Written questions by Fortune.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he had with universities on the AI Opportunities Action Plan before its publication.

The Action Plan, which was developed by Matt Clifford, has been informed by a series of external roundtables with experts from across the AI ecosystem, including civil society, academia, investors, and industry. As the plan moves forward, it will continue to engage widely with these stakeholders to ensure its implementation.The Action Plan also includes new initiatives, such as expanding the Turing AI Fellowships offer and doubling the capacity of the AI Research Resource. The UK’s publicly funded portfolio of AI R&D investments is worth £1 billion, including investments in centres for doctoral training, the Alan Turing Institute, Bridge AI, Responsible AI UK, and AI hubs.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he had with the Advanced Research and Invention Agency on the AI Opportunities Action Plan before its publication.

The AI Opportunities Action Plan, which was developed by Matt Clifford, sets out how we will achieve our AI ambitions by laying the foundations for AI growth, driving adoption and building UK capability at the frontier. UKRI representatives, including research councils, have been engaged throughout the development of the AI Opportunities Action Plan. We are committed to working closely with the UKRI who are a critical delivery partner for key elements of the Action plan. We will continue to engage widely across the AI ecosystem as government takes the Action Plan forward.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he had with Horizon Europe on the AI Opportunities Action Plan before its publication.

The AI Opportunities Action Plan, which was developed by Matt Clifford, sets out how we will achieve our AI ambitions by laying the foundations for AI growth, driving adoption and building UK capability at the frontier.The Action Plan was informed by a series of external roundtables with experts from across the AI ecosystem including civil society, academia, investors, and industry, including from UKRI. The department also regularly engages with the Horizon Programme and the responsible EU officials. These discussions have informed the action plan and continue to shape our ongoing work.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he had with the UKRI on the AI Opportunities Action Plan before its publication.

The AI Opportunities Action Plan, which was developed by Matt Clifford, sets out how we will achieve our AI ambitions by laying the foundations for AI growth, driving adoption and building UK capability at the frontier. UKRI representatives, including research councils, have been engaged throughout the development of the AI Opportunities Action Plan. We are committed to working closely with the UKRI who are a critical delivery partner for key elements of the Action plan. We will continue to engage widely across the AI ecosystem as government takes the Action Plan forward.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he had with the Arts and Humanities Research Council on the AI Opportunities Action Plan before its publication.

The AI Opportunities Action Plan, which was developed by Matt Clifford, sets out how we will achieve our AI ambitions by laying the foundations for AI growth, driving adoption and building UK capability at the frontier. UKRI representatives, including research councils, have been engaged throughout the development of the AI Opportunities Action Plan. We are committed to working closely with the UKRI who are a critical delivery partner for key elements of the Action plan. We will continue to engage widely across the AI ecosystem as government takes the Action Plan forward.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he had with the Natural Environment Research Council on the AI Opportunities Action Plan before its publication.

The AI Opportunities Action Plan, which was developed by Matt Clifford, sets out how we will achieve our AI ambitions by laying the foundations for AI growth, driving adoption and building UK capability at the frontier. UKRI representatives, including research councils, have been engaged throughout the development of the AI Opportunities Action Plan. We are committed to working closely with the UKRI who are a critical delivery partner for key elements of the Action plan. We will continue to engage widely across the AI ecosystem as government takes the Action Plan forward.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he had with the Government Office for Technology Transfer on the AI Opportunities Action Plan before its publication.

The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology engaged in numerous discussions with various stakeholders and government departments as part of the broader effort to ensure the AI Opportunities Action Plan, which was developed by Matt Clifford, was comprehensive and aligned with the government’s ambition for growth. The Government Office for Technology Transfer plays a crucial role in accelerating government innovations towards the market, driving growth, and delivering new products and services for citizens. As Government takes the Plan forward it will continue to engage widely.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he had with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council on the AI Opportunities Action Plan before its publication.

The AI Opportunities Action Plan, which was developed by Matt Clifford, sets out how we will achieve our AI ambitions by laying the foundations for AI growth, driving adoption and building UK capability at the frontier. UKRI representatives, including research councils, have been engaged throughout the development of the AI Opportunities Action Plan. We are committed to working closely with the UKRI who are a critical delivery partner for key elements of the Action plan. We will continue to engage widely across the AI ecosystem as government takes the Action Plan forward.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he had with businesses on the AI Opportunities Action Plan before its publication.

The AI Opportunities Action Plan, which was developed by Matt Clifford, sets out how we will achieve our ambitions by laying the foundations for AI growth, driving adoption and building UK capability at the frontier.The Action Plan has been informed by a series of external roundtables with experts from across the AI ecosystem. These discussions covered key areas such as the collaboration between the public and private sectors to create a robust AI ecosystem and to unmask the potential economic impact of AI technologies. As the Government takes the Plan forward, it will continue to engage widely with these stakeholders to ensure its implementation.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he had with the Geospatial Commission on the AI Opportunities Action Plan before its publication.

The AI Opportunities Action Plan, which was developed by Matt Clifford, sets out how we will achieve our AI ambitions by laying the foundations for AI growth, driving adoption and building UK capability at the frontier.The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology engaged in numerous discussions with various stakeholders and government departments as part of the broader effort to ensure the AI Opportunities Action Plan was comprehensive and aligned with the government’s ambition for growth. The Geospatial Commission is part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Officials in geospatial and AI policy engage regularly, including on the AI Action Plan.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he had with Innovate UK on the AI Opportunities Action Plan before its publication.

The AI Opportunities Action Plan, which was developed by Matt Clifford, sets out how we will achieve our AI ambitions by laying the foundations for AI growth, driving adoption and building UK capability at the frontier. UKRI representatives, including research councils, have been engaged throughout the development of the AI Opportunities Action Plan. We are committed to working closely with the UKRI who are a critical delivery partner for key elements of the Action plan. We will continue to engage widely across the AI ecosystem as government takes the Action Plan forward.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he had with the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council on the AI Opportunities Action Plan before its publication.

The AI Opportunities Action Plan, which was developed by Matt Clifford, sets out how we will achieve our AI ambitions by laying the foundations for AI growth, driving adoption and building UK capability at the frontier. UKRI representatives, including research councils, have been engaged throughout the development of the AI Opportunities Action Plan. We are committed to working closely with the UKRI who are a critical delivery partner for key elements of the Action plan. We will continue to engage widely across the AI ecosystem as government takes the Action Plan forward.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the accessibility to people who are digitally excluded of the consultation on Applying Environment Act 2021 civil sanctions.

Online engagement is an efficient and transparent means for sharing proposals and gathering feedback from groups and individuals affected by or interested in proposed changes. It is part of a wider engagement process. The consultation relates to a targeted national audience of business stakeholder interests. Communications to affected stakeholders included emailing numerous key stakeholder businesses and trade associations. People who are unable to respond to the consultation online can request a printed copy of the consultation documents and a response form that can be returned to the Environment Agency by post.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he had with the Science and Technology Facilities Council on the AI Opportunities Action Plan before its publication.

The AI Opportunities Action Plan, which was developed by Matt Clifford, sets out how we will achieve our AI ambitions by laying the foundations for AI growth, driving adoption and building UK capability at the frontier. UKRI representatives, including research councils, have been engaged throughout the development of the AI Opportunities Action Plan. We are committed to working closely with the UKRI who are a critical delivery partner for key elements of the Action plan. We will continue to engage widely across the AI ecosystem as government takes the Action Plan forward.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the accessibility to people who are digitally excluded of the consultation on Open access restriction at Angram Moor.

We have a duty to publish a notice when we review statutory directions to restrict or exclude access. GOV.UK and Citizen space are the ways in which Governments chose to disseminate its information and publicise its consultations. Therefore, we use these existing Government websites for this purpose, posting a notification on GOV.UK that points to a Consultation Summary Report and any other associated documents (usually a map) on Defra’s Citizen Space website. We can send hard copies of consultation documents and outcomes on request and can receive correspondence by post. We are also required to consult the Local Access Forum and send a copy of the notice to the persons to be notified. These include: the access authority, British Association of Shooting and Conservation, British Mountaineering Council, NRW – (if the land adjoins land in Wales), Country Land and Business Association, National Farmers’ Union, Open Spaces Society and Ramblers’ Association. We do this by email.We publish an Outcome Report online.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the accessibility to people who are digitally excluded of the consultation on Open access restriction at Stanbury Moor.

We have a duty to publish a notice when we review statutory directions to restrict or exclude access. GOV.UK and Citizen space are the ways in which Governments chose to disseminate its information and publicise its consultations. Therefore, we use these existing Government websites for this purpose, posting a notification on GOV.UK that points to a Consultation Summary Report and any other associated documents (usually a map) on Defra’s Citizen Space website. We can send hard copies of consultation documents and outcomes on request and can receive correspondence by post. We are also required to consult the Local Access Forum and send a copy of the notice to the persons to be notified. These include: the access authority, British Association of Shooting and Conservation, British Mountaineering Council, NRW – (if the land adjoins land in Wales), Country Land and Business Association, National Farmers’ Union, Open Spaces Society and Ramblers’ Association. We do this by email.We publish an Outcome Report online.

If she will make an assessment with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology of the adequacy of the accessibility of the consultation on Benchmarking operators’ performance in rail passenger assistance, published on 16 December 2024.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR), like the Department for Transport, follows Government accessibility standards for its online content - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/accessibility-requirements-for-public-sector-websites-and-apps. ORR outlines the steps it takes to make content on accessible in its accessibility statement https://www.orr.gov.uk/accessibility-statement. The statement also sets out how users can request alternative versions of website content; provide feedback on website accessibility; or make complaints about the accessibility of website content. For the Benchmarking operators' performance in rail passenger assistance consultation, https://www.orr.gov.uk/search-consultations/benchmarking-operators-performance-rail-passenger-assistance, ORR has provided alternative versions of the consultation document (including larger print and easy read versions) and alternative ways to respond (online form, email, post, easy read form).

If she will make an assessment with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology of the adequacy of the accessibility of the consultation on Provisional police grant allocations: 2025 to 2026, published on 17 December 2024.

Accessible versions of content on Gov.uk are available on request. HTML documents like the provisional settlement page are already considered accessible within the guidance for publications (Publishing accessible documents - GOV.UK).The consultation for the Provisional Police Funding Settlement 2025-26 followed this process, which is the same as in previous years.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the accessibility of the consultation on Proposed changes to the water company drought plan guideline, published on 16 December 2024.

The Environment Agency launched the consultation ‘Proposed changes to the water company drought plan guideline’ on GOV.UK on 16 December 2024, with more information available at the following link: Proposed changes to the water company drought plan guideline - GOV.UK As per the Government’s Publishing Accessible Documents guidance, the consultation document is published in HTML format to make it easier to read and to find. The digital survey for users to respond to the consultation is also hosted on an accessible platform. The draft regulations which accompany the consultation are lengthy and technical in nature, and so these are published as a PDF to preserve formatting and technical content. Users of assistive technology (such as screen readers) can request a copy of the draft regulations in an accessible format by emailing enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk.. Users who have queries on the consultation or require an alternative format can also contact enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk.

If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the accessibility of the consultation on Raising product standards for space heating, published on 17 December 2024.

The Department launched the consultation ‘Raising product standards for space heating’ on GOV.UK on 17 December 2024, with more information available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/raising-product-standards-for-space-heating (opens in a new tab) Users of assistive technology (such as screen readers) can request a copy of the consultation and supporting documents in an accessible format by emailing alt.formats@energysecurity.gov.uk. Users who have queries on the consultation can also contact spaceheatingstandards@energysecurity.gov.uk.