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1719003

registered interest
date	17/05/2024
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Mobile Broadband
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to support mobile phone owners whose device is not 4G compatible when the 3G signal is switched off.
tabling member constituency	North Shropshire
tabling member printed	Helen Morgan
uin	26930
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2024 answer text <p>The government welcomes legacy networks being switched off in a responsible way, as this will free up spectrum for 4G and 5G networks and beyond. Ofcom has published details of how it expects the mobile network operators to conduct the switch off in line with their regulatory obligations. These expectations include providing customers with a minimum of three to six months’ notice of any steps they need to take as a result of their provider switching off their 3G networks; communicating in a clear and timely way, using a range of communication channels to raise customer awareness of the proposed changes; and providing additional support to vulnerable customers.</p><p> </p><p>The mobile network operators have set out advice to their customers on 3G switch off plans on each of their websites.</p><p> </p><p>We will continue to monitor the MNOs’ progress in switching off their 3G networks.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 22/05/2024 09:06:42 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4934 label Biography information for Helen Morgan

1719092

registered interest
date	17/05/2024
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Online Safety Act 2023: Data Protection
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking with Ofcom to ensure that its guidance on age (a) verification and (b) assurance under the Online Safety Act 2023 reflects data privacy considerations.
tabling member constituency	Romford
tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
uin	26857
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2024 answer text <p>The Online Safety Act 2023 includes strong safeguards for user privacy. The Act includes principles that Ofcom must have regard to when recommending the use of age assurance technologies for compliance with duties in the Act. Privacy has been represented in these principles, which outline that considerations relating to privacy, as set out in the Data Protection Act 2018, apply to all uses of age assurance technologies used to comply with duties in the Act.</p><p> </p><p>Ofcom is consulting on its codes of practice and guidance, with the child safety codes of practice currently out for consultation.</p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Saqib Bhatti question first answered 23/05/2024 16:13:33 answering member 4818 label Biography information for Saqib Bhatti
tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1719100

registered interest
date	17/05/2024
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Broadband: Social Tariffs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Answer of 10 July 2023 to Question 192484 on Broadband: Social Tariffs, if he will make an estimate of the number and proportion of eligible people who were both (a) aware of and (b) took up a mobile phone social tariff in the last six months.
tabling member constituency	East Londonderry
tabling member printed	Mr Gregory Campbell
uin	26854
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2024 answer text <p>Ofcom has a statutory duty to monitor the affordability of telecoms services, and releases regular reports regarding public awareness and take-up of broadband and mobile social tariffs.</p><p> </p><p>In December 2023, as part of its Pricing Trends Report, Ofcom stated that awareness of social tariffs amongst eligible households was 45% (or around 2 million households). The report also estimated 380,000 UK households were taking-up social tariff, this represents around 8.3% of those eligible. Ofcom does not differentiate between mobile or broadband for these purposes.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to work closely with Ofcom and the telecoms industry to explore ways to improve awareness of social tariffs amongst eligible households.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 22/05/2024 09:08:55 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	1409 label Biography information for Mr Gregory Campbell

1718767

registered interest
date	16/05/2024
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Digital Technology: Disadvantaged
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle digital exclusion.
tabling member constituency	Putney
tabling member printed	Fleur Anderson
uin	26777
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2024 answer text <p>The Government has been clear that no one should be left behind in the digital age. Digital inclusion is a cross-cutting issue that spans education, employment, access to services and more. The Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy chairs the cross-Whitehall Ministerial group for digital inclusion, which aims to drive progress and accountability across Government.</p><p>In DSIT, we are taking steps to ensure support for some of the most urgent priorities such as investing £5 billion through Project Gigabit to bring gigabit-capable broadband to hard-to-reach communities or working with the telecoms industry to ensure provision of social tariffs.</p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Saqib Bhatti question first answered 23/05/2024 14:10:43 answering member 4818 label Biography information for Saqib Bhatti
tabling member	4788 label Biography information for Fleur Anderson

1718791

registered interest
date	16/05/2024
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Animal Experiments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the use of animal testing in scientific research.
tabling member constituency	Southport
tabling member printed	Damien Moore
uin	26728
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2024 answer text <p>On Monday 19th February, I announced that the government will be publishing a plan to accelerate the development, validation, and uptake of technologies and methods to reduce reliance on the use of animals in science. This summer, this will be led by a cross-government group that will consult stakeholders in industry, academia, and charities.</p> answering member constituency Arundel and South Downs answering member printed Andrew Griffith question first answered 23/05/2024 09:52:21 answering member 4874 label Biography information for Andrew Griffith
tabling member	4669 label Biography information for Damien Moore

1718958

registered interest
date	16/05/2024
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Mobile Phones: Rural Areas
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to assess the service provided by Vodafone and other mobile operators in remote areas to ensure that they are complying with their operating licences.
tabling member printed	Lord Pearson of Rannoch
uin	HL4739
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2024 answer text <p>The coverage outcomes that the mobile network operators committed to as part of the Shared Rural Network and that were then added to their spectrum licences are overseen by Ofcom, with regular reporting throughout the life of the programme to ensure agreed obligations and targets are met. Compliance with these obligations will be assessed by Ofcom at the end of June 2024, by when each operator has committed to have reached 88% geographic coverage of the UK, and 2027 when each operator has committed to have reached at least 90% geographic coverage of the UK. Progress towards these outcomes is published in the regular Ofcom Connected Nations reports.</p> answering member printed Viscount Camrose question first answered 23/05/2024 10:23:54 answering member 4939 label Biography information for Viscount Camrose
tabling member	3153 label Biography information for Lord Pearson of Rannoch

1718971

registered interest
date	16/05/2024
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Artificial Intelligence: Recruitment
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) attract, and (2) retain, top AI professionals in the UK.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL4752
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2024 answer text <p>Government is committed to ensuring there is a sustainable pipeline of skills workers. Since 2018 we have invested £290 million in AI skills and talent initiatives. This includes the funding of AI and Data Science Conversion Courses scholarships for underrepresented groups.</p><p>The AI Futures programme helps attract top early to mid-career AI talent from around the world to the UK, including through a grants scheme which supports universities and SMEs to meet relocation costs of exceptional AI researchers and engineers.</p><p>We also help UK tech companies access world-class talent through the Global Talent Visa and the Scaleup Worker Visa.</p> answering member printed Viscount Camrose question first answered 23/05/2024 12:21:53 answering member 4939 label Biography information for Viscount Camrose
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1718303

registered interest
date	15/05/2024
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Disability
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps their Department is taking to support the Disability Confident scheme; how many officials in their Department work directly on supporting that scheme; what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of that work in supporting the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of disabled people in their Department; and what further steps they are taking to support their Department’s recruitment and retention of disabled people.
tabling member constituency	Romsey and Southampton North
tabling member printed	Caroline Nokes
uin	26434
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2024 answer text <p>The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is a committed Disability Confident employer and takes several steps to support this initiative. Not one single individual works solely on this area of work, with the remit spread across individuals within HR (including Recruitment, Health, Safety and Wellbeing, Talent, and Culture and Inclusion), as well as line managers and staff networks.</p><p> </p><p>All recruiting managers are provided with information on applying the Disability Confident scheme during recruitment, and our dedicated recruitment team ensures compliance with Civil Service Recruitment Principles and centrally approved schemes like Disability Confident. We regularly monitor data to ensure the scheme's effective application and measure its impact. Prospective candidates are informed about reasonable adjustments available during the recruitment process, in line with our legal obligations, to ensure fairness and inclusivity.</p><p> </p><p>DSIT achieved Disability Confident Leader (DCL) (Level 3) status in February 2024, validated by an independent organisation, and our efforts include making workplace adjustments, providing disability awareness training, and encouraging open discussions about disabilities. The effectiveness of our efforts is assessed through continuous monitoring and feedback, inclusive recruitment practices, and engagement with the Voluntary Reporting Framework. We will look to review the effectiveness of our efforts periodically following the achievement of DCL status.</p><p> </p><p>Future steps involve enhancing policies and practices based on best practices and stakeholder feedback and strengthening our engagement with the Voluntary Reporting Framework to better monitor and report on disability inclusion, mental health, and wellbeing.</p> answering member constituency Arundel and South Downs answering member printed Andrew Griffith question first answered 23/05/2024 10:59:18 answering member 4874 label Biography information for Andrew Griffith
tabling member	4048 label Biography information for Caroline Nokes

1718307

registered interest
date	15/05/2024
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Life Sciences Council
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 14 May 2024 to Question 25493 on Life Sciences Council, for what reason the Life Sciences Council meeting of May 2024 was rescheduled; how long had the meeting been in place prior to rescheduling; and how much notice was given to the meeting participants of its rescheduling.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	26454
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2024 answer text <p>The May 2024 meeting of the Life Sciences Council (LSC) was rescheduled due to Ministerial diary pressures and has now been confirmed for June 2024.</p><p> </p><p>The May meeting was confirmed three months prior to the meeting date. Five weeks’ notice was given to meeting participants of its rescheduling.</p> answering member constituency Arundel and South Downs answering member printed Andrew Griffith question first answered 20/05/2024 08:20:07 answering member 4874 label Biography information for Andrew Griffith
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1717826

registered interest
date	14/05/2024
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Defence: Research
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the press notice entitled PM announces turning point in European security as UK set to increase defence spending to 2.5% by 2030, published on 23 April 2024, whether the 5% of the defence budget to be committed to research and development will be counted as science spend; and which Department will be responsible for that expenditure.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	26155
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2024 answer text <p>The Government is delivering a record £20 billion public investment in R&amp;D this year, which will increase to £22 billion by the end of the next Parliament. £1.6 billion of this £2 billion increase will be allocated to higher defence R&amp;D by 2028-29. The Ministry of Defence will be responsible for this expenditure and further details will be confirmed at the next Spending Review.</p> answering member constituency Arundel and South Downs answering member printed Andrew Griffith question first answered 17/05/2024 11:41:22 answering member 4874 label Biography information for Andrew Griffith
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah