Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Department is taking to ensure that AI systems used in A&E departments comply with NHS data governance, patient privacy and cybersecurity requirements.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is dedicated to ensuring patient privacy while leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare. We have engaged patients and the public in discussions on how and why health data should be accessed for AI systems. The Department and NHS England have implemented robust data protection measures, including Data Protection Impact Assessments and adherence to UK General Data Protection Regulation, to safeguard patient data. All National Health Service trusts and providers must complete a Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC) assessment to fully assure that the technologies they use are safe, effective, and that data is protected. This includes technologies used in accident and emergency departments. The DTAC evaluates products to ensure NHS standards for safety, usability, and accessibility are met, with clear evidence requirements and scoring criteria included for each area.
The accident and emergency demand forecasting tool, within the NHS England Federated Data Platform, is trained on pseudonymised data, and with only aggregate non-patient level outputs reaching the dashboard users. Regular risk reviews occur to ensure it is as low risk as possible in terms of cyber security and patient privacy and that it follows NHS data governance.
The Department and the NHS England Information Governance Team provide guidance for patients, health care professionals, and information governance professionals on the use of AI in the NHS and NHS settings such as accident and emergency departments.
The Department works closely with the NHS and its suppliers to share threat intelligence on evolving AI cyber threats.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to encourage investment into the UK hydrogen technology manufacturing sector.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Industrial Strategy set out our public finance offer to crowd private investment into clean energy industries, including our hydrogen economy. This includes: £1bn Clean Energy supply chain fund; £5.8bn for the National Wealth Fund to invest this Parliament in clean industries; and a £4bn British Business Bank Growth Capital scale and start up financing package. The proposed British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will reduce electricity costs for manufacturing supply chains in priority clean energy sectors such as hydrogen, making the UK an even more competitive place to invest.
My officials work with the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero to showcase investment opportunities and our world-class hydrogen sector capability.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to support investment into the UK's economic security.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Modern Industrial Strategy committed to strengthen our economic security through several steps, including through our uplift in defence spending, and strategic investments in critical sectors. The government is prioritising economic security and resilience through our public finance offer, with Public Financial Institutions and interventions working together to direct more investment at strategic sectors and supply chains. This includes the British Business Bank’s £4billion additional capital for Industrial Strategy sectors that will be the future cornerstone of the UK’s supply chains and security, and committing up to £330million to the expansion of the National Security Strategic Investment Fund, which invests into advanced dual-use technology companies to support the National Security and Defence community and start-ups across the country.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the answer of 18 November 2025, to Question 88698, on DSIT: Disinformation, what specific facility or service does the contract with (a) Total Global Strategy Network and (b) Faculty Science Limit provide.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Global Strategy Network provides mis‑ and disinformation monitoring analysis narratives from publicly available online information concerning public safety or national security risks to the UK. Faculty Science provides software development for the Counter‑Disinformation Data Platform (CDDP).
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to develop artificial general intelligence (AGI) safety mechanisms.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
There is considerable debate and uncertainty around Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), but the possibility of its development must be taken seriously. The increasing capabilities of AI may exacerbate existing risks and present new risks, for which the UK need to be prepared.
The role of the AI Security Institute (AISI) is to build an evidence base on these risks, so the government is equipped to prepare for them. AISI focuses on emerging AI risks with serious security implications, including the potential for AI to help users develop chemical and biological weapons, and the potential for loss of control presented by autonomous systems.
The Government will continue to take a long-term, science-led approach to understand and prepare for emerging risks from AI. This includes preparing for the possibility of very rapid AI progress, which could have transformative impacts on society and national security.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to reduce UK reliance on concentrated semiconductor supply chains in the Indo-Pacific region.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The semiconductor industry has complex global supply chains. As part of the Industrial Strategy’s Digital and Technologies Sector Plan, the Government is taking measures to foster growth of the UK semiconductor sector where it is strong, enhance national security and strengthen supply chain resilience. Given the global nature of semiconductor supply chains, the UK is also building resilience through collaborating with a wide range of international partners, both bilaterally and through fora such as the OECD Semiconductor Informal Exchange Network and the G7 Semiconductor Point of Contact Group.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what estimate she has made of the cost of cyber attacks to the economy in 2025.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
In November 2025, the government published a set of independent research reports quantifying the impact of cyber attacks on the UK economy. These reports demonstrate the scale of the potential cost of cyber attacks to UK businesses, with KPMG’s report Economic Modelling of Sector Specific Costings of Cyber Attacks estimating the average cost of a significant cyber attack for an individual business in the UK to be almost £195,000. Scaled to an annual UK cost to businesses, this amounts to an estimated £14.7 billion.
The Government has developed tools for businesses to protect themselves, including:
The Government is also taking further action to protect the economy. The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will boost our cyber defences and better protect our essential services. This year, we will publish a new National Cyber Action Plan setting out how Government will respond to the cyber threat and work with industry to raise resilience across the economy.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of ghost plates pose on (a) national security and (b) the ability of hostile or organised criminal actors to evade detection by ANPR technology; and whether she has commissioned a cross-government review on the potential impact of the use of illegal plates on investigative leads, including those related to violent crime, terrorism, and serious organised criminal activity.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Under the new Road Safety Strategy, published on 7 January by the Department for Transport, the Government has announced firm action to tackle illegal or ‘ghost’ numberplates. This includes consulting on tougher penalties, including penalty points and vehicle seizure, more robust checks on number plate suppliers, and higher industry standards for numberplates. We also intend to commission targeted research to explore the potential use of artificial intelligence to identify illegal plates.
In addition, the Government has pledged £2.7m for each of the next three years to support a roads policing innovation programme. As part of this innovation programme, the Department for Transport and Home Office are working in collaboration with National Police Chiefs' Council and others to consider new approaches to tackling the issue of illegal plate usage.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many firearms offences have been committed with 3D-printed guns in each of the last five years.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Offences involving the use of 3D printed firearms offences are not recorded separately within the crime statistics published by the Office for National Statistics. A firearm manufactured using 3D printing technology is regarded as a firearm under the Firearms Act 1968 and the controls set out in that Act apply. The overall number of offences involving firearms offences decreased by 16%, to 5,053 offences in the year ending June 2025 compared to the year ending June 2024.
The Government works closely with the police and the National Crime Agency to ensure that we have the right laws, intelligence, detection and enforcement capabilities to tackle the threat posed by the unlawful possession and use of firearms, including firearms manufactured in full, or in part, using 3D printing technology. This includes the measures in the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025 which, when commenced, will make it an offence to possess or supply templates for the 3D printing of firearms.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the Government will declare a national emergency regarding the cross Channel small boat migration crisis.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The number of small boat crossings is too high and this Government is taking action. The Home Secretary has announced the most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration in decades, removing the incentives that bring illegal migrants to the UK and scaling up the return of those with no right to be here.
The Border Security Command is central to this effort, bringing together law enforcement, intelligence sharing, and international cooperation to disrupt smuggling networks and bring perpetrators to justice. For the first time, we have mobilised the whole of government and all operational partners to deliver a coordinated and prioritised range of activities in the UK and with partners overseas. Our historic deal with the French means those who arrive on small boats are now being sent back.
The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act, which came into force on 5 January 2026, provides new powers to seize electronic devices from illegal migrants and introduces offences targeting small boat smuggling and concealment in vehicles. These measures strengthen our ability to disrupt organised immigration crime and reduce irregular migration.
Disruption of organised crime groups has intensified, increasing domestic action against organised immigration crime (OIC) via enhanced powers and intensified law enforcement operations, targeting upstream facilitators, disrupting OIC business models via targeting, the illicit financial flows, small boat equipment supply chains and online networks of organised crime groups (OCG)s.
We have boosted the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) capabilities through an extra £100 million funding which will pay for up to 300 extra NCA officers, state-of-the art detection technology and new equipment to smash the networks putting lives at risk in the Channel. This approach is working; the year ending September 2025, there were 3,162 OIC disruptions conducted by public bodies, 33% more than in the previous year (2,374). The number of OIC disruptions has steadily increased from an average of 392 disruptions per quarter in 2023, to 791 per quarter in the latest year.