Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much funding Ofcom has received year on year since the implementation of the Online Safety Act 2023; the current number of staff allocated to leading investigations; and what assessment she has made of whether the current level of funding adequately meets the need and demand of developments in technologies and their harms.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Ofcom has received approximately £281.3 million in online safety funding since 2020, including a projected £92 million for 2025/26, up from £71 million in 2024/25. This uplift reflects Ofcom’s increased duties as implementation of the Act progresses. In 2025/26, Ofcom has 556 Full-time equivalent staff working on online safety across its teams. Its staffing model allows resources to be deployed dynamically across teams to meet evolving demands.
Asked by: Roz Savage (Liberal Democrat - South Cotswolds)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to update or revise the public advice given on the prepare.campaign.gov.uk website.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
By following the advice on gov.uk/prepare, people can improve their preparedness for various types of disruption or emergency, irrespective of the cause. We also work closely with local and national partners to ensure they are aware of – and can share – this important advice with the public.
We regularly review the website's content and continue to explore options for improving it, and for increasing public awareness of emergency preparedness advice beyond the website.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of banning nudifying a) websites and b) apps.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
No one should have to go through the ordeal of seeing intimate deepfakes of themselves online. We will not allow the proliferation of these demeaning and degrading images, which are disproportionately aimed at women and girls.
The Government will legislate in the Crime and Policing Bill – which is currently in Parliament – to ban nudification tools. This new criminal offence will make it illegal for companies to supply tools and services designed to create non-consensual intimate images, targeting the problem at its source.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the regulatory framework governing VoIP services.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector, including on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
However, while we are engaging with Ofcom and stakeholders on this issue, including with regard to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) migration to VoIP, the Department has not made any formal assessment of the effectiveness of the regulatory framework governing VoIP services.
VoIP uses fibre cables which are far more resilient than copper and offers consumers better quality calls, improved flexibility, and better protections against nuisance and scam calls. The Government is committed to ensuring that any risks from the industry-led migration from the PSTN to VoIP are mitigated for everyone. The Government secured additional safeguards to protect the vulnerable and landline dependent in November 2024. These include measures to identify the vulnerable and telecare users, timely and repeated communications, free engineer visits, and providing a battery back-up where appropriate.
Asked by: Mike Martin (Liberal Democrat - Tunbridge Wells)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to incorporate new technology into the Find a Job platform.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The current ‘Find a Job’ service will be superseded by new Jobs and Careers Service this year.
We are ensuring the service is fit for the future by leveraging new technology, such as CV builder and interview support, in line with the Get Britain Working White Paper, and the blueprint for modern digital government.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the risk that electric buses operating in the UK could be remotely rendered inoperable via their internet-connected systems by hostile state actors.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government takes national security seriously and recognises the systematic challenges of increased connectivity and the cyber security implications for almost every area of government policy, including vehicles. My Department works closely with the transport sector and other government departments to understand and respond to cyber vulnerabilities for all transport modes.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of online appointment bookings for GP surgeries on the elderly population and those who experience digital exclusion.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department recognises the importance of ensuring equitable access to general practice (GP) services for all patients, including elderly individuals and those who may experience digital exclusion.
Since 1 October, GPs have been required to offer access to online services throughout core hours, from 08:00 to 18:30, bringing online access in line with walk-in and phone access. This change aims to improve convenience for many patients and reduce long phone queues for those who prefer to contact their practice by telephone.
The GP Contract is clear that patients should always have the option of telephoning or visiting their practice in person, and all online tools must always be provided in addition to, rather than as a replacement for, other channels for accessing a GP. Practice receptions should be open so that patients without access to telephone or online services are in no way disadvantaged.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with GPs on booking appointments online.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In February 2025, as part of the annual contract negotiations, the Department consulted with the General Practitioners Committee England, the representative body for general practitioners (GPs). During these discussions, the General Practitioners Committee England agreed to make online booking a contractual obligation for all practices.
From 1 October 2025, all general practices have been contractually required to offer contact online with their GP during core hours, from 08:00 to 18:30, including to request appointments, bringing online access in line with walk-in and telephone services.
In support of practices working to meet this requirement, NHS England and integrated care boards have provided assistance where required. The Department is committed to engaging with GPs and other stakeholders to make sure these targets are both achievable and reflective of local population needs, as well as to address any barriers to delivery
We are reversing decades of plummeting patient satisfaction. Over 73% of patients now say that it is easy to contact their practice, which is up 13 percentage points since the election.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the proportion of children who experienced cyber bullying in 2025; and what steps her Department is taking with Cabinet colleagues to reduce this.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department monitors the prevalence of bullying among children and young people through the National Behaviour Survey (NBS).
The most recent NBS results, for the 2024/25 academic year, showed that 21% of secondary school aged pupils reported being bullied in the past 12 months. Of those pupils, 29% reported that at least some of the bullying occurred online.
The department is procuring an expert and evidence-led review into best practice on behaviour and preventing and tackling bullying, including cyber-bullying. The learning from this will support leaders to develop safe, supportive school cultures.
Through statutory relationships, sex and health education, pupils are taught about online relationships, the implications of sharing private or personal data (including images) online, harmful content, cyberbullying, what over-reliance on social media looks like and where to get help.
Asked by: Jas Athwal (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions has her Department had with Ofcom on the regulation of online AI chatbots and companions in the context of exposure of harmful content on children.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
On 3 December 2025, the Secretary of State confirmed in Parliament that the government is exploring how emerging services, such as AI chatbots, interact with the Online Safety Act and what further measures may be required.
The Department has regular discussions with Ofcom about online safety matters. Ministerial meetings are published through quarterly reports on GOV.UK.