting the public from harms posed by emerging technologies. Through implementing the provisions set out in the Crime and Policing Act 2026 the Government will enable organisations authorised by the Home Secretary to test AI models for child sexual abuse material, non-consensual intimate imagery and extreme pornography.

As this is the first regime of its kind and given the highly sensitive nature of the material that may be generated during testing the defence will only be granted once the necessary safeguards and operational arrangements are in place.

My department is working closely with industry and the third sector to establish a robust regime which we plan to launch as soon as it is safe and practical to do so, subject to Parliamentary scheduling.