Written questions by Whittingdale.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2024 to Question 8503 on Government Departments: Telecommunications, whether he plans to meet with Cabinet colleagues to discuss the use of ISDN telephone lines across Government.

The Department chairs a quarterly cross-government group on this issue, to which all government departments are invited. The group allows for discussion around plans and progress, and the opportunity to raise any concerns around the retirement of these legacy networks. Where dependencies have been identified, the Department is actively monitoring the progress of mitigation plans and engaging with industry on removing obstacles to migrating off legacy networks.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2024 to Question 8500 on Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, whether he plans to have further meetings with the European Commissioner for Justice.

Yes, the Secretary of State and other ministers in the department will continue to meet with the European Commissioner for Justice on this important issue as many times as necessary throughout the EU adequacy review process.

If she will issue a formal public apology on historic forced adoptions on behalf of the Government.

I have the deepest sympathy with everyone affected by historic forced adoption. The practice was abhorrent and should never have taken place.The department is currently funding the Adoption England project ‘Improving Adoption Services for Adults’, which is designed to maintain relationships and facilitate access to better support for adopted adults, including those adopted between 1940 to 1970.The department will continue to review the offer, including looking to learn from the approach of the devolved nations, and will consider how we can collaborate across government to provide support.

If she will repeal the Section 37 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 prohibiting police officers serving while off duty as on-call firefighters.

We have no current plans to repeal Section 37 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004.

Innovation and Technology, what proportion of the remaining budget of Project Gigabit will be assigned to urban areas.

Almost £2 billion of Project Gigabit contracts are in place, with a further £750 million allocated in live and planned procurements.Project Gigabit spend is reported in Building Digital UK’s (BDUK) annual report and accounts. Total capital Project Gigabit spend in 2021/22 and 2022/23 was £90.9 million. Spend for 2023/24 will be published in BDUK’s next annual report and accounts.The purpose of Project Gigabit is to fund the rollout of gigabit-capable broadband to UK premises that would otherwise not be reached by suppliers' commercial plans. Most of these will be in rural locations, but to achieve full gigabit coverage, and consistent with the programme’s original design, we will also need to address any pockets of poor connectivity in urban areas, removing barriers to efficient build plans and allocating funding where it is needed.

Innovation and Technology, how much and what proportion of the remaining budget for Project Gigabit has been allocated to rural areas.

Almost £2 billion of Project Gigabit contracts are in place, with a further £750 million allocated in live and planned procurements.Project Gigabit spend is reported in Building Digital UK’s (BDUK) annual report and accounts. Total capital Project Gigabit spend in 2021/22 and 2022/23 was £90.9 million. Spend for 2023/24 will be published in BDUK’s next annual report and accounts.The purpose of Project Gigabit is to fund the rollout of gigabit-capable broadband to UK premises that would otherwise not be reached by suppliers' commercial plans. Most of these will be in rural locations, but to achieve full gigabit coverage, and consistent with the programme’s original design, we will also need to address any pockets of poor connectivity in urban areas, removing barriers to efficient build plans and allocating funding where it is needed.

Innovation and Technology, how much and what proportion of funding for Project Gigabit has yet to be (a) allocated and (b) spent.

Almost £2 billion of Project Gigabit contracts are in place, with a further £750 million allocated in live and planned procurements.Project Gigabit spend is reported in Building Digital UK’s (BDUK) annual report and accounts. Total capital Project Gigabit spend in 2021/22 and 2022/23 was £90.9 million. Spend for 2023/24 will be published in BDUK’s next annual report and accounts.The purpose of Project Gigabit is to fund the rollout of gigabit-capable broadband to UK premises that would otherwise not be reached by suppliers' commercial plans. Most of these will be in rural locations, but to achieve full gigabit coverage, and consistent with the programme’s original design, we will also need to address any pockets of poor connectivity in urban areas, removing barriers to efficient build plans and allocating funding where it is needed.

Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to introduce a broadened copyright exception for text and data mining.

No decision has been made on whether to legislate on copyright in relation to text and data mining.The Government is committed to supporting the growth of the creative industries and AI sectors while recognising the value of human-centred creativity. Whilst clarity is needed, this is a complex topic and we must take the time to hear stakeholder views and give them careful consideration.The Minister for Creative Industries, Arts, and Tourism and I held roundtables with the creative, media and AI sectors last month and our departments continue to engage with those stakeholders to inform our approach.

What the the average number of patients per GP is in (a) the Maldon District, (b) Mid and South Essex and (c) England.

In August 2024, the median number of patients per full-time equivalent (FTE) fully qualified general practitioner was:3,030 in the Maldon District;2,759 in the NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB); and2,300 in England.In the same period, the median number of patients per FTE doctor in general practice was:2,291 in the Maldon District;2,191 in the Mid and South Essex ICB; and1,797 in England.