Asked by: Lord Holmes of Richmond (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer on 23 June by Baroness Lloyd of Effra (HL Deb cols 542–545), what actions they are taking to promote UK strategic interests in global AI governance frameworks.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The UK works closely with international partners to promote our strategic interests in global AI governance frameworks, such as at the United Nations, OECD, Council of Europe, G7 and G20. We shape such frameworks to promote secure AI and boost AI adoption for economic growth, building on our AI Opportunities Action Plan.
The UK has negotiated major global initiatives, including the Council of Europe Framework Convention on AI – the first legally binding international AI treaty; the UN Independent Scientific Panel on AI and Global Dialogue on AI Governance; and the Integrated Partnership between the OECD and Global Partnership on AI.
Asked by: Lord Holmes of Richmond (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer on 23 June by Baroness Lloyd of Effra (HL Deb cols 542–545), what are the UK’s objectives for each multilateral forum in which AI governance is being discussed.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Across multilateral fora, the UK seeks to develop practical, proportionate, and agile governance that advances secure, trustworthy, and responsible AI across borders and regulatory regimes, built on a common, scientifically robust evidence base.
We also seek to boost AI adoption for economic growth, building on our AI Opportunities Action Plan. To achieve these objectives, we engage across the G7, OECD, United Nations, G20, Council of Europe, Standards Development Organisations, and International Network for Advanced AI Measurement, Evaluation and Science.
Asked by: Lord Holmes of Richmond (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer on 23 June by Baroness Lloyd of Effra (HL Deb cols 542–545), what are the bilateral agreements currently in place with international partners on AI safety, security and access to frontier capabilities.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The UK AI Security Institute (AISI) works closely with its international counterparts and the UK’s closest security partners to share the latest information on frontier AI model capabilities and risks, especially as they relate to national security matters.
UK AISI has formal partnership agreements with its counterparts in Singapore, Australia, and the United States. These agreements allow for advanced bilateral information sharing on AI model capabilities and secondments of technical talent, as well as enabling the Institutes to conduct joint studies into AI risks.
Asked by: Lord Holmes of Richmond (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer on 23 June by Baroness Lloyd of Effra (HL Deb cols 542–545), what are the mechanisms through which the UK is seeking to influence global standards on content provenance, model access, and risk based regulation.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The UK’s engagement on international standards is underpinned by a proportionate, sector-led approach to managing AI’s risks, with AI governed at the point of use – protecting innovation while driving targeted action where needed on the risks. Internationally, we take a similarly agile approach - working with partners where it supports practical outcomes in specific areas. Complementing our new taskforce on AI labelling, the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre is collaborating with partners such as Canada on content provenance and engaging through the G7 to improve identification of AI‑generated content to enhance online safety.
Asked by: Lord Holmes of Richmond (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Leong on 3 February (HL Deb col 1434) about the use of the SPACE framework to ensure safety, transparency and accountability for AI, in which publication, document or statement they set out that approach; and what activity they have taken to implement it.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government’s response to the AI Opportunities Action Plan outlines our regulatory approach to strengthening AI safety, security and robustness. We have accepted - and are acting on - recommendations to enhance regulatory capabilities. We have also announced a new Centre for AI Measurement to develop new AI assurance tools and strengthen the UK AI Assurance ecosystem; committed to ensuring that the AI Security Institute has the ability to deliver on its responsibilities, is trusted by others, and works well with partners; and concluded a call for evidence on the AI Growth Lab, a cross-economy AI sandbox, to inform further development, and identify priority areas for its focus.
The Regulatory Innovation Office supports the government’s pro‑innovation approach to regulation by working with businesses and regulators to cut approval times for innovation and technologies while maintaining safety and public confidence. The Regulatory Innovation Office also coordinates cross‑government action to remove regulatory barriers to growth.
Through such initiatives, the Government has taken important steps to ensure that most AI systems are already regulated at the point of use by our existing expert regulators. We are closely following how the technology develops, and where further action may be required.
Asked by: Lord Holmes of Richmond (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Demos report A Declaration on Digital Rights: Embedding human rights in a new deal for the digital age, published on 10 February; and what steps they are taking to embed human rights protections in the UK’s regulatory approach to technology and AI.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
We are committed to embedding human rights protections across the UK’s approach to regulating technology and AI. The UK already complies with human rights obligations including via the Human Rights Act (HRA) 1998. Individuals can uphold those rights in UK courts, which have always interpreted the rights set out in the European Convention on Human Rights and applied under the HRA in a flexible way that keeps up with new technology.
The UK has helped to shape the passage of key international AI initiatives, such as signing the Council of Europe’s AI Convention. This is the world’s first legally binding agreement on AI grounded in human rights, democracy and the rule of law. We will implement the Convention in a proportionate, innovation-friendly way, leveraging our existing human rights framework and sector-led regulation to safeguard rights while supporting growth.
Asked by: Lord Holmes of Richmond (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to clauses 30 and 31 of the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill, what independent advice and consultation, including from people with lived experience, they have sought about the access needs of blind, partially sighted, deafblind and disabled passengers; and what organisations and individuals they consulted for that advice.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department has proactively engaged with a wide range of stakeholders throughout the development and passage of the Bus Services (No.2) Bill through Parliament. This includes the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC), statutory advisors to Government on the needs of disabled transport users.
Both the safety and accessibility of stopping places guidance, and the guidance on floating bus stops will be developed collaboratively with disabled people and other key stakeholders. They will also be subject to statutory consultation with DPTAC. This guidance will be important to improving the experience of disabled people when using bus services, and enabling them to travel safely, confidently and with dignity.
Asked by: Lord Holmes of Richmond (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether DEFRA has the power to authorise individuals to release and catch non-native species, such as Asian hornets, for track and trace purposes.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
Licenses for the release of non-native species after capture can be issued under the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019 and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The licensing authority for these licences is Natural England (NE).
The Licencing Authority may only grant licences for certain specified purposes. For example, where the release is part of a rapid eradication measure. NE have therefore granted licences where appropriate to allow for the release of Asian hornets (Vespa velutina).
Any interested party may submit an application to NE to obtain a licence. The application should include comprehensive supporting information to enable NE to make an informed decision on whether a licence can be issued. Any conditions as stipulated by NE upon the issue of the licence must be complied with.
In the case of Asian hornets, the conditions include but are not limited to the immediate reporting of any sightings of individual Asian hornets or their nests to the GB Non-native Species Secretariat. The individual must also regularly report to NE on how the licence has been used.
Asked by: Lord Holmes of Richmond (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the educational attainment gap for blind and visually impaired students at (1) Key Stage 2, (2) GCSE, and (3) A Level; by what date, if any, they aim to eradicate that gap; and what additional research have they undertaken, or do they intend to undertake, to support work in this area.
Answered by Baroness Barran
Data is collected on pupils receiving either special educational needs support or have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan and their primary category of need. The links below provide the attainment of pupils assessed as having a primary need of ‘visual impairment’ and how this compares to other pupils:
The department wants all children and young people to be able to reach their full potential and to receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department is creating a new single national special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and alternative provision system for how needs are identified and met across EHC. This new single national system will set standards on what support should be made available in mainstream settings, including for children with visual impairments.
The department is committed to ensuring a steady supply of teachers of children with sensory impairments in both specialist and mainstream settings. To teach a class of pupils with sensory impairments, a teacher is required to hold the relevant mandatory qualification (MQSI). There are currently six providers of the MQSI, with a seventh available from September 2024. In addition, the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education is developing a new occupational standard for teachers of sensory impairment, which is expected to launch in 2025.
The national curriculum tests are designed and modified to ensure they are accessible to visually impaired pupils. Access arrangements can be agreed with exam boards before an assessment for candidates with specific needs, including SEND, to help them access assessments to show what they know and can do without changing the demands of the assessment. The intention behind an access arrangement is to meet the needs of an individual candidate without affecting the integrity of the assessment.
Children and young people with SEND have more access to assistive technology (AT) following investment in remote education and accessibility features which can reduce or remove barriers to learning. Following the promising results of a pilot training programme in 2022 to increase mainstream school staff confidence using assistive technology, the government extended training to capture more detailed data on the impact on teachers and learners. The independent evaluation will be published in May 2024. The department is also now researching the AT skills required by staff at special schools, including those working with blind and visually impaired students.
Asked by: Lord Holmes of Richmond (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to introduce the Law Commission's draft Bill on Digital Assets this parliamentary session.
Answered by Lord Bellamy
The Law Commission’s final report on Digital Assets did not include a draft Bill. However, the report recommended statutory confirmation of the existing common law position that certain digital assets and other intangible assets are capable of attracting personal property rights. The Government is carefully considering the Law Commission’s recommendations and will respond in due course.