Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps they are taking to use (a) artificial intelligence and (b) data to help increase their Department's productivity.

The Ministry of Justice is committed to improving its productivity, including through artificial intelligence and effective use of data.

For example, our Prison Network App built by our Data Science and AI teams link up multiple sources of administrative data to help detect prisoners involved with drug smuggling, gang violence and organised crime. This has reduced administrative burdens for more than 500 intelligence staff who use the app to identify connections between individuals in the prison population.

Better Outcomes through Linked Data (BOLD) is an ambitious data-linking project, joining data from the Ministry of Justice, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, among others. BOLD has produced a tool for probation staff which cuts down the duplication of data entry and significantly reduces the need for probation officers to search for data, freeing up their time to allow more offender management to reduce reoffending.

Additionally, we have worked in partnership with the Alan Turing Institute to develop a framework for the Department to build and embed our ethical approach to the use of AI and data science, so that we can be confident that we understand the choices we make are ethically sound, with principles we can stand by as this area develops quickly. Most recently, the Ministry of Justice, in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions, ran a unique collaboration between government and businesses to co-create innovative AI solutions to tackle some of the most complex challenges facing citizens today. The result of these collaborations will be communicated in due course.

Additionally, we are developing guidance, training and learning opportunities for our staff to safely use AI tools. We draw on a range of resources, published on GOV.UK, to inform our AI and data usage. For example, the Generative AI Framework, the Data Maturity Assessment, the Ethics, Transparency and Accountability Framework, the Data Ethics Framework, and the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard.

We will continue to regularly review our usage of AI and data to maximise productivity benefits for staff and the public.