Science, Innovation and Technology

The Secretary of State was asked—

1. What steps her Department is taking with universities to develop its research and development policies.

Our world leading universities and the research that they do are crucial to economic growth. On average, every £1 of public research and development investment generates £8 in economic benefits for the UK over the longer term. That is why this Government are investing £86 billion over the spending review period—the largest ever investment in R&D made by any Government—to support our best and brightest researchers, boost jobs and growth, and back the long term success of the UK.

I thank the Secretary of State for her answer. The UK’s universities do indeed produce world class research, but I would suggest that we are still missing too many opportunities in commercialisation. The Government’s proof of concept fund is really quite inadequate—from the figures, it is 30 times oversubscribed—and equity and intellectual property arrangements are laborious and deter both investors and entrepreneurs. Will the Secretary of State commit to expanding that proof of concept funding and reforming those barriers that hold back university spin outs?

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right to say that we do not lack in great ideas or great start ups in this country. We need to support them better to scale up, and that is what the Government are doing across a range of sectors. The hon. Gentleman can look at the actions we are taking on UK pension schemes, to get them to invest more in UK companies, and in the Treasury and across the board. I am sure there is more we can do, but it is absolutely at the top of our agenda.

The Business and Trade Committee recently visited the remarkable new Cavendish laboratory in Cambridge, and the key issue that came up was the balance between research funding going to post doctorates and to PhD students. It is a complicated, niche issue, but would the Minister arrange for me, UK Research and Innovation and the appropriate people to meet, to try to resolve this long running issue?

I absolutely will arrange for my hon. Friend to meet the relevant Minister and UKRI to make sure we get this right, because we have to do more to back our world leading researchers and then turn that research into innovation and future growth. That is the first part of the journey, and we want to—and will—get it right.

2. What progress her Department has made on reaching its target for full gigabit coverage by 2030.

According to independent analysis, more than 89% of UK premises can access a gigabit capable connection. We have recently reconfirmed our commitment to achieving nationwide gigabit coverage and expect 99% of premises to have access to a gigabit capable connection by 2032. In the period up to 31 March 2025, more than 1.2 million premises in hard to reach communities across the UK have been upgraded to gigabit capable broadband through Government funded programmes.

I thank the Minister for that answer, but it was the Conservative Government who brought forward Project Gigabit in order to ensure that everyone had access to a decent level of internet access, and some of my constituents continue to write to me saying that they do not have access in their areas. The Minister referred to 2032, but I think the previous commitment was for 2030; can he confirm what the target date is, whether for 99% or higher?

The date is 2032: the Government are committed to ensuring 99% gigabit coverage by 2032. We have just rolled out 30 new Project Gigabit contracts across England, connecting 850,000 homes. The Government are fully committed to delivering this, and 2032 is the target.

My constituents regularly tell me how frustrating it is to try to take work video calls from home: they get the circle of doom. I know they are not exaggerating, because it happens to me too, especially when my kids are at home. Can the Minister update my constituents and me on Project Gigabit’s progress and plans for better broadband in rural areas?

We all fear that circle of doom when we are on the internet, whether we are watching videos or doing anything else. Indeed, that is why the Government are committed to ensuring that everyone has that connectivity by 2032. Project Gigabit has just signed 30 new contracts for the hardest to reach rural areas, to ensure that everyone is able to enjoy gigabit connectivity across the country, and the reliability and robustness of the system are key parts of that.

Increased gigabit coverage means more people accessing essential services online and an increasing need for cyber security measures and a strong, open UK market for cloud services. Following recent outages, what assessment has the Minister made of the risk to Government digital services due to their refusal to diversify supply away from US big tech and instead support UK small and medium sized enterprises?

This Government are fully committed to digitising the whole of Government, and I believe that the hon. Gentleman should share in that particular project. Project Gigabit, of course, is about getting citizens connected right across the country. We are fully committed to meeting the 99% target by 2032, but it is not just about broadband connectivity. It is also about mobile network coverage, and we are committed to making sure that that happens as well. The resilience of the system, including Government systems, is a key part of that project.

3. When she expects all rural communities to have a reliable mobile signal.

12. What steps she is taking to improve mobile coverage in rural areas.

This Government believe that all communities must have the reliable mobile coverage that they need, whether it is for staying in touch with loved ones or for accessing healthcare online. We continue to work closely with the mobile network operators to remove barriers and support investment, and that will ensure that people benefit from high quality, resilient mobile connectivity right across the United Kingdom.

I am grateful to the Minister for his answer, but villages in my constituency—less than 50 miles from where we all are now—such as Cuddington and Bryants Bottom still have zero mobile coverage. I have raised this issue with the Minister’s predecessor and all the networks. When are we going to get to a point where warm words about rural connectivity turn into actual rural connectivity?

The shared rural network has already delivered for 95% of the UK’s land mass a year early, and we are fully committed to making sure that 4G is available to all our populations. If the hon. Gentleman wishes to write to me, I would be very happy to meet him about the specific notspots in his constituency.

In Suffolk Coastal, about three quarters of households have indoor service for voice calls, compared with the national average of over 90%. Across Woodbridge, Bawdsey and the peninsula, so many households rely on network coverage, but they have zero service. Will the Minister meet me to discuss this important issue, which affects not just my constituency but rural constituencies as a whole?

Many Members raise with me the particular issue of notspots in their constituencies, as well as where connectivity is not as good as we would like it to be. I would be very happy to offer a meeting to my hon. Friend.

4. What steps she is taking to keep people safe online.

This Government are committed to keeping people safe online. For the first time, platforms now have a legal duty to ensure that they are protecting users from illegal content and, in particular, safeguarding children from harmful content, but we have gone further still. Within weeks this team have made self harm and cyber flashing, and now strangulation, extreme violence and pornography, priority offences. We will go further still by backing Ofcom to make sure that enforcement is robust too.

I thank the Minister for his answer, but the reality is that chatbots are prompting young people to commit suicide and to self harm. What action can the Minister take to make sure that these chatbots are taken down and do not give this sort of advice?

I thank the hon. Member for raising these cases, which are very much in our minds. Each one is a deep tragedy. We have looked very carefully at this issue. Some chatbots, including live search and user to user engagement, are in scope of the Online Safety Act 2023, and we want to ensure that enforcement against them, where relevant, is robust. The Secretary of State has commissioned work to make sure that, if there are any gaps in the legislation, they will be looked at fully and robust action will be taken too.

I call the Chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee.

The Minister says that the Government are looking deeply into this issue, but as part of my Committee’s inquiry into misinformation and algorithms, we heard conflicting evidence from Ministers and Ofcom as to whether generative artificial intelligence is covered by the Online Safety Act. The Government have refused to implement our call for legislation to bring generative AI under the same categorisation as other high risk services. Under what circumstances is chatbot advice covered by the Online Safety Act, and will there be enforcement?

I thank my hon. Friend, both for the point she makes and for her ongoing insight and expertise on these questions. Let me be very clear about the current scope: chatbots that involve live search and user to user engagement are in scope of the Online Safety Act, as I mentioned. We are continuing to review its scope, and the Secretary of State has commissioned work. We will report its findings to the House.

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

I would like to join hon. Members in really pushing on questions about AI chatbots. Their human like, assertive nature is filling a gap and many people, including children, are entrusting chatbots with medical opinions, legal advice and emotional support, with fatal consequences and without clear accountability. I know that this has been touched on, but it is really important. Ofcom explicitly includes only user to user or search, so one to one, which is actually where there are some of the most acute harms, is not covered. Will the Minister commit to working with Ofcom on classification, so we can ensure the responsible use of this technology and protect children from the unregulated harms of the growing dependence on chatbots?

Let me be very clear: of course we will. We have already both engaged with Ofcom and commissioned further work on this question, and we will report on that at the earliest opportunity.

5. What recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the life sciences sector on economic growth.

The UK life sciences sector is one of our greatest national assets in not only saving lives, but driving jobs, growth and innovation. The sector has been projected to grow by £41 billion across the UK by 2030, employing an extra 100,000 people. Our life sciences sector plan will help us seize this potential and secure our ambition to be Europe’s leading life sciences economy by 2030 and the third most important globally by 2035.

In Llanelli, we are eagerly watching the Swansea Bay city deal funded Pentre Awel complex nearing completion, where it is planned that life sciences will be a central focus in partnership with universities such as Cardiff, Swansea and Trinity Saint David. What assurances can the Secretary of State give me that life sciences will be a top investment priority for this Government and help us to create the good, high quality jobs that we want in the area?

My hon. Friend has my absolute assurance that backing our brilliant life sciences sector, universities and companies is a top priority for this Government. Alongside our support for the Swansea Bay city deal, which, as she says, includes life sciences and wellbeing, we have a £520 million life sciences innovative manufacturing fund, which is currently open for bids across all four nations. I know that she will be championing her brilliant businesses for part of that support.

The patent box and full capital expensing are Conservative policies introduced to back the life sciences sector, and they are absolutely vital to the country’s future long term prosperity. Will the Secretary of State commit to protecting these policies at the Budget from a Chancellor desperate to fix the public finances with short term cuts and fixes?

I absolutely support all measures that back innovation, and despite what the hon. Gentleman says, I know that the Chancellor wants to do that too. It is the innovators, entrepreneurs and businesses that create jobs and growth in this country, and we are determined to do even more, particularly in these crucial sectors for the future.

I welcome the Government’s new strategy on replacing animals in science, which was published yesterday. Will the Secretary of State commit to enshrining the targets in the strategy in law, so that industry, campaigners and the wider public have the certainty they need that this Government will move as fast as possible to end unnecessary animal testing?

I am very proud of the fact that we have published the strategy, delivering on one of our crucial manifesto commitments. My hon. Friend can rest assured that patience is not one of my greatest virtues, and I want to see it implemented and delivered as quickly as possible.

I am chair of the all party parliamentary group on life sciences, so I know only too well that the industry, which has hitherto been a jewel in our crown, has been struggling to justify further such investment in our economy. Could I press the Secretary of State further on her answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Havant (Alan Mak), and ask her to reassure the House that she has put in a specific, ambitious and vigorous proposal to the Treasury in advance of the Budget to recognise that the life sciences industry is taking more risks than other kinds of investors?

Patience may not be my middle name, but I consider that—hopefully—specific, ambitious and vigorous are part of my character. There is no route to future growth in this country without science and technology, particularly with life sciences at the core, and I and the Minister for Science in the other place, Lord Vallance, are straining every sinew. There are challenges in our life sciences sector, but we are determined to back those world leading companies, for British patients and for the British economy.

6. What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the effectiveness of the Online Safety Act 2023 in tackling drug dealing on social media.

Let me assure the hon. Member that we are taking tough action against drug dealing, both offline and online. There is now a strong new duty under the Online Safety Act to prevent illegal activity, including drug dealing. Ofcom has a duty to enforce that. We will continue to make sure it has the full backing to do so.

Drug dealing is absolutely rampant on social media. The Minister might be aware of the campaign I lead, together with the University of Bath, against spice spiked vapes in school and the terrible harm they are causing. We are increasingly frustrated that Ofcom does not use its power under the Online Safety Act to hold social media companies to account. Will the Minister meet me to discuss the problem with Ofcom, so that it ensures that young people in particular are kept safe online?

The hon. Member’s campaign has been noticed and I would be very happy to meet her to discuss how we can work together to ensure that enforcement is robust on this question.

Sadly, the glamorisation on TV of drug taking is not a new phenomenon, but I particularly worry about the nature of the internet and social media, and about the short clips that people watch in which the true consequences of drug taking and drug culture are not really shown properly. What can the Minister do to use the internet and social media for good, and show young people in my constituency the dangers of drug taking and drug culture?

My hon. Friend is a master of short clips in the Chamber, so I will take both his skill and his sincerity on this question to heart and work with him to ensure we robustly enforce the duties already placed on Ofcom under the Online Safety Act.

7. What steps her Department is taking to ensure the equitable regional distribution of funding by UK Research and Innovation.

A British technological revolution is going to ensure that working people see good jobs and local prosperity wherever they live and wherever they call home, right across the country. A record £86 billion in research and development investment will spread that opportunity to every region, from Birmingham to Belfast. With UKRI’s £500 million local innovation partnerships fund, we will ensure that local leaders turn ideas into the industries of the future.

The £54 million UKRI global talent fund, which was designed to attract and retain international research talent, has excluded all northern universities from its funding. UKRI waived eligibility criteria to ensure that the devolved nations received some of the funding. Meanwhile, Lancaster University, a huge driver in the economic growth of Lancashire and the north west which reached the highest eligibility criteria, received none. Will the Minister commit to the Northern Powerhouse Partnership’s recommendation for greater transparency in the data and methodology used in UKRI assessments, and for an institution’s size and its role within a region’s economy to be taken into account when making future decisions on UKRI funding?

Let me assure my hon. Friend that the Government are committed to ensuring that every region benefits from the UK’s world leading research base. That is exactly why we are backing Lancaster University with £4.9 million for its cyber focus project to ensure that the region’s cyber sector grows. With my hon. Friend’s expertise in digital innovation and her strong advocacy for the north west, we will continue to ensure that R&D funding for the north west is on the up.

The Minister will know that Harper Adams University is a world leading research institution. He will also be aware of the university’s agritech research centre. May I invite him, on behalf of the vice chancellor, to visit the university to look at the excellent work on robotics, AI and sustainable farming, in particular eco farming and increasing productivity in a way that is sustainable?

That is a very easy yes, combining my interest in agriculture and technology. I will take the right hon. Member up on his offer.

T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.

The Government are determined to seize the opportunities that new technology brings, but to do that we must protect our children online and protect our critical national infrastructure from technological threats, too. That is why, today, we are tabling an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill, so that we can crack down on the use of AI to depict child abuse, and why we are introducing our new cyber security and resilience Bill to modernise the law and keep vital services safe.

On 20 October, a phone mast serving thousands of people in Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd was removed without warning, cutting O₂, Vodafone and Three coverage. Residents were told that they would be disconnected until April. It was only through the intervention of Baroness Lloyd and I that a temporary fix was found—after three weeks. Given the essential role of mobile services in our communities, this removal impacted businesses, GPs, safeguarding and many more areas. Our mobile phones have become a utility and they are regulated—

Order. These are topical questions. You have finished.

Mobile services are essential to communities, and it is not good enough that the mast in my hon. Friend’s constituency was decommissioned without warning. Prompt action by my Department ensured that services were restored by 7 November, and Virgin Media O2 and VodafoneThree have assured us that customers will be compensated. I am sure that my hon. Friend will continue to champion his constituents’ needs.

I call the shadow Secretary of State.

It is very tempting to ask the Secretary of State whether she is on Team Wes or Team Keir, but from the sounds of it today, she is on Team 4% Kendall. I will ask instead about one of the Prime Minister’s most cynical bloopers: mandatory digital ID. The Prime Minister says that mandatory digital ID will curb illegal migration. By how much will it do so by the end of this Parliament?

I am proudly on Team UK, as are the other Members on the Government Benches. That is why we are focused on creating jobs and growth in every part of the country, backing Britain’s best researchers and innovators, and modernising our public services using the power of tech, AI and digital ID. These are the British public’s priorities; it is a pity that Opposition Members are not focused on them.

Team UK, not Team Keir—I understand. The whole mandatory ID scheme hangs on the promise to curb illegal migration, but the Secretary of State can provide no numbers on that—not a percentage or even a range. Labour has already made employing Brits harder and more expensive, and now people will not be able to get a job if they resist a mandatory digital identity that will not stop the boats. Did the Prime Minister take this project away from the Secretary of State because he has no faith in her, or because she cannot bear to repeat his guff?

Digital ID will modernise the state and public services to better meet people’s needs, fit services around them and help to tackle illegal immigration, which is what the British public want and need to see. It is right that the Cabinet Office and my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister are leading this vital cross Government programme. When it is implemented and when services are fitted around people—[Interruption.] The hon. Lady is chuntering from a sedentary position, Mr Speaker, but it is precisely in order to modernise the state that we are doing this. Unless she is focused on the future, the hon. Lady’s party will remain stuck in the past.

T2.   The University of Nottingham announced last week that it is closing 16 courses as part of cost saving measures due to limited research income making these courses less financially viable. What steps is the Secretary of State taking to ensure that her huge research and development budget gets to frontline institutions and universities that are at the heart of our vision for growing the economy?

I am happy to look into what my hon. Friend says in more detail. He knows that our post-16 education and skills White Paper sets out our vision and plan for universities, including record investment from my Department into research and development, and protecting the strategic priorities grant for science, technology, engineering and maths subjects. There is more that we can do, and I am happy to discuss it with him further.

T5. Starting Point in Woodley is a social enterprise that works to tackle digital exclusion. It tells me that the lack of access to a device is a barrier for too many of my constituents. What plans do the Government have to enable the refurbishment of Government and civil service devices to make it easier for my constituents to get online?

The hon. Lady raises an important question about digital inclusion, which is right at the heart of the Government’s strategy. We just heard from the Opposition that they are against digital ID and digitalising this country—[Interruption.] I knew my answer would be popular, Mr Speaker. I am very happy to meet the hon. Lady to talk about that specific project in her constituency.

T3. The Information Commissioner’s Office faces constant criticism for weak freedom of information enforcement and sluggish decisions. Why must Britain lag behind countries like Sweden and Norway, where citizens routinely access information in under a week, and how can MPs meaningfully hold the commissioner to account?

The ICO is operationally independent of Government and is accountable to this Parliament. The Information Commissioner can appear in front of Select Committees to discuss the ICO’s performance, and I would encourage my hon. Friend’s Select Committee to pursue that.