Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what binding contractual terms, conditions of use, monitoring arrangements or audit mechanisms apply to access to the AI Research Resource supercomputer network, to ensure that public compute is not used for the training or development of AI models in a manner that would infringe UK copyright law; and what consequences apply in the event of non-compliance.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Access to the AI Research Resource (AIRR) is governed by binding contractual and operational conditions to ensure that publicly funded compute is used responsibly and in line with UK law, including UK copyright law.
All users are required to enter into formal access agreements with the relevant host institutions and funders. The AIRR is currently delivered through systems hosted by the University of Bristol (Isambard‑AI) and the University of Cambridge (Dawn), with funding provided by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) on behalf of the Government. DSIT have been clear that copyright rules should also be respected: use of copyright works to train AI in the UK will require a licence unless an exception applies.
Where there is evidence or reasonable suspicion of breach of the AIRR conditions of use, remedial actions may include investigation by the host institution, suspension or termination of access, withdrawal of compute allocations, and, where appropriate, the application of contractual remedies.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent the abuse of the UK design register by traders registering invalid old designs to maliciously block competitors on online marketplaces; and what consideration they have given to reintroducing substantive examination or the use of artificial intelligence search tools to identify invalid applications prior to registration.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government is aware that some applicants are abusing the UK design system and seeking to register designs for well-known products or products that don’t belong to them.
The 2025 consultation on changes to the UK design framework sought views on a wide range of measures around search and examination to improve the validity of registered designs. The government is currently reviewing responses to the consultation, and a response will be issued later this year.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assurances they have received, if any, from Palantir that the US government's designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk will not affect the delivery of their contracts with the UK Government.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government utilises a range of suppliers based on operational requirements, value for money, and compliance with our security and legal obligations, with all suppliers subject to rigorous due diligence.
It is the responsibility of each contracting authority to ensure that contracts that they award are suitable for their requirements and legally compliant, and to monitor and manage the supplier's performance against their contractual obligations. All contracting authorities are simultaneously encouraged to follow the Government Security Group’s guidance on Tackling Security Risk in Government Supply Chains, which details best practices for procurement, commercial, and security practitioners when selecting and onboarding suppliers.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assurances they have received from Palantir about the government of the USA's designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) requires all suppliers, including Palantir, to meet UK Government security and supply chain assurance standards. Palantir remains subject to ongoing MOD commercial and security oversight, and the MOD is satisfied that appropriate assurances are in place.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the memorandum of understanding between the UK and Google DeepMind on AI opportunities and security has been fully implemented; how access to AI datasets will be overseen; who will oversee them; and how the process will be documented to ensure transparency.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Implementation of the Government's Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Google DeepMind is underway but is still in its early phases for many commitments, including AI datasets.
The MOU with Google DeepMind supports the Government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan, the work of the AI Security Institute, and our AI for Science Strategy.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they plan to inform the public if their data held in public administrative datasets is used for AI development; and which departments are already using public data for AI development.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to transparency and public trust in the use of data for artificial intelligence (AI) development.
The primary mechanism by which the Government informs the public about the use of data, including public administrative datasets, in AI systems is the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard (ATRS). This provides accessible and centralised information on GOV.UK about how and why algorithmic and AI tools are used, including the types of data involved in model development. Through mandatory reporting requirements, central government departments and relevant arm’s-length bodies are required to publish information documenting how algorithmic tools are used in decision making or interact with the general public. This must be done in line with the scope and exemptions policy on GOV.UK. For all other public sector organisations it is recommended as best practice. Algorithmic transparency records from UK public sector organisations are available on the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard Repository on GOV.UK.
In addition, the Government has published guidance on making government datasets ready for AI, which sets expectations that departments document dataset provenance, permitted reuse (including for AI development), legal basis, and ethical considerations, to support transparency and responsible data use.
Where personal data is used, UK data protection legislation requires data controllers to provide clear information about how personal data is used, including its use in automated or algorithm assisted decision‑making, through departmental privacy notices and related publications.
As public sector AI adoption accelerates, GDS leads the responsible, safe, and scalable use of AI to boost productivity, improve services, and unlock efficiencies where practicable.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government at what stage of development is the Department for Education Content Store; what information, if any, it contains about pupils; who has access to it; for what purposes; and how ongoing developments will be reported to Parliament or made public.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Education Content Store programme is currently preparing for public beta phase. This phase will provide access, on a test basis, to publicly available materials which have been optimised for use with artificial intelligence. This will not include pupil work.
The Education Content Store contains no information about pupils. A limited amount of anonymised pupil work was included in the pilot, with written permission from parents.
During the pilot phase, a small number of British educational technology companies had access to the content store. Some of these were selected through the Contracts for Innovation competition with UK Research and Innovation, and others were participating in non-commercial user testing activities. The pilot phase has now ended, and only those working on the development of the store, or related programmes across government, including the National Data Library, currently have access.
We will publish a full report on the content store pilot phase before the end of the academic year.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the Animals in Science Regulation Unit Annual Report 2024, published in December 2025, what steps they are taking to prevent and sanction non-compliance to regulations including (1) the re-use of animals for testing without licence, (2) depriving animals used for testing of food and water and, (3) animals used for testing dying due to drowning or starvation.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government remains fully committed to continuous improvement in the regulation of the use of animals in science, and to strengthening the UK’s position as a global leader in science and innovation. As part of this, the Home Office is in the final stages of delivering a comprehensive programme of regulatory reform to further strengthen the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU), ensuring confidence in the regulatory system and maintaining robust compliance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA).
As part of the reform programme, the number of inspectors will increase from 14.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions at the end of 2017 to 22 FTE positions by March 2026.
All licensed establishments must fully uphold the standards for animal welfare set out in ASPA and in the Code of Practice for the Housing and Care of Animals Bred, Supplied or Used for Scientific Purposes. ASRU conducts regular audits to assure compliance and takes any instance of non-compliance extremely seriously.
ASRU’s published Compliance Policy (www.gov.uk/guidance/animal-testing-and-research-compliance-with-aspa) sets out how the regulator identifies, investigates and responds to potential incidents of non‑compliance, and how it applies appropriate and proportionate measures and sanctions where breaches are found. Through the delivery of this policy, the regulator aims to minimise the risk of future non‑compliance.
The Government’s strategy Replacing Animals in Science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods sets out a long-term vision to accelerate the development and use of nonanimal approaches. The Home Office will continue to apply ASPA’s rigorous licensing framework, ensuring that animals are only used where no validated non-animal alternative exists.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the commitment in the Replacing Animals in Science Strategy, published in November 2025, to "accelerate uptake in alternative methods through reform of animals in science regulation", and reports of non-compliance described in the Animals in Science Regulation Unit Annual Report 2024, published in December 2025, whether they plan to undertake a wider review of the adequacy of regulation in this area; what steps they will be taking to prevent non-compliance; and whether they plan to review the wider performance of the Animals in Science Regulation Unit, including its use of sanctions in response to non-compliance.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government remains fully committed to continuous improvement in the regulation of the use of animals in science, and to strengthening the UK’s position as a global leader in science and innovation. As part of this, the Home Office is in the final stages of delivering a comprehensive programme of regulatory reform to further strengthen the Animals in Science Regulation Unit (ASRU), ensuring confidence in the regulatory system and maintaining robust compliance with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA).
As part of the reform programme, the number of inspectors will increase from 14.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions at the end of 2017 to 22 FTE positions by March 2026.
All licensed establishments must fully uphold the standards for animal welfare set out in ASPA and in the Code of Practice for the Housing and Care of Animals Bred, Supplied or Used for Scientific Purposes. ASRU conducts regular audits to assure compliance and takes any instance of non-compliance extremely seriously.
ASRU’s published Compliance Policy (www.gov.uk/guidance/animal-testing-and-research-compliance-with-aspa) sets out how the regulator identifies, investigates and responds to potential incidents of non‑compliance, and how it applies appropriate and proportionate measures and sanctions where breaches are found. Through the delivery of this policy, the regulator aims to minimise the risk of future non‑compliance.
The Government’s strategy Replacing Animals in Science: A strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods sets out a long-term vision to accelerate the development and use of nonanimal approaches. The Home Office will continue to apply ASPA’s rigorous licensing framework, ensuring that animals are only used where no validated non-animal alternative exists.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Lloyd of Effra on 5 January [HL12970], whether the responsibilities in the Digital Economy Act 2017 Codes of Practice have been met; and whether that single entity named is required to have a current registration with the ICO for Data Protection Act purposes.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Digital Economy Act 2017 requires all persons who are involved in disclosing or using information under the public service delivery, debt and fraud powers to have due regard to the Code of Practice for public authorities disclosing information under Chapters 1, 3 and 4 (Public Service Delivery, Debt and Fraud) of Part 5 of the Digital Economy Act 2017 in so far as they are relevant, when they disclose or use information under these powers.
It is also a legal requirement for many organisations including government bodies and agencies that process personal data, to register with the Information Commissioner’s Office in accordance with the Data Protection (Charges and Information) Regulations 2018 unless they are exempt.