Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment he has made of the level of funding available for research into antimicrobial discovery.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 2024–2029 UK antimicrobial resistance (AMR) National Action Plan sets out the UK’s five-year cross-sector approach to tackling AMR, and prioritises the development of new treatments and their translation into practice.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funds a wide range of funding programmes across the organisation to improve our understanding of AMR and deliver innovative solutions to this growing global challenge. Funding for applied and translational research into antimicrobial discovery is also available from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), funded by DHSC.
UKRI have recently invested £4.8 million in eight transdisciplinary network awards to strengthen collaboration, build research capacity, and lay the foundations for future interdisciplinary research. This was followed by a £15.5 million investment in 2026, jointly supported by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and DHSC, to a portfolio of ambitious programmatic awards addressing the complex drivers and impacts of AMR. The UK is actively engaged with the One Health AMR Horizon Europe partnership, working with international partners to provide enabling resources and translational funding for AMR research and innovation.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment the Department has made of the impact of Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) funding reductions on research and innovation in antimicrobial resistance.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) research helps protect public health by developing new treatments, diagnostics, vaccines and prevention strategies to combat infections that no longer respond to existing antimicrobial medicines.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funds a wide range of funding programmes across the organisation to improve our understanding of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and deliver innovative solutions to this growing global challenge.
In July 2026, UKRI announced the outcomes of STFC's prioritisation exercise, detailing the decisions taken across its portfolio to reach a balanced position by 2029/2030 while protecting the facilities, capabilities and research strengths most critical to its mission. Among these is Diamond Light Source, which provides national-scale infrastructure for structural biology, drug discovery, imaging and biological materials research that support a range of life science research areas including tackling AMR.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK retains an adequate level of mathematical research capability to support advances in artificial intelligence.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Government’s AI for Science Strategy recognises the importance of our research sector to support advances in AI and is strengthening the compute, data, skills and tools needed to maintain our global leadership in this domain.
UKRI-EPSRC continues to invest in mathematical sciences through the EPSRC Mathematical Sciences programme and in mathematical skills through our PhD investments.
To increase the attractiveness of PhDs to UK-domiciled students, the currently funded TechFirst programme has identified some areas of mathematical expertise relevant to future technologies, including AI as a priority for funding.
The UKRI Artificial Intelligence Priority Programme is open to those with a mathematical sciences background to contribute to the AI priority challenges.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether he considers the mathematical sciences to be a priority capability for the development, evaluation and safe deployment of increasingly advanced artificial intelligence systems.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
Mathematical sciences are a key capability for the development, evaluation and safe deployment of increasingly advanced artificial intelligence systems. The UKRI Artificial Intelligence Research and Innovation Strategic Framework emphasises this through its commitment to invest at scale in mathematics to support technology development and future foundations. This approach also builds on UKRI's previous investments in AI research hubs delivering next-generation innovations and technologies, a number of which have positioned mathematics and computational research as foundational components underpinning advances in artificial intelligence.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of recent advances in artificial intelligence on (a) mathematical research in the UK and (b) the mathematical sciences as a discipline.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
AI is accelerating discovery and transforming how research is conducted. Backed by up to £137 million, the Government’s AI for Science Strategy responds to this transformation by strengthen researcher’s access to the compute, data, skills and tools needed to realise the potential for AI-enabled research, while supporting the UK’s leading research sector.
UKRI and BIST have discussed the potential impact of recent developments in AI on basic research (as defined under the Frascati system), including the mathematical sciences.
UKRI-EPSRC has made no formal assessment of potential changes to the future of skills, training and research infrastructure in mathematical sciences due to recent changes in AI-generated mathematical research. EPSRC-funded investments such as the International Centre of Mathematical Sciences and the Isaac Newton Institute, alongside the Academy of Mathematical Sciences, are engaged in community-wide discussions about the implications of AI-generated mathematical research.
Government and UKRI-EPSRC continue to monitor developments and maintain close dialogue with the mathematical sciences community as the implications of advances in AI mathematical capability are assessed and understood.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what discussions he has had with UKRI and EPSRC on the implications of recent developments in artificial intelligence on the future funding and organisation of mathematical sciences research.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
AI is accelerating discovery and transforming how research is conducted. Backed by up to £137 million, the Government’s AI for Science Strategy responds to this transformation by strengthen researcher’s access to the compute, data, skills and tools needed to realise the potential for AI-enabled research, while supporting the UK’s leading research sector.
UKRI and BIST have discussed the potential impact of recent developments in AI on basic research (as defined under the Frascati system), including the mathematical sciences.
UKRI-EPSRC has made no formal assessment of potential changes to the future of skills, training and research infrastructure in mathematical sciences due to recent changes in AI-generated mathematical research. EPSRC-funded investments such as the International Centre of Mathematical Sciences and the Isaac Newton Institute, alongside the Academy of Mathematical Sciences, are engaged in community-wide discussions about the implications of AI-generated mathematical research.
Government and UKRI-EPSRC continue to monitor developments and maintain close dialogue with the mathematical sciences community as the implications of advances in AI mathematical capability are assessed and understood.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications of AI-generated mathematical research on future (a) skills, (b) training and (c) research infrastructure needs of the mathematical sciences community.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
AI is accelerating discovery and transforming how research is conducted. Backed by up to £137 million, the Government’s AI for Science Strategy responds to this transformation by strengthen researcher’s access to the compute, data, skills and tools needed to realise the potential for AI-enabled research, while supporting the UK’s leading research sector.
UKRI and BIST have discussed the potential impact of recent developments in AI on basic research (as defined under the Frascati system), including the mathematical sciences.
UKRI-EPSRC has made no formal assessment of potential changes to the future of skills, training and research infrastructure in mathematical sciences due to recent changes in AI-generated mathematical research. EPSRC-funded investments such as the International Centre of Mathematical Sciences and the Isaac Newton Institute, alongside the Academy of Mathematical Sciences, are engaged in community-wide discussions about the implications of AI-generated mathematical research.
Government and UKRI-EPSRC continue to monitor developments and maintain close dialogue with the mathematical sciences community as the implications of advances in AI mathematical capability are assessed and understood.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether he plans to appoint a Ministerial Champion for the Oxford-Cambridge Corridor.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Chancellor reaffirmed Government’s commitment to the Oxford-Cambridge Corridor in his growth speech on 7 September, highlighting it alongside the Northern Corridor as one of the UK’s key economic priorities and a central part of the Government’s good growth agenda. Ministerial oversight of the Growth Corridor is provided through the responsible Ministers and departments across Government, with Lord Vallance recently appointed to a new Chair role to provide strategic leadership to the Government’s work in the region, reporting to the Prime Minister.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what discussions Lord Vallance has had with Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government ministers or officials, in his role as Ministerial Champion for the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor, regarding the implications of local government reorganisation proposals for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough for delivery of the Growth Corridor.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As Ministerial Champion for the Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor Lord Vallance engaged with ministers across Government on how their departments’ agendas can support our ambition to unlock the economic potential of the region.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to increase confidence in the UK as a reliable manufacturing base for global trade.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Manufacturing is crucial for the UK's economy, driving innovation, creating jobs, and boosting national security and resilience. This government recognises that we need to maximise growth in manufacturing to maintain a global competitive edge and uphold our reputation as a trusted reliable international trading partner.
This is why we have recently published our Modern Industrial Strategy, Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan, Trade Strategy and SME Strategy. These interlocking strategies will work together to set out the government's offer to support growth, strengthening businesses at home to ensure success abroad.