Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many meetings special advisers in her Department have held with representatives of (a) Alphabet and (b) its subsidiaries since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Details of ministers’ meetings with external organisations and individuals are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK as part of the Department’s transparency returns. The following meetings have taken place after the most recent publication.
Special advisers regularly meet with a broad range of stakeholders to support ministers in the development and delivery of government policy.
Minister | Date | Meeting | Attendees |
|---|---|---|---|
Narayan | 03/06/2026 | Online Safety and the Social Media Consultation discussion. | Youtube |
Vallance | 19/01/2026 | To discuss opportunities for the UK Quantum ecosystem | Deepmind |
Lloyd | 19/05/2026 | To hear Google/Alphabet’s views on the trends in AI cyber capabilities and discuss the UK approach to improving cyber resilience. | |
Murray | 15/06/2026 | To discuss how Google Cloud can best support DSIT's strategy for Modern Government. | |
Narayan | 14/06/2026 | Online Safety and the Social Media Consultation discussion. | Google/YouTube |
Narayan | 15/06/2026 | Attended a dinner on the Frontier of AI hosted by Google Deepmind. | DeepMind |
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many meetings Ministers in her Department have held with representatives of (a) Alphabet and (b) its subsidiaries since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
Details of ministers’ meetings with external organisations and individuals are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK as part of the Department’s transparency returns. The following meetings have taken place after the most recent publication.
Special advisers regularly meet with a broad range of stakeholders to support ministers in the development and delivery of government policy.
Minister | Date | Meeting | Attendees |
|---|---|---|---|
Narayan | 03/06/2026 | Online Safety and the Social Media Consultation discussion. | Youtube |
Vallance | 19/01/2026 | To discuss opportunities for the UK Quantum ecosystem | Deepmind |
Lloyd | 19/05/2026 | To hear Google/Alphabet’s views on the trends in AI cyber capabilities and discuss the UK approach to improving cyber resilience. | |
Murray | 15/06/2026 | To discuss how Google Cloud can best support DSIT's strategy for Modern Government. | |
Narayan | 14/06/2026 | Online Safety and the Social Media Consultation discussion. | Google/YouTube |
Narayan | 15/06/2026 | Attended a dinner on the Frontier of AI hosted by Google Deepmind. | DeepMind |
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much their department spent on X and xAI since July 2024.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
No expenditure has been made by DSIT with X since July 2024.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether the advisory assessment panel for the appointment of the new Chair of Ofcom will include a member who is independent of Government; and if she will publish the names of panel members.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The advisory assessment panel for the appointment of the new Ofcom Chair is constituted in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. In consultation with the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the panel includes a Senior Independent Panel Member who does not hold a ministerial or departmental role, and whose remit is to provide assurance that the process is fair, open and merit-based. The names of all panel members are included in the role advert which is published on gov.uk.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the advisory assessment panel for the appointment of the new Chair of Ofcom is independent from His Majesty’s Government.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is committed to ensuring that the appointment of the Chair of Ofcom is fully compliant with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and the department is following the Code on Public Appointments including the principles of fairness, openness and merit.
The advisory assessment panel for the appointment of the new Ofcom Chair is constituted in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. In consultation with the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the panel includes a Senior Independent Panel Member who does not hold a ministerial or departmental role, and whose remit is to provide assurance that the process is fair, open and merit-based.
The Secretary of State for DSIT engages regularly with the SoS for DCMS about a range of matters.
The recruitment process will be conducted in full compliance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, ensuring it is fair, open and based on merit. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology treats all information about candidates for the Chair of Ofcom as strictly confidential.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the specification and criteria for the next Chair of Ofcom.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is committed to ensuring that the appointment of the Chair of Ofcom is fully compliant with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and the department is following the Code on Public Appointments including the principles of fairness, openness and merit.
The advisory assessment panel for the appointment of the new Ofcom Chair is constituted in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. In consultation with the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the panel includes a Senior Independent Panel Member who does not hold a ministerial or departmental role, and whose remit is to provide assurance that the process is fair, open and merit-based.
The Secretary of State for DSIT engages regularly with the SoS for DCMS about a range of matters.
The recruitment process will be conducted in full compliance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, ensuring it is fair, open and based on merit. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology treats all information about candidates for the Chair of Ofcom as strictly confidential.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the appointment of the Chair of Ofcom is compliant with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is committed to ensuring that the appointment of the Chair of Ofcom is fully compliant with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and the department is following the Code on Public Appointments including the principles of fairness, openness and merit.
The advisory assessment panel for the appointment of the new Ofcom Chair is constituted in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. In consultation with the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the panel includes a Senior Independent Panel Member who does not hold a ministerial or departmental role, and whose remit is to provide assurance that the process is fair, open and merit-based.
The Secretary of State for DSIT engages regularly with the SoS for DCMS about a range of matters.
The recruitment process will be conducted in full compliance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, ensuring it is fair, open and based on merit. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology treats all information about candidates for the Chair of Ofcom as strictly confidential.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what representations her Department has received on candidates to be the next Chair of Ofcom.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is committed to ensuring that the appointment of the Chair of Ofcom is fully compliant with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and the department is following the Code on Public Appointments including the principles of fairness, openness and merit.
The advisory assessment panel for the appointment of the new Ofcom Chair is constituted in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. In consultation with the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the panel includes a Senior Independent Panel Member who does not hold a ministerial or departmental role, and whose remit is to provide assurance that the process is fair, open and merit-based.
The Secretary of State for DSIT engages regularly with the SoS for DCMS about a range of matters.
The recruitment process will be conducted in full compliance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, ensuring it is fair, open and based on merit. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology treats all information about candidates for the Chair of Ofcom as strictly confidential.