Written questions by Lopez.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the level of systemic risk from reliance on two dominant cloud providers following recent outages.

I refer the honourable member to the answer given on 24 November to UIN 92927. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) continues to monitor systemic risks to UK critical national infrastructure from reliance on cloud providers, including resilience measures and contingency planning following recent service outages.

What steps his Department is taking to secure a sustainable future for the vision rehabilitation workforce.

We are progressing towards a National Care Service, and this includes expanding career opportunities through the Care Workforce Pathway, and investing £12 million in learning, development, and new qualifications. The Level 2 Adult Social Care Certificate and the Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care equip staff with the knowledge on how to adapt communication methods and make reasonable adjustments for individuals with vision impairments. The qualifications cover sensory loss, communication needs, and the use of assistive technologies, where appropriate. The Care Workforce Pathway reinforces these principles across role categories, particularly within the Enhanced Care Worker role, which includes developing skills needed to support people with sensory impairments. The Learning and Development Support Scheme enables eligible employers to access funding for these qualifications, including those mentioned above, as well as over 200 other training courses and qualifications.

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help accelerate the process to designate cloud services with Digital Market Unit's Strategic Market Status to prevent anti-competitive practices in the sector.

The Competition and Markets Authority (the CMA) has completed three Strategic Market Status investigations this year. The CMA is independent of the Government and decisions on which markets to investigate are for its Board. The CMA has published guidance on its website on how it will prioritise Strategic Market Status designations.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of introducing VAT to to medicines provided free under Early Access Medicines Scheme programmes on pharmaceutical companies.

I refer the honourable member to the answer that I gave to PQ UIN: 87051.

What assessment (a) her Department and (b) HMRC have conducted on the potential impact on patient access to innovative medicines from the introduction of VAT to medicines provided free under Early Access Medicines Scheme programmes.

VAT is the UK’s second largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26. Taxation is a vital source of revenue which helps to fund public services. Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS) allows patients access to free medicines for life threatening conditions before receiving full NHS approval. Under UK VAT law, some transactions where no money changes hands are treated as if a supply has been made – these are called deemed supplies. This is to keep the system fair. Whether VAT applies to medicines or treatments provided for free under the EAMS will depend on the precise facts of the case. In certain circumstances the giving of goods away for free can be outside the scope of VAT. Where the supply is within the scope of VAT a relief may apply, meaning the supply can be made VAT free.

What assessment her (a) Department and (b) HMRC have conducted on the potential impact on clinical trial numbers from the introduction of VAT to medicines provided free under Early Access Medicines Scheme programmes.

VAT is the UK’s second largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26. Taxation is a vital source of revenue which helps to fund public services. Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS) allows patients access to free medicines for life threatening conditions before receiving full NHS approval. Under UK VAT law, some transactions where no money changes hands are treated as if a supply has been made – these are called deemed supplies. This is to keep the system fair. Whether VAT applies to medicines or treatments provided for free under the EAMS will depend on the precise facts of the case. In certain circumstances the giving of goods away for free can be outside the scope of VAT. Where the supply is within the scope of VAT a relief may apply, meaning the supply can be made VAT free.

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to support access to growth capital for scaling UK tech firms.

DSIT delivers specific policy interventions to unlock growth investment for UK science and technology firms, as well as contributing deep science and technology expertise to initiatives led by others, such as the British Business Bank’s £4bn Industrial Strategy Growth Capital Fund. A second cohort of Science and Technology Venture Capital Fellows will commence training in November, receiving specialist training overseen by DSIT to enable them to launch deep-tech venture capital funds. And, DSIT sponsors the National Security Strategic Investment Fund’s investment arm, making direct investments into companies developing strategically-important dual-use technologies, with increased funding up to £330m for 2026-30.

If he will make an assessment with the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the potential merits of creating a dedicated scale-up investment scheme.

The Chancellor and Secretary of State wrote on 20 October to the British Business Bank, setting the Bank’s strategic priorities over the next five years. These include an objective to “support our most promising businesses in the Industrial Strategy priority sectors to scale and stay here.”The letter notes “Through a two-thirds increase in its annual investments, the Bank will crowd in tens of billions of pounds of private capital with a particular focus on ensuring that our most promising scale-up businesses can access the capital they need to realise their ambitions here in the UK.”The full text is published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-strategic-priorities-to-the-british-business-bank

What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of reforming the (a) Enterprise Investment Scheme and (b) Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme to improve support for firms in the post-start-up phase.

The Government is focused on making the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a business, and understands the key role of a competitive investment environment in achieving economic growth. At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government committed to creating a positive environment for entrepreneurship and business investment. We are working with leading entrepreneurs and venture capital firms on how policy supports that, including the role of the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme.

Whether she plans to expand the (a) Enterprise Investment Scheme and (b) Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme scheme to support older companies seeking increased investment.

The Government is focused on making the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a business, and understands the key role of a competitive investment environment in achieving economic growth. At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government committed to creating a positive environment for entrepreneurship and business investment. We are working with leading entrepreneurs and venture capital firms on how policy supports that, including the role of the Enterprise Investment Scheme and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme.

If she will take steps with HM Revenue and Customs to help ensure that a(a) medicines and (b) treatments provided under the Early Access to Medicines Scheme are not subjected to (i) direct or (ii) indirect VAT.

VAT is the UK’s second largest tax, forecast to raise £180 billion in 2025/26. Taxation is a vital source of revenue which helps to fund public services. Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS) allows patients access to free medicines for life threatening conditions before receiving full NHS approval. Under UK VAT law, some transactions where no money changes hands are treated as if a supply has been made – these are called deemed supplies. This is to keep the system fair. If a business has reclaimed VAT on costs (like making or importing goods), it should not avoid accounting VAT when those goods leave the business for free. Whether VAT applies to medicines or treatments provided for free under the EAMS will depend on the precise facts of the case. In certain circumstances the giving of goods away for free can be outside the scope of VAT. Where the supply is within the scope of VAT a relief may apply, meaning the supply can be made VAT free. The Government keeps all taxes under review but there are no plans to change the law for Deemed Supplies.

Whether medicines provided free under Early Access Medicines Scheme programmes are liable for output VAT.

Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS) allows patients access to free medicines for life threatening conditions before receiving full NHS approval. There are special VAT rules for the supply of goods without payment. Whether VAT applies will depend on the precise facts of the case. In certain circumstances the giving of goods away for free can be outside the scope of VAT. Where the supply is within the scope of VAT a relief may apply, meaning the supply can be made VAT free.

If she will commission guidance from HM Revenue and Customs clarifying whether medicines supplied under the Early Access Medicines Scheme fall outside the scope of VAT Deemed Supply rules.

Under UK VAT law, some transactions where no money changes hands are treated as if a supply has been made – these are called deemed supplies. This is to keep the system fair if a business has reclaimed VAT on costs (like making or importing goods), it should not avoid accounting for VAT when those goods leave the business for free. Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS) allows patients access to free medicines for life threatening conditions before receiving full NHS approval. Whether VAT applies to medicines or treatments provided for free under the EAMS will depend on the precise facts of the case. Where the supply of free medicine under the EAMS meets the criteria of a deemed supply, VAT will be due.HMRC considers that the guidance around these rules is clear and long-established.

Innovation and Technology, whether he has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the application of VAT for (a) medicines and (b) treatments provided for medical (i) trials or (ii) compassionate use under the Early Access to Medicines Scheme.

The DSIT Secretary of State has not met with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to discuss this particular matter.There has been no recent law or policy change in this area.Application of VAT is determined on a case-by-case basis depending on specific details of the nature of the supplies. This includes medicines or treatments provided for free under the Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS). In certain circumstances the giving of goods away for free can be outside the scope of VAT. Where the supply is within the scope of VAT a relief may apply, meaning the supply can be made VAT free.

Innovation and Technology, what her Department's planned timetable is for the implementation of outstanding provisions in the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022.

As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement [made by the former Minister for Data Protection and Telecoms], we intend to implement the remaining provisions of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 as soon as possible. Subject to considering the consultation responses, we intend to finalise s61-64 of the Act, relating to renewal agreements, by the end of the year.

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2025 to Question 70873, whether her Department has commissioned the use of hotel accommodation in the London Borough of Havering for the purpose of housing asylum seekers since 10 February 2025.

No new hotels have been commissioned to accommodate asylum seekers in the London Borough of Havering since 10 February 2025. When a hotel has been identified for use as contingency accommodation, Home Office officials will write to the local authority Chief Executive and the constituency MP to inform them of plans to accommodate asylum seekers there.

If he will itemise each (a) contract awarded and (b) payment made to Public Digital by his Department since 4 July 2024.

All contract award information is available on Contracts Finder - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk.All CO spend information above £25,000 is published on a monthly basis and is available on Gov.Uk - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-data

With reference to the SFIA rate card in Annex 5 of the signed Work Order for Project_7114, published on Contracts Finder on 9 July 2025, if he will (a) publish the underlying rate card and (b) disclose any mark-up charged by Bloom Procurement Services Ltd on rates paid to Public Digital Ltd.

This information is commercially sensitive and therefore cannot be disclosed.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Answer of 19 September 2024 to Question HL812 on Emily Middleton, whether the relevant background information provided to the Civil Service Commission included that secondment from Public Digital.

The Director General, Digital Centre Design was appointed in line with Civil Service Recruitment Principles. The Civil Service Commission was provided with the relevant background information requested, including Ms Middleton’s full employment history, when approving this temporary appointment. This included Ms Middleton’s CV where the reference to the secondment was made. This text was released in FOI2024-00256 Internal Review.

Innovation and Technology, how many (a) contracts were awarded and (b) payments were made to Public Digital by his Department since 4 July 2024.

If the Honourable Member consults Contracts Finder, she will see that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has not awarded any new contracts to Public Digital since 4 July 2024.No payments have been made by the Department to Public Digital. Payments were made by the Cabinet Office for a pre-existing contract which was inherited mid-contract by DSIT in the Machinery of Government change. Further details can be found on Contract Finder.