Written questions by Collins.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to protect girls and young women from the impact of sexualised AI deepfakes.

Sharing or threatening to share a deepfake intimate image without consent is illegal. Synthetically created content is regulated by the Online Safety Act where it is shared on an in-scope service and is illegal content or content harmful to children. Government is also legislating to ban the non-consensual creation of sexualised deepfakes in the Data (Use and Access) Bill.Where a sexualised deepfake is of a child this is child sexual abuse material and is illegal, and Government has introduced an offence in the Crime and Policing Bill to criminalise AI models optimised to create this content.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to consult on draft regulations to commence Sections 61 to 64 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022.

Draft regulations to commence sections 61 – 64 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 are currently subject to a technical consultation. The consultation, which launched on 7 May and is open until 23.59 on 2 July 2025, can be found on the gov.uk website.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to establish (a) a timetable and (b) interim targets for the replacement of dogs in regulatory scientific procedures; and if he will make it his policy to publish that timetable before the end of the 2025-26 session.

The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal.The government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year, which will set out clear objectives and measurable milestones. Any work to phase out animal testing, including the use of dogs in regulatory scientific procedures, must be science-led and in lock step with partners including regulators, so we will not be setting interim targets or arbitrary timelines for reducing their use.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department plans to allocate additional funding through UK Research and Innovation for the validation of non‑animal new approach methodologies to help replace the use of dogs in safety testing; and if he will make it his policy to ring‑fence funding for human‑relevant, animal‑free technologies.

The Government is committed to the development of non-animal alternatives and will publish a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption later this year.UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has a diverse portfolio of investments that supports research which can lead to alternatives, such as organ-on-a-chip, cell-based assays, functional genomics and computer modelling. 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 funding review to guide future investment in this area.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2025 to Question 38243 on 5G: Infrastructure, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of commencing Sections 61 to 64 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 on the 5G rollout.

Following the 2017 reforms, government representatives engaged regularly with stakeholders about their impact. The changes made by the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 were consulted on and received Parliamentary scrutiny during passage of the Act. Government has no plans to conduct a formal review of the 2017 reforms before commencing sections 61-64 of the Act, which was subject to a published De Minimis Impact Assessment.Government’s decisions on 5G policy are informed by a wide range of evidence and information. We continue to work with mobile operators to meet our 5G standalone coverage ambition by 2030.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the level of telecoms site rental valuations following the 2017 Electronic Communications Code reforms on rural connectivity rollout.

The aim of the 2017 reforms was to encourage investment in digital networks and improve coverage and connectivity across the UK. Based on Ofcom reporting, 4G rural geographic coverage from at least one operator has increased from 88% in May 2018 to a reported 95% in the 2025 Spring Connected Nations Update. It is a similar story for geographic 5G coverage in rural areas, with coverage from at least one operator increasing from 12% in May 2022 to a reported 58% in the same update.We continue to work with mobile operators to meet our coverage ambitions, including rural areas.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking with universities to develop research and development policies in the (a) East and (b) rest of England.

The Government is clear that universities are a key partner in research and development, which is fundamental to kickstarting economic growth and delivering the Government’s missions. DSIT values the views of universities and engages closely with them through a programme of one to one meetings, roundtables, visits, and sector group meetings, as appropriate, to develop research policies for England and the rest of the UK.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with Ofcom on the terms of reference for the Advisory Committee on Online Information.

Ofcom and its advisory committees are independent of government. The design of the advisory committee’s Terms of Reference are therefore a matter for Ofcom.The Online Safety Act includes clear requirements for the Committee’s responsibilities: advising Ofcom on how providers should address mis- and disinformation, how the regulator should exercise their transparency powers and fulfil their statutory duty to promote media literacy in relation to mis- and disinformation. These obligations are unchanged and are duly reflected in the terms of reference for the Online Information Advisory Committee.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2025 to Question 29226 on Media, what the two media literacy programmes funded in 2024 were called; and where he plans to publish further information about each.

In 2024 the Government provided £0.5 million to expand the National Literacy Trust’s ‘Empower’ and Parent Zone’s ‘Everyday Digital’ programmes.‘Empower’ provided media literacy education to nearly 4,000 vulnerable students aged 11-16, who were excluded or at risk of exclusion, increasing critical thinking and awareness of online harms. It also trained schoolteachers to lead media literacy within their schools.‘Everyday Digital’ reached over 60,000 parents, helping improve their understanding of media literacy, set digital boundaries and critically evaluate online content. The evaluation showed a 45% improvement in media literacy understanding.Both organisations evaluated their programmes’ impact and will publish reports.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure social media companies (a) remove and (b) report (i) illegal counterfeit currency and (ii) fraudulent foreign exchange trading.

The illegal content duties under the Online Safety Act came into force on 17 March 2025. Social media services must now have systems and processes in place to proactively protect users from illegal fraudulent content. Ofcom’s illegal content Codes of Practice recommended that certain services at risk of fraud have dedicated reporting channels for trusted flaggers, such as the National Crime Agency, to report fraud. Providers must take the safety measures recommended in Codes or use other effective measures to protect users.Ofcom can take enforcement action if providers do not act promptly to address the risks on their services.

Innovation and Technology, what measures his Department has discussed with social media companies to help tackle the spread of misinformation online.

The Online Safety Act focuses on the worst kinds of mis- and disinformation - that which is illegal content or content harmful to children. For example, its Foreign Interference Offence forces platforms to take proactive action against state-linked online interference. Platforms must remove other in-scope illegal mis- and disinformation where they become aware of it.The government is clear on platforms’ responsibility to keep their users safe and tackle harmful content, and DSIT engages with major social media platforms on issues or events that create risks for public safety or national security.

Innovation and Technology, if he will take steps to provide financial support to help scientists phase out the use of animals in medical research.

The Government is committed to supporting the uptake and development of alternative methods to the use of animals in science. UK Research and Innovation is committed to reducing the use of animals in research and provide a number of financial support mechanisms to do that. This includes, for example, core funding to the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research, and supporting ‘human-specific’ research through the MRC Experimental medicine programme.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department plans to take steps to regulate unrealistic beauty standards in online content aimed at younger children.

Under the Online Safety Act, platforms and search services that are likely to be accessed by children must prevent children of all ages from encountering content that promotes, encourages or provides instructions for eating disorders.Providers must also consider how algorithms can impact children’s exposure to harmful content and mitigate this risk.Ofcom’s draft children’s code of practice also acknowledge that body image content may be linked to significant harm arising from body or image dissatisfaction.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the potential impact of social media algorithms on addiction of young people to social media in (a) Harpenden and Berkhamsted constituency and (b) England.

Government is committed to protecting children’s safety online across the UK.The Online Safety Act requires social media platforms to consider, as part of their risk assessments, how their algorithms impact children’s exposure to illegal and harmful content. Additionally, platforms are required to consider how their functionalities, including algorithms, affect the time children spend on the platform.Ofcom’s draft Children’s Safety Codes include measures that prevent harm related to algorithms, including by recommending that algorithms and other recommender systems filter harmful content out of children’s feeds.

Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions his Department has had with social media companies on age restrictions for accessing social media.

Government is committed to protecting children’s safety online across the UK.The Online Safety Act requires social media platforms to consider, as part of their risk assessments, how their algorithms impact children’s exposure to illegal and harmful content. Additionally, platforms are required to consider how their functionalities, including algorithms, affect the time children spend on the platform.Ofcom’s draft Children’s Safety Codes include measures that prevent harm related to algorithms, including by recommending that algorithms and other recommender systems filter harmful content out of children’s feeds.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with Ofcom on increasing spectrum available to mobile operators.

I have not had any discussions with Ofcom directly on increasing the spectrum available to mobile operators, but my officials are in regular discussion with them on spectrum issues. The Government recognises the importance of ensuring access to suitable spectrum across different sectors, the opportunities this creates for growth, and that a focus on innovation and enhanced shared use of spectrum will become increasingly important to realise this.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of using revenue generated by spectrum Annual Licence Fees to support improved mobile coverage.

Ofcom sets mobile spectrum fees independently to promote the optimal use of spectrum. The Government recognises the cost of these fees to the industry. Supporting investment in mobile networks is a priority and the Government continues to assess what further interventions are needed to support 5G deployment.

Innovation and Technology, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of AI zones on local infrastructure.

The AI Opportunities Action Plan outlines how the UK can build the cutting-edge compute infrastructure needed to lead in AI development and deployment, securing long-term economic growth and staying at the forefront of AI innovation.AI Growth Zones will encourage the development of advanced AI data centres in areas of the country with plentiful power, such as post-industrial towns and areas with significant renewable energy capacity.The investment in AI-enabled data centres will have a spillover effect in local communities, providing jobs, improving local infrastructure, rejuvenating areas, and driving the UK’s ambition to become a global hub for AI talent and investment.The Growth Zones will help secure the UK’s position as a global leader in AI innovation and will deliver substantial regional and national benefits.

Innovation and Technology, if he will make an estimate of how many and what proportion of (a) children, (b) adults and (c) pensioners in digital poverty in each year since 2018.

There is no single accepted definition of digital poverty, but we know that digital exclusion impacts people broadly across demographics with some, including older people, at higher risk.According to Ofcom in 2024, 6% of UK adults did not have internet access at home. For those aged 75+, the figure is 29%. 34% of households with school-aged children did not have an appropriate device for accessing online schoolwork.This Government is determined to remedy this by closing the digital divide and ensuring everyone has the access, skills, support and confidence to participate in our modern digital society, whatever their circumstances.

Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the progress of Project Gigabit; how many premises have been connected; and what the status of the outstanding procurements is.

As of the end of March 2024, over one million premises had been upgraded to gigabit-capable broadband through government-funded programmes. Additionally, more than £2 billion of contracts have been signed to provide gigabit-capable coverage to over a million more premises.All planned Project Gigabit contracts for England and Wales have been signed. In the last few months alone, the first premises have been given coverage as part of these contracts in areas including North Yorkshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and South Wiltshire. Build is under way in many other parts of the country too.The Scottish Government has four procurements in progress and details of a contract covering the Borders and East Lothian area are expected to be announced shortly. Remaining areas of Scotland will be included within a procurement which is currently under way with Openreach, managed by the UK Government. A single procurement is also in progress in Northern Ireland, managed by the Department for Economy.