Asked by: Baroness Shawcross-Wolfson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the speech by the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister on 20 January, which civil servants will have access to training from the National School of Government and Public Services; how many hours of training will be provided to civil servants; who will provide that training; and whether they will publish the proposed training curriculum.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
His Majesty’s Government is establishing the National School of Government and Public Services to strengthen the professional capability of the Civil Service.
The National School will serve over half a million civil servants. It will provide hundreds of thousands of hours of training as well as on-demand online learning. Training will be provided by a combination of civil service trainers, senior civil servants, and external providers and experts, including leading academic institutions.
We currently publish details of civil service training and will continue to do so as we expand the curriculum, focusing on priority skills including digital and AI. Further details of the proposed training curriculum will be published when the National School launches later in 2026.
Asked by: Steve Darling (Liberal Democrat - Torbay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies on media literacy and citizenship education of the findings of the report by Resilience and Reconstruction entitled Disinformation, UK Democracy, and Attitudes toward Ukraine & Russia in the UK, published in January 2026, on passive exposure to misinformation via social media.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Improved media literacy builds resilience to misinformation and disinformation and fosters critical thinking. The government is improving media literacy through coordinated cross-government work, including funding innovative community-based interventions and launching an awareness campaign to build digital resilience and critical thinking skills online. The Online Safety Act updated Ofcom’s statutory duty to promote media literacy. This includes raising the awareness and understanding of misinformation and harmful content, especially where it affects vulnerable groups.
The government’s independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, published on 5 November 2025, emphasised the value of secure knowledge, the process of questioning and critical enquiry and weighing up evidence across information and sources. The government’s response to the review committed to strengthening media literacy content in the curriculum to ensure vital applied knowledge and skills in media and digital literacy are embedded into the revised curriculum, that subject-specific disciplinary skills including critical thinking and problem solving are clearly articulated in the refreshed programmes of study.
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 steps they are taking to support digital skills and technology investment to enable productivity improvements from AI.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Secretary of State vowed this week to make Britain the fastest adopting AI country in the G7 and build a workforce that excels in developing, adopting and benefiting from AI.
We have committed £27m for the Government’s TechLocal scheme to connect at least 1,000 skilled people to tech jobs in local communities, create new academic courses integrating practical AI skills, and graduate traineeships and work experience.
Alongside this, thirteen additional private and public sector partners have signed on to join the AI Skills Boost, committing to upskill 10 million workers in AI skills by 2030, with over 1 million AI upskilling courses having been delivered since last summer. We are also expanding Innovate UK’s BridgeAI programme which will provide targeted support to businesses across the Industrial Strategy sectors, including through funding for tech investment.
These initiatives ensure we are facilitating the diffusion of AI across the whole of the UK by addressing the barriers to adoption faced by businesses and workers.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help tackle gaps in public knowledge on the origins of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Improved media literacy builds resilience to misinformation and disinformation and fosters critical thinking. The government is improving media literacy through coordinated cross-government work, including funding innovative community-based interventions and launching an awareness campaign to build digital resilience and critical thinking skills online. The Online Safety Act updated Ofcom’s statutory duty to promote media literacy. This includes raising the awareness and understanding of misinformation and harmful content, especially where it affects vulnerable groups.
The government’s independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, published on 5 November 2025, emphasised the value of secure knowledge, the process of questioning and critical enquiry and weighing up evidence across information and sources. The government’s response to the review committed to strengthening media literacy content in the curriculum to ensure vital applied knowledge and skills in media and digital literacy are embedded into the revised curriculum, that subject-specific disciplinary skills including critical thinking and problem solving are clearly articulated in the refreshed programmes of study.
Asked by: Cameron Thomas (Liberal Democrat - Tewkesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to support civic education initiatives aimed at strengthening resilience to foreign propaganda.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Improved media literacy builds resilience to misinformation and disinformation and fosters critical thinking. The government is improving media literacy through coordinated cross-government work, including funding innovative community-based interventions and launching an awareness campaign to build digital resilience and critical thinking skills online. The Online Safety Act updated Ofcom’s statutory duty to promote media literacy. This includes raising the awareness and understanding of misinformation and harmful content, especially where it affects vulnerable groups.
The government’s independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, published on 5 November 2025, emphasised the value of secure knowledge, the process of questioning and critical enquiry and weighing up evidence across information and sources. The government’s response to the review committed to strengthening media literacy content in the curriculum to ensure vital applied knowledge and skills in media and digital literacy are embedded into the revised curriculum, that subject-specific disciplinary skills including critical thinking and problem solving are clearly articulated in the refreshed programmes of study.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to HCWS1249, what steps are being taken to prevent digital exclusion arising from the expansion of the GOV.UK app, GOV.UK Wallet and GOV.UK One Login; how access to offline or assisted services will be protected between 2025 and 2030; and how progress on digital inclusion will be measured.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
All new GDS products are designed and tested to meet WCAG 2.2 AA standards and support users with diverse access needs, skills and devices. In addition, the Government is taking coordinated action to reduce digital exclusion. Through the Digital Innovation Fund we are supporting locally led projects that test new approaches to help people gain skills, confidence and access to digital public services. This forms part of the wider Digital Inclusion Action Plan, which brings together work across accessibility, connectivity, skills and affordability to ensure those facing the greatest barriers are supported to get online.
Departments will continue to offer offline, phone and assisted‑digital routes so people who cannot or prefer not to use online services can still get help. No essential service will become digital‑only without suitable support.
Progress on digital inclusion is measured through accessibility assessments, user research and service performance data to ensure services work for everyone.
Asked by: Baroness Caine of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government which of the priority growth sectors in the Modern Industrial Strategy 2025 they have agreed sector skills plans with; and how much public investment has been committed to each priority growth sector over what period of time.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We are developing, with industry, sector Jobs Plans for all growth-driving sectors identified by the Industrial Strategy, as well as construction. These plans will build on the Industrial Strategy Sector Plans and provide a clear direction of travel for government and industry to develop the domestic workforce together. The first of these plans to be published was the Clean Energy Jobs plan.
Firms in the eight Industrial Strategy sectors receive a wide range of investment, including via a range of sector-targeted programmes and the Public Financial Institutions, such as the British Business Bank (including £4 billion of capital specifically for the Industrial Strategy sectors), UK Export Finance and the National Wealth Fund. They are also supported by wider public investment into other policy interventions, such as skills. As part of the government's investment in skills across this Parliament, in addition to £1.2 billion of additional investment in skills per year by 2028-29, we have committed to sector skills packages including £187 million for digital skills and artificial intelligence learning; £182 million for engineering skills and £182 million to boost the defence talent pipeline.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will set out the full scope of Commercial-X.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Commercial X, established by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) in 2022, is a team of Commercial officers dedicated to disrupting and modernising Defence’s approach to acquisition while reducing bureaucracy. Its mission is to deliver groundbreaking technology and innovation to the MOD more quickly. It achieves this through three key approaches:
Notable deliverables to date: delivery of circa 650 innovation and technology contracts with an average time to contract of 31 days, 47% faster than average timelines for similar procurements. The creation of two new platforms to support small, business-friendly buying routes where suppliers can compete for contracts in technology and innovation. Recent notable contracts include: DragonFire, Hypersonics and NATO Allied Underwater Battlespace,
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve the quality and availability of industry placements for T Levels.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
T Levels are providing excellent opportunities for young people to progress into skilled jobs and careers, and 96% of students in receipt of a T Level result completed their industry placement last year.
The national Skills for Life campaign raises awareness of skills development that includes T Levels, ensuring businesses and learners understand their value. Our network of over 1,000 T Level Ambassadors builds T Level understanding and engagement in the business community.
The department supports employers to host high-quality placements through guidance, workshops and direct support. Our digital Connect service supports local providers and employers to connect with each other and our updated delivery approaches allow greater flexibility for providers to design a high-quality placement experience.
We provide targeted support for industry placements in specific sectors and localities, with seven industry placement coordinators currently in local NHS integrated care systems, and an employer support fund supporting small and medium sized enterprises and priority sectors with the essential costs of hosting a placement.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase employer awareness of training programmes available beyond apprenticeships.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government’s Skills for Life campaign promotes the wide range of range of training options available to employers, including apprenticeships, T Levels and Higher Technical Qualifications. This includes digital advertising, public relations, social media, trade press partnerships and collaboration with business organisations.
We offer support, events and guidance to T Level providers to develop and implement effective employer engagement strategies. Our network of over 1000 T Level Ambassadors builds T Level understanding and engagement in the business community.
1,390 businesses of all sizes are using our Employer Standards framework to assess and report on the impact of their employer engagement, helping to open new pathways and opportunities in their sector for young people.
Local Skills Improvement Plans bring together local employers, leaders and training providers to identify and address skills needs, giving employers a strategic voice in shaping skills provision and support to recruit/train skilled workforces.