Written questions by Charters.

What steps her Department is taking to improve technological innovation in Yorkshire and the Humber region.

This Government is committed to supporting technological innovation across the UK.That is why we have earmarked at least £30 million for each of West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire through our new Local Innovation Partnerships Fund. This will empower local leaders to grow high-potential innovation clusters and unlock their innovation potential.This builds on UKRI’s wider investment in the Yorkshire and the Humber region which totals almost £1 billion active projects.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of allowing the use of Look and Tell AI glasses for people with visual impairment.

AI has the potential to transform everyday life, making services quicker, smarter and more efficient. Embracing AI will directly improve the lives of everyone by personalising services and supporting better outcomes, including those with visual impairments.The AI Opportunities Action Plan sets out our plans to exploit the potential of AI to positively impact the lives of the British public. For example, the government is adopting a flexible “Scan, Pilot, Scale” approach and delivering mission-focussed national AI tenders to ensure effective and lasting adoption in the public sector.While we deliver the Plan, we also encourage regulators to take a pro-innovation approach within their sectors, with the new Regulatory Innovation Office having an important role to play across all sectors.We will continue to work closely with the AI sector and experts to ensure we are aligning innovative outcomes with our world-leading standards and expectations.

Innovation and Technology, whether officials in his Department (a) have had and (b) plan to have discussions with their counterparts in the Department for Health and Social Care on the potential impact of the use

The DSIT Secretary of State is committed to enabling the public sector to better adopt AI safely. DSIT is working closely with Departments, including DHSC, to support this in their areas of responsibility. For example, through the £21m AI Diagnostics fund...

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to tackle disinformation on social media.

The Online Safety Act (OSA) will be the Governments key tool in combatting online mis- and disinformation. It sets out a clear regulatory framework that will tackle both mis- and disinformation where it constitutes illegal content or harmful content to ch...

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to (a) prepare for and (b) mitigate future global IT outages.

As we live in a world that is dependent on interconnected systems, it is essential to be prepared for global IT outages. The Government will work with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to review the lessons learned from the recent outage. The Central Digital and Data Office will work to implement any improvements to the existing response plans to cover technical and cyber resilience failures. The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, announced in the King's Speech, will also strengthen our defences and ensure that more digital services than ever before are protected.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on artificial intelligence planning.

As the centre for digital government, DSIT works closely with other departments to ensure Artificial Intelligence (AI) is driving economic growth, transforming how we deliver public services, and boosting living standards. Last week, we launched AI Opportunities Action Plan, which will set out how the UK can reap the benefits of AI. We know this will require a whole-of-government approach, so we are working across departments to ensure the Government’s missions and priorities benefit from this transformative technology. We have also committed to introducing regulation, are collaborating with departments on the details of these proposals, before legislation is brought forward.

Innovation and Technology, what plans he has for the National AI Strategy; and whether he plans to update the strategy.

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. Over the next few months, we will be ensuring that AI is used to drive the government’s missions and priorities, including the Industrial Strategy, the AI Opportunities Action Plan, and wider commitments.