Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of digital exclusion in Lincolnshire.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Everyone should be able to benefit from the digital world – helping families save money, get a better job, and access services like the NHS more easily.
But we know some people face real barriers. Data from 2024/25 shows that 8% of adults in Lincolnshire reported they do not use the internet, with the average across England also at 8%.
That’s why we published the Digital Inclusion Action Plan, and why we’re now delivering the foundations: better connectivity, more devices reaching people who need them, and support to build skills and confidence in communities across the UK.
We also launched the £11.9 million Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund, including £25,872 for a community-led digital skills project in Grimsby, helping more people across the UK get the access, skills and confidence to get online.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of skills shortages in the vehicle repair and salvage sector on (a) road safety, (b) insurance costs and (c) repair times, in the context of increasing vehicle complexity.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In October 2024, we formed the motor insurance taskforce, which worked across government, bringing together departments and independent regulators to understand the complexities of the market and to agree a set of actions to help stabilise and reduce premiums. The final taskforce report was published on 10 December 2025.
Member departments included the Department for Business and Trade and the Department for Education, who as part of the taskforce, are acting to address the broader factors that contribute to the cost of claims.
This includes transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will offer greater flexibility to employers and learners and support the industrial strategy. For example, government is providing £182m over the next 3 years to develop engineering skills to allow the development of short courses specially targeted at engineering skills to support the advanced manufacturing, clean energy and digital sectors. It will also fund the rollout of 14 new Technical Excellence Colleges (TEC), including four in Advanced Manufacturing and related sectors.
There has also been an increase in vehicle technicians, mechanics and electrician apprenticeships with nearly 13,000 completed in the last 5 reported years and 4,000 of these in the latest year, 2024/25. The number of EV-trained technicians is also increasing through industry-led measures such as upskilling and continuous professional development.
Asked by: Jonathan Brash (Labour - Hartlepool)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department will provide an update on the timeline of the Online Parenting Interventions project.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The government is committed to expanding access to high-quality, evidence-based parenting and home-learning support. This ensures that families receive interventions that best promote children’s early development and help close the gap before they start school. We want to help more parents to support their child’s development in communication, language, literacy, social and emotional skills and behaviour.
‘Giving every child the best start in life’ highlighted the importance of combining digital and in‑person parenting support to broaden access and meet the diverse needs of families, including through the establishment of a national digital parenting offer.
The department published a contract notice on the 23 September 2025 exploring the potential central procurement of a digital parenting programme. An update will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what support her Department is making available to camera trainees in the film industry.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Creative Industries Sector Plan sets out how government will work with industry to develop a high quality and responsive training offer to meet the workforce requirements of the creative industries, including film as a frontier industry. This includes increasing the quantity of creative training pathways such as regional creative skills bootcamps - for example, the Screen Crafts & Digital Skills with a Camera pathway, which has recently been available in Yorkshire.
In September 2025, the government introduced creative Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) to support skills such as animation and audiovisual production, and shorter apprenticeships are now also possible for Screen and Audio Production Assistant apprentices. We are continuing to work with industry to support sector training pathways through a DCMS and Skills England led Creative Sector Skills Forum.
We also committed to increasing the resilience of the workforce, including creative freelancers, across the sector. DCMS will soon appoint a creative Freelance Champion, to advocate for the sector’s creative freelancers within government and be a member of the Creative Industries Council. We will also continue to support the industry’s work to deliver the Good Work Review action plan, which aims to strengthen job quality across the sector.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what support her Department is making available to freelancers in the film industry.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Creative Industries Sector Plan sets out how government will work with industry to develop a high quality and responsive training offer to meet the workforce requirements of the creative industries, including film as a frontier industry. This includes increasing the quantity of creative training pathways such as regional creative skills bootcamps - for example, the Screen Crafts & Digital Skills with a Camera pathway, which has recently been available in Yorkshire.
In September 2025, the government introduced creative Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) to support skills such as animation and audiovisual production, and shorter apprenticeships are now also possible for Screen and Audio Production Assistant apprentices. We are continuing to work with industry to support sector training pathways through a DCMS and Skills England led Creative Sector Skills Forum.
We also committed to increasing the resilience of the workforce, including creative freelancers, across the sector. DCMS will soon appoint a creative Freelance Champion, to advocate for the sector’s creative freelancers within government and be a member of the Creative Industries Council. We will also continue to support the industry’s work to deliver the Good Work Review action plan, which aims to strengthen job quality across the sector.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help retain skilled workers in the film industry.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Creative Industries Sector Plan sets out how government will work with industry to develop a high quality and responsive training offer to meet the workforce requirements of the creative industries, including film as a frontier industry. This includes increasing the quantity of creative training pathways such as regional creative skills bootcamps - for example, the Screen Crafts & Digital Skills with a Camera pathway, which has recently been available in Yorkshire.
In September 2025, the government introduced creative Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) to support skills such as animation and audiovisual production, and shorter apprenticeships are now also possible for Screen and Audio Production Assistant apprentices. We are continuing to work with industry to support sector training pathways through a DCMS and Skills England led Creative Sector Skills Forum.
We also committed to increasing the resilience of the workforce, including creative freelancers, across the sector. DCMS will soon appoint a creative Freelance Champion, to advocate for the sector’s creative freelancers within government and be a member of the Creative Industries Council. We will also continue to support the industry’s work to deliver the Good Work Review action plan, which aims to strengthen job quality across the sector.
Asked by: Oliver Dowden (Conservative - Hertsmere)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help improve training standards in the film industry.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Creative Industries Sector Plan sets out how government will work with industry to develop a high quality and responsive training offer to meet the workforce requirements of the creative industries, including film as a frontier industry. This includes increasing the quantity of creative training pathways such as regional creative skills bootcamps - for example, the Screen Crafts & Digital Skills with a Camera pathway, which has recently been available in Yorkshire.
In September 2025, the government introduced creative Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) to support skills such as animation and audiovisual production, and shorter apprenticeships are now also possible for Screen and Audio Production Assistant apprentices. We are continuing to work with industry to support sector training pathways through a DCMS and Skills England led Creative Sector Skills Forum.
We also committed to increasing the resilience of the workforce, including creative freelancers, across the sector. DCMS will soon appoint a creative Freelance Champion, to advocate for the sector’s creative freelancers within government and be a member of the Creative Industries Council. We will also continue to support the industry’s work to deliver the Good Work Review action plan, which aims to strengthen job quality across the sector.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the level of digital exclusion in Leicester; and what steps she is taking to improve the level of digital skills and access.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Everyone should be able to benefit from the digital world – helping families save money, get a better job, and access services like the NHS more easily.
But we know some people face real barriers. Data from 2025 shows that 18% adults in the UK labour force lack essential digital skills for work, while 7% of households in the East Midlands do not have access to the internet.
That’s why we published the Digital Inclusion Action Plan, and why we’re now delivering the foundations: better connectivity, more devices reaching people who need them, and support to build skills and confidence in communities across the UK.
This has included launching the £11.9 million Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund, with £35,391.97 going to Leicester City Council and £90,625 to Wesley Hall Community Centre, helping more people across the UK get the access, skills and confidence to get online.
Asked by: Andrew Murrison (Conservative - South West Wiltshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to A UK Cyber Growth Action Plan – Final Report (Command Paper CP 1406, September 2025), what progress her Department has made against this suggestion; and what metrics her Department plans to use to measure progress in embedding cyber skills more broadly across education, business, and regional initiatives.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
We received the Cyber Growth Action Plan in September and are now working to incorporate the recommendations in the new National Cyber Action Plan. In the meantime, we have launched the £187m TechFirst programme to develop and support students across the UK to enter the cyber workforce alongside the wider digital and tech frontier industries. We also continue to support key initiatives such as the UK Cyber Security Council to standardise and embed cyber professional standards; Cyber Local grants to support regional efforts to support businesses and schools and Cyber Essentials certification scheme to help organisations protect themselves against the most common cyber security threats.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increase in technology company incorporations in the UK in 2025; and what impact that increase is having on their policies for regional economic development and tech entrepreneurship.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This Government welcomes the increase in technology company incorporations in the UK in 2025, which reflects the strength of the UK’s tech ecosystem and growing levels of tech entrepreneurship across the country. We are encouraged that new tech businesses are being founded across UK regions and cities, supporting local growth, attracting investment, and helping to build strong regional tech and innovation clusters beyond London. And we are committed to removing barriers to growth for startups across the UK – ensuring the UK is one of the best places for tech companies to start, scale and stay.
We are supporting regional economic development through measures such as the Regional Tech Booster, a programme supporting startups and accelerating tech clusters beyond London. Partnerships across the UK have bid for up to £20 million through our Local Innovation Partnerships Fund - a new £500 million UKRI-led programme to grow regional strengths including those in the digital and technology sector.
We are supporting tech entrepreneurship and the sector through venture capital schemes, R&D tax reliefs, targeted visa routes, the AI Opportunities Action Plan, and by streamlining regulation to support innovation. We are investing in skills, compute, and designated AI Growth Zones; on R&D, we are committing £38.6 billion to UKRI over five years; and powering entrepreneurship through the Entrepreneurship Prospectus, Enterprise Fellowships, and Innovate UK’s £130 million Growth Catalyst.
We are also unlocking finance via pension and capital‑markets reforms, while the British Business Bank increases annual investment to £2.5bn and commits £5bn to growth‑stage funds.
Together, these measures set out a comprehensive, long‑term plan, backed by record funding, to support tech entrepreneurship and drive economic growth across all regions of the UK.