Department for Science, Innovation & Technology

The Government has not undertaken any recent assessment of the Communications Ombudsman and has no plans to do so. It is Ofcom’s duty under the Communications Act 2003 to approve and review Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) schemes for UK communication and postal services. One of the two schemes Ofcom currently approves is the Communications Ombudsman.

Ofcom undertook a formal review of the ADR schemes, concluding in July, and found both were working well for consumers. This review included research among consumers to understand their experience of using ADR. Ofcom’s full statement is available on its website.

Ofcom also monitors the schemes’ performance against a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and publish the results on its website quarterly.

The Government has not undertaken any recent assessment of the Communications Ombudsman and has no plans to do so. It is Ofcom’s duty under the Communications Act 2003 to approve and review Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) schemes for UK communication and postal services. One of the two schemes Ofcom currently approves is the Communications Ombudsman.

Ofcom undertook a formal review of the ADR schemes, concluding in July, and found both were working well for consumers. This review included research among consumers to understand their experience of using ADR. Ofcom’s full statement is available on its website.

Ofcom also monitors the schemes’ performance against a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and publish the results on its website quarterly.

The Government has not undertaken any recent assessment of the Communications Ombudsman and has no plans to do so. It is Ofcom’s duty under the Communications Act 2003 to approve and review Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) schemes for UK communication and postal services. One of the two schemes Ofcom currently approves is the Communications Ombudsman.

Ofcom undertook a formal review of the ADR schemes, concluding in July, and found both were working well for consumers. This review included research among consumers to understand their experience of using ADR. Ofcom’s full statement is available on its website.

Ofcom also monitors the schemes’ performance against a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and publish the results on its website quarterly.

The Government has not undertaken any recent assessment of the Communications Ombudsman and has no plans to do so. It is Ofcom’s duty under the Communications Act 2003 to approve and review Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) schemes for UK communication and postal services. One of the two schemes Ofcom currently approves is the Communications Ombudsman.

Ofcom undertook a formal review of the ADR schemes, concluding in July, and found both were working well for consumers. This review included research among consumers to understand their experience of using ADR. Ofcom’s full statement is available on its website.

Ofcom also monitors the schemes’ performance against a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and publish the results on its website quarterly.

The Government’s publication, Replacing Animals in Science: A Strategy to Support the Development, Validation and Uptake of Alternative Methods, sets out our long-term vision for a world in which the use of animals in scientific research is eliminated except in exceptional circumstances.

The strategy commits to the publication of qualitative and quantitative Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in 2025. These are in the process of being developed, and the baseline assessment will be determined as part of this process.

DSIT ministers and officials have worked closely with His Majesty’s Treasury to secure funding for digital inclusion that demonstrates the government’s commitment to delivering digital inclusion for everyone across the UK, regardless of their circumstances.

On 10 December, DSIT confirmed total funding of £11.7mn has been allocated across 80 projects through the Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund, to ensure everyone has access to the skills, support and confidence they need to take part in a modern digital society. This builds on the previously announced £9.5mn.

This is a first step, alongside a series of others, set out in the Government's Digital Inclusion Action Plan published in February. While we are currently focused on helping people by delivering these commitments, the ambition is for everyone to benefit from the digital world—whether that’s saving money on bills, finding a better job, or accessing vital services like the NHS more easily.

The Government wants everyone to benefit from the digital world—whether that’s saving money on bills, finding a better job, or accessing vital services like the NHS more easily.

On 17 July the government published a summary of responses to our call for evidence, on GOV.UK, which provides a thematic overview of the responses received.

Overall, we received positive feedback on the Digital Inclusion Action Plan, including on the target population groups, the objectives across each of the four focus areas, and the medium- and long-term next steps.

The government has taken the call for evidence responses into account when refining its approach to delivering the Action Plan, and will continue to draw on them to inform future policy development.

Chatbots that use search capabilities are designed to generate responses for users by actively searching the live web. This functionality means they would be captured by the Online Safety Act’s duties as a search service.

The Secretary of State confirmed in Parliament that the government is considering how AI chatbots interact with the Act and has also urged Ofcom to use its existing powers to ensure that AI chatbots are safe for children.

As part of this work, the government continues to assess the prevalence and nature of chatbot services.

The UK has one of the most robust data protection regimes in the world, with all organisations required to comply with our legislation to safeguard UK personal data when transferring it overseas. Failure to do so can result in enforcement action.

Our data regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office, has powers to take enforcement action and issue hefty fines. Individuals who consider that their data has been misused can also take legal action.

The Government has not assessed the potential merits of increasing the powers of the Communications Ombudsman and has no plans to expand its remit.

Ofcom, the independent regulator of communications services, approves Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) schemes for UK communication and postal services, including the Communications Ombudsman. Ofcom is required to assess whether the schemes it has approved still meet the requirements under the relevant regulations and Ofcom can modify conditions of approval or withdraw approval at any time.

The Government has not assessed the potential merits of increasing the powers of the Communications Ombudsman and has no plans to expand its remit.

Ofcom, the independent regulator of communications services, approves Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) schemes for UK communication and postal services, including the Communications Ombudsman. Ofcom is required to assess whether the schemes it has approved still meet the requirements under the relevant regulations and Ofcom can modify conditions of approval or withdraw approval at any time.

The Government has not made any specific assessment of the impact of business connectivity with regards to the specific areas of Greater Manchester and Oldham.

The Government’s view is that fast and reliable business broadband is critical for the growth of the economy, fostering innovation, and ensuring investment in the UK. In the Budget last month, the Chancellor set out that the government will work with Ofcom to support the availability and adoption of gigabit broadband solutions by business.

In July, we published our draft updated Statement of Strategic Priorities to Ofcom, where we set out that the regulator should continue to ensure that businesses across the country are able to access the fast, reliable, and resilient broadband services they need to thrive.

The government is promoting departmental pilots through the PM’s Exemplars Programme, which have been established to learn from high potential AI pilots in areas such as health, education and planning, and share learnings of what works or not. AI tools used in the public sector are also promoted via the public AI Knowledge Hub – a centralised repository of use cases, guidance and prompts - and through an AI Community of Practice available to all public sector workers.

All AI projects across Government are safeguarded by access to DSIT’s suite of responsible AI guidance, tools and expertise which enable rapid innovation whilst ensuring a transparent, trustworthy and responsible approach.

Improving the cyber security of our nation’s SMEs is critical to the resilience of the wider economy. The Government provides free tools, guidance, and training to help SMEs implement cyber security measures. This includes the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC’s) recently launched Cyber Action Toolkit which provides SMEs with tailored advice.

The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) and the NCSC, have introduced several voluntary Codes of Practice, covering Software, AI, and apps and app stores. These measures, co-designed with industry and experts, set minimum security requirements and support SMEs to securely adopt AI systems.

We will continue to work with industry and monitor the impact of these Codes of Practice. This will enable us to assess their effectiveness and consider further guidance and incentives to help SMEs confidently implement secure-by-design practices in a cost-efficient way. For immediate assistance, SMEs should get in touch with their regional Cyber Resilience Centre, which are run by the police and the Home Office, and offer free cyber advice and support to SMEs.

The Government continues to monitor global developments in AI, including open-source platforms. Open-sourcing AI models decentralises control, enabling more developers to innovate, experiment and deploy systems for diverse purposes.

This approach can deliver significant benefits by fostering innovation, competition and transparency. However, decentralisation also introduces security risks. Open model releases may allow malicious actors to remove safeguards and fine-tune models for harmful purposes.

Consumers and businesses should choose the AI system most suitable for their purpose, considering whether they trust the organisation hosting the model and handling of potentially sensitive queries. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has published guidance to help individuals use AI tools safely, including advice on understanding how personal information is processed and shared.

As part of its research to understand the capabilities and impacts of advanced AI and develop and test risk-mitigations, the AI Security Institute (AISI) takes a leading role in safety-testing open and closed AI models wherever they come from.

Under the Online Safety Act, any fines collected by Ofcom must be paid into the Consolidated Fund and any subsequent allocation of funds would then be a matter for HM Treasury. It is worth noting that fine income is inherently unpredictable and therefore may not be an appropriate or sustainable way to directly fund initiatives.

The UK’s data protection framework is technology-neutral, with principles such as transparency, accountability and fairness applying to all technologies using personal data. In practice, organisations must be clear with people about how and why their data is being processed, only processing it where there are legitimate grounds to do so, and ensuring that any data held is accurate and up to date.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published a range of guidance, including the use of biometric recognition technologies, and the use of video surveillance, including facial recognition technology used for children. These require organisations to carry out an impact assessment when processing activities involving technologies such as LFRT are likely to result in a high risk to individuals’ rights and freedoms.

The Department’s capital Departmental Expenditure Limits (DEL) for 2026-27 to 2029-30 have not changed materially since they were published on the gov.uk following Spending Review 2025. Please find those documents and DELs: Spending Review 2025 document - GOV.UK

DSIT has recently published how it is allocating the majority of its R&D budget over this period. Here is the link to this: DSIT Research and Development (R&D) plans to 2029/2030 - GOV.UK. We intend to publish a further breakdown of our R&D spend later this financial year. Allocations for the non-R&D elements of DSIT’s CDEL budget are still being determined.

Digital ID will only be mandatory for a person who is going through a right to work check. There will be no other mandatory requirement to have the ID.

The Government is not mandating the use of digital ID to access other public or private services. People can still prove their identity using physical documents and non-digital alternatives outside of right-to-work checks if they prefer.

There are an estimated 2 million telecare users in the UK, and many customers may be identified as vulnerable for other reasons, such as landline-dependency. The government does not hold data on the specific number affected by the industry led PSTN migration.

The Government is committed to keeping vulnerable people safe during the PSTN migration. In November 2024, the Government secured further commitments from the telecoms industry to protect vulnerable customers via the non-voluntary migrations checklist.

Virgin Media has been fined £23.8m following the conclusion of Ofcom’s investigation started in 2023 into Virgin Media’s breach of their General Conditions.

We take people’s safety during this switchover very seriously. In November 2024, the Government secured further commitments from the telecoms industry, including Virgin Media, to protect vulnerable customers via the non-voluntary migrations checklist. This includes telecare-reliant customers.

Making the online environment a safer and fairer place for women and girls is a priority for this government.

The Online Safety Act has placed a requirement on tech platforms to proactively tackle the most harmful illegal content, much of which disproportionately affects women and girls, including harassment and intimate image abuse.

Ofcom recently published guidance outlining further steps services can take to make their platforms safer for women and girls online. We will be monitoring platforms’ progress closely and working with Ofcom to hold them to account.

The government is developing its wider strategy to tackle violence against women and girls and will publish it in due course.

The government is committed to delivering nationwide gigabit coverage by 2032. Full-fibre technology will provide consumers with a faster but also more stable and reliable connection. People in the Bramcote area rightly expect to have the broadband connectivity they need to participate in the modern digital economy.

All communication providers, including those who operate in Bramcote, are subject to statutory obligations to ensure their networks and services remain available. They must take appropriate and proportionate measures to prepare for and reduce the risks of disruption occurring and report significant incidents to Ofcom, who have powers to investigate, enforce remedial measures and fine communications providers.

DSIT does not collate spending on AI procurement across all government departments. Procurement decisions and tracking of associated costs, including those for AI tools and services, are the primary responsibility of each individual government department. The government remains committed to providing new opportunities for UK AI companies to scale and succeed. The government is going further and faster to reform our approach to procurement so that it can shape markets and manage demand, putting in place measures to identify, nurture and protect the UK’s high-growth modern Industrial Strategy sectors like AI. DSIT’s role focuses on fostering an enabling ecosystem, and supporting the growth of the UK's AI sector, including through initiatives such as AI Growth Zones and pledging up to £100million through the Advanced Market Commitment to help AI hardware start-ups gain a competitive edge and win customers alongside established vendors.

Commercial delivery in a competitive market has and will remain essential to the delivery of the overall gigabit broadband ambition, as most gigabit-capable connections will be delivered commercially.

At the most recent Spending Review we announced £1.8 billion in funding for Project Gigabit to cover the period 2026/27 to 2029/30.This investment will support the delivery of all existing Project Gigabit contracts, voucher projects and areas currently in procurement. This includes the South Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and East Berkshire contracts referenced in the response to Question 91728.

We are refreshing our delivery plans ahead of the 2027 Spending Review and will continue to apply Project Gigabit subsidy in areas that are not expected to be reached commercially.

Commercial delivery in a competitive market has and will remain essential to the delivery of the overall gigabit broadband ambition, as most gigabit-capable connections will be delivered commercially.

At the most recent Spending Review we announced £1.8 billion in funding for Project Gigabit to cover the period 2026/27 to 2029/30.This investment will support the delivery of all existing Project Gigabit contracts, voucher projects and areas currently in procurement. This includes the South Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and East Berkshire contracts referenced in the response to Question 91728.

We are refreshing our delivery plans ahead of the 2027 Spending Review and will continue to apply Project Gigabit subsidy in areas that are not expected to be reached commercially.

The Government recognises the importance of resilience in cloud services. Following the outages in October, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology worked with affected providers and the Government Cyber Coordination Centre to assess impacts and strengthen contingency planning. Alongside this, the forthcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will improve resilience standards. In February 2025, DSIT published guidance supporting multi-region cloud adoption to help departments improve resilience. I also refer the Noble Lord to the answer given on 4 November 2025 to Question HL11169.

The Met Office’s weather station network currently consists of 405 sites across the United Kingdom (UK). This includes manual and automatic weather stations. The exact postal address of each site is not publicly available due to national security, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and land ownership reasons. The Met Office website provides a map of the UK station network.

The Met Office is ISO 9001 accredited and has a rigorous, internationally recognised quality-control process that includes calibration, inspection, and verification against World Meteorological Organization (WMO) standards. The Government utilises a range of evidence, including information from the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessments and Met Office modelling and observations, ensuring climate policies are grounded in the latest scientific data.

Observation sites are chosen using strict criteria to ensure representative measurements and minimise external influences, as appropriate to the intended data use. The location of weather stations is vital to ensure consistency and continuity of measurements. When selecting station location the Met Office balances the operational need for coverage, whilst adhering to set standards. Regular physical inspections and maintenance of observation sites are carried out and all instruments undergo regular calibration, against externally recognised standards, to maintain measurement accuracy.

The Met Office’s weather station network currently consists of 405 sites across the United Kingdom (UK). This includes manual and automatic weather stations. The exact postal address of each site is not publicly available due to national security, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and land ownership reasons. The Met Office website provides a map of the UK station network.

The Met Office is ISO 9001 accredited and has a rigorous, internationally recognised quality-control process that includes calibration, inspection, and verification against World Meteorological Organization (WMO) standards. The Government utilises a range of evidence, including information from the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessments and Met Office modelling and observations, ensuring climate policies are grounded in the latest scientific data.

Observation sites are chosen using strict criteria to ensure representative measurements and minimise external influences, as appropriate to the intended data use. The location of weather stations is vital to ensure consistency and continuity of measurements. When selecting station location the Met Office balances the operational need for coverage, whilst adhering to set standards. Regular physical inspections and maintenance of observation sites are carried out and all instruments undergo regular calibration, against externally recognised standards, to maintain measurement accuracy.

The Met Office’s weather station network currently consists of 405 sites across the United Kingdom (UK). This includes manual and automatic weather stations. The exact postal address of each site is not publicly available due to national security, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and land ownership reasons. The Met Office website provides a map of the UK station network.

The Met Office is ISO 9001 accredited and has a rigorous, internationally recognised quality-control process that includes calibration, inspection, and verification against World Meteorological Organization (WMO) standards. The Government utilises a range of evidence, including information from the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessments and Met Office modelling and observations, ensuring climate policies are grounded in the latest scientific data.

Observation sites are chosen using strict criteria to ensure representative measurements and minimise external influences, as appropriate to the intended data use. The location of weather stations is vital to ensure consistency and continuity of measurements. When selecting station location the Met Office balances the operational need for coverage, whilst adhering to set standards. Regular physical inspections and maintenance of observation sites are carried out and all instruments undergo regular calibration, against externally recognised standards, to maintain measurement accuracy.

BRSK has not recently contacted my department regarding a customer data breach. I understand BRSK has reported a data breach to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s independent regulator for the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).

Under PECR, public electronic communications service providers are required to take appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard the security of their services. They are required to notify the ICO of any personal data breach without undue delay, and where feasible, not later than 72 hours after having become aware of the breach.

The Government recognises its dependence on a small number of key suppliers for cloud services. As set out in the Blueprint for Modern Digital Government, we are addressing this by establishing the Digital Commercial Centre of Excellence to strengthen digital procurement capability and improve supplier management. This includes working with Government Commercial Agency on the National Digital Exchange which is intended to make it easier for public sector organisations to access services from new cloud service providers, including SMEs. Together with the Procurement Act 2023, this will help ensure competition, innovation and resilience in government cloud services.

The eligibility criteria are not the responsibility of the UK Government, and we have made no such steps.

The UK has one of the most robust data protection regimes in the world, with all organisations required to comply with our legislation to safeguard UK personal data when transferring it overseas. Failure to do so can result in enforcement action.

Our data regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office, has powers to take enforcement action and issue hefty fines. Individuals who consider that their data has been misused can also take legal action.

The government holds a number of contracts with resellers of Microsoft products, which includes Office tools, Copilot and Azure.

Value for money is typically assessed through the Department’s internal governance processes for awarding a new contract. The Department utilises the Strategic Partnership Arrangement 2024 (SPA24) MOU which was negotiated between Crown Commercial Services (CCS) and Microsoft. SPA24 provides discounts and favourable terms to UK public sector customers.

The strategy uses ‘baskets’ to group animal tests according to their readiness for replacement, based on maturity of potential alternative methods. These initial baskets will be refined in consultation with stakeholders, noting that two LD/LC50 tests are already in baskets 1 and 2 (botulinum potency and fish acute toxicity tests respectively) so are among the first targeted for phase-out. The Acutox test is a non-regulatory test and not yet validated for use in safety assessments. We will establish a new UK Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (UKCVAM) to accelerate alternative method validation and uptake for regulatory decision making.

The strategy uses ‘baskets’ to group animal tests according to their readiness for replacement, based on maturity of potential alternative methods. These initial baskets will be refined in consultation with stakeholders, noting that two LD/LC50 tests are already in baskets 1 and 2 (botulinum potency and fish acute toxicity tests respectively) so are among the first targeted for phase-out. The Acutox test is a non-regulatory test and not yet validated for use in safety assessments. We will establish a new UK Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (UKCVAM) to accelerate alternative method validation and uptake for regulatory decision making.

The Government is committed to driving AI adoption across the economy, including professional services. Through the AI Opportunities Action Plan, we are tackling barriers such as lack of awareness, trust, and technical capability. This includes expanding the BridgeAI programme (which supports organisation adopt AI with funding and hands-on support), announcing an AI champion for professional business services, and training 7.5 million workers across the economy in essential AI skills by 2030. We are also investing £11 million to grow the UK’s AI assurance market, ensuring firms can adopt tools confidently and responsibly. These measures will help businesses harness AI to boost productivity and maintain the UK’s global competitiveness.

The Get Britain Working White Paper sets out how we will address key labour market challenges and spread opportunity in order to fix the foundations of our economy so we can make the most of the opportunities AI presents. The Government is supporting workforce readiness for AI through a range of initiatives.

The new AI Skills Hub, developed by Innovate UK and PwC, provides streamlined access to digital training. This will support government priorities through tackling critical skills gaps and improving workforce readiness. We are also partnering with 11 major companies to train 7.5 million UK workers in essential AI skills by 2030 and expanding AI education in universities, by launching Pioneer Fellowships for cross-disciplinary upskilling.

I refer the hon. Member for Putney to the answer given on 1 December 2025 to Question UIN 92600.

The requested data is not held centrally in a reportable format.

The government continues to monitor the impact of circumvention techniques such as VPNs on the Act and will ensure that any future interventions are proportionate and evidence based.

There is limited evidence on how many children use VPNs and why they use them. The government is addressing this gap.

The Online Safety Act requires Ofcom to publish a report by July 2026 assessing how effective the use of age assurance has been and whether there are factors, including circumvention techniques, that have prevented or hindered its use.

TechUK estimate that the gross value added of data centres is currently £4.7bn in the UK. This government encourages data centre developers to consider the local benefits that data centre build can bring, especially in areas with favourable conditions for heat offtake, or where skills and training can be provided. Last year, the government reformed the National Planning Policy framework to ensure that local planning authorities integrate data centres into an area’s local plan, ensuring alignment with local and national long-term economic goals.

Through the AI Growth Zones initiative, we aim to crowd-in tens of billions of pounds in private investment and drive growth through job creation and by creating opportunities such as creating skills and apprenticeships pathways, R&D partnerships with local universities and creating investment opportunities for British businesses to participate in major AI projects.

We are ensuring that local communities benefit by providing £5m for each AI Growth Zone to support skills and adoption in the area, and by ensuring that local authorities keep 100% of all business rates generated by sites where pre-existing arrangements do not exist.

Information on European Commission-led programmes, such as Horizon Europe, is collected by the Commission. This data is publicly available and includes details on successful consortia, including UK public sector organisations. It can be found in the R&I Projects section of the Funding and Tenders Portal under the Key Figures page using the relevant filters: R&I Proposals - Summary | Sheet - Qlik Sense. DSIT uses this and other relevant sources to assess UK participation and measures to keep improving this.