Internet Connectivity
(York Outer) (Con)
1. What recent steps her Department has taken to improve internet
connectivity.(903016)
(Broadland) (Con)
4. What recent steps her Department has taken to improve internet
connectivity.(903019)
(North Devon) (Con)
7. What recent steps her Department has taken to improve internet
connectivity.(903022)
The Minister for Data and Digital Infrastructure ()
More than 82% of UK premises can now access gigabit-capable
broadband, up from just 6% in January 2019. The National
Infrastructure Commission recently reported that we are on track
to meet our target of 85% gigabit coverage by 2025. Through
Project Gigabit, we have already signed 31 contracts, with
another this week, to bring fast, reliable connectivity to
hard-to-reach communities across the UK. We have also created an
attractive pro-competition environment to build networks in this
country. Investment in fixed networks increased by 40% in real
terms from 2019 to 2022, with more than 100 providers rolling out
gigabit broadband across the UK.
I very much welcome the Minister's response, but does she agree
that we need to ensure that we do not create a new digital divide
where only parts of certain communities are upgraded, depending
on where they are situated and where they are connected to the
telecom box? This is causing a lot of concern in my constituency,
where a continuing digital divide is being created.
Making sure that we do not have a digital divide is at the heart
of Project Gigabit. By the time the programme is over, 99% of
premises in our country will have gigabit-capable coverage, but
during the roll-out process some will get that coverage sooner
than others. We just had a new contract signed for Yorkshire,
which will cover 3,400 premises in my hon. Friend's constituency.
He is right that we must ensure that premises between the
commercial roll-out and the contract roll-out from Project
Gigabit are not left out.
Fast internet connections are just as important in rural areas
such as Broadland and Fakenham as they are in the rest of the
country. I welcome the Government's gigabit project. In Norfolk,
it is rolling out 62,000 new connections and unlocking another
45,000 from the commercial sector, but will the Minister explain
why it is taking so long and how we can accelerate the project
even more?
We are rolling out gigabit networks faster than any EU country. I
understand that the east of England has had particular
connectivity challenges, which is why four contracts are being
rolled out across that part of the country. As my hon. Friend
said, there are 62,000 premises in Norfolk, 8,000 of which will
be in his constituency.
As chair of the all-party parliamentary group on broadband and
digital communication, I am pleased that the number of premises
with access to gigabit-capable broadband in my constituency has
increased from 3% in 2019 to 54% as of March. What more can my
hon. Friend do to address the shortfall in coverage in the
hardest-to-reach areas, and to expedite those awaiting a type C
procurement contract, to ensure that we promote universal
coverage across the UK?
My hon. Friend has probably been one of the strongest and
toughest broadband champions in this House. I think of her and my
hon. Friend the Member for Banff and Buchan () always when I have meetings
with Building Digital UK. Let me reassure her that we are making
very good progress on type C. We have named a preferred supplier
for that contract and we hope to have a lot more news on that
soon, which will be of interest to people across the country,
particularly those in her constituency.
(Kingston upon Hull West and
Hessle) (Lab)
Hull already has high superfast broadband, and although we
welcome competition, we do not welcome broadband poles being put
up all across the constituency. What can the Minister do to force
companies to share their infrastructure and stop the blight of
ever-increasing numbers of poles appearing up and down our
streets?
I have met the hon. Lady about this issue, and I have made
representations to KCOM and Connexin, the companies involved in
her neck of the woods. I believe that productive talks are under
way between them, overseen by Ofcom. We hope that a lot more
progress will be made, and that network roll-outs will be paused
when there seems to be overbuild.
(Wellingborough) (Lab)
13. In Wellingborough and Rushden, organisations such as Serve
and the Teamwork Trust offer digital support for the excluded,
but for low-income households, access to the internet through
libraries and schools is a key tool for employment and
betterment. In rural towns such as mine, what is the Department
doing to ensure that low-income households have access to digital
services?(903030)
I thank the hon. Lady for her interest. She is right that it is
important to ensure that every person in the country can be
connected. That is why we have encouraged social tariffs, which
have been rolled out by a large number of operators. Constituents
of hers who are on benefits will be able to access those. They
cost from £10 a month, bringing cheap connectivity to
everybody.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Islwyn) (Lab/Co-op)
For rural businesses, internet connectivity is essential. As we
move into the summer, that will be the case for many tourism
businesses. Sales can be lost and repeat business not return if
tills and card machines do not work because of unreliable 4G and
the internet going down. Very often, businesses suffer and do not
see many sales. The National Audit Office recently said that the
Government's shared rural network programme is, like everything
else, behind schedule. What message does the Minister have for
businesses that will struggle to keep going this summer with no
internet connection or poor broadband speeds?
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question, but that is not a
true representation of what the NAO said about the shared rural
network. We are making very good progress and hope soon to be
able to share very good coverage maps showing the progress made.
On the roll-out of gigabit, he may be interested to know that the
Welsh Government made representations to us about bringing it
in-house, because we were making much better progress in England
than they were in Wales. I am very pleased to say that ever since
we took it in-house, we have had amazing progress on gigabit
roll-out in Wales.
STEM Workforce: Diversity and Inclusion
Mrs (Birmingham, Erdington)
(Lab)
2. What steps her Department is taking to help increase diversity
and inclusion in the STEM workforce.(903017)
(Liverpool, Riverside)
(Lab)
10. What steps her Department is taking to help increase
diversity and inclusion in the STEM workforce.(903026)
The Minister for Science, Research and Innovation ()
The science and technology framework sets out our commitment to
expanding STEM—science, technology, engineering and
maths—opportunities to the most diverse range of people possible.
We have acted swiftly to identify and dismantle any barriers to
entry. As a result, we have seen major improvements in recent
years, although there is always more to do.
Mrs Hamilton
Today is National Numeracy Day. In my constituency, which is one
of the poorest, all seven wards fall into the lowest numeracy
ranking in the UK. What is the Minister doing to ensure that
people in constituencies like mine are not locked out of jobs in
STEM by a skills gap that does not recognise the disadvantages
they face?
The hon. Lady raises a very important point on National Numeracy
Day. While we must not be complacent, the Government have made
outstanding progress on equality for all. I hope she will join me
in congratulating teachers in her constituency, and up and down
the country, on the fact that last year, under this Government,
girls made up 52%—a majority—of all science entries at
A-level.
The Institute of Cancer Research has made positive steps on
diversifying representation in STEM through its apprenticeship
scheme. Can the Minister say what, if any, lessons he is taking
from that very positive initiative, in particular to increase
representation in respect of ethnic diversity?
I congratulate the Institute of Cancer Research on that progress.
I would be delighted to meet the institute and hear what
development it is making, as would my hon. Friends. This
Government have increased the number of apprenticeships.
Unfortunately, under the Opposition's proposals the number of
apprenticeships would halve.
(North Wiltshire) (Con)
Inclusion and diversity in STEM will be greatly increased and
helped by the £6 million that Sir James Dyson has recently given
to Malmesbury Primary School in my constituency, as well as by
the STEM college he has locally. He has made it plain that it is
available to all and that he intends to make sure that everyone
in the town of Malmesbury and the surrounding area benefits from
it.
I commend my hon. Friend and Sir James Dyson for that initiative.
It would be wonderful to see many more such initiatives across
the whole country. My colleagues and I would be delighted to work
with any philanthropists seeking to do something similar.
(Lichfield) (Con)
On National Numeracy Day, will my hon. Friend take the
opportunity to praise the work of universities, such as the
University of Birmingham, Imperial College London and
Loughborough University, that go out of their way to attract
women on to engineering courses?
We are enormously blessed in this country with the quality of our
universities, so many of which, together with the firms that
sponsor undergraduate and postgraduate research, are making
magnificent efforts in the important area of diversity in
STEM.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Newcastle upon Tyne Central) (Lab)
The Secretary of State says she wants to ensure that
“brilliant people can contribute and succeed, irrespective of
their background.”
That is only right, but given that only 16% of practising
engineers are women, it is like trying to play premiership
football with half our players barred from the pitch. Can the
Minister explain why not one of his major science strategies—the
life sciences vision, the national AI strategy, and the UK
science and technology framework—features an equality impact
assessment? We have no idea whether those strategies are helping
to break down barriers or not. The Secretary of State's war on
woke has so far cost the taxpayer tens of thousands of pounds and
delivered only damage limitation. Why can the Minister not fight
for our scientists and engineers instead?
As the hon. Lady well knows, diversity, STEM education and skills
are at the heart of the UK science and technology framework, and
we will be publishing skills frameworks for each of its priority
areas.
Life Sciences Manufacturing
(Birmingham, Northfield)
(Con)
3. What steps her Department is taking to support the life
sciences manufacturing sector.(903018)
The Minister for Science, Research and Innovation ()
The Government could not be more committed to supporting our
valued life sciences sector, which, in the financial year ending
2022, contributed well over £100 billion in turnover to the UK
economy and employed more than 300,000 people.
As the Minister will know, there is a shortage of laboratory
space and clinical trials in the UK, and companies such as
Precision Health Technologies Accelerator in Birmingham, led by
the excellent Professor Gino Martini, want to be part of the
solution to the problem. What help can the Government give
businesses of that kind so that we can increase the number of
clinical trials to help the advancement of lifesaving
medicines?
My hon. Friend is right: such is the growth of this important
sector that we need more lab space quickly. I personally
benefited from the advice of Professor Martini in the life
sciences real estate working group. Precision Health Technologies
Accelerator does some amazing work in my hon. Friend's
constituency to knock down barriers to building, many of which
are sadly the fault of Labour councils.
(Denton and Reddish)
(Lab)
Dementia and Alzheimer's disease remain the largest cause of
death in the United Kingdom. The Government pledged in 2019 to
fund dementia research. What more is the Minister doing to ensure
that we have early diagnosis, access to trials and support for
life sciences to transform dementia outcomes?
Dementia is a crippling disease for so many people, and will
touch so many people's lives. The Health Secretary and I recently
hosted the heads of the Dementia Mission at No. 10 Downing Street
to announce more funding, and I should be happy to meet the hon.
Member and any representatives of dementia organisations in his
constituency.
Mr Speaker
I call the Scottish National party spokesperson.
(Glasgow North West)
(SNP)
A facility that would allow the production of good manufacturing
practice phages would be an asset to many companies working in
the field, and would play a key part in tackling antimicrobial
resistance. What consideration has been given to repurposing the
Rosalind Franklin Institute as a GMP facility for phage
production rather than selling it off?
The hon. Lady has made some important points. My officials and I
have met representatives of the institute and have considered a
number of options for it, of which they and, I believe, she will
be aware.
Productivity
(Chipping Barnet)
(Con)
5. What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure
that Government-funded research is used to help increase levels
of productivity.(903020)
The Minister for Science, Research and Innovation ()
The Government are providing record levels of taxpayer funding
for research, and my right hon. Friend is right to highlight the
opportunity to improve productivity. A priority for research
councils is to focus on not just discovery but innovation, so
that British taxpayers feel the benefits of faster economic
growth, rising living standards and better health outcomes.
As I saw during a recent visit to Chase Farm Hospital, better
digital systems can dramatically improve NHS productivity, and
artificial intelligence can contribute to that as well. Will the
Government use their science and research budget to increase NHS
output, improve outcomes for patients and get waiting lists
down?
That is exactly what we are doing. On Monday, the Prime Minister
announced £15.5 million to roll out artificial intelligence
radiotherapy that locates cancer cells two and a half times more
quickly, helping to reduce those anxious days for patients and
their families who are awaiting a diagnosis. That is affordable
only thanks to the fact that our plan for the economy is working.
Labour has no plan, and would end up having to cut the research
budget.
Rural Connectivity
(Barrow and Furness) (Con)
6. What steps her Department is taking to improve rural
connectivity.(903021)
The Minister for Data and Digital Infrastructure ()
Through Project Gigabit, we have signed 31 contracts to bring
lightning-fast broadband to a further 780,000 rural homes and
businesses across our country. Gigabit-capable connections are
already being made in Barrow and Furness through our investment
in Cumbria, and the shared rural network has already delivered
substantial improvements in mobile coverage.
I thank the Minister for her answer. I am delighted to see that
Project Gigabit is delivering for Barrow and Furness: we have
Fibrus delivering to the procured areas and companies such as
Voneus now delivering to Walney, and there is healthy
competition. What consideration has she given to rolling out
truly technology-agnostic solutions to make the final mile better
connected?
I thank my hon. Friend for his role as rural connectivity
champion; I discussed that role yesterday with the
Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,
my hon. Friend the Member for Keighley (). I am pleased to see that he
recently attended a visit to see how the supplier Voneus is
investing in a wider solution for premises on Walney island. I
assure him that we already take a technology-agnostic approach to
our contracts, with some suppliers using wireless connectivity
and exploring fixed wireless access and low Earth orbit
satellites.
Digital Exclusion
(Tiverton and Honiton)
(LD)
8. What steps her Department is taking to help tackle digital
exclusion.(903023)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Science,
Innovation and Technology ()
The Government have been absolutely clear that no one should be
left behind in the digital age. Digital inclusion is a
cross-cutting issue spanning many different areas. I chair the
cross-Whitehall ministerial group for digital inclusion to drive
progress and accountability across Government, and we have
increased the frequency of our meetings—that is how important we
see this issue as being. I regularly meet relevant organisations,
including by attending the Centre for Social Justice's digital
exclusion roundtable and the upcoming meeting of the digital
inclusion APPG.
Digital inclusion works only when people trust website links. My
constituent let me know that by clicking on a dodgy link, he was
tricked into making an investment of over £108,000, which turned
out to be a scam. The Government's latest digital inclusion
strategy was written 10 years ago. Does the Minister accept that
there are good reasons why many older people want to be able to
look somebody in the eye when making investments or doing their
banking?
Choice is important, which is why our digital inclusion approach
cuts across many Departments. I am sorry to hear the case of the
hon. Gentleman's constituent. I am happy for him to write to me,
and I can talk to him about our national fraud strategy as
well.
(Penistone and Stocksbridge)
(Con)
The impact of the digital world on our lives is growing every
day, but we do not yet know enough about the consequences for
society, democracy or, indeed, our children, because the data
held by tech companies is not visible to the Government,
regulators, researchers or the public. Will my hon. Friend update
the House on measures to open up access to this data, and will he
commit Government support for the amendments to the Data
Protection and Digital Information Bill tabled in the other place
by , which would introduce a
“data for researchers” scheme?
I thank my hon. Friend for all her campaigning on this and other
online safety-related issues; we have had a number of
engagements. The Government said very clearly that we would
explore the issue of data access for researchers into online
safety during the passage of the Online Safety Act 2023. We are
aware of the amendments tabled to the DPDI Bill, and I encourage
my hon. Friend to watch this space, as we will be reporting in
due course.
Animal Testing: Research
(Romford) (Con)
9. What steps her Department is taking to help reduce the use of
animal testing in research.(903025)
The Minister for Science, Research and Innovation ()
The day when we are able to eliminate animal testing cannot come
quickly enough, though we are not there yet. We are committed to
supporting the strategy to replace, reduce and refine the use of
animals in research, and since taking office I have doubled the
investment in non-animal methods of research to £20 million this
year.
The reduction and ultimate ending of the need to use animals for
testing purposes is an important policy objective of my
animal-loving constituents in Romford. Does the Minister agree
that animals are not laboratory tools but sentient creatures, and
that the policy of replacement, reduction and refinement must be
at the core of Government policy going forward?
I know that this is an issue close to my hon. Friend's heart. He
is a great animal lover, and I recall his past work as shadow
Minister for animal welfare. This summer we will publish a plan,
together with colleagues in the Home Office, to accelerate the
uptake of non-animal methods of research.
Topical Questions
(Ogmore) (Lab)
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental
responsibilities.(903031)
The Minister for Science, Research and Innovation ()
This Government have a plan to ensure that technology works for
our people, not against them. Right now, the Secretary of State
is in South Korea for the AI Seoul summit. She is building on the
progress we have made and on the UK's leadership at Bletchley
Park last year to tackle the risks of artificial intelligence.
Whether it is AI, quantum, life sciences or the next generation
of advanced telecommunications, we are making the UK a science
and tech superpower, backed by the highest ever level of spend on
research and development. Our plan is working, and our scientists
and entrepreneurs cannot afford to go back to square one with
Labour.
The UK Research and Innovation chief executive has announced that
they are stepping down in June next year. The recruitment process
normally lasts eight months, yet the Government are speeding up
that process. Is that because they are worried about the outcome
of a general election?
This Government are focusing on delivery every single day, and I
make no apologies for cracking on with the process of making sure
that our brilliant research institutions have the finest
leadership that the best and brightest in the world deserve.
Simon Baynes (Clwyd South) (Con)
T3. In recent years, Government policies led by the Minister for
Data and Digital Infrastructure have resulted in a big
improvement in broadband and mobile connectivity on the Welsh
borders, both in my constituency of Clwyd South and across the
border in neighbouring North Shropshire, but there are still some
poor areas of connectivity. Could the Minister outline what
further steps she is taking to ensure that all homes and
businesses on both sides of the Welsh border see better broadband
and mobile connectivity?(903033)
The Minister for Data and Digital Infrastructure ()
I thank my hon. Friend for his brilliant work on connectivity in
the border areas—[Applause.]
Mr Speaker
As you know, we do not allow clapping, but this is an
exception.
Please allow me to say welcome back to my hon. Friend the Member
for South Thanet (). What an appropriate way
for the new bionic MP to walk in: on science questions.
To answer the question about broadband, my hon. Friend the Member
for Clwyd South () has been a fantastic champion
for connectivity on the border. There will be contracts covering
North Shropshire and parts of Wales as we get the Type C off the
ground, so I hope for better connectivity very soon for his
constituents.
Mr Speaker
I call shadow Minister .
(Reading East) (Lab)
It is good to see the hon. Member for South Thanet back in his
place.
Last year, the UK hosted the AI safety summit and set up the AI
Safety Institute. However, since then, developers of frontier AI
have refused to share information with the Safety Institute,
leaving it toothless. Labour has repeatedly called for binding
regulation to support safety. With the Secretary of State
discussing the future of AI this week, is it not high time for
the Government to finally agree to binding regulation?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Science,
Innovation and Technology ()
I do not agree with that categorisation. The truth is that the
Bletchley summit was a world-leading summit. We took a front-foot
approach and we are co-hosting the Seoul summit, which is
bringing together AI nations, AI companies and top experts in
academia and civil society. We have always been clear that we
will ensure that our regulators do the job that they need to do,
and of course at some point we will legislate. We have a plan,
and our plan is working. The Labour party cannot tell us what it
would legislate for. It does not have a plan.
Marco Longhi (Dudley North) (Con)
T5. Does the Minister agree that the large sums of taxpayers'
money channelled to organisations such as the Arts and Humanities
Research Council for woke-driven projects should be spent on
other high-tech projects such as, for example, the tagging of
illegal migrants in this country so that we can quickly locate
and deport them, starting in Dudley?(903035)
Funding councils must be accountable for their own individual
decisions. My hon. Friend no doubt reflects the concern of his
constituents, who expect, in return for our record expenditure on
research, the discovery of life-saving medicines, or
groundbreaking technology; that is what they expect in return for
hard-earned taxpayers' money.
(North West Leicestershire)
(Ind)
T2. A representative of the World Economic Forum told the
audience at Davos that “we own the science”. What steps are the
Government taking to ensure that scientific research in the UK is
impartial, objective and ethical, regardless of who is funding
it?(903032)
That is absolutely right. It is intrinsic to the scientific
method that research is impartial, and that it is challenged,
public, transparent and open. That is always our commitment, but
it is also to fully fund research and to turn this country into
the science and technology superpower that it deserves to be.
