Every parliamentary written question tabled by Chi Onwurah this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 121 · Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Innovation and Technology, pursuant to WPQ 126560, whether Nscale will still be investing in the North East AI growth zone.
The government continues to work closely with the Combined Authority and commercial partners regarding the delivery of the North East AI Growth Zone. Discussions with individual companies are commercially sensitive, and we will provide further updates in due course.
Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to encourage (a) UK and (b) international technology firms to invest in AI and digital innovation clusters in the North East of England.
The Government is committed to driving regional growth by attracting AI and digital investment across the UK, including in the North East of England. The North East AI Growth Zone will provide secure, dedicated compute infrastructure, supporting innovation and productivity and helping to unlock significant long‑term economic growth. The Zone has already attracted substantial private investment, including £10 billion from Blackstone.Alongside this, we are investing up to £500 million through the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund to grow high‑potential innovation clusters in 17 regions across the UK. This includes £30 million for the North East, empowering local leaders to target R&D investment, attract private funding and create jobs.
Innovation and Technology, what role science diplomacy plays in the Government’s strategy for achieving UK technology sovereignty; and whether the UK intends to pursue shared leadership arrangements with international partners where appropriate.
Science diplomacy plays an important role in building UK technology sovereignty through international partnerships with partners which strengthen our shared capabilities, resilience and security.Our Science & Technology Network, covering 65 locations, is a core pillar of the UK’s science diplomacy toolkit, which aims to develop and strengthen our partnership with international partners.We have science and technology partnerships with a broad range of countries including the US and EU, Japan, India, South Korea, Switzerland, France and Germany. We are also active members of multilateral fora including OECD, G7 and G20. These partnerships are part of helping us ensure sovereign strengths and strengths through stable collaboration.
Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department will take to prevent further withdrawal of planned AI investment from the UK, in the context of OpenAI’s decision to pause its Stargate UK project.
Decisions on investment are a matter for private companies. The Government has been clear that it will encourage and support investments that will enable UK firms and people to benefit. Many of the large-scale AI infrastructure projects in the UK have been publicly announced, with most of these having press releases available on Gov.uk. The Government continues to engage across the board on these investments to ensure that they deliver the best outcomes for the UK. Our focus is on continuing to create the right conditions for investment in the UK’s AI data centre infrastructure. We are continuing to work with OpenAI and other leading AI companies to strengthen UK compute capacity.
Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure AI tools are safe by design to prevent the creation of child sexual abuse material.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of potential impact of science diplomacy in achieving UK technology sovereignty; and whether her Department intends to pursue shared leadership arrangements with international partners where appropriate.
Science diplomacy supports UK technology sovereignty by building international partnerships which strengthen our capabilities, resilience and security. This is underpinned by our Science & Technology Network covering 65 locations which strengthens UK growth, security and global influence.DSIT regularly assesses the impacts of our international collaboration on our science and technology capability. For example, internationally coauthored UK papers consistently outperform UK only research on citation impact.We have partnerships with a broad range of countries including the US and EU, Japan, India, South Korea, Switzerland, France and Germany. We are also active members of multilateral fora including OECD, G7 and G20.
Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the decision by OpenAI to pause its Stargate UK investment on the AI Growth Zone in the North East of England, and what action her Department is taking to maintain confidence among international investors in the region.
Since the announcement of the North East AI Growth Zone, there has been no change to energy pricing or the regulatory environment in the UK. We engage regularly with developers and other stakeholders for the North East AI Growth Zone and are encouraged that Cobalt Park are in discussions with a number of alternative offtake customers. The success of the AI Growth Zones programme is not contingent on any single investor. Five AIGZs have been designated with the potential to deliver £28 billion of investment from a diverse range of developers.The Government is delivering an ambitious policy package to support build-out of AI infrastructure in the UK. DSIT will set up a dedicated AI Growth Zone Delivery Unit providing a single point of contact for investors, accelerated planning and grid connection support, long-term business rates retention for host local authorities, and targeted energy pricing support.We are continuing to create the right conditions for investment in the UK’s AI and data centre infrastructure work with leading AI companies to strengthen UK compute capacity.
Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the exclusion of UK tech companies from the EU Cloud and AI Development Act.
The PM has been clear that UK-European collaboration in science and technology is extremely important to the UK. We are engaging with European Commission to understand the development of the proposed EU Cloud and AI Development Act and assess its impact on the UK. We will utilise opportunities such as the upcoming UK‑EU Summit to discuss any issues we foresee with the EU Cloud and AI Development Act.
Innovation and Technology, whether she has considered which aspects of (a) AI, (b) quantum, (c) space and (d) bioengineering the UK will seek to lead in.
The Government made a series of long-term commitments to developing UK leadership on AI, quantum, space and engineering biology through the Industrial Strategy and the AI Opportunities Action Plan.We have established the £500m Sovereign AI Fund to support UK AI companies at key parts of the AI value chain. Focus areas will continuously evolve but could include compute, novel model architecture, AI for science and AI safety and assurance.We recently announced the £1 billion commitment to procure a first-of-its-kind, large-scale quantum computer and announced on 4 March that DSIT will prioritise four space subsectors for development - Satellite Communications, Assured Access to Space, In Orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing, and Space Domain Awareness.We are investing £644m into supporting the ecosystem for Engineering Biology including R&D, infrastructure and regulatory reform, to realise the potential of engineering biology across multiple applications.
Innovation and Technology, whether her Department must approve IT spend above a certain value.
Yes. The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, must approve all digital and technology spend above certain values.
Innovation and Technology, whether the Government plans to increase technology collaboration with like‑minded international partners to support the UK’s sovereign capability in artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.
The Government is pleased to be working with international partners to support a thriving AI ecosystem in the UK, seizing the benefits of partnership and driving accelerated adoption of AI. Through international collaboration, including initiatives like EuroHPC, and actively attracting inward investment, including more than £30 billion announced during the 2025 US State Visit to boost the UK’s AI infrastructure and cutting-edge tech, the UK is positioning itself at the forefront of global AI. The launch of the £500 million Sovereign AI Fund on 16th April will build on this and ensure the UK’s world-class talent, research and data assets translate into long-term benefits for the UK and further consolidate our sovereign capability. The Government looks forward to exploring opportunities to go further, promoting collaboration on AI and emerging tech and unlocking opportunities for UK citizens and businesses.
Innovation and Technology, whether she is working on a common definition of technology, AI and digital sovereignty for use a) within her department b) across government.
This is a highly complex and evolving policy area with no single internationally agreed definition. Countries use the term differently depending on their economic, security, resilience and diplomatic priorities. As this is an area of policy that covers numerous UK interests, we are working through the issues involved, both within DSIT and across government.
Innovation and Technology, whether her Department has a strategy for achieving UK technology sovereignty; and if she will make a statement.
The Government seeks to build sovereign capability in critical technologies, as set out in the June 2025 Modern Industrial Strategy and the accompanying Digital and Technologies Sector Plan. This approach reflects the importance of strengthening domestic capability in key areas to support the UK’s economic competitiveness, as well as to enhance national security and resilience.
Innovation and Technology, whether her Department requires the use of open‑source software, open standards or open interfaces as part of its oversight and approval of major IT procurement across Government.
As of February 2025, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), through its incorporation of the Government Digital Service (GDS), requires full consideration be given to the use of open standards and open-source software. DSIT oversight and approval processes for major IT spend is governed by the requirements and guidance contained in several key GDS publications:Technology Code of Practice (TCoP): This is the primary set of criteria used for government digital and technology spend controls. It explicitly requires departments to "be open and use open source" and to build technology using open standards to ensure interoperability and avoid vendor lock-in.The Service Standard: Point 12 requires teams to "make new source code open" and available for reuse across government, while Point 13 mandates the use of and contribution to open standards and common components.Open Standards Principles: The government's open standards principles state that the standards must be used for software interoperability, data, and document formats unless a specific exemption is granted.Oversight Mechanismsv.6 Government Digital and Technology Controls are in place until 31 March 2026: all unexempted digital and technology spend proposals that fall within scope, must obtain DSIT Digital spend control approval prior to committing spend.In scope spend for public-facing digital services is whole life cost above £100,000.In scope spend for all other technology is whole life cost above £1,000,000.To obtain spend approval, departmental assurers (and, according to risk, GDS) benchmark the spend proposal against the requirements and guidance contained with the three key publications cited at section 2 above.From 1 April 2026 onwards, each department is accountable for applying all functional standards as set by DSIT, regarding Digital, Data and Technology spends. Functional assurance will only be conducted by DSIT where the spend exceeds the Department’s Delegated Authority Limit (DAL) set by HM Treasury.
Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the UK’s level of dependence on foreign manufactured Common Information Models (CIMs); and what steps his Department is taking to ensure the resilience and sovereignty of UK infrastructure that depends on CIM‑enabled connectivity.
Common Information Models are used across a range of UK CNI sectors. This includes telecommunications, where CIMs enable interoperability between different network management and operational systems. They support efficient operation and automation in complex, multivendor networks, but do not themselves control telecommunications networks.The Government keeps under review the resilience and security of the UK’s telecommunications infrastructure, including potential dependencies on overseas technologies and suppliers.As the government set out in its response to the Telecommunications Supply Chain Diversification (TSCD) Advisory Council report, security and resilience risks can arise when critical network functions may rely on a limited range of suppliers or technologies, including software based systems used for network monitoring, configuration and management.The Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021 and the National Security and Investment Act 2021 provide frameworks through which the Government can assess and address national security risks in the telecommunications sector, including risks associated with hostile state interference. The government response to the TSCD Advisory Council report also sets out the steps the government is taking to manage the risks associated with vendor concentration in UK telecoms networks.The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will strengthen the resilience of the UK's critical infrastructure, including by strengthening duties on operators of essential services to manage risks in their supply chains. The Bill will also provide the Secretary of State with a power of direction, enabling the government to act where necessary and proportionate to address national security risks to regulated entities.The government works closely with the National Cyber Security Centre to assess and manage risks to UK critical national infrastructure, including those arising from dependence on foreign-manufactured technologiesThe Government seeks to build sovereign capability in critical technologies, as set out in the June 2025 Modern Industrial Strategy and the accompanying Digital and Technologies Sector Plan.More broadly, on the development of global digital standards, the UK supports an open, inclusive, multistakeholder approach and is actively engaged to ensure our interests and values are well-accounted for. DSIT, NCSC and other government departments and agencies engage directly in standards development where the UK has critical interests to seek to ensure that UK needs are met.
Innovation and Technology, what minimum UK capabilities she has identified as necessary across (a) AI computing, (b) cloud infrastructure, (c) cybersecurity and (d) data governance to reduce dependence on foreign technology providers.
The Government has identified the need to strengthen capability across a range of critical technologies, as set out in the Modern Industrial Strategy (2025) and the Digital and Technologies Sector Plan (2025), including building UK capacity in AI computing through investment in advanced compute infrastructure.Alongside this, we are developing a National Cloud Strategy, as outlined in the Roadmap for Modern Digital Government (2026). It will assess how to strengthen the security and resilience of UK cloud infrastructure and improve the cloud ecosystem.These efforts are supported by robust data governance structures, such as the UK's data protection legislation and Data and AI Ethics Framework, which help protect UK interests while enabling innovation.
Innovation and Technology, whether she has held discussions with (a) Microsoft, (b) Amazon Web Services and (c) Palantir regarding the potential implications of the (1) US Cloud Act, (2) Patriot Act and (3) entity‑list controls for UK data sovereignty and access to cloud services.
The Secretary of State has not held specific discussions with these companies on these matters.The Government takes a balanced approach to cloud services, ensuring public sector systems are secure, resilient, and effective, while benefiting from global innovation. This is underpinned by data protection law, UK security standards, and established commercial rules.Supplier risks are managed through established security and resilience processes, with procurement decisions based on value for money, security, and the effective delivery of public services, including for critical infrastructure.
Innovation and Technology, how many projected jobs for each AI Growth Zone are (a) tied to building and construction of data centres, (b) permanent on-site operational jobs in data centres, (c) data-centre roles that can be done remotely either (i) within the UK or (ii) overseas and (d) other jobs that are expected to be created indirectly in the area.
Through AI Growth Zones (AIGZs), we aim to crowd-in tens of billions of pounds in private investment and drive growth, with AIGZs announced so far expected to create over 15,000 jobs.AIGZs are designed to accelerate data‑centre build‑out and attract substantial private investment, creating construction roles, permanent operational jobs, and wider indirect employment through supply‑chain growth and skills pathways. Each AI Growth Zone will also receive £5 million to support local AI adoption and upskilling, helping ensure communities benefit directly from new opportunities.Five AI Growth Zones have been designated to date, all expected to contribute to regional regeneration and the UK’s long‑term compute capacity. We do not make specific assumptions about the nature or geographical nature of jobs indirectly related to AI Growth Zones.
Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of her Department's (a) capital investment exposure to, (b) potential capital spending requirements resulting from and (c) overall investment portfolio resilience from an equity price correction in US stock markets.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) does not hold any direct capital investments in companies listed on US equity markets.DSIT’s capital portfolio consists of investments approved on a case‑by‑case basis against agreed criteria, and is primarily focused on UK‑based research, innovation and infrastructure programmes, as well as government‑sponsored bodies. DSIT's investments are monitored on a portfolio basis, including assessing market and valuation risks and considering any indirect effects global market movements on the Department’s assets.
Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with Ofcom on (a) tackling the proliferation of fake AI generated Auschwitz photographs on social media and (b) the potential impact of those photographs on our understanding of the Holocaust.
The government is deeply concerned about the spread of antisemitic content and dealing with it is a priority for this government. We recognise that AI-generated content can undermine trust and spread hate online. Under the Online Safety Act (OSA), enforced by Ofcom, regulated services must tackle AI-generated content that is illegal (including that which stirs up racial hatred, is threatening or abusive, or otherwise meets criminal thresholds), or harmful to children. This includes where content is antisemitic. The Secretary of State wrote to Ofcom in October and November 2025 asking them to do everything possible under the Act to tackle this content.The department is exploring how to improve detection and transparency around AI-generated material, including through the Deepfake Detection Challenge 2026. We are also improving media literacy, encouraging critical engagement with and awareness of divisive and misleading content.The government continues to work with community groups and partners to challenge hatred and protect public understanding from harmful content.