Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to avoid any conflicts of interest arising for individuals or organisations involved in their study on the effects of smartphone and social media use on children, announced on 20 November.

The procurement was run through a fair and open competition with pre-agreed terms and conditions. Suppliers were required to declare any conflict of interest during the procurement and give a full account how they would avoid any future conflict of interest. All supplier responses were thoroughly reviewed by the evaluation panel, with no concerns raised.