Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to develop an exascale computing capability in the United Kingdom.

Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Expanding the UK’s compute capability is essential for the development and adoption of AI, scientific research, and improving public services. DSIT and UKRI are taking forward the development of the AI Research Resource, a network of clusters, currently consisting of Isambard-AI, in Bristol, and Dawn, in Cambridge, which will be fully operational by the summer. When this capacity is live, it will increase the UK’s existing public compute capacity by thirty times.

The government set out the further steps it will take to scale-up our compute infrastructure in response to the AI Opportunities Action Plan. This includes commitments to expand the AI Research Resource (AIRR) a further 20x by 2030, and to publish a long-term compute strategy. The government is developing this strategy and recognises the importance of large-scale scientific computing.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their position on the sovereignty of British Antarctic Territory.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK has no doubt about our sovereignty over the British Antarctic Territory. It is the oldest territorial claim in Antarctica, dating back to 1908. The UK is also fully committed to the Antarctic Treaty, 1959. The UK maintains a permanent presence in Antarctica through the British Antarctic Survey, who operate three scientific stations, and the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, who manage the historic base at Port Lockroy. The Royal Navy's Ice Patrol Ship is deployed to Antarctica during the austral summer, reaffirming our sovereignty over the British Antarctic Territory and monitoring compliance with the Antarctic Treaty.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking in relation to any current UK–US trade negotiations, and what plans they have for any future negotiations.

Answered by Baroness Gustafsson - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The UK-US relationship is already very strong, with trade of around £300 billion, and shared investment of over £1.2 trillion at the end of 2023. The Prime Minister and President Trump met on 27 February and agreed to deepen this relationship and to work together on a trade deal focused on tech. The Secretary of State for Business and Trade has also been engaging with the US Administration including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, to make the case for stronger UK-US trade that benefits both our countries.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the effects of increased employer National Insurance contributions on GP practices.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We have made the necessary decisions to fix the foundations of the public finances in the Autumn Budget. Resource spending for the Department will be £22.6 billion more in 2025/26 than in 2023/24, as part of the Spending Review settlement. The employers’ National Insurance rise will be implemented in April 2025.

General practices (GPs) are valued independent contractors who provide over £13 billion worth of National Health Services. Every year we consult with the profession about what services GPs provide, and the money providers are entitled to in return under their contract, taking account of the cost of delivering services.

We are investing an additional £889 million in through the GP Contract to reinforce the front door of the NHS, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This is the biggest increase in over a decade, and we are pleased that the General Practitioners Committee England is supportive of the contract changes.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the security situation in the Taiwan Strait.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK has a clear interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. We consider the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by people on both sides of the Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion. We are concerned by any activity that risks destabilising the status quo and have stated this alongside our G7 partners, including in the most recent G7 Foreign Ministers' statement.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government which Ministers are responsible for ensuring the resilience of critical national infrastructure; and if those responsibilities are split, which ministers are responsible for resilience in each sector.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The UK currently has 13 Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) sectors. Each sector has a Lead Government Department (LGD) that is responsible for sectoral resilience, including risk assessments, policy and guidance and industry engagement. The LGD Minister or Secretary of State for each CNI sector holds overall accountability for their CNI sectoral approach.

The Cabinet Office is responsible for the overarching CNI policy for the UK government, setting strategic cross-cutting priorities and providing assurance to Ministers that LGDs are fulfilling their responsibilities to ensure the security and resilience of their sectors. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (CDL) is the Cabinet Office Minister with overall responsibility for Resilience. CDL chairs the National Security Council on Resilience, at which CNI topics are routinely discussed and relevant LGDs are represented.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the development of fusion energy and allied technologies.

Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Fusion supports the Government’s Plan for Change and its Missions to Kickstart Economic Growth – through innovation, highly skilled jobs, and tech transfer to adjacent sectors, and make Britain a Clean Energy Superpower.

The Government has announced a record £410m for fusion R&D to fund world leading new facilities, cutting edge research, support for the UK’s thriving industry and skill provision across the UK.

The Government is supporting rapid development of the fusion energy sector, investing in cutting-edge research capabilities and facilities, and implementing a proportionate regulatory framework to cement the UK as a global hub for fusion investment and commercialisation.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 21 October 2024 (HL1252), whether they have established a returns and enforcement unit, and how many of the additional 1,000 staff allocated to the unit have been recruited.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

I refer the Noble Lord to the answer I gave him on 21 October 2024 in response to Question HL1252.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many containment level (1) three, and (2) four, laboratories there are in the UK, whether they keep a record of those facilities, and how often they update that record.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

There are currently 9 premises (8 organisations) that have notified as operating Containment Level (CL) 4 laboratories. There are 221 additional premises (204 organisations) that have notified as operating Containment Level 3 labs.

Each premises may operate one or more CL4 and/or CL3 laboratories. There is no duty on operators to notify the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) of how premises are subdivided into laboratories.

HSE keeps a list of premises operating at CL3. Operators are removed from the list as and when we become aware that they cease to operate at CL3.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they regulate biological gain-of-function research, and whether they plan to change or develop regulation of that research.

Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Gain of function research changes the genetic material of a living organism to alter the way that organism behaves. This research sometimes takes place on pathogens to helps us to prevent and respond to future pandemics. The UK has a set of regulations in place to safely unlock the benefits of this research on pathogens whilst protecting from misuse. The Genetically Modified Organisms (Contained Use) Regulations ensure the safety of the people doing the research and the environment whilst the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 regulates the possession and use of specific pathogens and toxins. We will continue to monitor the effectiveness of these regulations, including through ongoing engagement with the EngBio Responsible Innovation Advisory Panel.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve attainment in numeracy of primary school pupils, particularly in regard to basic arithmetic.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)

High and rising standards are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best life chances.

The department funds the Maths Hubs programme, which is supported by the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics. Local Maths Hubs provide school-to-school support focussed on mathematics subject knowledge and pedagogy training for teachers. The national network of Maths Hubs across England aims to raise the standard of mathematics education from reception to age 18. Maths Hubs deliver the Mastering Number programme, which is designed to encourage the use of mastery methods to teach solid number sense, to primary schools.

Through the department’s Accelerator Fund, we are also supporting up to 800 nurseries to complete the Maths Champions programme this year. Maths Champions is an evidence based professional development programme, proven to improve children’s mathematics and language outcomes by an average of three additional months.