Written questions by Aldridge.

Innovation and Technology, whether the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will ensure that data centres are (a) secure and (b) resilient.

Our current cyber security laws – the NIS Regulations (2018) – are inherited from the EU and are the UK’s only cross-sector cyber security-specific legislation. The cyber threat has since evolved since 2018 due to AI and other technology and geopolitical trends. The laws therefore require an urgent update to ensure UK infrastructure and economy is not comparably more vulnerable. This is why we announced the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, which will improve the UK’s cyber defences, strengthen our regulatory approach and protect more digital services and supply chains.The government announced in September 2024 that data centres have been designated as critical national infrastructure, meaning the sector will benefit from greater government support in preparing for and managing critical incidents. Further details on the content of the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will be published in due course.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the UK's contingency plans to tackle quantum cyber threats; and if he will conduct a comparative assessment on the effectiveness of these measures compared to those used by his international counterparts.

The government recognises the cyber threats posed by quantum computing. The NCSC recently issued new guidance to help organisations prepare for and protect against threats posed by future developments in quantum computing [https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/pqc-migration-timelines]. The guidance is focused on migrating to post-quantum cryptography to mitigate the potential future quantum threat to encryption services, and identifying and mitigating cyber risks during the migration.The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and NCSC have also commissioned external research to understand industry barriers and incentives to migrate to post-quantum cryptography. This will be used to inform future policy interventions to drive the transition.The government continues to monitor developments in quantum computing and uptake of post-quantum cryptography, including working with other countries to keep UK citizens and organisations secure. The government continues to assess wider cyber risks from critical and emerging technologies on an ongoing basis.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of (a) cyber security laws and (b) supporting regulatory guidance in preventing supply chain attacks on critical (i) services and (ii) infrastructure.

Our current cyber security laws – the NIS Regulations (2018) – are inherited from the EU and are the UK’s only cross-sector cyber security-specific legislation. The cyber threat has since evolved since 2018 due to AI and other technology and geopolitical trends. The laws therefore require an urgent update to ensure UK infrastructure and economy is not comparably more vulnerable. This is why we announced the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, which will improve the UK’s cyber defences, strengthen our regulatory approach and protect more digital services and supply chains.The government announced in September 2024 that data centres have been designated as critical national infrastructure, meaning the sector will benefit from greater government support in preparing for and managing critical incidents. Further details on the content of the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will be published in due course.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to help tackle the threat posed by quantum computing to cybersecurity infrastructure.

The government recognises the cyber threats posed by quantum computing. The NCSC recently issued new guidance to help organisations prepare for and protect against threats posed by future developments in quantum computing [https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/pqc-migration-timelines]. The guidance is focused on migrating to post-quantum cryptography to mitigate the potential future quantum threat to encryption services, and identifying and mitigating cyber risks during the migration.The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and NCSC have also commissioned external research to understand industry barriers and incentives to migrate to post-quantum cryptography. This will be used to inform future policy interventions to drive the transition.The government continues to monitor developments in quantum computing and uptake of post-quantum cryptography, including working with other countries to keep UK citizens and organisations secure. The government continues to assess wider cyber risks from critical and emerging technologies on an ongoing basis.

Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to include provisions within the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill on requiring regulated organisations to adopt cybersecurity to help tackle AI-enabled threats.

Cyber security is a priority for the government. We are taking action to protect businesses, citizens and essential services against cyber threats. Last year the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said AI will almost certainly increase the volume and heighten the impact of cyber attacks over the next two years, however the impact on the cyber threat would be uneven. The full report is at https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/report/impact-of-ai-on-cyber-threat .The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will require regulated organisations to adopt cyber security measures which protect against a wide range of cyber threats, including AI-enabled threats. Further details on the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will be published in due course.Cyber attacks cost the UK economy billions of pounds per year, resulting in serious disruption for businesses and individuals, and disruption to supply chains and public services. Cyber attacks harm confidence and investment in UK technology, while intellectual property can be stolen which has cost billions of pounds to develop. The Cyber Security Breaches Survey [https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/cyber-security-breaches-survey] sets out further details on the impact of cyber threats and we will publish further research on this in due course.

What discussions he has had with Meta on preventing the sale of illegal e-bikes on their marketplace platform.

Product safety law requires that all consumer products placed on the UK market must be safe. The Office for Product Safety and Standards, in my Department, has a programme of work focused on making sure online platforms, including Meta, are aware of their responsibilities for preventing the supply of unsafe products to UK consumers, and requires them to remove unsafe or non-compliant products made available on their sites.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the Road Traffic Act 1991 to include the mandated reporting of cats that are (a) struck and (b) killed by vehicles.

There are no plans to amend section 170 of the Road Traffic Act to make it mandatory for drivers to report road collisions involving cats. Although there is no obligation to report all collisions with animals on roads,Rule 286 of The Highway Code advises drivers to report any collisions involving an animal to the police, and if possible, they should make enquiries to ascertain the owner of domestic animals and advise them of the situation. Since June 2024, all cats in England over 20 weeks of age must be microchipped and registered on a compliant database, unless exempt or free-living. This will make it easier for National Highways and local authorities to reunite cats with their keepers.

What steps her Department is taking to (a) reduce waiting times on her Department's helplines and (b) prevent calls from being cut off after long waiting periods.

(a) Reduce waiting times on Department's helplinesDWP reviews forecasted telephony demand and plans resourcing accordingly to keep wait times down. Wait time performance is frequently reviewed and where DWP’s telephony is delivered by an outsourced provider we use the Key Performance Indicator of percentage of calls answered. All DWP customer telephone lines are Freephone numbers. The Department is investing in a new capability that aims to better route customers to the right offer at the right time. This will help to reduce waiting times by supporting customers to utilise digital alternatives where appropriate and enables telephony agents to speak to our customers that really need to speak to someone. If a customer indicates they may be at risk of physical or mental harm e.g. suicide, terminal illness, homelessness, and clinical mental health, they will be routed to a telephony agent in as short a journey as possible. The Department offers a wide range of reasonable adjustments for customers, including production of communications in a range of alternative formats. We are currently testing further digital solutions for British Sign Language interpreter connectivity within our jobcentre environment. (b) Prevent calls from being cut off after long waiting periodsRegarding disconnections, while mobile phone contracts may disconnect after a certain time period, we do not intentionally cut off customers after long wait times. We do not have anything configured in our Contact Centre platform to automatically cut customers off after any time threshold, or period of waiting. We do, however, inform customers when they are in a queue and we know their call won't be answered before the line closes, and request that they call back.

Whether he has any plans to introduce legislation requiring alcoholic beverages to display (a) full ingredient lists and (b) nutritional information in line with the labelling requirements for other food and drink products.

It is mandatory for alcohol labels to state the product’s strength, namely alcohol by volume, and whether the product contains any of the 14 main allergens. There is also voluntary guidance on communicating the UK Chief Medical Officers' low risk drinking guidelines. There are no current plans to change mandatory labelling requirements on alcoholic products.A National Institute for Health and Care Research-funded study on alcohol calorie labelling is underway to assess the impact of alcohol calorie labelling on product selection, purchasing, and consumption, which will report in 2026.

What steps her Department is taking to help those with (a) severe health conditions and (b) disabilities complete the Personal Independence Payment application process.

The Department is regularly in contact with claimants who are vulnerable. Many, particularly those with severe heath conditions and disabilities, already have support in place from third parties (friends, relatives or appointees for example). However, for those who don’t, DWP provide a range of information and services to support customers through the application process. Applications for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) are normally registered by telephone. To support hearing and speech impaired applicants, DWP uses the Video Relay Service to communicate in real time through a British Sign Language interpreter over a video connection. DWP also uses Relay UK, previously known as Next Generation Text, to correspond through typed messages via a BT agent. DWP offers a claims completion service over the telephone to help PIP applicants without support from another source.For the most vulnerable customers, support – including help with form completion – is offered through the Visiting Service:https://www.gov.uk/support-visit-benefit-claim DWP has also produced a series of videos to support understanding of and navigation through each part of application and assessment: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/personal-independence-payment-customer-journey-films

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the role of generative AI in apprenticeship provision.

The department is committed to supporting high quality apprenticeship training provision which supports employers and learners gain the skills they need for long-term success.It is for training providers to choose how best to deliver apprenticeship training in order to equip learners with the knowledge, skills and behaviours set out in the apprenticeship standard, in consultation with the learner and employer. The department encourages providers to explore how they can use the latest technologies to enhance their offers.The department will continue to work with experts to consider and respond to the implications of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies.

What discussions her Department has had with training providers on the potential adoption of generative AI in education settings.

The department is building the evidence base for how generative artificial intelligence (AI) is best used in education and learning from the experience and expertise of the sector. As part of this work departmental officials have sought views and experiences from practitioners and training providers across all stages of education as well as the education technology sector and AI experts.Departmental officials have also regularly met with representative bodies, such as the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP), who represent training providers. On 1 February 2024, departmental officials met representative bodies at the AELP AI conference, to discuss AI related work programs.In November 2023, the department published the response to the call for evidence on generative AI in education to understand more about sector views and early use of generative AI tools across schools, further education and higher education. The response is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/generative-artificial-intelligence-in-education-call-for-evidence. In January 2024, the department published a report outlining educator and expert views on generative AI, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/generative-ai-in-education-educator-and-expert-views.The department is also a member of the cross-government AI working group and we are collaborating with peers across government to share thinking and expertise as we develop future policy.

If she will commission research into the potential merits of the use of generative AI in apprenticeship provision.

The department is committed to supporting high quality apprenticeship training provision which supports employers and learners gain the skills they need for long-term success.It is for training providers to choose how best to deliver apprenticeship training in order to equip learners with the knowledge, skills and behaviours set out in the apprenticeship standard, in consultation with the learner and employer. The department encourages providers to explore how they can use the latest technologies to enhance their offers.The department will continue to work with experts to consider and respond to the implications of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies.