Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to ensure there will be no disruption to telecare users' service with the end of the Public Switched Telephone Network.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is determined to ensure that any risks arising from the industry-led migration of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are mitigated for all customers across the UK.
Communication providers and network operators signed voluntary charters in December 2023 and March 2024, ensuring their commitment to protect vulnerable consumers during the PSTN migration. On 18 November 2024, the major communication providers agreed to adhere to further safeguards in the Non-Voluntary Migrations Checklist. Safeguards include signing data sharing agreements with local authorities to identify telecare users and a commitment to ensuring no disruption to telecare users' service when their landlines are migrated. As of April 2025, over 90% of local authorities have signed a data sharing agreement with at least one communication provider.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that people who rely on the Public Switched Telephone Network can migrate to broadband before January 2027.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is the technology underpinning analogue landline connections. The PSTN is failing – with a 45% increase in major incidents between 2023-2024. Industry is migrating the network to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), which requires a minimum speed of just 0.5mbps. For current landline-only customers it will be possible to switch to a VoIP landline without purchasing a general internet connection.
The Government is prioritising broadband rollout, aiming for nationwide gigabit coverage by 2030. Through Project-Gigabit, government is providing subsidy to ensure premises left out of commercial rollout plans can access a gigabit capable broadband connection.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions he has had with AI developers on material used to train generative AI models.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to hearing a broad range of views to ensure it meets all 50 recommendations outlined in the Action Plan. We have recently consulted with a variety of stakeholders, which included AI developers, to inform our approach to copyright and AI.
Ministerial meetings are published according to normal transparency requirements on the gov.uk website.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the use of AI in his Department on security.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The UK government is dedicated to leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance public services securely. The AI Playbook for the UK Government (p. 74) includes an assessment of the risks coming from the use of AI. The Playbook includes worked scenarios for AI use which detail potential risk impacts. All AI services must adhere to Secure by Design principles and conduct risk assessments, including Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs).
The Government Digital Service consults the AI Security Institute within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology for specialist guidance when evaluating the security of AI-based tools.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions he has had with Ofcom on its enforcement powers relating to the non-consensual posting of intimate images.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The DSIT Secretary of State and officials regularly meet with Ofcom to discuss the Online Safety Act and enforcement.
The Online Safety Act gives platforms new duties to proactively tackle the most harmful content on their services. This includes intimate image abuse, which is a priority harm under the regulations. Ofcom has robust enforcement powers to sanction companies who do not comply with these new duties. It can require companies to take measures to return to compliance, impose substantial fines, or apply to the courts for business disruption measures.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the median age is of computers issued to officials in their Department.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The median age of laptops and desktop computers in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is 1.5 years.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what estimate he has made of the number of data centres built in England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government has not historically collected figures on the growth of data centre capacity but has monitored the market periodically and through industry engagement. Other sources for this historical data are available, for example through Tech UK or CBRE's market outlooks.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment he has made of the availability of full-fibre broadband in Slough constituency.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The government is committed to delivering 2030 nationwide gigabit connectivity coverage, with 86% of premises now able to access a gigabit-capable connection thanks to a pro-competition regulatory environment. There is now a thriving market of over 100 providers, investing over £40bn rolling out gigabit broadband all over the UK.
Project Gigabit primarily focuses on the rural areas which are the hardest to reach commercially. We anticipate that the majority of urban areas will receive gigabit-capable broadband through commercial investment. While there is no planned build in Slough under Project Gigabit, the government continues to review the best ways to address gaps in coverage in urban areas.
CityFibre and Gigaclear are delivering Project Gigabit-funded contracts across the South East of England. Alongside them, we continue to engage closely with local businesses and residents regarding rollout.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions he has had with (a) local businesses and (b) residents on the coverage of full-fibre broadband in (i) Slough constituency and (ii) South East England.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The government is committed to delivering 2030 nationwide gigabit connectivity coverage, with 86% of premises now able to access a gigabit-capable connection thanks to a pro-competition regulatory environment. There is now a thriving market of over 100 providers, investing over £40bn rolling out gigabit broadband all over the UK.
Project Gigabit primarily focuses on the rural areas which are the hardest to reach commercially. We anticipate that the majority of urban areas will receive gigabit-capable broadband through commercial investment. While there is no planned build in Slough under Project Gigabit, the government continues to review the best ways to address gaps in coverage in urban areas.
CityFibre and Gigaclear are delivering Project Gigabit-funded contracts across the South East of England. Alongside them, we continue to engage closely with local businesses and residents regarding rollout.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he has taken to increase coverage of full-fibre broadband availability in Slough constituency.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The government is committed to delivering 2030 nationwide gigabit connectivity coverage, with 86% of premises now able to access a gigabit-capable connection thanks to a pro-competition regulatory environment. There is now a thriving market of over 100 providers, investing over £40bn rolling out gigabit broadband all over the UK.
Project Gigabit primarily focuses on the rural areas which are the hardest to reach commercially. We anticipate that the majority of urban areas will receive gigabit-capable broadband through commercial investment. While there is no planned build in Slough under Project Gigabit, the government continues to review the best ways to address gaps in coverage in urban areas.
CityFibre and Gigaclear are delivering Project Gigabit-funded contracts across the South East of England. Alongside them, we continue to engage closely with local businesses and residents regarding rollout.