Department for Science, Innovation & Technology

This government has consistently supported the build out of AI infrastructure through supporting the growth of the data centre sector. Last year we designated data centres as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), underscoring their strategic importance.

Shortly after the election, we reformed the National Planning Policy Framework to reference data centres and secondary legislation is underway to enable data centre developers to seek planning consent through the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) regime in England. We are also reforming the National Grid connections process, making it easier for datacentres to secure a timely grid connection.

This Government has created AI Growth Zones - dedicated hubs designed to fast-track AI infrastructure development, support planning approvals, and unlock energy access. So far, this government has announced two of these zones, one in Culham in Oxfordshire and the other in the North East.

The Government, through UK Research and Innovation’s Medical Research Council (MRC), supports a broad range of biomedical research, including in reproductive health, developmental biology and genetics. MRC’s applicant-led funding opportunities are open to proposals within its remit. MRC also funds large-scale, challenge-led transformative research through its Institutes and Centres of Research Excellence. All research is subject to appropriate ethical review.

The International Science Partnership Fund currently operates in:

United States of America, Japan, Canada, India, South Korea, Switzerland, Australia, Germany, Israel, Taiwan, China, Ireland, France, Netherlands, New Zealand, Denmark, and Latvia (non-ODA)

South Africa, Kenya, Malaysia, Thailand, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Philippines, Vietnam, Turkey, and Ghana (ODA)

Information on spend in Japan is not provided under the exemptions in the Ministerial Code that cover information that is not currently held and where there would be a disproportionate cost to gaining it.

The Government is committed to ensuring the security and resilience of the UK’s telecommunications infrastructure. The Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021 introduced a robust security framework requiring public telecoms providers to identify, reduce and prepare for security and resilience risks.

The Government does not comment on discussions around the security of specific sites.

The Government recognises the important role these centres play in engaging the public with science and inspiring young people. As set out in the answer of 29 October 2025 to Question 84033, Minister Vallance has followed up with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to explore a coordinated approach to supporting these centres. I refer my honourable friend to that answer for further detail.

The 2017 changes to the Electronic Communications Code, which included changes to the valuation regime, were intended to support network deployment and facilitate infrastructure sharing. Following engagement with stakeholders about the impact of the 2017 reforms, government consulted on further changes to the Code, included in the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022.

A specific assessment of the impact that the 2017 reforms have had on small family businesses has not been carried out. The 2022 Act – which includes provisions that will, when commenced, extend the 2017 valuation regime to additional cases - received Parliamentary scrutiny and was subject to a published De Minimis Impact Assessment.

Given the commercial – and often sensitive – nature of most Code agreements, meaningful data on rents would be difficult to collect and assess. In addition, rent is only part of operators’ expenditure, any such data therefore could not be causally related with profits and consumer price changes.

The 2017 changes to the Electronic Communications Code, which included changes to the valuation regime, were intended to support network deployment and facilitate infrastructure sharing. Following engagement with stakeholders about the impact of the 2017 reforms, government consulted on further changes to the Code, included in the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022.

A specific assessment of the impact that the 2017 reforms have had on small family businesses has not been carried out. The 2022 Act – which includes provisions that will, when commenced, extend the 2017 valuation regime to additional cases - received Parliamentary scrutiny and was subject to a published De Minimis Impact Assessment.

Given the commercial – and often sensitive – nature of most Code agreements, meaningful data on rents would be difficult to collect and assess. In addition, rent is only part of operators’ expenditure, any such data therefore could not be causally related with profits and consumer price changes.

As the UK's independent regulator for data protection, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is responsible for monitoring compliance with the UK's data protection legislation and investigating complaints regarding breaches of the legislation. The ICO is investigating a data breach following a report by Discord.

The ICO provides guidance for the public on data protection on its website. Anyone concerned about the impact of the breach could also contact the ICO for further advice, by telephone on 0303 123 1113 and through its website: https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/.

Businesses can help prevent data breaches by improving their cyber resilience using the guidance and tools on offer from the government. This includes the new Cyber Action Toolkit for small businesses, the highly effective Cyber Essentials scheme which prevents common cyber-attacks, and the Cyber Governance Code of Practice to help boards and directors manage digital risks.

85294: We are not aware of any digital public services currently using AI generated BSL content. The Service Manual and Service Standard guide service teams across the public sector on the design and development of digital services, including those enabled by AI.

A service must be accessible to everyone who needs it, including services only used by public servants. Digital services must meet level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2) as a minimum and service teams must include disabled people and people who use assistive technologies in the design of those services.

The compliance of central government digital services with the WCAG regulations is monitored by the Government Digital Service.

85295: In addition to above (85294) c) services must make sure the non-digital parts of a service are accessible. For example, government departments must make sure that users who are deaf or have a speech impairment are offered a way to contacting the service (by text, email or in person with a British Sign Language translator or lip reader).

This standard would still apply if the service used BSL content that was AI generated.

The Online Safety Act gives online platforms duties to tackle illegal content and activity on their services. This includes content advertising illegal sales of drugs. Ofcom is the regulator for this regime, and it sets out steps that providers can take to comply with their duties. Ofcom has strong powers to enforce against platforms that fail to fulfil their duties to protect users from illegal content.

The government is clear that people should only purchase medicines and medical products through legitimate, regulated channels. Anyone with weight or health concerns should consult their GP or a qualified healthcare professional who can provide safe, appropriate treatment options.

According to the independent website Thinkbroadband.com, almost 82% of premises across Lincolnshire can access a gigabit-capable connection, we aim to get that to 99% by 2032. To extend connectivity further, Quickline is delivering a Project Gigabit contract across Lincolnshire and East Riding, which is currently expected to provide access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection to approximately 30,000 premises within Lincolnshire. A further contract with CityFibre is planned to benefit premises in West Lincolnshire as well as within Nottinghamshire.

As of the end of March 2025, over 1.2 million premises in rural and hard to reach communities across the UK had been upgraded to gigabit-capable broadband through government-funded programmes. More than one million further premises have been included within contracts to provide access to gigabit-capable broadband, with funding of over £2.4 billion through Project Gigabit. Almost all of this coverage will be delivered via fibre to the premises.

The Government is committed to supporting the growth of the space sector and thereby the economy. The UK Space Agency and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology catalysed £2.2 billion in investment and revenue for the UK space sector in 2024/25 alone, through various programmes.

This includes European Space Agency (ESA) programmes. ESA receives approximately 70–75% of the UKSA’s annual budget, and the UK has committed £1.84bn between 2022 and 2027. The latest evaluation estimates that every £1 public investment in ESA programmes leads to £7.49 directly benefiting the UK economy.

The Government recognises the importance of attracting world-class cybersecurity and AI talent to maintain the UK’s position as a global tech leader.

Through the AI Action Plan, we are taking action to strengthen the domestic talent pipeline and ensure the UK remains attractive to global innovators. The AI Spärck Master’s programme will offer up to 100 fully funded places for exceptional graduates, while the Turing AI Global Fellowships provide up to £5 million per fellow to relocate to the UK, build a highly skilled team, and undertake transformative core AI research. Moreover, the AI Security Institute provides comprehensive visa and relocation support for frontier AI researchers, ensuring the UK remains a global centre for safe and responsible AI development.

The Global Talent Taskforce has also been launched to address barriers to international recruitment and promotes the UK to top-tier talent. Domestically, the TechFirst and CyberFirst programmes are growing UK-based expertise. CyberFirst has reached 415,000 young people and offers scholarships with an 88% job placement rate.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is already working with departments to assess the high-level impacts of the outage, and will use the data gathered to inform future resilience plans for essential national services.

Government is also working to fully understand the broader impact of the outage. Under the Security of Network and Information Systems Regulations (2018) relevant digital service providers - including cloud providers like AWS - are required to have measures in place to boost the physical and cyber security and resilience of the systems they rely on to provide those services. The forthcoming Cyber Security & Resilience Bill will boost those protections and bring managed service providers and critical suppliers into scope.

DSIT will publish the Government Cyber Action Plan this Winter, which sets out a clear approach for Government and the public sector to manage cyber security and resilience incidents.

The AI Growth Lab would be a cross-economy sandbox. The Lab aims to drive responsible AI innovation and adoption and generate an evidence base for agile regulatory reform, by enabling time-limited, closely supervised regulatory modifications to be piloted in live environments.

A call for evidence on the AI Growth Lab is now live, closing on 2 January, seeking input from a range of stakeholders on the Growth Lab design.

Responses will help inform further policy development, shaping more detailed proposals for the Lab and its implementation, ensuring that any changes balance innovation with public trust.

Monitoring and evaluation are key to understanding the effectiveness of the online safety regime. The government and Ofcom are monitoring the regime’s impact through a programme of evaluation work to track the effect of the regime and feed into a statutory Post Implementation Review. The Online Safety Act applies to online user to user services and search services.

Further, Ofcom’s Online Experiences Tracker survey is issued twice a year. The most recent data was published in October covering the experiences of adults (aged 18+). The first wave of data from the new Children’s Online Safety Tracker will be published later this year, and the second wave will be published in Spring 2026.

We also engage with civil society and monitor research and reports they publish on online harms.

The Government recognises the importance of our EU adequacy decisions and continues to engage with the European Commission to support their successful renewal, acknowledging that this is a unilateral process undertaken by the EU.

The Government welcomed the publication of the European Commission’s draft adequacy decisions in July, which conclude that the UK continues to provide an adequate level of data protection, and looks forward to the completion of the adoption process ahead of the 27 December deadline.

As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement on 21 July we will consult on policy measures later in the autumn to create a new right for leaseholders in England and Wales to request a gigabit broadband connection and a duty for freeholders to not unreasonably refuse the request. We are working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on the policy proposals and we will seek to legislate for these measures when parliamentary time allows.

Scottish Tenements are a devolved matter and governed by Scotland. We're engaging with the Devolved Nations on a range of issues relating to the deployment of digital infrastructure, including issues relating to access.

Multiple Dwelling Units (MDUs) that remain not covered by commercial plans will be in scope for support for full fibre rollout through Project Gigabit.

As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement on 21 July we will consult on policy measures later in the autumn to create a new right for leaseholders in England and Wales to request a gigabit broadband connection and a duty for freeholders to not unreasonably refuse the request. We are working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on the policy proposals and we will seek to legislate for these measures when parliamentary time allows.

Scottish Tenements are a devolved matter and governed by Scotland. We're engaging with the Devolved Nations on a range of issues relating to the deployment of digital infrastructure, including issues relating to access.

Multiple Dwelling Units (MDUs) that remain not covered by commercial plans will be in scope for support for full fibre rollout through Project Gigabit.

Good progress on improving broadband coverage has been made in the North East Somerset and Hanham constituency.

According to the independent website ThinkBroadband.com, approximately 91% of premises in this constituency have access to gigabit-capable broadband (of 1000 Mbps or faster), this is up from 87% in 2024. This figure exceeds the UK average, which currently stands at 89%.

The Government Digital Service set and assess the cross government digital service standard. Before going live, services are assessed against this 14-point standard which includes the service team providing evidence for how the service is accessible to everyone who needs it.

To meet the standard and assessment, digital services must conduct research with disabled people, including Deaf users and where appropriate to the service provision, those who use sign language or a sign language interpreter to interact with the service.

Services must make sure any BSL video is culturally appropriate by working with the BSL community, testing it, or getting feedback.

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.

DSIT is engaging on this issue with Ofcom at an official level. In July, we published our draft Statement of Strategic Priorities for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum, and postal services that sets out the Government’s view on infrastructure sharing in the fixed telecoms sector, including asking Ofcom to demonstrate greater transparency in how they calculate and set PIA prices.

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.

DSIT is engaging on this issue with Ofcom at an official level. In July, we published our draft Statement of Strategic Priorities for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum, and postal services that sets out the Government’s view on infrastructure sharing in the fixed telecoms sector, including asking Ofcom to demonstrate greater transparency in how they calculate and set PIA prices.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 17 July 2025 to Question UIN 66464.

All organisations in the UK that process personal data have to comply with the requirements of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA). Amongst other things, the legislation requires organisations to have appropriate technical and security measures in place to protect personal data against unauthorised or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction, or damage.

Under the Data (Use and Access) Act, the Information Commissioner, the UK’s independent regulator for data protection, will have strengthened enforcement powers to hold organisations accountable in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

85294: We are not aware of any digital public services currently using AI generated BSL content. The Service Manual and Service Standard guide service teams across the public sector on the design and development of digital services, including those enabled by AI.

A service must be accessible to everyone who needs it, including services only used by public servants. Digital services must meet level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2) as a minimum and service teams must include disabled people and people who use assistive technologies in the design of those services.

The compliance of central government digital services with the WCAG regulations is monitored by the Government Digital Service.

85295: In addition to above (85294) c) services must make sure the non-digital parts of a service are accessible. For example, government departments must make sure that users who are deaf or have a speech impairment are offered a way to contacting the service (by text, email or in person with a British Sign Language translator or lip reader).

This standard would still apply if the service used BSL content that was AI generated.

The UK space sector plays a significant role in the UK economy. Data from the latest Size and Health of the UK Space Industry, published in August 2024, indicate that the UK space industry has more than double UK average productivity, and global satellite services underpin approximately 18% of the UK’s GDP. The UK space industry has 1,900 companies and makes £18.6 billion in revenue each year. The industry has a workforce of 55,600 that is exceptionally highly qualified, with 70% holding at least a primary degree.

Providing BSL translations of pre-recorded audio and video content is a WCAG 2.2 AAA criterion. As outlined in the Government Service Standard, all digital government services must as a minimum meet Level AA. AAA is best practice.

Current best practice guidance for use of BSL in digital public services advises that BSL videos are independently assured by a Deaf-led BSL supplier.

We are not aware of any digital public services currently using AI generated BSL content. No specific accessibility standards for this use case of AI are currently applied and would be guided by both the government’s Data Ethics Framework and Service Standard.

We are not aware of any cross-Government British Sign Language AI procurement.

The government has committed to ensure that algorithmic tools used in the public sector are used safely and transparently and is taking active steps to ensure this. The Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard is mandatory for all government departments. It communicates information about how and why algorithmic tools are used, who is responsible for them, how they are embedded in broader decision-making processes, their technical specifications, and relevant risk mitigations and impact assessments.

The Data Ethics Framework guides appropriate and responsible data use in government and the wider public sector. It helps public servants understand ethical considerations, address these within their projects, and encourages responsible innovation.

Additionally, the Service Manual and Service Standard guide service teams across the public sector on the design and development of digital services, including those enabled by AI.

A service must be accessible to everyone who needs it, including services only used by public servants. Digital services must meet level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2) as a minimum and service teams must include disabled people and people who use assistive technologies in the design of those services. WCAG 2.2 addresses the needs of people who are deaf or hard of hearing primarily through guidelines for multimedia, such as providing captions, transcripts, and sign language interpretations.

The compliance of central government digital services with the WCAG regulations is monitored by the Government Digital Service.

The Labour Manifesto commits to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal.

The government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year and will outline targets and timelines for the phasing out of some specific applications of animal testing.

Through the UK Space Agency, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) leads the UK’s participation in the European Space Agency’s (ESA) policy and programme discussions to ensure all UK investments deliver substantial benefits for our economy, scientific and technological progress, and commercial success, in direct support of our national interests.

We will negotiate at the ESA Council of Ministers next month, new multi-year programmes and funding arrangements that maximise opportunities for UK businesses, researchers, and innovators. The UK Space Agency (UKSA) is proactively consulting with a wide range of stakeholders from across the UK space sector to ensure that the UK’s priorities of economic growth and national security are reflected in the outcomes of the Council, and we will continue to deliver high-quality monitoring and evaluation of the UK’s participation in ESA through a robust framework that assesses impact, value for money, and strategic alignment with national priorities. In August 2025, the UKSA published its latest evaluation of the benefits of the UK's investments in ESA.

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.

In July, we published our draft Statement of Strategic Priorities for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum, and postal services that sets out the Government’s view on infrastructure sharing in the fixed telecoms sector, including asking Ofcom to demonstrate greater transparency in how they calculate and set PIA prices.

The draft Statement also sets out how Ofcom can continue to support the roll-out of broadband across the UK, including in rural areas, by promoting competition.

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.

In July, we published our draft Statement of Strategic Priorities for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum, and postal services that sets out the Government’s view on infrastructure sharing in the fixed telecoms sector, including asking Ofcom to demonstrate greater transparency in how they calculate and set PIA prices.

The draft Statement also sets out how Ofcom can continue to support the roll-out of broadband across the UK, including in rural areas, by promoting competition.

Government Digital Service currently uses the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) list of recognised countries to ensure consistency across UK government services. This policy is under review.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is leading Government’s response to the Microsoft Azure outage that took place on Wednesday 29 October 2025. We understand that all Azure services were restored on Wednesday evening, and DSIT is in contact with Microsoft to understand how such events can be mitigated in the future.

DSIT has identified disruption to online Government services across several departments, which were restored within hours of the incident.

We are not aware of any major disruption arising from this event affecting Critical National Infrastructure but will continue to work with relevant operators to understand the full impact.

The outage affected a wide range of organisations across all sectors and it will take some time to fully understand the scale of the economic impact.

The government is committed to ensuring 99% of UK premises receive gigabit coverage by 2032.

In July, we published a consultation on a draft updated Statement of Strategic Priorities to Ofcom that sets out the government’s view on the importance of competition to promote investment in broadband deployment across the UK, including in rural areas. A pro-competition regulatory environment will allow alternative networks to continue to play a key role in the fibre roll-out. We are currently reviewing responses to the consultation and will publish our response in due course.

In non-commercially viable, often rural, areas, more than £2.4 billion of Project Gigabit contracts have already been signed, including with alternative networks, to connect over one million more premises with gigabit-capable broadband.

The government is committed to ensuring 99% of UK premises receive gigabit coverage by 2032.

In July, we published a consultation on a draft updated Statement of Strategic Priorities to Ofcom that sets out the government’s view on the importance of competition to promote investment in broadband deployment across the UK, including in rural areas. A pro-competition regulatory environment will allow alternative networks to continue to play a key role in the fibre roll-out. We are currently reviewing responses to the consultation and will publish our response in due course.

In non-commercially viable, often rural, areas, more than £2.4 billion of Project Gigabit contracts have already been signed, including with alternative networks, to connect over one million more premises with gigabit-capable broadband.

Media literacy enables citizens to critically assess information and make informed choices. It supports public health, national security and democracy by countering misinformation, improving society’s resilience to online threats, and empowering safe, confident participation online.

Media literacy is a cross-government priority, delivered through coordinated action across departments, civil society and industry, supported by targeted funding and community-led initiatives.

The Online Safety Act requires social media platforms to tackle illegal content relating to national security, health and democracy. It also updates Ofcom’s statutory duty to promote media literacy, which includes raising awareness of misinformation and helping users assess the reliability of content.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 October 2025 to Question UIN 82268.

DSIT has communicated with AWS extensively throughout and in the immediate aftermath of the outage, to understand the situation and to ensure recovery was underway. All services have since been restored and we remain in regular contact with AWS.

We continue to work across government and with businesses to understand the full impact of the outage, identify lessons, and look at how we can mitigate impacts and ensure resilience in future.

The forthcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will protect the services the public rely on to go about their normal lives. This will include expanding the scope of the regulations to include more types of essential and digital services and making sure they adhere to robust cyber security practices.

According to the independent website, Thinkbroadband.com, 89% of premises in the UK already have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection. The government is still committed to ensuring 99% of premises receive gigabit coverage by 2032.

The funding, committed over the Spending Review covering the period 2026/27 to 2029/30, will support the delivery of all existing Project Gigabit contracts, voucher projects and areas currently in procurement. It reconfirms the government’s confidence in suppliers' ability to deliver the rollout.

The Government has acted to ensure 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. Major communication providers and network operators signed voluntary charters in December 2023 and March 2024. To enhance protections for vulnerable customers, the Government secured new commitments from the telecoms industry in November 2024, including further safeguards set out in the non-voluntary migrations checklist.

One of the safeguards is to ensure that customers that have been identified as vulnerable, are provided with a battery back-up solution that provides over one hour of access to emergency services in the event of a power outage. This includes those who are landline dependent (e.g. because they live in a mobile not-spot). Many providers are going beyond these safeguards, including batteries that last 4-7 hours.

As set out in the Immigration White Paper, the Government is committed to delivering a competitive immigration system that attracts and retains talented international researchers and innovators. This includes reforms to our top talent visa routes, such as the Global Talent and High Potential Individual visas.

The recently launched Global Talent Taskforce is also working across Government and with my Department to support efforts to bring world-class talent to key Industrial Strategy sectors in the UK. My Department and DSIT Ministers work closely with the Home Office and across Government to ensure we continue to attract and retain top talent.

Data centres were designated as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) in September 2024. In recognition of this, the government is expected to introduce proportionate regulatory oversight of this sector. The expected vehicle is the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill (CSRB). This will encapsulate OpenAI operations that use colocation services which are covered by the regulations in the CSRB.

DSIT is actively considering options to further improve the cyber security and resilience of Data Centres, as outlined in the Cyber Security and Resilience Policy Statement that was published on 1 April 2025. This would apply to most UK based data centres, including those used by OpenAI.

Specific questions in relation to contracts between OpenAI and relevant Government Departments are a matter for that Government Department. Departments must carry out cyber security assurance of their critical services through GovAssure, assessing key security outcomes against the National Cyber Security Centre's Cyber Assessment Framework. Government’s Public Procurement Note 014 directs all commercial suppliers holding government OFFICIAL, personnel or citizen data to have a minimum of NCSC’s Cyber Essentials certification.