Written questions by Holden.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2026 to Question 120035 on Intellectual Property Office; Environmental Protection, what the (a) capital cost and (b) estimated annual energy savings are of (i) the installation of new energy efficient boilers in the Intellectual Property Office warehouse facility and (ii) the replacement of air conditioning units with more efficient units.

Both the gas boilers at the Intellectual Property Office warehouse facility and the air‑conditioning units had reached the end of their operational life and required replacement. They have been replaced with more energy‑efficient systems to improve performance and reduce energy consumption. Further detail on capital costs and estimated energy savings is commercially sensitive and cannot be provided.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2026 to Question 111863, what activities the Intellectual Property Office undertakes in relation to net zero, sustainability or green innovation objectives.

Our sustainability initiatives are focused on meeting our obligations under the Greening Government Commitments, which aim to reduce the environmental impact of our estate and operations. We also ensure that we continue to meet the requirements of ISO 14001, which we hold for our environmental management system. While we review the future accommodation requirements of our headquarters, we are not planning any significant investment in the estate. Current activity is therefore limited to essential maintenance and smaller improvements to maintain efficiency. Recent initiatives include the installation of new energy efficient boilers in our warehouse facility; a reduction in the number of fleet vans and the journeys that they undertake; and replacement of air conditioning units with more efficient units. We’re also reviewing our waste processes to reduce overall waste and improve the amount we recycle. Further detail on our sustainability activity for the previous financial year is set out in the sustainability chapter of our Annual Report and Accounts.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2026 to Question 108801, what the estimated cost to the Intellectual Property Office of policies, programmes or staffing related to net zero, sustainability or green innovation objectives in each of the next five financial years.

We currently have a small amount of staff resource allocated to delivering our sustainability, net zero and green innovation objectives. Based on the planned continuation of this work at current levels, the estimated average annual cost over the next five years is approximately £58k.In parallel, we are reviewing our future accommodation requirements with options under consideration including the retention of our existing IPO‑owned building or relocation to premises that meet net zero compliance standards. Full details are not yet available, and we do not anticipate any changes or associated costs on sustainability programmes for at least the next two years.

Innovation and Technology, what the cost to the Intellectual Property Office was in 2024–25 of policies, programmes or staffing related to net zero, sustainability or green innovation objectives.

The Intellectual Property Office spent a total of £132,103 on policies, programmes or staffing related to net zero, sustainability or green innovation objectives in 2024-25.

Innovation and Technology, what the net zero targets for the Department and its arm’s-length bodies are; and what guidance has been issued on adopting net zero targets earlier than 2050.

The Net Zero target in the Climate Change Act 2008, is a target for the whole of the UK, not individual departments or arms-length bodies.Greening Government Commitments are the central framework setting out the actions UK government departments and their agencies will take to reduce their impacts on the environment, including setting targets to reduce emissions, during the framework period.Defra are reviewing the Greening Government Commitments to ensure that they remain aligned with government priorities.

Innovation and Technology, how much (a) their Department and (b) its arm’s length bodies have spent on (i) installing electric vehicle charging facilities and (ii) purchasing electric vehicles since 4 July 2024; and what estimate their Department has made of the difference in capital cost between (A) the electric vehicles purchased by their Department and (B) comparable (1) petrol and (2) diesel models.

The Department occupies GPA and HMRC estate and therefore has not purchased any electric vehicle charging points at its sites or purchased any electric vehicles. Data for arms-length-bodies is not held centrally.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to the press release entitled Digital driving licence coming this year, published on 21 January 2025, what the commencement date is for the pilot of the mobile driver's license; what is the proposed duration of that pilot; and what the proposed timetable is for the national rollout of digital driving licences.

We will begin testing an early version of the digital driving licence with a small group of users later this year. The exact date and format of the trial hasn’t yet been finalised.Following best practice in developing this type of digital product, testing and iterating will take place over a number of months.This follows on from the Blueprint for Modern Digital Government, requiring services to issue a digitally verified credential alongside any paper/card-based credential or proof of entitlement eligibility by the end of 2027.

Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to consolidate the gov.uk app with the (a) gov.uk one login, (b) gov.uk ID check and (c) HMRC app.

The GOV.UK app is designed to sit alongside existing government applications, including those operated by HM Revenue and Customs. My officials continue to work closely with colleagues across government to ensure these services complement one another.We have already integrated GOV.UK One Login functionality into the GOV.UK app to enable a signed-in experience for users.Utility and the user experience are key priorities, and we are committed to ensuring a seamless and cohesive experience for all users when interacting with government products and services.

Innovation and Technology, whether he has set a deadline for Ofcom to implement the Supreme Court judgment in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025 within Ofcom guidance.

No.

Innovation and Technology, how many meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had had with Ofcom to discuss the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025 within Ofcom guidance.

None.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with Ofcom on plans to implement the Supreme Court judgment in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers of 16 April 2025 within Ofcom guidance.

None.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions his Department has had with Ofcom on the potential impact of the Supreme Court ruling in the case of For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers on the guidance it issues.

None.

Innovation and Technology, with reference page 26 of the National Security Strategy 2025, CP 1338, published on 24 June 2025, what his Department's planned timetable is the publication of the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill; and what plans he has for (a) pre-legislative scrutiny and (b) consultation in relation to that Bill.

The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill was announced at the King’s Speech. It will be introduced in this session of Parliament, as soon as parliamentary time allows.The previous government consulted on the majority of measures in 2022, which demonstrated significant support. We published a policy statement in April detailing our plans for the Bill.

Innovation and Technology, whether board appointments to the National Data Library will be included in the Public Appointments Order in Council; and whether the chair for the National Data Library will be classified as a significant appointment.

The National Data Library remains under policy development. Any public appointments related to the National Data Library would follow due processes and be subject to the Governance Code for Public Appointments.

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure parity between the regulation of online and offline pornography.

The government is assessing the recommendations of the Independent Pornography Review in depth. A further update will be provided in due course.Under the Online Safety Act, online pornography companies are regulated by Ofcom. Online firms who publish their own pornography are required to use highly effective age checks to protect children from accessing it. Ofcom have already launched investigations into four porn providers. From July, all providers that allow pornography will be required to do the same.

Innovation and Technology, how much funding his Department plans to allocate for the (a) development and (b) validation of non-animal human-relevant scientific methods in each financial year until 2028-29.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) invests to support research which can lead to alternatives, such as organ-on-a-chip, cell-based assays, functional genomics and computer modelling. These are categorised as basic research, so calculating funding for alternative methods specifically is not possible. Future investment will be determined by internal allocations of DSIT’s spending review settlement announced on 11.06.25. UKRI also invests £10 million annually in the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) and is conducting a five-year review to guide future investment.The Government will publish a strategy to support non-animal alternatives later this year.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department plans to implement recommendation 9 of the Independent Pornography Review: the challenge of regulating online pornography, published on 27 February 2025.

The government is assessing the recommendations of the Independent Pornography Review in depth. A further update will be provided in due course.Under the Online Safety Act, online pornography companies are regulated by Ofcom. Online firms who publish their own pornography are required to use highly effective age checks to protect children from accessing it. Ofcom have already launched investigations into four porn providers. From July, all providers that allow pornography will be required to do the same.

Innovation and Technology, whether the gov.uk One Login system’s certification with the register of digital verification services has been revoked.

In April 2025, GOV.UK One Login’s Trust Framework certification was suspended due to a supply chain issue where one supplier allowed their certification to lapse. This suspension is not due to any change in One Login’s product, approach, or security. GOV.UK One Login is working to recertify as a priority.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 2 May 2025 to Question 47834 on Data, Science and Research on Sex and Gender Independent Review, whether the Government plans to publish a formal response to each of the recommendations made by the review.

As outlined in my previous Answer of 2 May 2025 to Question 47834, relevant departments and policy teams will consider the findings in light of their ongoing policy work.

Innovation and Technology, whether a Data Protection Impact Assessment has been undertaken on the Gov.UK One Login system.

A Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) has been undertaken for GOV.UK One Login. We continually develop our DPIA to take into account the new identity verification journeys, such as the no photo ID route.