Written questions by Onwurah.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department holds data on the number of vacancies in the science and technology sectors in London.

DSIT does not hold vacancy data specifically for the Science and Technology Sectors in London.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the impact of science and discovery centres' on (a) science communication, (b) public engagement and (c) the level of interest in STEM skills amongst school students; and what assessment she has made of trends in the level of financial resilience of these centres since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Government has not conducted an assessment of interest in science and discovery centres among school students. The financial sustainability of Science and Discovery Centres was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, as entrance fees are a significant income source. Sector surveys by the Association for Science and Discovery Centres, conducted in Spring 2024 and 2025, show that visitor numbers have since increased, with over 5.2 million last year—including school children, families and communities. Science and Discovery Centres engaged 37% of UK schools and offered programmes such as 'Thinking Doing Talking Science' to improve attainment, particularly among disadvantaged pupils.

Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to take steps through a regulatory framework for artificial intelligence to (a) mandate safety-by-design principles, (b) mitigate potential harms and (c) prevent AI-generated child sexual abuse material.

As set out in the AI Opportunities Action Plan, we believe most AI systems should be regulated at the point of use, with our expert regulators best placed to do so. Departments are working proactively with regulators to provide clear strategic direction and support them on their AI capability needs.On Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) specifically, creating, possessing, or distributing AI-generated CSAM is illegal, and the Online Safety Act requires services to identify and remove it. We are also taking further action in the Crime and Policing Bill to criminalise AI models which have been optimised to create CSAM.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of taking legislative steps to require social media platforms to enable users to transfer their (a) data, (b) content and (c) connections between competing services, in the context of the Digital Choice Act in Utah, US.

Article 20 of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) already provides individuals with a right to ‘data portability’. It applies where an individual has provided their personal data to one data controller based on consent or a contract and wants that organisation to transmit it directly to another data controller. The right only applies to personal data that is being processed by automated means and where the transmission would be technically feasible.The Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK’s independent regulator for data protection, has published guidance for organisations on the right to data portability, which can be viewed at Right to data portability | ICO.

Innovation and Technology, what the differences in remit are between the (a) AI Security Institute and (b) Alan Turing Institute.

The AI Security Institute (AISI) was set up to equip governments with a scientific understanding of the risks posed by advanced AI. AISI researches these risks, their potential impacts, and develops potential risk mitigations.The Alan Turing Institute is the national institute for data science and artificial intelligence. It aims to develop world-class research, contribute to training to build skills for the future, and drive informed public conversation on AI.The Secretary of State has proposed a shift in its remit towards national security, defence, and sovereignty. The ATI is an independent organisation, and this realignment process is being handled internally.Realising the economic potential of Artificial Intelligence is a priority for this Government. The Alan Turing Institute and AI Security Institute work is complementary to ensure we fully exploit the benefits of AI while mitigating risks.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle the emergence of deepfake videos depicting government ministers; and whether the forthcoming legislation on deepfakes will include specific provisions to protect public figures from impersonation and misinformation online.

The Government takes the threat posed by harmful deepfakes very seriously. Deepfakes, and other manipulated media, are regulated by the Online Safety Act where they are shared on an in-scope service and constitute either illegal content or content which is harmful to children. For the largest user-to-user services, AI generated content is captured where it contravenes terms of service. The Data (Use and Access) Act, which received Royal Ascent on 19 June, introduces a new offence for the non-consensual creation of sexually explicit deepfakes. It is already a criminal offence to share, or threaten to share, such content without consent.

Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the targeting of Iranian scientists by the IDF on British (a) science and (b) scientists.

Science, innovation and technology are inherently international. The UK continues to work closely with international partners to harness the power of science and tech for global benefit.We remain focused on ensuring stability in the Middle East. It is crucial that we now de-escalate the situation, stabilise the region, and get all parties back around the table to negotiate.We have taken all necessary measures to protect UK interests, UK personnel, and to work with our allies to protect their interests as well. We urge all British Nationals, including scientists, to register their presence and monitor FCDO Travel Advice.

Innovation and Technology, which Government departments work with Meta to (a) identify and (b) remove misinformation.

DSIT is responsible for the government’s relationship with social media platforms, and leads HMG’s domestic mis- and disinformation policy while working closely with other departments. The Online Safety Act’s duties address mis- and disinformation where it constitutes illegal content or content harmful to children, and are now enforceable by Ofcom. DSIT engages with platforms and may refer content which is assessed as likely to violate terms of service and which sits within an agreed national security / public safety remit. Platforms then decide what action to take: government cannot compel platforms to remove legal content.

Innovation and Technology, what definition his Department uses for sovereign AI in the AI opportunities action plan.

The Government defines sovereign AI as the UK's ability to access, influence or control the development and deployment of critical capabilities to protect our national interests and unlock economic growth. This encompasses strengthening domestic capacity and capabilities, working in close partnership with the private sector and maintaining positive international collaboration.

Innovation and Technology, when he plans to complete the integration of the Government Gateway with the gov.uk one login system.

Government Gateway is a separate, existing authentication and identity service for cross-government digital services and is managed by HMRC. There are no plans to integrate Government Gateway with GOV.UK One Login, but in time services that use Government Gateway will move over to using GOV.UK One Login instead.GOV.UK One Login is the government’s sign-in and identity verification solution, enabling users to create an account, log in, and prove their identity to access government services. Our plan is to onboard all central government services during this Parliament, including those currently accessed through Government Gateway.

Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions (a) he has and (b) his officials have had with trade unions on the digitalisation of government.

I recently met Prospect Union to discuss our plans for digitising government. My officials met with representatives from the Trade Union Congress (TUC) several times to discuss the Blueprint for Modern Digital Government, both before and after publication. Myself and my officials in DSIT continue to explore opportunities for trade union engagement on emerging technologies and public sector digital transformation.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to ensure that the right to object to targeted online advertising is upheld under consent-or-pay models; and whether his Department plans to provide updated guidance on this issue in the context of the Information Commissioner’s Office’s guidance on consent-or-pay.

The Information Commissioner’s Office’s (ICO) guidance on this matter states that pay and consent models can be implemented in accordance with the data protection legislation, so long as websites ensure that consent to targeted advertising is fully informed and freely given. The guidance sets out a framework of factors that are important to consider when assessing whether a “consent or pay” model meets the required standard of consent.The Government will continue to engage with businesses, the ICO and other stakeholders to monitor operation of these models.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to ensure the continuation of UK research in the higher education sector.

The government is protecting record levels R&D investment, allocating £20.4bn across departments in 2025/26. DSIT’s overall R&D budget will be £13.9bn in 2025/26, including £8.8bn for UKRI to support talent, infrastructure, and innovation. This funding ensures the continuation of research in higher education and supports key priorities such as building R&I talent, fostering student startups, and maintaining Quality-Related (QR) funding, which was around £2bn in 2024/25.

Innovation and Technology, how Innovate UK's Tech Readiness Levels relate to investment readiness.

Whilst some UKRI councils use Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) to determine funding eligibility, Innovate UK takes a more flexible approach, as there is no standardised way of applying them across sectors or non-technological projects. Innovate UK instead uses categories determined by subsidy control regulations: fundamental research, feasibility studies, industrial research, or experimental development. Innovate UK’s programmes support businesses to develop new products and services, which enhances their ability to secure investment. An example of this is the Investor Partnerships programme, which provides grant funding with aligned equity investment. Through this model, £1.44bn of private sector leverage has been achieved from £100m in grant awards.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has had made of the effectiveness of the distribution of funding for research and development across different regions.

I refer my Hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 11th April to Question UIN 43862.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2025 to Question 39835 on Social Media: Regulation, whether (a) his Department and (b) Ofcom has made an assessment of the impact of designating end-to-end encryption as a risk factor in the (i) Illegal Harms Codes of Practice and (ii) illegal content risk assessment guidance on regulated businesses' willingness to offer end-to-end encryption to users in the UK.

Ofcom is responsible for assessing the possible implications of its codes of practice and guidance under the Online Safety Act (OSA).As previously noted, the OSA does not ban any service design and the European Conventions of Human Rights (ECHR) requires all UK public bodies, including Ofcom, to act in a way that complies with ECHR rights. Companies are legal persons having rights afforded by the ECHR.DSIT will carry out a Post Implementation Review to assess the effectiveness of the legislation, including how the OSA has addressed harmful online content while protecting UK users’ rights.

Innovation and Technology, how much the Government spends on countering disinformation; and in which Departments this money is spent.

A number of departments, including DSIT, Home Office and the FCDO, work together to address risks to the UK from disinformation. Activities include analysis and policy work to reduce the spread and impact of disinformation online.We do not share our total spend on information threats publicly because of the risks inherent in revealing the scale of our efforts to adversaries. Components of this spend include £3m invested in media literacy by DSIT to drive critical engagement with online content (2022-24) and £25.5m invested by FCDO in building societal resilience to Russian interference in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (FY24-25).

Innovation and Technology, how Innovate UK supports (a) start-ups and (b) scale-ups in meeting the requirements of potential investors.

Innovate UK has several targeted approaches to support innovative SMEs that increase their investment readiness. From 2020-2024, SMEs supported by Innovate UK Business Growth have raised over £9bn in private sector investment. In its current spending review planning, Innovate UK is further prioritising how their overall support is strengthened to provide a smooth innovation journey from start-up to scale-up alongside working in closer partnership with other ecosystem partners such as the Scale-up Institute and British Business Bank.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the regional distribution of research and development funding.

DSIT's R&D budget is rising to £13.9bn for the 2025/26 financial year, a real terms increase of 8.5% compared to 2024/25. This will include investments in our R&D system in every region of the UK.There will be a lag in the data showing the exact regional distribution but the latest figures from UKRI show that all regions and nations received an increase in UKRI investment between the financial years 21/22 and 23/24. In 23/24 the greatest absolute increases in investment were seen in the North West, West Midlands and East Midlands.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to p. 69 of the English Devolution White Paper, published on 16 December 2024, which innovation partnerships she plans to continue; and what criteria his Department uses to decide which innovation partnerships are effective.

In the English Devolution White Paper, we committed to support more local leaders, working in partnership with businesses and universities, to unlock their regions’ innovation potential.For example, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is deepening its regional partnerships with Mayoral Strategic Authorities in England and working to extend this to the Devolved Administrations. InnovateUK is working with local leaders across the UK to develop jointly owned local innovation action plans. UKRI is developing a framework to assess the effectiveness of these partnerships, which will help inform the consideration of options for future regional innovation funding as part of the Spending Review.We are also developing a new, UK-wide regional innovation funding programme as part of the Spending Review. This will help to ensure everyone benefits from innovation-led growth.