Munira Wilson

I refer you to the Minister for Women and Equalities Written Ministerial Statement issued on 21 May.

The Attorney General’s Office provides staff with access to a range of artificial intelligence (AI) learning and development resources.

These include the Civil Service Learning “AI for All” programme, AI-Understanding Ethics, AI Generative AI Tools and Applications, The business value of AI and Microsoft Copilot training and guidance.

a) Information on the total number of hours of AI training undertaken by staff is not held centrally. A range of AI learning opportunities are available to staff, with individual courses varying in duration.

b) The topics and skills covered by such training are:

• AI fundamentals and how AI is transforming the Civil Service and public service delivery.
• Practical AI skills and the effective use of AI in day‑to‑day work.
• Responsible and safe use of AI tools.
• AI ethics, including the risks and considerations associated with AI adoption.
• Generative AI tools and applications.
• The strategic and business value of AI, including governance, security, bias and data considerations.
• Microsoft Copilot skills, including prompt writing, use of AI assistants and agents, and safe use within government systems.

The Department also provides access to additional AI learning resources through LinkedIn Learning, Microsoft Copilot Academy and other approved learning platforms.

The income realised from bona vacantia, including from deceased people’s estates, is published in the Crown’s Nominee Accounts which are laid before Parliament annually.

The Bona Vacantia unclaimed estates list was temporarily removed from GOV.UK on 7 July 2025. At this time, the number of estates published on the list was 5,770.

The future publication of the list is currently under review.

Estates administered as bona vacantia continue to be published in The Gazette.

The Bona Vacantia unclaimed estates list was temporarily removed from GOV.UK on 7 July 2025. At this time, the number of estates published on the list was 5,770.

The future publication of the list is currently under review.

Estates administered as bona vacantia continue to be published in The Gazette.

The Cabinet Office provides a recommended AI training offer for all civil servants across government who are not digital or technical specialists. The training is available online and delivered via Civil Service Learning.

The learning offer provides material to meet a wide range of needs across the Civil Service. In total, around 130 hours worth of training is available. However, most civil servants will only need to complete some modules.

The AI training modules and are intended to build the following AI skills in civil servants:

• Foundational AI skills (AI literacy, Assessing AI opportunities, Interpreting AI outputs)

• AI Strategy and Implementation

• AI Governance and Safety (Applying AI Governance, Using AI Safely).

Digital and AI training will be a top priority for the National School of Government and Public Services when it launches in the Autumn.

The Government is committed to adopting artificial intelligence in a way that is transparent, responsible and accountable to the public.

Information about algorithmic and AI tools used by government departments to support decisions that affect members of the public, or that have a significant influence on a decision-making process with public effect, is published through the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard (ATRS). The ATRS has been mandatory for central government departments since 2024, and records are published on GOV.UK at www.gov.uk/algorithmic-transparency-records. In addition, departments may use other internal tools which do not fall within the scope of the Standard.

In addition, departments may use other internal tools which do not fall within the scope of the Standard. In line with public procurement transparency requirements, departments publish contractual information for AI services and tools on Contracts Finder and, where above the relevant threshold, on the Find a Tender Service.

AI services and tools are accessed across government through a range of commercial routes. Departments may contract directly with AI providers, access AI products via intermediated routes such as reseller arrangements where the contractual relationship sits with a partner rather than the underlying provider, or use AI capabilities delivered as features within existing enterprise software and platform contracts (for example productivity, or service management tools).

Departments remain responsible in all cases for ensuring compliance with procurement legislation, securing value for money, and publishing relevant contractual information in line with transparency requirements.

Cabinet Office's authorised enterprise level AI tool is Gemini. This is managed through the existing Google contract. Google Gemini has been enabled for staff to use in their official duties as part of the broader Google Workspace productivity suite.

With apologies to the hon. Member, a response has now been issued.

The Cabinet Office is currently working to update the Government Property Strategy. The existing strategy will remain in place until a new strategy is published.

Information on the disposal of surplus assets by public bodies is not held centrally.

The Department provides a monthly AI learning offer, including introductory sessions on AI tools, guidance and getting started, alongside sessions on Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot in Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel and Teams.

The current rolling programme totals approximately 3.5 hours of AI training, covering sessions from 30 to 90 minutes. Training includes practical use cases, prompting frameworks, risks such as hallucinations, tool selection and best practice. Intermediate and advanced sessions cover simple agent creation, use of context and more sophisticated agentic capabilities.

For both UIN 10721 and UIN 10720, I refer the Member to the answer I gave to UIN 9441 on 16 June 2026.

For both UIN 10721 and UIN 10720, I refer the Member to the answer I gave to UIN 9441 on 16 June 2026.

The General Trade Licence for certain sanctioned processed oil products was published alongside legislation to introduce a new ban on the import of refined oil processed in a third country from Russian crude on 19 May 2026. The Licence is a temporary measure introduced to manage potential impacts on UK supply while the measures were phased in.

On 12 June 2026, the Government set an end date of 1 January 2027 for the refined licence. The Government will continue to review the licence regularly with the objective of lifting it at the earliest possible date.

The General Trade Licence for certain sanctioned processed oil products was published alongside legislation to introduce a new ban on the import of refined oil processed in a third country from Russian crude on 19 May 2026. The Licence is a temporary measure introduced to manage potential impacts on UK supply while the measures were phased in.

On 12 June 2026, the Government set an end date of 1 January 2027 for the refined licence. The Government will continue to review the licence regularly with the objective of lifting it at the earliest possible date.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero provides AI learning and development through the DESNZ AI Hub, DESNZ Academy and cross-government learning platforms.

Training includes self-paced learning, live sessions, recorded webinars and practical guidance on the safe, responsible and effective use of AI.

Topics covered include AI fundamentals, Microsoft 365 Copilot, prompt writing, Copilot agents, accessibility, productivity, presentation creation, meeting summaries, personal development, AI in government, security and responsible use of AI.

The Department does not centrally prescribe a fixed number of training hours, as staff can access learning resources flexibly according to their role and development needs.

Following last year’s Supreme Court ruling, we published in June supplementary guidance to ensure the full environmental impact of extraction is considered as part of consenting decisions for offshore oil and gas projects.

We have received further information from the Rosebank project developer, which is currently open to public consultation until 20 November to allow stakeholders to make representations. The further information and any representations received will be thoroughly reviewed. A robust decision-making process will be followed, as with onshore planning, which has similarities.

It would be inappropriate to comment on specific aspects of individual cases.

The sixth carbon budget will include the UK’s share of international aviation and shipping (IAS) emissions for the first time, in line with the previous administration’s announcement in April 2021. The sixth carbon budget has already been set at 965 MtCO2e in the Carbon Budget Order 2021, which reflects that this will include IAS.

Including IAS in the carbon budget from a legal perspective means making regulations under s.30 of the Climate Change Act 2008. This Government intends to legislate for IAS inclusion at the earliest possible opportunity, subject to Parliamentary scheduling.

The £610m Faraday Battery Challenge, delivered by Innovate UK, supports mission-led academic research on battery recycling technologies through the Faraday Institution’s (FI’s) ReLiB project. ReLiB researchers at the University of Leicester have recently demonstrated algae-derived water miscible anode blinders that can be fully recovered at the end of the batteries life, and are looking to demonstrate an “all” water-soluble binder system that will simplifying battery recycling by the Summer 2025.

ReLiB researchers at the University of Birmingham have also been collaborating with a leading supplier of polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) binder on the use of “green” solvents for binder recovery from used batteries. They have also recently demonstrated a new process to recover and reuse PVDF binders in new cells.

The Government is actively coordinating its efforts to ensure a just transition, enabling workers to benefit from the economic opportunities arising from our shift to net zero. To support this, it has established the Office for Clean Energy Jobs, which aims to assist workers and communities at risk of economic displacement by focusing on skill development and training in the clean energy and net zero sectors. The Government’s primary goal is to create quality jobs in Britain’s industrial heartlands, ensuring a fair transition for industries based in the North Sea.

Since July 2025, DSIT has delivered Copilot training as part of its departmental AI adoption work. 1,741 unique attendees took part in Copilot training sessions, representing 3,032 total learning hours between July and September 2025. In addition, 245 staff attended an advanced “Power Prompting” sessions. Topics covered include:

• AI fundamentals and generative AI
• Responsible and secure use of AI
• Using Microsoft Copilot and other approved AI tools
• Prompt writing and effective use of AI assistants
• Understanding the impact of AI on government work and public services

Ministers and officials regularly meet with representatives of tech platforms; however no discussions were had with platforms - including Alphabet or its subsidiaries – on this topic prior to the announcement of the design of the pilots and the services in scope.

The Government notes the outcome of KGM Vs. Meta et al. The exclusion of a platform from a pilot does not prevent their inclusion in future policy interventions.

Ministers and officials regularly meet with representatives of tech platforms; however no discussions were had with platforms - including Alphabet or its subsidiaries – on this topic prior to the announcement of the design of the pilots and the services in scope.

The Government notes the outcome of KGM Vs. Meta et al. The exclusion of a platform from a pilot does not prevent their inclusion in future policy interventions.

Ofcom’s online safety budget and expert team ensure its duties can be performed effectively. Ofcom has spent approximately £281.3 million on online safety since 2020, including a projected spend of £92 million for 2025/26.

The Online Safety Act provides Ofcom with a range of enforcement powers, including business disruption measures, which can include fast tracked interim service restriction orders or access restriction orders, where necessary. These measures are sanctions of last resort, available where serious non‑compliance persists.

The Secretary of State has written to Ofcom to underline the Government’s full support for the regulator using all the powers Parliament has provided it.

Ofcom is independent, and early enforcement activity is already helping to prevent and address illegal content online.

The Secretary of State has been clear Ofcom has full backing to use its enforcement powers and welcomes its investigation into extremely harmful suicide forums.

Ofcom’s provisional decision published on 27 February is clear that unless its concerns are fully addressed, it will consider using all of the powers available to it, including, in most serious cases of non-compliance, imposing business disruption measures.

One of the first things the Secretary of State did in the job was to make self-harm a priority offence under the Online Safety Act, triggering the strongest possible legal protections. She has been clear she will not hesitate to go further if needed and regularly talks to Ofcom about ensuring enforcement is strong.