theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Gareth Snell:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of (a) tableware and (b) crockery used in (i) his Department, (ii) Courts and Tribunals and (iii) the Prison estate is made by a British manufacturer. \p Jake Richards: All tableware (including plates, bowls, cups and cutlery) used in HM Prisons are made from polypropylene and polycarbonate plastics for safety reasons. They are manufactured in house in our plastics injection moulding workshops. The items form part of the equipment issued to prisoners for their personal use and are washed and reused by the individual after each meal.

It is important to note that despite being made of plastic they are multi-use and are washed and reused time and time again. Each of the items are 100% recyclable.

The Government is committed to supporting British businesses and ensuring they have the best chance to win public contracts.  The new Procurement Act creates a simpler and more transparent system that will support British businesses bidding for work. The Act also allows contracting authorities to set standards that recognise the quality and standard of UK businesses and products.  Alongside this, the National Procurement Policy Statement encourages contracting authorities to consider this Government’s Industrial strategy and the sectors vital to our economic growth.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what measures his Department has in place to continue to run critical services in the event of a major internet outage. \p Jake Richards: The Government has a robust set of policies in place to ensure there are well-defined and tested incident management processes, and to ensure continuity of essential functions in the event of system or service failure. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will publish the Government Cyber Action Plan this Winter, which will set out a clear approach for the Government and the Wider Public Sector to manage cyber security and resilience incidents.
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Jess Brown-Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it her policy to seek an agreement with the US Government on measures to minimise delays in UK probate cases where the deceased held assets in the US. \p Alex Davies-Jones: Applications for probate for the estate of an individual who died domiciled in England and Wales will normally be dealt with by reference to domestic laws.

Where an estate involves foreign assets, the onus is on personal representatives to assess which laws would apply in an individual case, and whether probate would be required in other jurisdictions to administer a cross-border estate.

Where it is necessary, private international law rules may need to be exercised to determine which law of succession should apply to the assets applies. These rules are well established and there are no plans to seek an international agreement with individual states.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help increase participation in the Duke of Edinburgh award. \p Stephanie Peacock: I met with the Duke of Edinburgh’s (DofE) Award in November 2024 and have visited the DofE Award in June 2025. DCMS is providing £1.5 million of funding in FY 25/26 to support Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision schools to offer the Duke of Edinburgh’s (DofE) Award. DCMS is also assisting the Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) in forging strategic alliances with the National Governing Bodies of Sport. This includes securing funded sectional activity placements specifically for marginalised young people.

This Government fully recognises the importance of youth services to help young people live safe and healthy lives, and we are committed to giving all young people the chance to reach their full potential. We are co-producing a new National Youth Strategy to set out a new long-term vision for young people and an action plan for delivering this. The National Youth Strategy will be published later this year. The detail and scale of future funding commitments will be announced with the Strategy.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to require large-scale commercial prize draws to return a statutory minimum percentage of proceeds to charitable causes. \p Ian Murray: This Government recognises that prize draws are a significant and growing market, and we want to ensure that people who participate in prize draws are confident that proportionate protections are in place.

Independent research was commissioned in 2023, which provided the Government with firm insights into the prize draws sector. This led to the announcement earlier this year of the intention to introduce a Voluntary Code for prize draw operators.

DCMS officials are currently working closely with the sector to develop this code, with the work underpinned by the independent research. The Code will provide a uniform approach across the sector to strengthen player protections, increase transparency and improve accountability. This approach will enable the Government to take swift action collectively within the sector. The success of this Code will dictate whether the Government decides that greater regulation may be required.
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Mr Louie French:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what governance mechanisms her Department plans to introduce to ensure that the Levy Board for the statutory levy on gambling is able to operate (a) independently, (b) transparently and (c) on the basis of evidence-based commissioning. \p Ian Murray: The Gambling Levy Programme Board has been established as the central oversight mechanism for establishment and oversight of the levy to ensure that funding is being spent appropriately and efficiently, and that the system is delivering on its objectives. The Programme Board is chaired by DCMS Director of Sport and Gambling, and its membership consists of government officials from relevant departments across government, and the Scottish and Welsh governments. The Board's membership is currently limited to government officials as its focus is on the operational aspects of the levy system to ensure a smooth transition to and successful implementation of the new system.

We have also established the Gambling Levy Advisory Group. It is chaired by a DCMS official and membership consists of working level representation from UK Research and Innovation, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, NHS England, the appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales, and the Gambling Commission. The Advisory Group brings together the research, prevention and treatment strands of the levy at a working level, facilitating appropriate integration and collaboration between commissioning leads. Funding decisions will be taken by the appropriate bodies, with scrutiny provided by relevant governance structures.

We will continue to regularly monitor the levy’s governance arrangements to ensure that there is effective oversight of delivery against objectives. We will publish the Terms of Reference for the Levy Board and Advisory Group in due course.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the introduction of Local Visitor Economy Partnerships on tourism levels in (a) England and (b) Lancashire. \p Stephanie Peacock: Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEPs) work collaboratively at local, regional and national levels on shared priorities and targets to support and grow the visitor economy.

Each LVEP sets out how they measure their agreed activities in their annual growth plan. DCMS and VisitEngland continue to monitor the impact of LVEPs by collaborating with them on their identified growth priorities and sharing best practice.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when her Department plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Newton Abbot of 21 August 2025 with case reference MW09328. \p Ian Murray: A response was sent on 15 October 2025. I apologise for the delay.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the press release entitled New youth guarantee for eligible young people and funding for libraries in all primary schools, published on 29 September 2025, whether the funding for new school libraries will include (a) staffing costs, (b) books and (c) technology. \p Stephanie Peacock: As funding for this initiative will come from the Dormant Assets Scheme over which the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has responsibility, your question has been transferred to my Department.

It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian.

Funding for this programme will come from the £132.5 million that was allocated to increasing disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment opportunities in the arts, culture, sports and wider youth services, aimed at improving wellbeing and employability.

The Government will work with The National Lottery Community Fund to co-design the programme and will announce further details in due course, including definitions, eligibility and funding.
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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her planned timeline is for the introduction of a mandatory short term let registration scheme. \p Stephanie Peacock: Parliament legislated for a registration scheme for short-term lets in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023. A pilot will launch later this year with the scheme launching in 2026.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what criteria her Department used to select the delivery areas for the Know Your Neighbourhood Fund; and how often the list of delivery areas is reviewed. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Know Your Neighbourhood (KYN) Fund was launched in January 2023 as an up to £30 million package of funding designed to widen participation in volunteering and tackle loneliness in 27 disadvantaged areas across England. In April 2025, the KYN Fund was extended until March 2026, with an additional up to £4.5m of government funding.

The list of 27 areas eligible for KYN funding was identified using the English Index of Multiple Deprivation and the Community Needs Index. To ensure a balanced distribution between area types, the nine highest-need local authorities were selected from each of the three categories: large urban areas, medium urban areas, and rural and small urban areas. Further information on the selection methodology is publicly available on gov.uk under Annex A of the application guidance for the ‘KYN Fund Intermediary Grant Maker Competition’.

The Department does not review the list of KYN Fund delivery areas at specific intervals. This is because organisations within the delivery areas were eligible for funding until the original Fund end date (31 March 2025). In April 2025, the Fund was extended until March 2026, specifically making available uplifts to existing grant awards to organisations in the original 27 eligible delivery areas that had previously received KYN funding between 2022 and 2025.

We recognise that we are unable to reach every area in need of support with a fund of this size. A key objective of the Fund, therefore, is learning about what works in these areas. An evaluation of the Fund will therefore be published in due course.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 76809 on Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Public Bodies, how many appointments have been made to each of the respective Boards of her Department's public bodies since July 2024. \p Ian Murray: Since 10 July 2024, 121 regulated appointments and reappointments have been made to the Boards of the Department for Culture, Media & Sport’s public bodies. This data only includes regulated appointments made to relevant boards as listed in the Public Appointments Order in Council 2019.

Board Name

Number

Board Name

Number

Advisory Council on National Records and Archives

8

National Citizenship Service

2

Arts Council England

4

Royal Armouries

1

British Museum

12

Royal Museums Greenwich

3

British Tourist Authority

4

S4C

6

Charity Commission

4

Sport England

4

Departmental Non-Executive Directors

2

Sports Ground Safety Authority

1

Historic England

3

Tate

7

Historic Royal Palaces

3

The National Archives

3

Horniman Museum and Gardens

3

The National Lottery Community Fund

4

Horserace Betting Levy Board

1

The Royal Parks

3

Imperial War Museum

4

Theatres Trust

4

Independent Football Regulator

3

Treasure Valuation Committee

5

Museum of the Home

4

UK Anti-Doping

3

National Gallery

4

UK Sport

2

National Museums Liverpool

1

Victoria & Albert Museum

7

National Portrait Gallery

1

Visit England Advisory Board

3

Natural History Museum

2
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Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the cost to her Department of climate -related extreme weather since 1 January 2020. \p Ian Murray: The government’s third UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA3), published in 2021 under the UK Climate Change Act 2008, includes a Monetary Valuation of Risks and Opportunities  assessment of the current and future costs of climate change to the UK, including in relation to cultural heritage, where the estimated costs are currently unknown.

The Third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) sets out the actions that government and arm’s length bodies will take to adapt the country to the impacts of climate change from 2023 to 2028, including risks to cultural heritage (H11) which represents DCMS sectors. For estimating future costs of extreme weather, decisions on key government spending are subject to clear requirements through the Green Book. This includes supplementary guidance which covers the impacts of climate change, i.e. accounting for the effects of climate change. This ensures that policies, programmes and projects are resilient to the effects and future costs of climate change, and that such effects are being taken fully into account when appraising policy options.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 September 2025 to Question 73844 on Social media, how much her Department has spent on promotion through social media influencers by influencer since July 2024. \p Ian Murray: The Department works with content creators who are vital trusted voices to help us reach hard-to-reach audiences with government campaign messaging. For example, earlier this year, the Department worked with four social media influencers to promote the National Youth Strategy's survey for young people. We are however unable to provide a cost breakdown on influencers specifically due to commercial sensitivities which could prejudice commercial interests. All spend in these areas are subject to the standard value for money assessments.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to respond to the letter of 14 July 2025 from the hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton on publication of councillors’ home addresses. \p Alison McGovern: A response was sent to the hon. Member on 27 October 2025.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to encourage economic growth in market towns in North Shropshire constituency. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Economic growth and raising living standards is the number one mission of this government. Everywhere has an important role to play in driving growth and this government recognises the contribution that market towns, such as those in North Shropshire, make to the national economy and their surrounding communities.

Subject to consultation, we will fundamentally improve the way we fund local authorities, providing greater long-term certainty through the first multi-year Local Government Finance Settlement in 10 years, from 2026-27. This will enable local government to focus on its priorities, including driving growth.

With core funding provided by DBT and delivered in partnership with local government, the Marches Growth Hub provides local businesses across Shropshire with access to advice and support for any stage of their business journey and is part of a network of 41 Growth Hubs across England. We continue to work across government to support high streets, often the focal point of market towns, and we look forward to working with local partners to support continued momentum on economic development.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of levels of suitability of housing for older people on levels of hospital admissions among those people. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to Question UIN 53184 on 27 May 2025 and UIN 74681 on 12 September 2025.
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Bradley Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many meetings (a) he and (b) the former Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government have had with housebuilders who complete more than 500 units per year since 5 July 2024. \p Matthew Pennycook: Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on gov.uk here.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people with refugee status are resident in (a) council and (b) social housing by local authority. \p Matthew Pennycook: My Department does not hold information on people claiming council or social housing who were formally granted refugee status and/or settlement.

Our social housing lettings in England statistical series, which can be found on gov.uk here, includes information on new social lettings only, based on the tenant’s self-reported main reason for leaving their last settled home. It shows that 2.0% of all new social housing lettings in 2023/24 were to households who self-reported as refugees (4,100 households).

Care should be taken when considering figures for new social lettings to refugees. The data is based on specific definitions and there may be overlaps and households missing from the statistics presented above.
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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which Minister in his Department is the designated Planning Minister for the called-in Chinese Embassy planning application. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 62966 on 7 July 2025.
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Andrew Lewin:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many (a) homes have been purchased through the council homes acquisition programme and (b) former homes bought under right to buy have been purchased back by local authorities since 2023. \p Matthew Pennycook: Data on the number of homes purchased specifically through the council homes acquisition programme and on the number of homes sold under right to buy subsequently purchased back by local authorities, is not collected centrally.

The number of all acquisitions by councils can be found in the Affordable Housing Supply open data, which can be found on gov.uk here.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department records the (a) nationality and (b) immigration status of tenants who purchase their homes under the Right to Buy scheme; and how many Right to Buy sales have been made by non-British nationals in each of the last five years. \p Matthew Pennycook: My Department does not record the nationality or immigration status of tenants who have purchased their homes under the Right to Buy scheme, nor how many Right to Buy sales have been made to non-British nationals.

Eligibility for social housing is already tightly controlled. If a person’s visa means that they cannot access state benefits or local authority housing assistance, they are not eligible for an allocation of social housing. Migrants arriving in the UK on student or work visas are not eligible and nor are those who arrive in the country illegally with no leave to remain.

On 2 July, the government announced further reforms to the Right to Buy, including increasing the length of time someone needs to have been a public sector tenant to qualify for Right to Buy from 3 to 10 years. Further detail can be found in the Written Ministerial Statement made on that day (HCWS771).
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Sammy Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of biodiversity net gain requirements on the delivery of new towns; and how the outcome of that assessment will inform planning reforms. \p Matthew Pennycook: On 28 September 2025, the government published the independent New Towns Taskforce report as well as its initial response to that report. Both can be found on gov.uk here.

As set out in the initial government response, we warmly welcome all 12 of the locations it has recommend. Prima facie, each has the clear potential to deliver on the government’s objectives, with Tempsford, Crews Hill and Leeds South Bank looking particularly promising as sites that might make significant contributions to unlocking economic growth and accelerating housing delivery.

On 28 September 2025, we commenced a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) to understand the environmental implications of new towns development. This will support final decisions on precisely which locations we take forward. No final decisions on locations will be made until that SEA concludes and preferred locations could change as a result of the process.

Ministers and officials will now begin work with local partners to develop detailed proposals and enhance our understanding of how different locations might meet the government’s expectations of what a future New Towns Programme can deliver, with all promising sites and reasonable alternatives assessed and considered through the SEA process. Appropriate assessment under the Habitats Regulations will also be undertaken when required.

Development within new towns would be subject to Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) subject to the normal exemptions in place at the time of development.

On 28 May 2025, the government published the Planning Reform Working Paper: Reforming Site Thresholds which can be found on gov.uk here. We are currently considering the responses received and will set out next steps in due course.

On the same day, the government published a consultation on improving the implementation of biodiversity net gain for minor, medium and brownfield development which can be found on gov.uk here. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is considering the responses received.
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Martin Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of support available to fire and rescue services who attend callouts to attempted suicides. \p Samantha Dixon: The health and wellbeing of firefighters is of the utmost importance. The Government recognises the risks that firefighters face and is grateful to them for their bravery.

As the employer of fire and rescue service personnel, Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs) are ultimately responsible for the health and wellbeing of firefighters. The government-issued National Framework directs that all FRAs should have a people strategy which sets out the mental and physical health and wellbeing support available to firefighters.

The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) supports good mental health in fire and rescue services as one aspect of its Health and Wellbeing Framework. They are currently consulting on a suicide prevention tool kit for the fire and rescue service workforce, supported through the NFCC grant provided by Government.

National organisations such as the Fire Fighters Charity and Mind also offer valuable support to individuals and services. Their resources can assist FRAs in developing local approaches to managing mental health risks and promoting the wellbeing of their workforce.

The health and wellbeing support provided by Fire and Rescue Services is considered by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services in the course of their inspections.
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Dr Ellie Chowns:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to implement the Future Homes Standard. \p Samantha Dixon: The Government understands the urgency of introducing new energy efficiency standards so as many homes as possible are highly efficient and use low-carbon heating.

We are committed to implementing the Future Homes Standard in the coming months, and are taking the time to set the technical requirements at a level which is ambitious and keeps us on track to achieve our net zero ambitions, while also being achievable across all sites.
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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has had discussions with local authorities on running election pilots in the May 2026 local elections. \p Samantha Dixon: The Government committed in its manifesto to encourage greater participation in democracy. To support this, the Government is exploring ways to make voting in person more efficient, more convenient, and better aligned with the expectations of today’s electors.

Local authorities were invited to submit applications to pilot a range of flexible voting methods at the May 2026 elections in England, and these are being considered for approval.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what measures his Department has in place to run critical services in the event of a major internet outage. \p Samantha Dixon: Providing critical services in the event of a major internet outage requires that the department has suitable technology solutions in place, that services are well designed and governed, recovery requirements are assessed and they are aligned with business continuity plans.

The department has tested plans in place to keep the department functioning in response to the most serious risks facing the UK, including those that could come about as a result of a significant loss of power, like a major internet outage. As part of wider resilience planning in government, MHCLG works with local partners on resilient communication methods which support contact in the event of a power or internet outage.
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Neil Coyle:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many applications have waited longer than the 12-week timeframe that the Building Safety Regulator says it will take to complete its process in the last 12 months. \p Samantha Dixon: The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has reported that 930 Gateway 2 applications decided in the last 12 months (between 24 October 2024 and 23 October 2025) took longer than 12 weeks to reach a decision.

The BSR is already making operational and policy changes to speed up decision making, particularly on building control approval, including through the introduction of an Innovation Unit and batching process. Early signs are positive with all applications in the Innovation Unit so far on track to exceed or meet the 12-week SLA target.
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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish the representations made to the Special Development Order planning inquiry for the Entertainment Resort Complex in Bedford. \p Matthew Pennycook: On 3 July 2025, my Department published a document titled ‘Request for planning permission: Entertainment Resort Complex, Bedford: Environmental Impact Assessment Handling, Publicity and Consultation Arrangements’.

I refer the Rt Hon. Member to this document which sets out how the Department intends to conduct publication, notification and consultation in considering a request for planning permission for an Entertainment Resort Complex and associated development in Bedford. It includes how the public will be informed of the final decision.
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Catherine McKinnell:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of legislation governing the livestreaming of violent content. \p Kanishka Narayan: The Online Safety Act (OSA) requires services to safeguard children and reduce the risk that they are used to facilitate illegal activity. Ofcom, the regulator, sets out the steps in its codes of practice that providers can take to fulfil these duties. It has issued the first versions of the codes and is updating these iteratively. Ofcom has recently consulted on additional measures for livestreaming. The Act establishes that the Secretary of State must review the functioning of the Act within 2-5 years of the regime taking effect.
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Catherine McKinnell:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of Ofcom’s delivery of its statutory duties on media literacy. \p Kanishka Narayan: The government supports Ofcom’s three-year Media Literacy Strategy as a solid foundation for delivering its updated media literacy duties. The Strategy sets out a credible programme focused on strengthening the evidence base, engaging platforms to improve user support and design, and commissioning targeted interventions. We welcome its emphasis on harmful online activity affecting women and girls, and its commitment to supporting teachers through continuing professional development.

Ofcom is required to publish annual progress reports against its strategy.

The government works closely with Ofcom to ensure it has the powers and resources needed to fulfil its duties effectively.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assistance the Innovate UK Business Growth Delivery Programme offers to small businesses in Northern Ireland. \p Kanishka Narayan: Innovate UK Business Growth supports innovation-driven businesses with high growth potential to reach scale in Northern Ireland - where it has supported 424 businesses to date - and across the UK by connecting a locally based innovation and growth specialist to act as a coach for suitable companies. By offering bespoke, sustained 1:1 support, Innovate UK Business Growth helps companies make faster progress towards their objectives as a business, and provides advice and access to the resources that can help them to grow and scale.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_207

James MacCleary:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure full mobile phone signal in (a) Upper Dicker and (b) other rural areas in Lewes constituency. \p Kanishka Narayan: In Ofcom’s Connected Nations Spring Update, published on 8 May 2025, it is reported that 4G is available across 93% of rural areas in the Lewes constituency from all four mobile network operators (MNOs), while 5G is available outside 74% of rural premises in the constituency from at least one operator.

Our ambition is for all populated areas, including rural areas, to have access to higher quality standalone 5G by 2030. Government continues to work closely with the MNOs, ensuring that we have the right policy and regulatory framework in place to support investment into mobile networks and competition in the market. This includes removing barriers to deployment where they exist.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_208

Gareth Snell:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what proportion of (a) tableware and (b) crockery used in his Department is made by a British manufacturer. \p Ian Murray: Tableware and crockery are not provided within the Department.

The Government is committed to supporting British businesses and ensuring they have the best chance to win public contracts.

The new Procurement Act creates a simpler and more transparent system that will support British businesses bidding for work.

The Act also allows contracting authorities to set standards that recognise the quality and standard of UK businesses and products.

Alongside this, the National Procurement Policy Statement encourages contracting authorities to consider this government’s Industrial strategy and the sectors vital to our economic growth.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_209

Gideon Amos:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that all premises previously covered by the cancelled Airband Community Internet Ltd contract, are included in an extended Openreach contract under Project Gigabit; and whether Building Digital UK will publish a connection schedule for those premises before the end of 2025. \p Kanishka Narayan: Last year, Airband took the decision to descope approximately 28,000 premises from its Superfast contracts with Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS), some of which are now expected to be connected via the commercial markets.

The remaining descoped premises were made available for other suppliers to submit voucher project proposals under the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme. A number of projects have been approved and are already in build, with more projects currently under review.

The remaining premises are being considered for inclusion in the Project Gigabit contract with Openreach. We currently expect to finalise the amended scope of the Openreach contract in early 2026. Building Digital UK (BDUK) will continue to publish data highlighting premises included in its plans and will work closely with the supplier to ensure updates are shared with local communities as the Project Gigabit contract progresses.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_210

Ruth Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the proposed roadmap for the phasing out animal testing for chemicals being developed by the European Commission. \p Kanishka Narayan: The Government is committed to supporting alternatives to animals in science and will publish a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption later this year. We have reviewed the European Commission's (EC) Life Sciences Strategy and engaged with the European Medicines Agency on accelerating the science-led adoption of alternatives for a range of uses of animals in science, including chemicals, medicines and cosmetics. Government officials regularly attend international meetings to collaborate on best practice and consider approaches to reducing reliance on animal testing, including attending European Commission workshops on the EC roadmap to phasing out animal testing for chemicals.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_211

Jayne Kirkham:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Physical Infrastructure Access fees on the rollout of high speed broadband in rural areas. \p Kanishka Narayan: As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector, including on the Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product.

For this reason, while we are engaging with Ofcom on this issue, the Department has not made any formal assessment of the impact of PIA fees on the roll-out of high-speed broadband in rural areas.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_212

Jayne Kirkham:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to support the rollout of high speed broadband in rural areas. \p Kanishka Narayan: Project Gigabit is the government’s programme to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans. Our goal is for nationwide gigabit coverage by 2032, ensuring at least 99% of UK premises can access a gigabit-capable connection.

More than £2.4 billion of Project Gigabit contracts have already been signed to connect over one million more premises with gigabit-capable broadband. These premises fall predominantly in rural areas.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_213

Jayne Kirkham:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many and what proportion of premises have access to gigabit-capable broadband in Cornwall. \p Kanishka Narayan: According to the independent website, Thinkbroadband.com, over 71% of premises in Cornwall currently have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_214

Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of mandating pre-deployment testing of advanced (a) AI and (b) superintelligence models on levels of risk to the public. \p Kanishka Narayan: The AI Security Institute (AISI) evaluates models both pre and post deployment in voluntary collaboration with leading AI developers.

Since being established in November 2023, AISI has tested over 30 models from leading AI companies. AISI’s findings show that over the past 18 months there has been a clear upward trend in AI system capabilities, which we expect to continue. We are committed to ensuring the UK is prepared for the changes AI will bring.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_215

Rachel Gilmour:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the planned switchover from landlines to digital technologies by January 2027 on rural households without broadband. \p Kanishka Narayan: The Government is committed to ensuring any risks arising from the industry-led migration of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are mitigated for all customers. No formal assessment has been made of the impact of the PSTN migration on rural households without broadband. In order to function correctly, VoIP requires a minimum connection speed of just 0.5Mbps, meaning that a broadband connection will not be required.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_216

Catherine McKinnell:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the press notice entitled New online safety priorities for Ofcom and launch of study into effects of social media on children, published on 20 November 2024, what progress has been made on research into the impact of social media use on children. \p Kanishka Narayan: The department is developing the evidence base around children’s online safety, including social media 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 reviewed 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 (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_217

Catherine McKinnell:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on media literacy. \p Kanishka Narayan: Ministers have regular meetings with Cabinet colleagues on a wide range of issues, including media literacy. The government is committed to a coordinated, cross-government approach to media literacy policy and delivery.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_218

Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children in the early adopter scheme free breakfast clubs are eligible for free school meals. \p Olivia Bailey: From the start of summer term 2025, we have funded 750 schools to deliver a free breakfast club as part of our early adopter scheme. All reception to year 6 pupils at these schools are able to access the free clubs.

Early adopter schools were selected based on a range of characteristics so that the department can test and learn with as many different types of schools as possible. The early adopter schools have an average Free School Meals eligibility rate of around 30%.

So far, we have delivered over 2.6 million breakfasts and offered places to almost 180,000 pupils across the country, including nearly 79,000 pupils in disadvantaged areas.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-28)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-28 conversation_219

Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the use of educational technology on student preparedness for paper-based examinations in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Olivia Bailey: The department is committed to ensuring students are well prepared for all forms of assessment, including paper-based examinations. While constituency-specific data for Surrey Heath is not held, the department continues to assess the impact of educational technology (EdTech) nationally. Evidence from the Education Endowment Foundation and the Technology in Schools Survey shows that digital tools can accelerate learning and improve attainment when used effectively. However, EdTech is intended to complement, not replace, traditional teaching, especially where paper-based exams remain standard.

The department works closely with Ofqual to ensure technology use does not compromise the fairness or validity of assessments.