Written questions by Hayes.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of fertility testing in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

No assessment has been made of the availability of fertility testing in the South Holland and Deepings constituency or Lincolnshire. Data is not collected centrally.

Media and Sport, for what purposes the Charity Commission has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.The Charity Commission has used Generative AI (GenAI) in the production and editing of some video content in the past 12 months.The Charity Commission has robust internal policies in place that define acceptable and prohibited uses for GenAI modules and applications, to ensure its legal and ethical use.The Charity Commission also considers the Generative AI Framework for HM Government when making decisions concerning the approval of GenAI tools and use cases.

For what purposes Companies House has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country. Companies House trialled Microsoft Copilot to support administrative tasks. It has deployed specific AI tools to generate tailored communications content and develop new IT services more quickly. Companies House is also developing and testing advanced analytics, machine learning and AI that detect suspicious activity and identify trends.

Food and Rural Affairs, for what purposes the Veterinary Medicines Directorate has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) has not used AI within any business processes to aid decision making regarding the quality, safety or efficacy of the lifecycle of veterinary medicines within the last 12 months. The VMD submitted a nil return to Cabinet Office regarding the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard (ATRS) on 30 August 2024. The VMD can draw on a range of resources, published on GOV.UK, to inform AI usage. For example, the Generative AI Framework, the Ethics, Transparency and Accountability Framework, the Data Ethics Framework, the AI Opportunities Action Plan and the ATRS. The Directorate also has access to the Government Digital Service, part of the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology, for expert advice.

For what purposes the Teaching Regulation Agency has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.The Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA) has not used artificial intelligence for any purpose during the last 12 months.The TRA also has access to the Government Digital Service, part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, for expert advice.

For what purposes the Care Quality Commission has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has used AI to support how they fulfil their role as the independent regulator of health and social care, focussing on supporting their operational colleagues with identifying risk in health and care services, making operational efficiency improvements, and making better use of unstructured data.Over the last 12 months, the CQC’s AI usage has been in an initialisation phase. They have been developing governance approaches, AI platforms and tooling, and making sure their staff have the right skills to use AI platforms, tools, and processes.Their current priority AI projects include developing an adult social care risk model, which takes multiple complex data sources and gives a predictive score of risk, as well as the key drivers of that risk for a given provider. They have also explored how generative AI capabilities can support the CQC’s work, both in the form of bespoke chatbot solutions to increase operational efficiencies, and in a small-scale Microsoft 365 Copilot trial.The CQC has not yet submitted any Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard records. They are however, in the process of adopting that standard and are trialling it with their risk model for residential adult social care services.

For what purposes His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.Staff in His Majesty’s Prison and Probation service are part of a controlled pilot that is testing the use of Microsoft 365 Copilot.All use of artificial intelligence in the Ministry of Justice is undertaken in line with the Ministry’s AI Ethics Framework and aligned with the Generative AI Framework for government and the Algorithmic Transparency Reporting Standard.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the support for out of hours doctors services in Lincolnshire.

No such assessment has been made by the Department. The commissioning of out of hours services, and the extent to which those services are supported, is the responsibility of local commissioners in partnership with their providers, to serve the best interests of their populations.

Communities and Local Government, for what purposes HM Land Registry has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

HM Land Registry is exploring the potential of Artificial Intelligence to deliver the outcomes set out in the blueprint for modern digital government published on 21 January 2025. The policy paper can be found on gov.uk here.

For what purposes the UK Health Security Agency has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has focused artificial intelligence (AI) on both internal operational improvements and on external interventions, to enhance the United Kingdom’s health security.UKHSA toxicologists have installed and are testing a cutting-edge commercial system integrating advanced data analytics with AI to detect airborne pollen in real-time. Further information is available at the following link:https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2024/09/11/how-cutting-edge-ai-technology-could-hold-the-key-to-forecasting-the-pollen-count/The UKHSA has also successfully deployed one of its AI projects to the Tuberculosis (TB) Unit. This system enhances the manual review of country-of-origin documentation to identify those born in high-risk countries who are eligible for TB screening in the UK. The system is being trialled alongside standard practice to test performance and quantify the benefits that it brings.The UKHSA has implemented governance structures to ensure the use of AI aligns to cross-Government guidance and the agency’s mission. In May 2024, details of a UKHSA Advisory Board paper on AI was shared on GOV.UK website, which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ukhsa-advisory-board-agenda/ukhsa-advisory-board-artificial-intelligence

For what purposes the Pensions Regulator has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country. The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has used artificial intelligence (AI) over the past 12 months to support its regulatory functions and decision-making to better protect savers. To ensure AI is used responsibly and effectively, TPR has established an AI Accelerator Team and is exploring the creation of an AI Advisory Council. These initiatives aim to promote safe and ethical AI adoption both within TPR and across the pensions industry. Key areas where AI has been applied by TPR include detecting pension scams, monitoring market trends, predicting pension scheme health and managing website feedback.

For what purposes the Competition and Markets Authority has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) is as the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country. Internally, the Competition and Markets Authority (the “CMA”) works with AI in two important and mutually reinforcing ways. Firstly, the CMA carries out research into AI – including hands-on technical work – to ensure it has a strong technical understanding of frontier technologies, can assess their implications for consumers and competition, and ensure its work helps unlock the AI opportunity for the UK. Secondly, the CMA pilots and implements uses of AI internally as part of its digital transformation, with the aims of enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the CMA’s frontline work, horizon scanning, cases and investigations – as well as to transform day-to-day operational productivity. Over the last 12 months the CMA has used AI in a range of ways to serve these purposes. This includes testing off-the-shelf AI tools for day-to-day operational productivity and cyber security, as well as developing and piloting more bespoke in-house applications of generative AI to support horizon scanning, market monitoring, and analysis on cases and investigations. The CMA draws on a range of resources to inform its use of AI including internal and external expertise from across academia, industry, international counterparts and the wider public sector. This includes utilising resources on GOV.UK, such as the Generative AI Framework, and liaising with the Government Digital Service and the Department for Business and Trade.

Media and Sport, how the National Youth Strategy will help tackle barriers to opportunity for children and young people in (a) South Holland and The Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

The National Youth Strategy will be co-produced with young people and the youth sector to ensure it meets the needs of young people right across the country. This Government is also committed to tackling barriers to opportunity for all young people through the Opportunity Mission.

For what purposes the Money and Pensions Service has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country. The Money and Pensions Service monitors developments in AI policy and practice to understand the potential impact on financial guidance provision and broader financial service experience. A limited number of people within the organisation are using Microsoft CoPilot, with strong safeguards in place. MaPS is also testing conversational AI Copilots to support colleagues who provide our guidance services. These are not currently live.

For what purposes the National Infrastructure Commission has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

The National Infrastructure Commission have used AI as a tool to improve the efficiency of their analysis and modelling, which has reduced the need for external contractors.

For what purposes the National Crime Agency has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

The NCA is working on a number of productivity improvements using AI.Examples include piloting automation for case management of investigations and automating back-end processes in the areas of Human Resources and Finance.

For what purposes the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

During 2024, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) identified 20 artificial intelligence (AI) use-cases for prototyping with different technologies with different AI paradigms.The use-cases range from productivity through to decision making, across all areas of the business, including communications, customer services, and helpdesks, as well as across the regulatory activities for the whole product lifecycle, including post-market surveillance. MHRA technical specialists have collaborated closely with science, health, and regulation subject matter experts to produce the first batch of AI prototypes.As a result of the successful outcomes in the prototyping phases, the team is now considering next steps in productionising the prototypes, whilst maintaining safety and efficacy. The work takes a risk-proportionate approach, tailored to each use-case, rather than a one size fits all risk-averse blanket approach to all scenarios.

For what purposes the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

In November 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published a statement of intent for artificial intelligence (AI). It outlines the NICE’s approach to using AI to streamline its processes and increase efficiency and effectiveness. The NICE currently uses a natural language processing solution to facilitate the searching of its recommendations, and machine learning based text classifiers within its evidence management software. To assist with daily tasks, NICE staff have access to Microsoft’s Copilot, and the NICE communications team is trialling the Government Communications Service’s Assist tool. Further information on the NICE’s statement of intent for AI is available at the following link: https://www.nice.org.uk/corporate/ecd12/chapter/purpose-of-this-document

For what purposes the Office of Rail and Road has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is exploring how best it can use AI in a way that improves efficiency and effectiveness without compromising quality, confidentiality or security. The organisation is also exploring how AI might be used in the rail and road sectors, and any implications for its regulatory work. ORR staff are able to use generative AI services with data that is already in the public domain such as enhanced search and summarisation, and initial thinking on documents/emails/presentations in accordance with the guidance to civil servants on their use. For uses that involve non-public information, staff require authorisation. Authorised uses over the last 12 months have been:· Communications work using the Government Communication Service specific generative AI tool.· A pilot exploring the use of a specialist app to produce videos using AI generated avatars and copy· A pilot exploring whether an AI tool can support the creation of formal minutes, and which tool is most effective· A pilot using machine learning techniques to analyse underlying causes of performance issues on the railway· Pilots exploring using AI to search internal documentation for specific purposes.

How many primary school breakfast clubs she plans to introduce in Lincolnshire.

The government is committed to offering a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with primary-aged pupils in England.