theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Steff Aquarone:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress his Department has made on ensuring publicly accessible registers of beneficial ownership in all overseas territories. \p Stephen Doughty: At the Joint Ministerial Council (JMC) in November 2024, all Overseas Territories committed to implementing registers with the maximum possible degree of access and transparency. The Falkland Islands and Saint Helena committed to join Montserrat and Gibraltar in implementing fully public registers by April 2025. The British Virgin Islands (BVI), Cayman, Bermuda, Anguilla and Turks & Caicos Islands agreed to implement registers of beneficial ownership, accessible to those with a legitimate interest, by June 2025.

UK Officials are working proactively with Overseas Territories officials to ensure their proposals meet the agreements made at the JMC. I have and will continue to raise this directly with elected leaders, including in my meeting with Premier Wheatley of BVI, in his own capacity, and as President of the United Kingdom Overseas Territories Association (UKOTA) last week.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to strength ties between the UK and (a) Canada, (b) New Zealand, (c) Australia and (d) other Commonwealth countries. \p Stephen Doughty: UK-Commonwealth relationships are built on shared values and strategic cooperation. UK accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) will deepen trade ties with Australia and boost prosperity, we remain committed to working together to address shared global challenges. As the Prime Minister said in the House of Commons, the UK and Canada are the closest of allies. We cooperate with New Zealand on security, growth, climate and development. Recently, the Foreign Secretary hosted Foreign Minister Peters for talks. We are working closely with members to implement CHOGM commitments, including bolstering human rights and democratic governance, tackling impacts of climate change, mobilising trade and investment.
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Sir Julian Lewis:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the willingness of the US administration to (a) consult with and (b) include in peace negotiations representatives of (i) the UK, (ii) France and (iii) other allied NATO member states. \p Stephen Doughty: We share the US administration's desire to bring this war to an end. As the Prime Minister has said, we warmly welcome the agreement reached between the US and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia on 11 March.

We are regularly engaging with the US, together with other international partners, to drive progress towards a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. The Foreign Secretary has been discussing this further with G7 partners at the Foreign Ministers' meeting.
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Damien Egan:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential economic impact of the UK’s commercial spaceflight programme on the South West of England. \p Chris Bryant: The South West of England is an important part of the UK's spaceflight ecosystem, being home to the UK's first licensed and operational spaceport, Spaceport Cornwall in Newquay. The establishment of the spaceport has been instrumental in catalysing the growth of the Cornwall Space Cluster, which has created high-skilled jobs and facilitated collaboration and innovation in the UK’s space ecosystem.
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Jon Trickett:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many staff his Department has seconded from Hakluyt since July 2024. \p Feryal Clark: Secondments are one way of bringing talent and experience into the civil service for short periods of time and has been used by successive governments. Secondments are arranged at a business unit level and data is held at Business Unit Level.

Since July 2024, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has had no secondees from Hakluyt.
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Jon Trickett:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many of his Department's officials have been seconded from (a) the Institute for Economic Affairs, (b) the Policy Exchange, (c) the Adam Smith Institute and (d) Labour Together since July 2024. \p Feryal Clark: Since July 2024, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has had no secondees from (a) the Institute for Economic Affairs, (b) the Policy Exchange, (c) the Adam Smith Institute, and (d) Labour Together.
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Damien Egan:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of progress toward the Ten Point Plan in the National Space Strategy. \p Chris Bryant: The Government outlined progress toward the Ten Point Plan in the National Space Strategy in Action - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-space-strategy-in-action/national-space-strategy-in-action.

In addition, a regular Monitoring and Insights workstream is underway, chaired by DSIT, with attendance from the UK Space Agency, the Department of Business and Trade, and the Ministry of Defence, to track progress of the delivery of the National Space Strategy.
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Mary Glindon:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he has made an assessment of the potential merits of rejoining the Galileo scheme. \p Feryal Clark: The Government is implementing the October 2023 Government Policy Framework for Greater Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Resilience, which will provide greater resilience for the PNT services that the UK relies upon in the event of any disruption to Global Navigation Satellite Systems such as GPS and Galileo. The UK public and businesses still have access to the Galileo Open Service, though the UK no longer participates in Galileo, and the UK armed forces have access to the US GPS secure service. The Government will consider participation in EU programmes on a case by case basis where participation would meet the UK’s interests.
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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what progress has been made on revising the Cabinet Siting and Pole Siting Code of Practice. \p Chris Bryant: Under the existing regulations telecommunications operators are responsible for the guidelines governing the deployment of above ground infrastructure. In response to my concerns about the installation of unnecessarily intrusive telecommunications infrastructure, the industry convened a working group to examine the existing Cabinet Siting and Pole Siting Code of Practice, and to issue new guidelines for the deployment of telegraph poles.

Whilst this work is entirely for industry to undertake, I understand that industry trade bodies expect to publish the guidelines this spring and urge them to do so as soon as possible.
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Jo Platt:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that visual artists and creators (a) nationally and (b) in Leigh and Atherton can access licensing deals with AI developers. \p Feryal Clark: The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024.

This consultation sought views on creating an effective rights reservation system. This would provide rights holders across the UK, including those in Leigh and Atherton, with the ability to prevent AI developers from using their copyright works in AI training, and/or negotiate licences for their use.

The consultation closed on 25 February. The Government’s priority now is to review all responses to the consultation, gathering the evidence to inform its next steps. The Government will continue to engage extensively before setting out proposals in due course.
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Jo Platt:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of technical solutions put forward by AI developers to allow individual rightsholders in the creative industries to effectively and efficiently opt-out their work from AI training, without placing additional burdens on rightsholders. \p Feryal Clark: The Government’s consultation on Copyright and AI closed on 25th February.

It sought views from both AI developers and rights holders on creating an effective rights reservation system. We will not move forward with any option until we are confident that it will be effective, proportionate, and accessible to both individual creators and larger rights holders.

The Government’s priority now is to review all responses to the consultation, gathering the evidence to inform its next steps. The Government will continue to engage extensively before setting out proposals in due course.
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Jas Athwal:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she has made any assessment of the potential merits of the free provision of period products in public buildings in England. \p Dame Nia Griffith: This Government's approach is to resolve the issue at the source by tackling the reasons women and girls are pushed into period poverty to start with. We are protecting women’s living standards, alongside the public services they rely on, so that no one has to go without life's essentials.

We are also continuing to make free period products available through several different avenues, including in schools and hospitals, to ensure that they are accessible to those most in need.
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Leigh Ingham:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Equality Act 2010 in tackling age discrimination in job applications. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Equality Act 2010 has strong protections that enable people to challenge age discrimination across a range of fields, including recruitment processes. Where age discrimination cannot be objectively justified and is unlawful, individuals can seek redress in the courts or, where relevant, at an employment tribunal.

We would encourage larger employers to monitor their recruitment processes, including job applications in the context of relevant protected characteristics, as a useful indicator of the strength of their compliance with the 2010 Act. More widely, the Government's £240 million Get Britain Working package will improve support for people who are economically inactive, unemployed, or want to develop their careers.
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Joe Morris:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to reduce discrimination against disabled people in rural communities. \p Sir Stephen Timms: It is crucial that we ensure everyone is treated fairly when accessing services, so that they can thrive and reach their full potential.

Under the Equality Act 2010, businesses that provide goods and services to the public are required not to discriminate against disabled people regardless of location. The Act also places an anticipatory duty on service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve access to premises/buildings and services so that disabled customers have the same access to goods and services and are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled customers including in rural areas. This duty is anticipatory, meaning that service providers are expected to foresee the requirements of disabled people and the reasonable adjustments that may have to be made for them. However, the Act recognises the need to strike a balance between the needs of disabled people and the interests of service providers. What is ‘reasonable’ will vary from one situation to another, depending on the circumstances of the case.

The Government is fully committed to the Equality Act 2010 and the protections it provides to people with disabilities across the country.
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Jas Athwal:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to help end discrimination against ethnic minority people. \p Seema Malhotra: This government is clear that someone’s race or ethnicity should never be a barrier to success. We are taking a number of steps across government to address race inequalities through our mission-based programme of reform and our Plan for Change.

As set out in the King’s Speech last July, we are committed to introducing mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for large employers. We have been discussing our proposals with trades unions, employers and their representative bodies and others and

have published today a consultation on our proposals.

These measures will be part of the draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill.
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David Chadwick:To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps she is taking to help ensure electricity bills do not increase in Wales, in the context of proposals for zonal energy pricing. \p Jo Stevens: No decision has been taken on Zonal or Reformed National pricing. The Government are currently conducting analysis to understand the impacts of zonal pricing on consumers, including those in Wales.

The Government will ultimately develop proposals that minimise costs and ensure a fair outcome for consumers, as part of our Plan for Change to lower bills and improve living standards.

The Government is working closely with the Welsh Government to understand how any potential review of electricity market arrangements (REMA) reforms could impact Welsh consumers and industry, and this will be taken into account as part of the final decision-making process.
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Sorcha Eastwood:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of progress made on the construction of Casement Park. \p Hilary Benn: I have met with the GAA to discuss the redevelopment of Casement Park and look forward to meeting with the Communities Minister, Gordon Lyons MLA. I will continue to engage with all involved in this Executive-led project, as all parties assess the options available.
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Sorcha Eastwood:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Minister for Communities on the construction of Casement Park. \p Hilary Benn: I have met with the GAA to discuss the redevelopment of Casement Park and look forward to meeting with the Communities Minister, Gordon Lyons MLA. I will continue to engage with all involved in this Executive-led project, as all parties assess the options available.
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Sorcha Eastwood:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he is taking steps to facilitate the construction of Casement Park. \p Hilary Benn: I have met with the GAA to discuss the redevelopment of Casement Park and look forward to meeting with the Communities Minister, Gordon Lyons MLA. I will continue to engage with all involved in this Executive-led project, as all parties assess the options available.
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Jon Trickett:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many of their Department's officials have been seconded from (a) the Institute for Economic Affairs, (b) the Policy Exchange, (c) the Adam Smith Institute and (d) Labour Together since July 2024. \p Hilary Benn: The Northern Ireland Office has not had any staff seconded from the Institute for Economic Affairs, the Policy Exchange, the Adam Smith Institute and Labour Together since July 2024.
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Alison Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the Windsor Framework on the economy of the west coast of Scotland. \p Hilary Benn: The UK internal market and trade between the UK’s four nations is worth around £129bn.

The Windsor Framework ensures Northern Ireland’s businesses have unfettered access to their most important market in Great Britain, including the west coast of Scotland, and the UK internal market system is helping to smooth the flow of trade from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
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Sorcha Eastwood:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, on what evidential basis he said that Northern Ireland courts had determined that the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery independence has adequate (a) powers and (b) independence to undertake human rights compliant investigations. \p Hilary Benn: The Court of Appeal recognised the structural independence and wide powers of the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR). The Court was clear that ICRIR has the capability to replicate investigations that were previously with the police and the Ombudsman, and to fulfil human rights obligations in those cases.

The Government has committed to introducing legislation to further strengthen ICRIR’s independence and powers, and to ensure that ICRIR can discharge the State’s ECHR obligations in all cases where that is required, including cases that would otherwise be inquests, and to restore inquests that were previously halted.
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Jim Allister:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper, CP1021, what the (a) budget and (b) number of staff is that has been allocated to the Independent Monitoring Committee for its first year of operations. \p Hilary Benn: The Windsor Framework Independent Monitoring Panel consists of independent experts who have been appointed in accordance with the Safeguarding the Union command paper.

The Panel will report to the UK Government bi-yearly and on the basis set out in the command paper. As part of this, I refer the Hon Gentleman to my Written Ministerial Statement (UIN HCWS463) of 24 February 2025.

Panellists are not employees of the UK Government and do not receive remuneration for this role. A Secretariat is provided by the UK Government to the Panel in accordance with paragraph 160 of the command paper.
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Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of Dundee University's plan to cut staffing by 20% on the Tay Cities Deal. \p Ian Murray: I am fully aware of the well documented financial situation with the University of Dundee and share concern that any job losses are regrettable, however the University is a key partner in the Tay Cities Region Deal and remains fully committed to delivering its objectives. Economic Growth is one of this Government’s key missions and I am absolutely committed to working alongside the Scottish Government to realise our shared ambitions for growth in Scotland. My officials will continue to collaborate with all of the Tay Cities Region Deal partners to ensure the maximum benefits for the region can be realised.
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Jon Trickett:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many staff their Department has seconded from Hakluyt since July 2024. \p Ian Murray: Secondments is one way of bringing talent and experience into the civil service for short periods of time and has been used by successive governments. Secondments are arranged at a business unit level and data is held at business unit level.

No officials in the Scotland Office have been seconded from Hakluyt since July 2024.
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John Lamont:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will have discussions with the Scottish Government on the potential merits of banning first-cousin marriage in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK. \p Ian Murray: Scotland Office Ministers and officials regularly engage with counterparts in the Scottish Government on issues that matter to the people of Scotland.

We are aware that all aspects of weddings, including first cousin marriage, are important issues. The Scottish Parliament has power to legislate in relation to marriages in Scotland.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, CP 1337, published on 23 June 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the commitment to unleash the economic potential of the life sciences cluster in Cambridge on Huntingdonshire. \p Kanishka Narayan: The Government is committed to working with local partners to unleash the economic potential of Cambridgeshire, helping to drive jobs and growth across the region, including Huntingdonshire. We have not specifically assessed the impact on Huntingdonshire, but through the Life Sciences Sector Plan and broader Industrial Strategy, we will continue to deliver for the region. This includes through investing in flagship infrastructure such as East West Rail, planning reform, and securing partnerships – such as the recent landmark BioNTech announcement, which will see a new R&D hub established in Cambridge as part of a £1 billion, 10-year UK investment programme, creating hundreds of highly skilled jobs in the region.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, CP 1337, published on 23 June 2025, what progress he has made on streamlining (a) regulation and (b) market access by supporting the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. \p Kanishka Narayan: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology offers support to all regulators through its Regulators’ Pioneer Fund, which is used for initiatives which improve the regulatory environment for innovation and investment. DSIT is contributing further to the development of the regulatory framework through its funding, alongside the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Innovate UK and the Medical Research Council, of the Centres of Excellence for Regulatory Science and Innovation. Finally, the Regulatory Innovation Office has been working with DHSC, MHRA and other regulators to address the regulatory barriers to the development and adoption of AI and digital in healthcare.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to attract US cancer research scientists to UK institutions. \p Kanishka Narayan: The Immigration White Paper and Modern Industrial Strategy emphasised the importance of enabling high-skilled international researchers to come to the UK with ease, and committed to improvements to key visa routes, including the Global Talent Visa.

The £54 million Global Talent Fund will attract around 60-80 leading researchers across Industrial Strategy sectors including Life Sciences to UK institutions. The Fund includes targeted visa and relocation cost support, and complements existing funding and talent schemes from UKRI, the National Academies and NIHR.

The new Global Talent Taskforce will promote UK strengths and opportunities to exceptional talent, including international Life Sciences talent.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has made an assessment of the potential economic impact of attracting American research scientists in (a) cancer and (b) Alzheimer's on UK research. \p Kanishka Narayan: The Immigration White Paper and Modern Industrial Strategy emphasised the importance of enabling high-skilled international researchers to come to the UK with ease, and committed to improvements to key visa routes, including the Global Talent Visa.

The £54 million Global Talent Fund will attract around 60-80 leading researchers across Industrial Strategy sectors including Life Sciences to UK institutions. The Fund includes targeted visa and relocation cost support, and complements existing funding and talent schemes from UKRI, the National Academies and NIHR.

The new Global Talent Taskforce will promote UK strengths and opportunities to exceptional talent, including international Life Sciences talent.
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Harpreet Uppal:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that regions where cancer outcomes are poorer receive an adequate share of national cancer (a) research investment and (b) clinical trial opportunities. \p Kanishka Narayan: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology invests in cancer research via UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and the Department of Health and Social Care via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). UKRI is committed to ensuring research investment is accessible across the UK. NIHR is committed to ensuring the research they support is representative of the populations they serve, with national coverage across the whole of England. The Department of Health and Social Care has increased funding for research infrastructure schemes delivering cancer research outside the Greater South-East.
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Terry Jermy:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many people with disabilities were employed in his Department on 2 September 2025. \p Kanishka Narayan: Information on the number of people declaring a disability by each government department are published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics 2025, an accredited official statistics publication. Latest published data are as at 31 March 2025 and can be found at Table 29 of the statistical tables at the following web address:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2025

Information for 31 March 2026 is due for publication in July 2026.
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Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, which postcodes are in scope in the Hampshire CityFibre contract in East Hampshire constituency. \p Ian Murray: As part of Project Gigabit, CityFibre is delivering a contract to bring gigabit-capable broadband to thousands of rural and hard-to-reach premises across Hampshire. In the East Hampshire constituency, approximately 5,100 premises are currently included in this contract.

Information on premises in the Hon. Member’s constituency included in the contract's initial scope can be found in the attached spreadsheet. This data is based on the January 2025 Open Market Review (OMR) process.

Premises in East Hampshire Constituency in scope (xlsx, 136.8KB)
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Catherine Fookes:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has made an assessment of the River Severn Partnership and Streetwave's Mobile Coverage Survey. \p Ian Murray: The River Severn Partnership commissioned the survey in support of its wider activities and projects as a Department for Science, Innovation and Technology funded 5G Innovation Region.

The regulator, Ofcom, is responsible for measuring and reporting on network coverage. Ofcom’s improved consumer facing coverage checker, ‘Map Your Mobile’, went live on 26 June showing coverage data that should be more in line with people’s lived experience. More granular data, including at a local authority level, will be published as part of the Connected Nations 2025 report, expected later this year.

I am committed to continuing to work with Ofcom to improve the accuracy of reporting of mobile coverage across the UK. This remains a priority as set out in the proposed Statement of Strategic Priorities for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum, and postal services.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many days were lost to sickness absence by civil servants in their Department (a) in total and (b) on average per employee between 5 July 2024 and 4 July 2025. \p Kanishka Narayan: Sickness absence data for the Civil Service, including departmental breakdowns is published annually, and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence.

The next update will be for the year ending 31st March 2025.
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Andy MacNae:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to ensure (a) the adoption of data standards and (b) funding for data infrastructure across Government departments. \p Kanishka Narayan: The Data Standards Authority within the Government Digital Service is responsible for setting data standards for adoption across government. Data standards that are approved by the Data Standards Authority are included in the Technology Code of Practice and Service Standard which must be followed by an organisation’s digital and technology assurance board.

Throughout the recent spending review, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) supported HM Treasury decision-making by providing expert advice on digital data and technology submissions. At the spending review, it was outlined how funding had been prioritised for digital programmes in the following areas: digital public infrastructure, for the public and for government, and modernised public services by harnessing the power of AI. The government has provided funding to build strong digital and technology foundations, such as improvements to digital public infrastructure, which data infrastructure is a core component of. This includes the creation of a new National Data Library to join up data across the public sector. DSIT and HMT will be monitoring the delivery of key funded programmes through the oversight of the Digital Inter-Ministerial Group, as well as through wider GDS performance, assurance and spend controls mechanisms.
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UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_11

Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will commission research involving (a) young people, (b) parents and (c) carers on mobile phone use outside school hours. \p Kanishka Narayan: The department is developing the evidence base around children’s online safety, including smartphone use, to continually inform our policy response.

As part of this, DSIT commissioned a feasibility study into research on the impact of smartphones and social media on children. This six-month study considered methods to gather causal evidence of any impact and a review of existing research. It was led by expert researchers from UK universities. We will publish the feasibility study report in due course.

We are considering next steps based on the study’s findings. They will inform any future research involving young people, parents and carers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_12

Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle young people's (a) mobile phone use and (b) online safety beyond the school environment. \p Kanishka Narayan: Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must protect all users, including children, from illegal content and criminal behaviour online.

The child safety duties, which have been in force since July, require platforms to prevent children from encountering the most harmful legal content, including pornography and content that encourages, promotes or provides instructions for suicide, self-harm and eating disorders. Platforms must also protect children from other types of harmful content.

These laws are the foundation, and the government will continue to build on the Act to ensure that children are protected online.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_13

Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to his Department's press release entitled New mapping tool launched to help bring healthy food to those who need it most, published on 8 July 2025, who will run the state-subsidised eateries in (a) Dundee and (b) Nottingham; and if he will publish the project (a) specification and (b) plan for the DISHED: co-designing innovative infrastructure for sustainable healthy and equitable diets’ piloting public restaurants scheme. \p Kanishka Narayan: UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has funded six projects under its “Health inequalities in the food system” programme, announced on 8 July 2025. These projects aim to understand the causes of dietary health inequalities and explore interventions for equitable, healthy consumption. ‘DISHED: co-designing innovative infrastructure for sustainable healthy and equitable diets’ is a funded project within this programme, which will examine different models of public restaurants in Dundee and Nottingham to assess their feasibility in current UK contexts. The project is led by an academic principal investigator. Full grant details will be published on the UKRI Gateway to Research website in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_14

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, CP 1337, published on 23 June 2025, what proportion of funding for preclinical infrastructure linked to translational research networks will be allocated to (a) developing non-animal methods of testing and (b) phasing out animal testing. \p Kanishka Narayan: The Government is committed to supporting non-animal alternatives and will publish a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption. The majority of the £30 million for preclinical infrastructure linked to translational research networks announced in the Industrial Strategy is expected to support alternative methods, however exact allocations are yet to be completed and will be announced in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_15

Patricia Ferguson:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether organisations providing online health advice are required to age verify users. \p Kanishka Narayan: The Online Safety Act applies to services which allow users to post content online or interact with each other. This includes a broad range of websites, apps and other services.

In-scope services must use highly effective age assurance to prevent children from accessing the most harmful types of content, such as content promoting suicide. They must also provide age-appropriate protections from other kinds of harmful content.

Providers do not need to take this action for content which is beneficial to children.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_16

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, CP 1337, published on 23 June 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of prioritising frontier life sciences industries in pharmaceuticals on (a) developing non-animal methods of testing and (b) phasing out animal testing. \p Kanishka Narayan: The Government is committed to supporting non-animal alternatives and will publish a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption.

Frontier life science companies are pioneering innovative drug development, including via human-specific targets that require human-based models in their discovery and testing, and alternative technologies that can be used to support this, such as AI and machine learning. Supporting these industries will help advance alternative methods and contribute to the reduction of animal testing, in alignment with the forthcoming government strategy on alternatives.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_17

Liam Conlon:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Online Safety Act 2023 for reducing children’s exposure to harmful online content. \p Kanishka Narayan: Since the child safety duties came into force in July, the way children experience the internet has fundamentally changed. Services are now required to protect children from both illegal and legal but nonetheless harmful content and provide age-appropriate experiences for them.

Ofcom has robust enforcement powers for platforms failing to fulfil these duties and is already exercising these powers.

Over 6000 services have implemented highly effective age assurance to prevent children from seeing the most harmful types of content; improving protections for millions of children online.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_18

Jo Platt:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will hold discussions with the Secretary of State fo Health and Social Care on the potential merits of funding a research hub to (a) coordinate research and (b) support early-career researchers working on ME and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. \p Kanishka Narayan: UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) work closely together to coordinate research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). Extensive support is provided to early-career researchers through the NIHR Academy and NIHR Infrastructure.

ME/CFS is a priority area for UKRI’s Medical Research Council (MRC) and it has committed over £4,460,000 to ME/CFS research since 2020. NIHR has also committed approximately £3.7 million to this area across the 2019/20-2023/24 financial years.

MRC recently awarded funding to PRIME, a £800,000 partnership to build new research infrastructure for ME/CFS research. PRIME will establish new research collaborations, bringing together researchers and private sector partners, to investigate the genetics, biomarkers and disease mechanisms of ME/CFS.
wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_19
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_19

Liam Conlon:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential role of new technologies in reducing the use of animals in scientific research. \p Kanishka Narayan: The Government is committed to the development of alternatives to using animals in science and will publish a strategy to support their adoption. UK Research and Innovation supports new technologies and approaches that replace animal use in research, including organ-on-a-chip, functional genomics and computer modelling. The impact of individual technical advancements is a matter for individual regulators to consider. The Government’s strategy on this will facilitate the inclusion and adoption of alternative methods in these regulatory contexts.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_20

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if his Department has conducted an analysis of how many websites showing pornographic content have complied with the age verification requirement as set out in the Online Safety Act 2023. \p Kanishka Narayan: Ofcom, the designated Online Safety Regulator under the Online Safety Act 2023, has stated that 6,000 sites allowing pornography and other adult content will start using "highly effective" tools to verify or estimate whether users were over or under the age of 18.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_21

Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what are the key differences between the National Security Online Information Team and its predecessor, the Counter-Disinformation Unit. \p Kanishka Narayan: The Counter Disinformation Unit became the National Security Online Information Team (NSOIT) in October 2023. The name more accurately reflects the team’s revised remit and function, which is to identify and understand information threats to UK audiences, focusing on those which present a public safety or national security risk.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_22

Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what is the proposed timetable for the Post Implementation Review of the Online Safety Act. \p Kanishka Narayan: The Secretary of State is required under section 178 of the Online Safety Act to review the regulatory framework between two and five years after the last of the provisions of Part 3 come into force. Part 3 of the Act includes key duties for regulated services, including the additional duties for categorised services which are not yet in force. These timelines ensure the review takes place once the regime is fully operational and its impact can be properly assessed. Additional monitoring and evaluation work is already underway to ensure we have robust evidence on the Act’s effectiveness and impact.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_23

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of engineering biology as a domain of strategic competition on the economy. \p Kanishka Narayan: The Modern Industrial Strategy is founded on supporting high-growth sectors across the UK’s strengths. As part of developing the Digital and Technologies Sector Plan Government assessed a range of technologies to assess those of highest growth to be included as frontier technologies. Engineering biology was selected as a frontier technology as part of this assessment process, backed by £380 million of investment in the Sector Plan.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-12)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-09-12 conversation_24

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of quantum computing as a domain of strategic competition on the economy. \p Kanishka Narayan: Quantum computing has the potential to revolutionise our economy, transforming our ability to drive growth and productivity in key industrial sectors, such as through the acceleration of drug discovery, or optimisation of global supply chains.

Oxford Economics estimate that, by 2045, quantum computing could support up to £11bn in UK GDP as well as up to 126,000 jobs across the economy.

The Government is investing £670m to drive development and adoption of quantum computers in the UK, including 10 year backing for the National Quantum Computing Centre.