theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Mr Will Forster:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will undertake a review of the requirements non-UK nationals face when applying to train to become an educator. \p Catherine McKinnell: The department keep the requirements for applying to train to be a teacher under regular review to ensure that the best candidates wherever they are from can continue to access the appropriate training to become great teachers.

In addition to the requirements that apply to all candidates, those from overseas will need to show that they meet the eligibility requirements to get a visa and demonstrate that their school and university qualifications are equivalent to the required standard of a UK Bachelor’s degree and GSCEs (Grade 4) in mathematics, English and for teaching in primary schools science. They can do this by getting a statement of compatibility from the UK European Network of Information Centres.
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Juliet Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support parents looking after ill children (i) in the long-term and (ii) immediately after diagnosis. \p Catherine McKinnell: This government is committed to properly supporting pupils with medical conditions, and their parents, at home and school. As per Section 97 (3b) of the Children’s and Families Act 2014, parent carers have the right to request an assessment of their need for support from the local authority. Having been assessed, Section 17 (10b) of the Children’s Acts 1989 makes provision for a child whose physical or mental health is impaired, as well as his or her family, to receive the appropriate support services from the local authority.
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David Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has for reforming education, health and care plans for children with special educational needs; and what steps she plans to take to ensure that children who require additional support in school receive adequate levels of assistance, in the context of the provisions in the (a) Children and Families Act 2014 and (b) Special educational needs and disability code of practice. \p Catherine McKinnell: I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for North Northumberland, to the answer of 02 June 2025 to Question 54205.
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Ian Roome:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the number of schools which do not meet their statutory duty to teach swimming and water safety during (a) Key Stage 1 and (b) Key Stage 2. \p Catherine McKinnell: Swimming and water safety lessons are compulsory at key stage 1 and 2 in the physical education (PE) national curriculum. Swimming and water safety are vital life skills, and every child should have the opportunity to learn to swim and know how to keep themselves safe around water by the time they leave primary school.

Sport England’s Active Lives Children and Young People Survey 2023/24 reports that 95.2% of state primary schools surveyed confirmed they do provide swimming lessons. The report also states that 70.2% of pupils in year 7 say they can swim 25 metres unaided. Ofsted inspections may include a deep dive into PE, in which case the inspector will consider how the PE curriculum has been designed, and whether the various requirements are met.
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to (a) monitor and (b) improve the academic outcomes of students with learning difficulties in Wiltshire. \p Catherine McKinnell: For too long the education and care system has not met the needs of all children, particularly those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with parents struggling to get their children the support they need and deserve. This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with SEND or in alternative provision receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.

The department and NHS England have been supporting local areas to improve their SEND service delivery for a number of years. This includes a monitoring, support and challenge relationship following an inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Where a local authority does not meet its duties, we can take action that prioritises children’s needs and supports local areas to bring about rapid improvement.

Wiltshire’s Ofsted and CQC Local Area SEND inspection, carried out in October 2024, identified positive experiences and outcomes for children and young people with SEND.

The report, which was published on 6 December 2024, included no Areas for Priority Action and highlighted that children and young people with SEND typically benefit from personalised provision delivered by dedicated staff from across education, health and social care, and when children and young people transition into school practitioners have a shared vision and commitment to inclusion.

Officials from the department and NHS England meet regularly with partners from the local area, including health, education, agencies, parent/carer, children and young people representatives, to review and reflect on the SEND services.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children have attended state boarding schools in each of the last five years. \p Catherine McKinnell: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The number of children who have attended state boarding schools in each of the last five academic years in England, broken down by school phase type, is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/719c18b6-84ce-419b-a84a-08dda25bd6a4.

The department publishes information of schools, pupils and their characteristics annually. The latest data can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2024-25.
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Mr Lee Dillon:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department is providing to schools to ensure that at least 50 percent of children achieve passes in (a) maths and (b) English GCSEs in Newbury constituency. \p Catherine McKinnell: In the 2023/24 academic year, 69.7% of students in the Newbury constituency achieved a grade 4 or above in both English and mathematics, and 49.5% of students achieved a grade 5 or above in both subjects.

High and rising school standards, with excellent foundations in reading, writing and mathematics, are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life.

To drive standards in reading and writing, the government has committed £27.7 million in the 2025/26 financial year. This includes new training and resources for secondary school staff to support reading in key stage 3, with a specific focus on readers who are at risk of falling behind. The department’s English Hubs programme also supports the teaching of phonics, early language development and reading for pleasure. Newbury’s nearest English Hub is Whiteknights English Hub.

To drive standards in mathematics the department funds the Maths Hubs programme, supported by the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics. Local maths hubs provide school-to-school support focused on mathematics subject knowledge and pedagogy training for teachers in primary and secondary schools. The Newbury constituency is served by the Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire Maths Hub, which reports participation from 85% of schools from within its region.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much the Government has spent on contracts with temporary teaching agencies for staff at schools in Huntingdon constituency since 5 July 2024. \p Catherine McKinnell: Supply teachers make an important contribution to the smooth running of schools across the country by filling posts on a temporary basis and covering teacher absences.

Schools and local authorities are responsible for the recruitment of their supply teachers and there are currently various approaches to providing supply teachers, including using agencies. Therefore, the department does not hold contracts with temporary agencies for staff at schools and does not hold the data requested.

The department collects financial data from schools across England through the Consistent Financial Reporting framework for local authority maintained schools, and through the Academy Accounts Return for academies and multi-academy trusts. The Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool reports on school and academy spend on supply teaching, including expenditure on agency supply teaching staff. This includes “costs paid to an agency for teaching staff that have been brought in to cover teacher absence”. The Tool can be accessed here: https://financial-benchmarking-and-insights-tool.education.gov.uk/data-sources.
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Mr Lee Dillon:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department is providing to schools that are having to reduce costs in Newbury constituency. \p Catherine McKinnell: Overall school funding is increasing by £3.7 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, meaning the core school budget will total £65.3 billion. This is a 6% rise in cash terms compared to 2024/25.

Schools in West Berkshire local authority are attracting £143.6 million through the dedicated schools grant. This represents an increase of 2.6% per pupil compared to 2024/25.

We are providing schools with an additional £615 million in the 2025/26 financial year to support them with the 4% teacher pay award and 3.2% support staff pay offer. Schools will be expected play their part in driving productivity across the public sector and find approximately the first 1% of pay awards by ensuring resources are deployed to maximise support for teaching and learning.

We are supporting schools to make savings and bring down operating costs. For example, 400 schools participating in the department’s new energy offer are projected to save an average of 36% compared to previous contracts.

We are also working to secure better banking solutions and provide services such as Get Help Buying for Schools and the Teaching Vacancies Service to reduce procurement and recruitment costs.

We know workforce deployment is the biggest component of school budgets. We will support schools to benefit fully from the tools we already offer to benchmark and integrate resourcing and curriculum planning, such as the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. We will also introduce a new toolkit to support schools to adopt evidence-based deployment models.
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of allocating marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar in non-English GCSE subjects on students with dyslexia. \p Catherine McKinnell: I refer the hon. Member for Chippenham to the answer of 12 June 2025 to Question 57812.
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Tom Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teaching assistants have left the profession in the last year; and what estimate her Department has made of the cost to schools of this turnover. \p Catherine McKinnell: Teaching assistants play a vital role in children’s education in schools across the country.

The school workforce census shows that the full-time equivalent (FTE) of teaching assistants has increased each year since 2019/20, rising to 288,800 in 2024/25. This is an increase of 5,900 since 2023/24.

A December 2024 departmental survey entitled ‘School and college voice’ found that a large majority of leaders (82%) reported recruiting teaching assistants or learning support staff since January 2024. However, these roles were commonly reported as the hardest to fill.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing Cadet Forces into secondary schools within the state sector. \p Catherine McKinnell: Cadets can be an excellent opportunity for enrichment and welcomes the Ministry of Defence (MoD)-commissioned University of Northampton report which explores the benefits of a cadet unit in schools, which is available here: https://www.northampton.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/institute-for-social-innovation-and-impact-cadets-report-2025.pdf. Cadet Forces offer challenging and enjoyable activities for young people, preparing them to play an active part in the community while developing valuable life skills.

The department works jointly with MoD on the Cadet Expansion Programme, which was launched to establish new cadet units in English state secondary schools. We will continue to work with MoD as they implement the Strategic Defence Review’s recommendation to expand in-school and community-based Cadet Forces.

We will also work with MoD on the Strategic Defence Review’s recommendation to increase understanding of the Armed Forces in schools in a way that creates opportunities.

MoD will review existing support with us over the coming months and in consultation with teachers. Schools themselves are best placed to determine how to use this available support.
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Tom Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing (a) retention bonuses and (b) bursaries for teaching assistants. \p Catherine McKinnell: Teaching assistants play a vital role in children’s education, including for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). They are crucial to ensuring we give children the best possible life chances.

This government values and recognises the professionalism of the entire school workforce. That is why we are establishing the School Support Staff Negotiating Body (SSSNB) through the Employment Rights Bill, introduced in Parliament on 10 October 2024.

The SSSNB will mean that in future years, employers and employee representatives will come together to negotiate terms and conditions and pay for school support staff, including teaching assistants, to ensure they are properly recognised and rewarded for the work they do. The SSSNB will also be tasked with establishing a national terms and conditions handbook and advising on suitable training and career progression routes that recognise the varied and vital roles support staff undertake.

Most school support staff, including teaching assistants, are currently employed on National Joint Council (NJC) for local government services pay and conditions. The NJC is a negotiating body made up of representatives from trade unions and local government employers. Employees covered by the NJC for local government services pay and conditions have been offered a pay increase of 3.2% from 1 April 2025, which is subject to agreement by the recognised NJC unions. The government does not play a role in this process.
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Clive Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to help GPs decarbonise their physical estates. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Government is supporting the decarbonisation of General Practitioners through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) and Boiler Upgrade Grant (BUS).

The PSDS supports the aim of reducing emissions from public sector buildings by 75% by 2037, compared to a 2017 baseline. The Public Sector Low Carbon Skills Fund provides grants for public sector bodies to put in place a heat decarbonisation plan, providing them with information they need to develop future applications to the PSDS.

If eligible, the BUS offers grants of £7500 towards the cost of purchasing and installing heat pumps, and £5000 towards a biomass boiler, for properties looking to replace their existing fossil fuel heating.
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Claire Coutinho:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when he plans to publish his Department's hydrogen to power business model. \p Sarah Jones: In December 2024, the Government committed to implementing a Hydrogen to Power Business Model (H2PBM) to de-risk Hydrogen to Power investment by mitigating deployment barriers.

Later this year, we will publish a H2PBM market engagement exercise outlining further design details for the H2PBM, including our minded to positions on eligibility and assessment criteria and proposed next steps for allocating support through the business model.
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Tom Gordon:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he is taking steps to help increase (a) competition and (b) the transparency of road fuel pricing. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Government will implement Fuel Finder, a statutory open data scheme for fuel prices, to increase price transparency and help drivers make more informed decisions on where to buy petrol and diesel. This will increase pressure on retailers to compete strongly to attract consumers by lowering prices. Subject to legislation and Parliamentary time, we aim to launch Fuel Finder by the end of 2025.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) received statutory information gathering powers on 1 January 2025 through the Digital Markets, Competition & Consumer Act 2024 so it can monitor and scrutinise fuel prices. Once launched, Fuel Finder will provide the CMA with the appropriate data to adequately consider issues such as regional pricing variations.
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Tom Gordon:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what information his Department holds on when the Competition and Markets Authority plans to publish its assessment of regional road fuel pricing. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) addressed variation in regional road fuel pricing as part of their Road Fuel Market Study which was published in July 2023. The CMA published its latest report on 31 March 2025 and plans to release a more comprehensive report in the future, which will focus extensively on regional pricing differences.
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Sir Desmond Swayne:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to inform the public about the level of risk of (a) moisture and (b) timber degradation following the application of sprayed foam insulant to typical domestic timber roofs. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Building Safety Regulator published research in March 2024 on the moisture risks from spray foam insulation, which showed that there are many situations where moisture risks are likely to be low, including when insulations are made in line with BS 5250:2021. This research did indicate there is a potential for risks to develop dependent on the specifics of roof assembly, temperature, and humidity conditions.   The research can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/moisture-risk-of-spray-foam-insulation-applied-to-timber-sloped-roofs.

All measures installed under government schemes must be installed by TrustMark registered installers and meet the industry standard for installation. If a product has been installed to the standard it should not require removal as a surveyor should be able to use the inspection protocol now available to make an assessment.

Where the measure has not been installed correctly, homeowners should contact their installer or use the TrustMark dispute resolution process to seek redress (https://www.trustmark.org.uk/homeowner/information-guidance/if-things-go-wrong).
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Llinos Medi:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the total value of the financial support was that the Government was prepared to offer Hitatchi to develop a new nuclear project at Wylfa in 2019. \p Michael Shanks: The Hitachi-owned Horizon took the decision to withdraw from the nuclear new build project at Wylfa in September 2020. Any and all discussions undertaken by the previous government with Hitachi concerning the financing of the proposed Horizon project at Wylfa are commercially sensitive and confidential.
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Sir Desmond Swayne:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with mortgage providers on making advances on properties with timber roofs insulated with sprayed foam. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2025, to Question 52267, on DESNZ: Islamophobia, if he will publish the training material and handouts produced for the training and awareness session. \p Michael Shanks: The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero does not publish training materials as these resources are intended for internal use only. All training events are run in accordance with the Civil Service code.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has had discussions with the British Standards Institution on the implications of Publicly Available Specification 63100:2024 for the installation of domestic battery storage systems; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the one metre clearance requirement in section 6.5.5 of that specification on the uptake in housing stock. \p Michael Shanks: Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 63100:2024 is a standard and not part of government regulation. The content of the draft standard was publicly consulted on and considered by the PAS Steering Group, which included battery manufacturers with an interest in ensuring rules are not unduly restrictive with regards to sale and installation.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many hectares of arable farmland have been reallocated to (a) solar panels and (b) wind turbines since July 2024; and how many he plans to reallocate in the next four years. \p Michael Shanks: The Government does not hold the information requested.
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Perran Moon:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to assess the UK’s economically recoverable reserves of geothermal energy. \p Michael Shanks: The Government has supported research on geothermal in which some assessment of the UK potential is made. This includes funding a 2023 evidence-based assessment of the UK opportunity (https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/new-report-assesses-deep-geothermal-energy-in-the-uk/); and commissioning additional research projects which will be published this summer. Together they will provide an update on geothermal energy generation cost estimates and make accessible currently disparate technical sources of geothermal data and information. The Mining Remediation Authority has also released opportunity maps for mine water heat (https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/0a4d95c1-5977-41a1-9c35-83017b871d22/mine-water-heat-opportunity-mapping-for-10-cities-in-england).
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Claire Coutinho:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the total cost of procuring frequency control services was in each month since January 2022. \p Michael Shanks: The data requested is a matter of public record and is published by the National Energy System Operator (NESO) here under the headings “MBSS” and “MBSS Archive”.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the number of compulsory purchase orders that will be required in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire as part of the Grimsby to Walpole grid upgrade. \p Michael Shanks: The Planning Act 2008 includes provisions for the compulsory acquisition of land as part of Development Consent Orders (DCO). Decisions on whether to grant compulsory purchase orders (CPO) are made by the Secretary of State as part of the decision to grant a DCO. When doing so, the Secretary of State will assess whether the case for compulsory acquisition meets the requirements set out in the Planning Act 2008. Until the DCO application comes to the Secretary of State for a decision, no estimate can be made of the number of CPOs required as part of the Grimsby to Walpole grid upgrade scheme.
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Kirsty Blackman:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what his planned timeline is for establishing the UK Energy Campus in Aberdeen; and over what period departmental roles will be transferred or created there. \p Michael Shanks: Aberdeen was announced as one of DESNZ’s second headquarters in December 2023.

This commitment to the location underlines the importance of Aberdeen in our Net Zero planning.

As of May 2025, there were 100 staff members based in Aberdeen, comprising a wide variety of roles within the department. The ambition is to increase this number and for DESNZ to continue to grow in Aberdeen, with the creation of Great British Energy and the possibility of other Scotland-based Arm's Length Bodies also becoming part of the Energy Campus.

The establishment of a new Energy Campus in Aberdeen is part of the UK Government’s Plan for Change, aimed at fostering collaboration. By relocating skilled roles to the same town or city, government campuses bring together civil servants with diverse skills and expertise through a shared policy or delivery focus. This approach aims to address issues and improve services for working people across the country.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has indicated that further details on the Energy Campus will be set out in due course following the completion of the current Spending Review process.
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Satvir Kaur:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to help support the development of the geothermal energy industry (a) nationally and (b) in Southampton Test constituency. \p Michael Shanks: The Government is making support available to the industry through existing schemes such as Green Heat Network Fund, Contracts for Difference and Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. Potential projects in the Southampton Test constituency can apply if they meet the scheme eligibility criteria. The Government also continues to commission publicly available research to support the development of the industry. Research into the costs of geothermal energy is due to be published this summer and an open-access UK Geothermal Platform to support project feasibility work is in the final stages of development. Any future support is subject to spending review outcomes.
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John Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many permanent civil servants in his Department are staff without assigned posts; and how many are placed in an equivalent (a) people action team, (b) priority movers list, (c) redeployment register, (d) talent pool and (e) skills match hub in the most recent period for which data is available. \p Michael Shanks: The Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero currently has 34 individuals in the redeployment register.
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Amanda Hack:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure the Warm Homes Plan (a) reduces bills, (b) improves health outcomes and (c) reduces levels of fuel poverty. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Warm Homes Plan will help cut household bills for families and slash fuel poverty. The Government has committed £13.2 billion to upgrade millions of homes across the country.

The Government is working to ensure that homes are fit for the future and the Department has been carrying out research to respond to the relevant climate change adaptation risks identified by the third Climate Change Risk Assessment, including to health and wellbeing. This work is informing the development of the Warm Homes Plan.
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Mr Will Forster:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to (a) manage and (b) accelerate the connection of the renewable energy projects in the transmission queue. \p Michael Shanks: We are working closely with Ofgem and the network companies to develop and deliver fundamental reform of the grid connections process. National Energy System Operator (NESO’s) proposals for connections reform were approved by Ofgem on 15 April.

These reforms will release up to 500GW of capacity from the oversubscribed connections queue, enabling accelerated connections for renewable energy projects that are ready and aligned with our strategic needs, as set out in the Clean Power 2030 Action Plan.
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Michael Wheeler:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether (a) his Department, (b) UK Research and Innovation and (c) the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council is taking steps to support the (i) research and (ii) development of (A) advanced nuclear technologies and (B) sustainable closed fuel cycle systems. \p Michael Shanks: The DESNZ Advanced Nuclear Fund (ANF) is currently funding research and development of high temperature gas reactors (as part of the Advanced Modular Reactor Research, Development & Demonstration Programme), coated particle fuels (as part of the Coated Particle Fuels Programme). DESNZ is also supporting the development of small modular reactor technology through the Future Nuclear Enabling Fund and the Low-Cost Nuclear Challenge, which is delivered in partnership with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). UKRI is also funding R&D in development of advanced fuel cycles work, such as research on the properties of high temperature materials, graphite and advanced fuels.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-13)

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Manuela Perteghella:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle (a) misinformation and (b) disinformation in elections. \p Feryal Clark: The Government takes the integrity and security of our democratic processes seriously, including from the threat posed by mis/disinformation.

The UK’s Online Safety Act captures disinformation aimed at disrupting elections where it is a criminal offence in the scope of the regulatory framework. This includes the Foreign Interference Offence, which requires all in-scope companies to act against a range of state-linked disinformation and interference online.

As the department responsible for managing the risk posed by online mis/disinformation targeting electoral processes, DSIT also supports ongoing work through the government’s Defending Democracy Taskforce to tackle the full scope of threats to democracy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-13 conversation_217

Mr Will Forster:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will review the role of the Information Commissioner's Office. \p Chris Bryant: We have considered the role of the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) during the design of the Data Use & Access Bill. This Bill modernises the ICO’s governance structure, introduces a new framework with a principal objective and duties to provide strategic direction to its data protection activities. The Bill increases transparency and accountability to Parliament, businesses and the public; and supports the public with strengthened complaints procedures and enforcement powers. We hope it will soon be enacted.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-13 conversation_218

Chi Onwurah:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions (a) he has and (b) his officials have had with trade unions on the digitalisation of government. \p Feryal Clark: I recently met Prospect Union to discuss our plans for digitising government. My officials met with representatives from the Trade Union Congress (TUC) several times to discuss the Blueprint for Modern Digital Government, both before and after publication. Myself and my officials in DSIT continue to explore opportunities for trade union engagement on emerging technologies and public sector digital transformation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-13 conversation_219

Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Home Office on protecting (a) elderly and (b) vulnerable people against AI-generated scams in the form of deepfake content. \p Feryal Clark: DSIT regularly engages with Home Office on ongoing efforts to protect users from online harms, including AI-Generated scams. AI generated content is regulated by the Online Safety Act where it is shared on an in-scope service and constitutes either illegal content or content which is harmful to children.

In March this year the Act’s illegal harms duties came into force, with fraud captured as a priority offence. User-to-user services must take preventative measures to stop fraudulent content from appearing and swiftly remove it where it does. Search services must minimise fraudulent content from appearing in results. This includes AI generated deepfake scams.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-13 conversation_220

Ruth Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to support the (a) development and (b) deployment of artificial intelligence to accelerate the transition away from the use of animals in scientific research and testing. \p Feryal Clark: The Labour Manifesto commits to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”. While it is not yet possible to replace all animal use, we support the development and application of approaches that replace, reduce and refine animal use in research (the 3Rs), including via artificial intelligence. The Prime Minister launched the AI Opportunities Action Plan in January which outlined 50 actions needed to drive up the development and deployment of AI.

The Government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-13 conversation_221

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether the gov.uk One Login system’s certification with the register of digital verification services has been revoked. \p Feryal Clark: In April 2025, GOV.UK One Login’s Trust Framework certification was suspended due to a supply chain issue where one supplier allowed their certification to lapse. This suspension is not due to any change in One Login’s product, approach, or security. GOV.UK One Login is working to recertify as a priority.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-13 conversation_222

Chi Onwurah:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when he plans to complete the integration of the Government Gateway with the gov.uk one login system. \p Feryal Clark: Government Gateway is a separate, existing authentication and identity service for cross-government digital services and is managed by HMRC. There are no plans to integrate Government Gateway with GOV.UK One Login, but in time services that use Government Gateway will move over to using GOV.UK One Login instead.

GOV.UK One Login is the government’s sign-in and identity verification solution, enabling users to create an account, log in, and prove their identity to access government services. Our plan is to onboard all central government services during this Parliament, including those currently accessed through Government Gateway.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-13 conversation_223

John Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many permanent civil servants in his Department are staff without assigned posts; and how many are placed in an equivalent (a) people action team, (b) priority movers list, (c) redeployment register, (d) talent pool and (e) skills match hub in the most recent period for which data is available. \p Feryal Clark: At any point in time, there is likely to be a small number of individuals who have been displaced due to restructures within their business units or, for example, have returned from a loan from another department and their role no longer exists. The exact number changes on a day-to-day basis.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-13 conversation_224

Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to protect girls and young women from the impact of sexualised AI deepfakes. \p Feryal Clark: Sharing or threatening to share a deepfake intimate image without consent is illegal. Synthetically created content is regulated by the Online Safety Act where it is shared on an in-scope service and is illegal content or content harmful to children. Government is also legislating to ban the non-consensual creation of sexualised deepfakes in the Data (Use and Access) Bill.

Where a sexualised deepfake is of a child this is child sexual abuse material and is illegal, and Government has introduced an offence in the Crime and Policing Bill to criminalise AI models optimised to create this content.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-13 conversation_225

Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department conducted a Disability Impact Assessment of the Public Switched Telephone Network migration. \p Chris Bryant: The Department has not conducted a Disability Impact Assessment. The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) migration is an industry-led programme and does not result from a government decision.

The Government is committed to ensuring that any risks arising from the industry-led migration of the PSTN to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are mitigated for all customers across the UK. In November 2024, at Government’s behest, all major communication providers agreed additional safeguards to protect vulnerable customers, including for people living with disabilities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-13 conversation_226

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has funded Stratospheric Aerosol Injection in the last three years. \p Feryal Clark: The government has not funded any field-based Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI).

The Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) is an independent research body, and they are conducting cautious, controlled research aimed at improving understanding of the risks and impacts of Solar Radiation Modification (SRM). This will produce important information for decisions around the world.

ARIA’s programme includes laboratory-based research and some small-scale field trials to explore the fundamental science around SRM. This does not involve releasing materials into the stratosphere. All field trials will be subject to an environmental impact and legal assessment, which will be made publicly available before any outdoor experiment takes place. They will be limited in size, scale, and time-bound, so the effects dissipate within 24 hours or are fully reversible. ARIA are not funding experiments that release toxic materials to the environment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-13 conversation_227

Dan Norris:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions her Department plans to have with industry stakeholders on the development of a roadmap for phasing out the use of animals in scientific research. \p Feryal Clark: The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing” and the Government is drafting a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods.

The Government has been consulting industry, academia and civil society as this process unfolds. Minister Vallance hosted a roundtable on 05.09.24 with industry representatives and officials have kept in regular contact with industry since then.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-13 conversation_228

Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to improve the UK's cyber security. \p Feryal Clark: The cyber security of the UK is a priority for the government. This year we will introduce the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill to improve UK cyber defences and better secure our essential services and the IT infrastructure they rely upon. The government offers free guidance, tools and training to help businesses and organisations improve their cyber resilience. This includes a new Cyber Governance Code of Practice to help boards and directors manage digital risks, and the Cyber Essentials scheme which is highly effective in protecting businesses against cyber attacks. The PSTI Act, along with codes of practice on AI, software and apps, are helping protect organisations at scale by making technology secure by design. Later this year, the government will publish a new National Cyber Strategy setting out how we will approach the challenges and opportunities of cyber security.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-06-13)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-06-13 conversation_229

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to improve broadband connectivity in rural areas of Newton Abbot constituency. \p Chris Bryant: According to the independent website Thinkbroadband.com, over 98% of homes and businesses in the Newton Abbot constituency can access superfast broadband speeds (>=30 Mbps) and over 83% have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection (>1000 Mbps).

To improve coverage further, Openreach is delivering a Project Gigabit contract across parts of Devon and Somerset. Approximately 1,500 premises in the Newton Abbot constituency are currently in scope of this contract, the majority of which are in rural areas. The contract is targeted at bringing gigabit-capable broadband to homes and businesses that are unlikely to be otherwise reached by suppliers’ commercial rollout.