Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Answer of 13 April 2026 to question 126666, what recent progress she has made on the establishment and membership of the ministerial-level working group as set out in the MOU for the UK-US Tech Prosperity Deal.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The United States is our close ally and tech partner, and we are committed to ensuring that bond delivers real benefits for hardworking people on both sides of the Atlantic.
We continue to have ministerial-level discussions with the US administration on science and technology, including on joint initiatives in the Tech Prosperity Deal.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will (a) provide an overview of the methods used by her department to track and report (i) how many individuals have taken courses and (ii) the number of courses delivered through the Government’s AI Skills Hub platform, and (b) provide the latest figures for each of these metrics.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government is committed to building a digitally skilled workforce to support long-term economic growth, drive innovation and expand individual opportunity. As part of this ambition, DSIT has launched the AI Skills Boost campaign to upskill 10 million workers in AI skills by 2030.
As of 24 April 2026, there were 65,965 registered learners on the AI Skills Hub. The AI Skills Hub also hosts the AI Skills Boost programme, which delivered over 1 million courses between June 2025 and January 2026. A further progress update will be shared shortly.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Answer of 21 April 2026 to Question 128826, when the chips used in the Isambard‑AI and Dawn AI Research Resource clusters in (a) July 2024, (b) July 2025 and (c) April 2026 were procured.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department does not hold information centrally on the procurement dates of individual chips used within the Isambard AI and Dawn AI Research Resource clusters.
Hardware for both systems was procured by delivery partners as part of wider system procurements, with components ordered and delivered in phases to support system build, integration and commissioning. Procurement activity therefore spans a period of time and is not recorded against single dates for individual components.
As a result, the Department is not able to provide specific procurement dates for the chips in July 2024, July 2025, or April 2026.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her department plans to publish a response to its call for evidence on the AI Growth Lab scheme.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The AI Growth Lab would be a cross-economy AI sandbox which would enable responsible AI products and services to be deployed under close supervision in live markets. This will unlock cross-economy growth, drive trust and create a mechanism for dynamic, evidence-led regulatory reform.
From 21st October 2025 – 7th January 2026, the Government ran a call for evidence on the AI Growth Lab, asking innovators and regulators. The insights will inform further policy development and the identification of priority areas for the AI Growth Lab.
The Chancellor announced plans to legislate for the AI Growth Lab in her 2026 Mais Lecture and the King’s Speech confirmed the intention to introduce the Regulating for Growth Bill. We will set out further details shortly.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the proportion of funding awarded by the Advanced Research and Invention Agency to non UK based companies; and how such funding is expected to deliver benefits to the UK.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
ARIA was established by Parliament to independently fund high-risk, high-reward research. More than 80% of its funding goes to UK-based teams, and where funding goes abroad, it comes with conditions to ensure it delivers long-term benefits for the UK, such as requirements to establish UK operations or carry out activity in the UK.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what process was followed to appoint Suzanne Ashman as Managing Partner of the UK Sovereign AI Fund.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Managing Partner of the Sovereign AI Fund has been appointed following a three-month, competitive, five-stage recruitment process involving over 60 candidates. She was judged the strongest candidate on merit against the skills and experience required. This is a Civil Service appointment. Ministers were not involved in the recruitment process and had no decision-making authority over the outcome.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the impact of energy prices on the cost and competitiveness of operating AI infrastructure in the UK.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Energy prices are a critical factor in the cost and competitiveness of operating AI infrastructure in the UK, but they are one of several key considerations, alongside access to reliable grid capacity, a strong digital services market, a highly developed economy and access to skilled talent. These factors must be considered in the round, as they collectively influence and shape investment decisions.
We are working closely with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Department for Business and Trade, Ofgem and the National Energy System Operator on energy pricing, to ensure that we can attract sufficient investment in infrastructure and deliver on our ambition of being a global leader in AI.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the extent to which existing UK fibre and mobile connectivity infrastructure is sufficient to support the adoption of AI technologies across different sectors of the UK economy.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
We are committed to ensuring the UK is the leading adopter of AI in the G7, and the Government will look at how regulation, data and access to finance can support adoption including by working closely with sectoral AI Champions to identify new solutions.
High-quality digital connectivity underpins the UK’s digital capabilities, including the adoption of AI technologies across different sectors of the UK economy. This is why we are futureproofing the UK’s networks, with a target to deliver 99% gigabit broadband coverage by 2032 and an ambition for all populated areas to have access to higher quality standalone 5G coverage by 2030.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the impact of increases in employment costs on businesses’ decisions on whether to substitute labour with (a) automation and (b) AI.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The fiscal inheritance demanded tough choices in order to fix our public services, to create long-term growth and investment that supports businesses.
Through our plan for small and medium sized businesses we have sought to protect and enable SMEs to prosper.
There is limited conclusive evidence AI is reducing employment. However, the pace of technological change means government is acting now to ensure we are prepared. The AI Economics Institute will monitor impacts on jobs and skills to ensure we can respond quickly, alongside investment in training and lifelong learning to help people adapt and prepare for future jobs.
Asked by: Julia Lopez (Conservative - Hornchurch and Upminster)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will provide the most up to date figures for the number of (i) individuals who have taken courses and (ii) courses that have been delivered, through the Government’s AI Skills Hub platform.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.