Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much funding they have allocated to the AI Skills Portal; how many users have registered and completed a course through the Portal; what proportion of users are from priority groups identified as digitally excluded in the Digital Inclusion Action Plan and Call for Evidence responses; and what evaluation metrics are used to assess value for money.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The AI Skills Hub contract has received £4 million to cover a range of activities, including: building and maintaining the Hub, engagement and research to inform course curation and approach, ongoing outreach to drive uptake, gather feedback for improvement, and support business upskilling and AI adoption. As of 19 March 2026, there were 55,952 registered learners on the AI Skills Hub. The AI Skills Hub also hosts the AI Skills Boost programme, which in total has delivered over 1 million AI Upskilling courses since June 2025 in partnership with leading industry organisations.
Value for money will be assessed through a comprehensive framework that tracks delivery, outcomes and long-term economic impact. This includes metrics on user engagement, platform usage and training uptake alongside survey-based evidence of improved skills, employability and access to AI resources. It also measures productivity gains such as cost savings, time efficiencies and increased AI adoption within organisations.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many apprentices the Department recruited in 2025, compared with the figures for i. 2022, ii. 2023 and iii. 2024.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As the policy holder for apprenticeships and skills, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) recognises the value of apprenticeships in building skills and kickstarting careers. We are committed to creating meaningful apprenticeship opportunities within our department and are proud to be 6th in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers ranking.
Since 2022, we have created opportunities for over 500 Universal Credit claimants to start a Level 2 or 3 apprenticeship with entry-level work experience within the department through our Social Mobility Apprenticeship scheme, with many apprentices securing permanent employment in DWP. We have also created apprenticeship opportunities for young people who would have otherwise been at risk of becoming not in education, employment or training (NEET) through our School Leaver SMA scheme.
In 2025, the Department for Work and Pensions had 907 apprenticeship starts, compared with 1824 in 2022, 1348 in 2023 and 1142 in 2024. Numbers have been limited in recent years by headcount restrictions in the Civil Service. At the same time, we have diversified our entry routeways including an increased focus on our other life chances schemes such as Movement to Work, in addition to apprenticeship opportunities. We have also focussed on improving the overall quality and relevance of our apprenticeship programmes to ensure that they support colleagues to develop the right skills and capabilities for DWP roles, particularly in priority areas such as Digital and Counter Fraud.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase participation in the bowel cancer screening programme in Ashfield.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Bowel cancer screening is delivered through the national NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme, which invites eligible people aged 50 to 74 years old every two years, with those aged over 74 years old able to request a test kit. Data for the programme is available at a Nottinghamshire level, and as of January 2026, the test kit return rate was 64.9%, compared with a national average of 54.3%. All individuals in Nottinghamshire with a positive test result were offered an appointment with a specialist screening practitioner within the 14‑day national standard.
NHS England Midlands has implemented a range of measures to increase participation in the screening programme across Nottinghamshire, including for residents of Ashfield. These measures include:
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the economic benefits of having an increased number of data centres in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Data centres are foundational infrastructure for a modern, competitive UK economy, enabling the digital services that underpin productivity across numerous sector, from financial services and advanced manufacturing to public services and the creative industries. By enabling artificial intelligence, cloud computing and data intensive services, data centres generate productivity gains across the wider economy and reinforce the UK’s attractiveness as a crucial destination for investment.
Tech UK has estimated that UK data centres contribute £4.7 billion pounds in gross value added each year and support-tens of thousands of high-quality jobs across construction, operations and specialist supply chains. Operational employment is generally highly skilled and well paid, with wider employment supported through demand for electrical engineering, cooling, digital infrastructure and maintenance services.
HMG’s AI Growth Zone programme will unlock significant private investment and secure compute to drive AI growth, supporting high‑value local jobs and skills. HMG will also invest up to £5 million per Growth Zone, working with local areas to design tailored schemes to realise local economic benefits and boost AI adoption in local communities.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of AI in the fashion industry to reduce unsold inventory and improve supply chain efficiency; and what support is available to retailers to adopt such technology to enhance productivity and sustainability.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The fashion industry is increasingly using AI to improve demand forecasting, reduce unsold stock and increase supply chain efficiency, thereby supporting productivity and sustainability. Businesses can access support to adopt AI through programmes such as Made Smarter and Innovate UK, alongside wider productivity, digital adoption and skills initiatives, helping businesses invest in technologies that improve efficiency while reducing waste and environmental impact.
The government supports responsible and ethical AI adoption across our world leading creative industries, enabling organisations and freelancers to improve productivity, reach new audiences and develop new products and services.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many active users the GOV.UK App has, as of the most recent date for which data exists; what targets they have set for user growth in 2026-27; and what assessment they have made of the digital skills support required to increase uptake among digitally excluded groups.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As of 16 March 2026, the GOV.UK App has an estimated total of over 230,000 active users. Analytics tracking captures only those who opt in, so this figure is higher than the number of users providing consent. To date, approximately 135,000 users have consented to analytics tracking, averaging around 23,000 consented users per month.
While the Government has not set formal numerical targets for 2026–27, the strategic aim is to drive sustained growth by making the GOV.UK App the most convenient and trusted way for people to access government services. Growth is expected as new features and services are introduced, alongside improvements in personalisation and ongoing focus on user needs, in line with the Government Digital Service’s roadmap for modern digital government.
The Government is also committed to addressing digital exclusion. The GOV.UK App has been designed to be simple and accessible, informed by user research conducted during its public beta and in line with GOV.UK accessibility standards. Alongside this, the Government will continue to assess the digital skills support needed, including understanding barriers faced by digitally excluded groups and working with departments, local authorities and delivery partners to provide assisted digital support and signposting to digital skills training. Services will continue to be available through multiple channels, ensuring that those who are unable to use digital services can still access government support.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) support access to computing and AI education for schoolchildren, and (2) address disparities in digital literacy across England.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government has accepted the relevant recommendations of the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review to ensure that young people become more digitally literate through a refreshed computing curriculum, including essential AI content, that builds digital confidence from an early age. We are considering how digital content can be integrated across other subjects to build strong, transferrable digital skills, and will replace the computer science GCSE with a broader qualification reflecting the full computing curriculum.
Work is underway to develop the new curriculum, and the department will conduct a public consultation on the draft programmes of study in summer 2026. To increase the number of pupils who will benefit from the reformed national curriculum, we are legislating so that academies will be required to teach it, alongside maintained schools.
We are continuing to invest in the National Centre for Computing Education to support teachers to teach about these topics with confidence.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund’s November 2025 to March 2026 delivery window and payment-in-arrears model on application rates and project viability.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund is about testing new ideas, learning what works, and supporting the best approaches so they can grow and benefit more communities across the UK. The Fund received 1016 applications from organisations across the country, amounting to a total request of over £170m for the £11.9m available.
Payment-in-arrears is the standard Government approach for grants. However, we recognise some stakeholders were concerned about payments-in-arrears and the short delivery window of the Fund. These issues are considerations we are taking forward as we continue policy development in this area.
Despite this, projects are continuing to deliver important outcomes for the people they support, such as supporting people to access the internet and building their digital skills.
We have appointed external evaluators who are working with grant recipients to understand the impact of the Fund. This will also involve assessing the process, including grant management and deliverability within the timescale.
We expect to receive their report in April 2026.
Asked by: Lord Freyberg (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how current higher education outcome metrics for creative subjects align with their plans to grow the creative industries as a priority sector as part of the Industrial Strategy 2025; and whether the Department for Education plans to review, in consultation with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, whether existing measurement methodologies adequately reflect the labour market structures and earnings patterns of the creative economy.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department works with Skills England to identify which occupations are the highest priority to the creative industries and which educational pathways lead to these occupations. These occupations cover many skill sets, such as IT, alongside those in creative subjects.
The Creative Industries Sector Plan is a 10-year plan to tackle barriers to growth and maximise opportunities across the sector, with the aim of making the UK the number one destination for creativity and innovation. It sets out how government is partnering with industry to build a skills landscape that meets business needs and ensures that our creative workforce is fit for the future. This includes policies such as short courses, funded through the Growth and Skills Levy, in areas such as digital and artificial intelligence.
The department has had discussions with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on ways of measuring the wider value of higher education subjects, including on matters of culture and heritage.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Leicester (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 3 March (HL14602), what assessment they have made of the adequacy of the funding for English for speakers of other language programmes to meet demand.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As set out in the previous written answer, the Adult Skills Fund is the primary funding stream that supports ESOL for those aged 19+. Currently, approximately 68% of the ASF is devolved to 12 Strategic Authorities (SAs) and the Greater London Authority (GLA). Therefore in these areas, it is for the authority to make an assessment of whether ESOL funding is adequate to meet need, though government recognises that this has to be weighed against other priorities.
Government announced in its Social Cohesion Action Plan the intent to Review English language provision to identify best practice, and explore how innovation, including digital delivery, can increase the numbers able to speak English, with conclusions published in Autumn 2026.
As well as public funding for ESOL, individuals can pay for English language provision.