Asked by: Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op) - Manchester Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Government's publication A pro-innovation approach to AI regulation, published on 29 March 2023, how much and what proportion of the budget of each regulator in their Department was spent on regulation of artificial intelligence in the latest period for which information is available; how many staff in each regulator worked (a) wholly and (b) partly on those issues in the latest period for which information is available; and whether those regulators plan to increase resources for their work on artificial intelligence.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems become more powerful, and are put to different use, they will create new opportunities, challenges and risks. The UK Government recognises it will need to act and adapt the way we regulate technologies like AI that are playing an increasingly vital role in our economy and society. The FCDO does not oversee the work of any regulators. As a global leader in AI, the UK plays an important role in shaping the international AI governance debate and promoting the UK's regulatory framework and values in international fora, such as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Council of Europe, Global Partnership on AI and UNESCO.
Asked by: Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op) - Manchester Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many officials in her Department are working in the Counter Disinformation Unit.
Answered by James Cleverly - Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Addressing the challenges of disinformation and misinformation is a whole-of-Government effort, and FCDO works on this closely with all relevant Departments, including the Counter Disinformation Unit (CDU) in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
The CDU is a standing unit that draws on a range of expertise from across government, social media platforms and disinformation specialists in academia and civil society to lead the fight against misinformation and disinformation.
It would not be appropriate to comment on operational details such as staffing levels publicly as doing so would give malign actors insight into our capabilities. However staffing requirements are continually reviewed to ensure appropriate levels of resourcing, including surge capacity where needed.
Asked by: Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op) - Manchester Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate he has made of the level of UK-produced steel procured by his Department and associated departmental public bodies and agencies in (a) 2019-20 and (b) 2020-21.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office did not procure steel domestically or internationally in 2019-20 and 2020-21.
Asked by: Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op) - Manchester Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many non-executive directors of his Department who were in post before May 2015 have since left the Department's board; what the names and length of tenure of such directors were; and how many and what non-executive director appointments he has made since May 2010.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
No non-executive directors have left the Foreign and Commonwealth Office since May 2015. Since May 2010, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has made three Board level non-executive director appointments, and renewed one contract. These were: 01/11/2011 Richard Lambert (Supervisory Board) 01/12/2011 (contract renewal) Rudy Markham (Supervisory Board, Management Board, Audit and Risk Committee) 01/03/2012 – 31/03/2015 Heather Rabbatts (Supervisory Board) 24/04/2012 Julia Bond (Supervisory Board, Management Board, Senior Appointments Board) In this period the Foreign and Commonwealth Office also recruited two non-executive members to its Audit and Risk Committee. These were: 16/03/2011 Stephen Hawker (Audit and Risk Committee) 16/03/2011 Ann Cormack (Audit and Risk Committee)