Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information her Department holds on the distillation of UK AI models by China.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
Distillation is the practice of training a "student" model to reproduce the capabilities or characteristics of a more capable "teacher" model. Developers commonly distill their own models to produce smaller, cheaper versions, and some models are released under licences that expressly permit others, external to their organisation, to do so. Distillation can also be carried out in breach of a model's licence or terms of service. The Department is not aware of any such instances of UK AI models being distilled.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps she is taking to ensure the AI Security Institute is able to access the newest frontier models before their release.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The UK's AI Security Institute (AISI) has built trusted, relationships with the world's leading AI labs. This collaborative approach lets us keep pace with a fast-moving technology and adapt as it evolves and has allowed AISI to secure privileged access that has identified dozens of vulnerabilities that developers fixed before public release. AISI is in daily conversation with industry partners, including Anthropic, and works closely with allies and partners around the world on the risks posed by increasingly capable AI systems.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge, case reference BS35944, dated (a) 15 July 2025 and (b) 8 September 2025 .
Answered by Josh Simons
The Government is committed to transparency and accountability, including through clear and timely responses to correspondence. I can confirm that your letter to the Minister for the Cabinet Office dated 15 July, and subsequent email 8 September, have been passed to me as the Minister responsible for this policy, and I have replied to your letter. Please accept my apologies for the delay.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to correspondence dated (a) 5 March 2025, (b) 13 May 2025 and (c) 11 June 2025 from the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge, case reference BS35623.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is committed to transparency and accountability, including through clear and timely responses to correspondence. I can confirm that your letter to the then-Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster dated 5 March, and subsequent emails of 13 May and 11 June, have been passed to me as the Minister responsible for this policy, and I have replied to your letter. Please accept my apologies for the delay.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2025 to Question 60552 on Prime Minister: Social Media, whether large language models are used in the preparation of the Prime Minister's social media posts.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare
I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 24 June 2025, Official Report, PQ 60552.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister uses large language model software to help in drafting his social media posts.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare
No, the Prime Minister does not use large language model software to help in drafting social media posts.
Asked by: Ben Spencer (Conservative - Runnymede and Weybridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Government Department's responsibilities does SAGE fall within.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Minister (Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)
The terms of reference for SAGE can be found here - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies-sage.
SAGE is not, as the terms outline, a membership body and the Chief Scientific Adviser and the Chief Medical Officer will advise on attendance.