Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many PhDs in mathematics (1) were funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) from 2019–22, and (2) will be funded by UKRI in 2022–25.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), within UK Research and Innovation, funds Mathematical Sciences from its core budget, typically spending c£25-30 million/per annum for grants, fellowships, and studentships. In addition, they have committed a further £124 million which will spend out to 2028-29 as part of the Additional Funding Programme for Mathematic Sciences (AFPMS) commitment.
The main route through which EPSRC usually funds PhD students is through a doctoral training block grant, allocated to Universities who then allocate funds as appropriate. In addition, the discipline received funding for approximately an additional 400 PhD positions through the AFPMS.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much as a percentage of the overall UK Research and Innovation settlement is the current allocation to the mathematical sciences.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, within UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), funds Mathematical Sciences from its core budget, typically spending c£25-30 million/per annum for grants, fellowships, and studentships. In addition, they have committed a further £124 million which will spend out to 2028-29 as part of the Additional Funding Programme for Mathematic Sciences (AFPMS) commitment.
This further investment will nearly double the funding going into the Mathematical Sciences this Spending Review (SR) period within the context of a 14% increase in UKRI’s overall budget by the end of the current SR period.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many mathematics fellowships UK Research and Innovation (1) funded in the UK from 2019–22, and (2) will fund from 2022–25.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), within UK Research and Innovation, funds Mathematical Sciences from its core budget, typically spending c£25-30 million/per annum for grants, fellowships, and studentships. In addition, they have committed a further £124 million which will spend out to 2028-29 as part of the Additional Funding Programme for Mathematic Sciences (AFPMS) commitment.
During the period FY 2019/20-2021/22, EPSRC funded 40 fellowship awards in mathematical sciences from core funding augmented by AFPMS. Awards in future years will be subject to the quality of applications received. A further 15 fellowships have been awarded to mathematical sciences through the UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships scheme.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much of UK Research and Innovation's funding was allocated to mathematics in (1) 2019–22, and (2) 2022–25.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, within UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), funds Mathematical Sciences from its core budget, typically spending c£25-30 million/per annum for grants, fellowships, and studentships. In addition, they have committed a further £124 million which will spend out to 2028-29 as part of the Additional Funding Programme for Mathematic Sciences (AFPMS) commitment.
This further investment will nearly double the funding going into the Mathematical Sciences this Spending Review (SR) period within the context of a 14% increase in UKRI’s overall budget by the end of the current SR period.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the estimated timetable for allocating the remaining £176m in additional funding for the mathematical sciences that they announced in January 2020.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Following the Government announcement to invest additional funding into mathematical sciences, BEIS published its funding allocations for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in May 2022. The total UKRI allocation as published was £25.1 billion for 2022-25, providing UKRI and its constituent councils with the funding needed to deliver world class research and innovation, including in the Mathematical Sciences.
The Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council’s core funding for Mathematical Sciences will continue at the level of circa £25-30 million per annum for grants, fellowships, and studentships. This is alongside the £124 million Additional Funding Programme for Mathematical Sciences funding provided to support activities that have been started to date. UKRI will seek further opportunities to support mathematical research as it establishes a portfolio of investments.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what provisions in the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 protect performers from the unauthorised reproduction of their performance using artificial intelligence systems.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Performers such as actors and musicians have their performances protected under Part II of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended. Sections 182 and 182A of the Act give performers the right to control who is able to record and make reproductions of their performances. These provisions apply regardless of the technology used to make such reproductions, including AI technology.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are their proposed safeguards for rights holders to protect their content in respect of the proposed expansion of the text and data mining copyright exception.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The proposal will provide safeguards which include the requirement for lawful access to works, allowing measures to ensure stability of systems, and a restriction over the further use of copies.
The proposed exception will be targeted to limit negative impacts, and the Government welcomes further views from rights holders on additional safeguards to achieve this.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what impact assessment they have carried out regarding the implications of the proposed expansion of the text and data mining copyright exception on rights holders outside of copyright, such as performers working across the entertainment industry.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government asked questions about impact in the consultation on AI and IP but received limited quantitative evidence. An impact assessment will be published alongside the legislation when laid. The proposed exception will be targeted to limit negative impacts, and the Government welcomes further evidence from rights holders, including performers, on how to best achieve this.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made on the implementation of the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK was unable to implement the Beijing Treaty in its own right while it was a member of the EU. Since leaving, it has committed to doing so as a sovereign nation. The Government has analysed responses to the recent Call for Views and expects to consult on specific options for implementation shortly.