Written questions by Platt.

Innovation and Technology, if he will hold discussions with the Secretary of State fo Health and Social Care on the potential merits of funding a research hub to (a) coordinate research and (b) support early-career researchers working on ME and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) work closely together to coordinate research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). Extensive support is provided to early-career researchers through the NIHR Academy and NIHR Infrastructure. ME/CFS is a priority area for UKRI’s Medical Research Council (MRC) and it has committed over £4,460,000 to ME/CFS research since 2020. NIHR has also committed approximately £3.7 million to this area across the 2019/20-2023/24 financial years. MRC recently awarded funding to PRIME, a £800,000 partnership to build new research infrastructure for ME/CFS research. PRIME will establish new research collaborations, bringing together researchers and private sector partners, to investigate the genetics, biomarkers and disease mechanisms of ME/CFS.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that visual artists and creators (a) nationally and (b) in Leigh and Atherton can access licensing deals with AI developers.

The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024.This consultation sought views on creating an effective rights reservation system. This would provide rights holders across the UK, including those in Leigh and Atherton, with the ability to prevent AI developers from using their copyright works in AI training, and/or negotiate licences for their use.The consultation closed on 25 February. The Government’s priority now is to review all responses to the consultation, gathering the evidence to inform its next steps. The Government will continue to engage extensively before setting out proposals in due course.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of technical solutions put forward by AI developers to allow individual rightsholders in the creative industries to effectively and efficiently opt-out their work from AI training, without placing additional burdens on rightsholders.

The Government’s consultation on Copyright and AI closed on 25th February.It sought views from both AI developers and rights holders on creating an effective rights reservation system. We will not move forward with any option until we are confident that it will be effective, proportionate, and accessible to both individual creators and larger rights holders.The Government’s priority now is to review all responses to the consultation, gathering the evidence to inform its next steps. The Government will continue to engage extensively before setting out proposals in due course.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions his Department has had with representatives from civil society on phasing out of animal testing.

The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal. The government has been consulting civil society as this process unfolds. This includes attending meetings with animal protection organisations and considering documentation sent by such organisations to the Government.

Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to meet with representatives from civil society to discuss the Government’s strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods to the use of animals in science prior to it being published later this year.

The Government is committed to supporting the use of alternative methods to the use of animals in science and the Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal. The government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year. The government has been and will continue to consult civil society as this process unfolds.

Innovation and Technology, if he will introduce transparency obligations on Artificial intelligence firms to disclose material used to train models.

The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024.This consultation seeks views on a number of issues relating to copyright and AI. It sets a clear objective of achieving proportionate transparency from AI developers over the creative content that is used to train their models.The consultation closes on 25 February.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that proposed copyright exemptions for Artificial intelligence training will lead to inward investment.

The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024. This consultation is seeking views on how to promote growth and investment in both the creative industries and AI sector - both of which are essential parts of the Government’s Industrial Strategy. This will help the Government develop an approach which will accelerate growth in the UK for both sectors. The consultation closes on 25 February.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has conducted a market impact assessment for the options in the open consultation entitled Copyright and Artificial Intelligence, published on 17 December 2024.

The Government published the consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024. Prior to its publication, the Government considered a range of approaches to clarify copyright law and meet its objectives for AI innovators and the creative industries. Further detail of the Government’s assessment of options can be found in the summary assessment (external link) published alongside the consultation. The consultation closes on 25 February.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of EU rights reservation mechanisms for Artificial intelligence and copyright.

The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024.This consultation is seeking views on a similar approach to the EU’s, which many AI firms and right holders are already familiar with. However, we recognise that there is more work to do on technical standards and transparency before a rights reservation model can be considered workable for right holders and AI developers alike. We will use responses to the consultation to inform work on this detail and bring forward firm proposals.The consultation closes on 25 February

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to develop technical standards to enable rightsholders to reserve rights if they opt-out of training generative artificial intelligence models.

The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024.This consultation proposes a new regulatory model for text and data mining, and seeks views on creating an effective rights reservation system.The implementation of any text and data mining exception is contingent upon having workable technical solutions in place for rights reservation. Some standards already exist and more are in development. If there is a role for Government to play, it is to ensure that standards work for right holders as well as developers, and to facilitate convergence on a manageable set of standards.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department plans to create a taskforce to develop a sustainable biomanufacturing strategy.

DSIT does not currently have plans to create a taskforce to develop a sustainable biomanufacturing strategy. DSIT is considering how Engineering Biology could play a role in driving sustainable growth through the Industrial Strategy, which will be published in Spring 2025 by HMT and DBT.

Innovation and Technology, what plans he has to work with regional upper tier authorities to coordinate public-private initiatives for development in the sustainable biomanufacturing sector; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of trialling support hub initiatives for sustainable biotechnology in the North West.

DSIT is considering how Engineering Biology could play a role in driving sustainable growth through the Industrial Strategy, which will be published in Spring 2025 by HMT and DBT. Regional growth is a key objective of the Industrial Strategy, and DSIT will engage with a range of local authorities through that process to consider opportunities across the UK.

Innovation and Technology, how the Data (Use and Access) Bill will ensure that publishers can access data effectively when ensuring regulatory compliance.

When processing personal data organisations, including publishers, must comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. If publishers are providing online services, then they may also be required to comply with requirements of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR). The Data (Use and Access) Bill introduces a new exception to PECR that would permit online publishers to use cookies and similar technologies to collect statistical data to enable them to improve their online services, subject to certain safeguards being met.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the enforcement practices of the Information Commissioner's Office cohere with the regulatory duties of that Office.

Although DSIT acts as the ICO’s sponsor within government, it is an independent regulator and accountable to Parliament. It is not appropriate for Government to comment on how it exercises its regulatory duties.The ICO publishes details of its enforcement activity and an annual report across its operations on its website.The Data (Use and Access) Bill introduces a new governance structure for the ICO – including a new statutory board - to bring it into line with regulatory best practice. The Bill also introduces new reporting requirements on the ICO, including annual metrics on its investigations, their outcomes and use of its powers. This will bring greater transparency and accountability.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to tackle online risks faced by children with special educational needs and disabilities.

The government is focused on implementing the Online Safety Act as quickly as possible, so children benefit from its wide-ranging protections. The Act will ensure that companies take steps to protect their child users from harm on their platforms, including protecting children with special educational needs and disabilities.Ofcom has consulted on its draft codes of practice for protecting children which set out the steps companies must take to protect children on their platforms under the Online Safety Act. We expect the child safety codes will be finalised and in effect by summer 2025.