Written questions by Griffith.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to his Department’s Commercial Pipeline for October 2024, published on 22 October 2024, what assessment he has made of the value for money of the contract for re-procurement of the Service Desk.

The re-procurement of the Service Desk has been included in the Department’s Commercial Pipeline as potential activity. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology makes no commitment that the requirement will be procured. Activity to assess value for money and merits of providing the service in-house will be carried out through a Delivery Model Assessment, in accordance with Government Sourcing Playbook and Department’s Commercial Assurance Process. This activity has recently commenced, and the assessments have not been completed. Any resulting contract would be supported by contractual performance mechanisms to ensure adequate technical support throughout the life of the contract.

Innovation and Technology, what his Department's budget for technical support services is for this financial year.

We have interpreted this as Digital technical support services, which are in the order of £0.8m for DSIT.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to his Department’s Commercial Pipeline for October 2024, published on 22 October 2024, what steps he is taking to ensure adequate technical support during the life of the Service Desk contract.

The re-procurement of the Service Desk has been included in the Department’s Commercial Pipeline as potential activity. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology makes no commitment that the requirement will be procured. Activity to assess value for money and merits of providing the service in-house will be carried out through a Delivery Model Assessment, in accordance with Government Sourcing Playbook and Department’s Commercial Assurance Process. This activity has recently commenced, and the assessments have not been completed. Any resulting contract would be supported by contractual performance mechanisms to ensure adequate technical support throughout the life of the contract.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to his Department’s Commercial Pipeline for October 2024, published on 22 October 2024, whether he made an assessment of the potential merits of providing the Service Desk contract in-house.

The re-procurement of the Service Desk has been included in the Department’s Commercial Pipeline as potential activity. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology makes no commitment that the requirement will be procured. Activity to assess value for money and merits of providing the service in-house will be carried out through a Delivery Model Assessment, in accordance with Government Sourcing Playbook and Department’s Commercial Assurance Process. This activity has recently commenced, and the assessments have not been completed. Any resulting contract would be supported by contractual performance mechanisms to ensure adequate technical support throughout the life of the contract.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the implementation of AI technology for Government telecoms data.

Artificial Intelligence is at the heart of the UK 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. The Secretary of State for the Department of Science, Innovation, and Technology, tasked Matt Clifford with developing an action plan to identify how AI can drive economic growth and deliver better outcomes for people across the country. The government is supporting research on advanced communications via the £70m Future Telecoms Technology Missions Fund, delivered by UKRI. This includes research into AI for telecoms.

Innovation and Technology, whether the Minister of State for Data Protection and Telecoms's ministerial portfolio is supported by other Ministers in his Department.

All ministers in the department work as a team and support one another because we achieve far more by our common endeavour than we do by going it alone.

Innovation and Technology, how many 4G masts funded by his Department have been constructed since 5 July 2024.

As part of the publicly funded element of the Shared Rural Network (SRN) we can confirm that 11 masts have been built or upgraded for the programme since 5 July 2024. These masts have already been activated and are delivering reliable 4G coverage, enabling rural businesses and communities to thrive.

Whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on the potential merits of the adoption of standalone 5G for the emergency services.

DSIT and the Home Office work closely on the technical requirements for commercial mobile coverage. ESN will operate over a commercial mobile network based on technology designed to evolve and improve alongside consumer technologies.Currently 4G offers best coverage and device availability and sufficient bandwidth for critical communications needs. ESN will use 5G standalone after its initial launch. Market trends suggest 4G and 5G will coexist for many years.

Innovation and Technology, if he will visit the UK Space Agency’s office in Scotland.

The Secretary of State for the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology will consider visiting the UK Space Agency’s Scotland office as and when his diary allows, and is committed to supporting the growth of the Scottish space sector. My Ministerial colleague, Lord Patrick Vallance, visited the UKSA’s office in Scotland this week (Wednesday 23 October).

Innovation and Technology, if he will publish a breakdown of (a) average download speeds in megabits per second, (b) the level of availability of superfast broadband and (c) the level of availability of gigabit-capable broadband in each constituency in (i) England and (ii) Wales as of 21 October 2024.

Information on connectivity on a constituency-by-constituency basis across the UK is available from the local broadband tracker on ThinkBroadband: https://labs.thinkbroadband.com

What guidance he issues to the Civil Service Commission on considering the Northcote-Trevelyan principles when assessing applications for appointment made by exception.

The statutory basis for the management of the Civil Service is set out in the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. The Act requires the Civil Service Commission, which is independent of Government, to publish a set of principles to be applied for the purposes of appointing civil servants on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. The recruitment principles are published here:https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/publications/recruitment-guidance/

Innovation and Technology, with reference to page 41 of the Information Commissioner’s Office report on Quantum Technologies published on 9 October 2024, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the conclusions on post-quantum security.

The government recognises the need to act to both unlock the opportunities of quantum computing and also address the potential risks of this technology.DSIT works closely with the National Cyber Security Centre to identify the mitigations that are required against the cryptography risks posed by quantum computers.Following the publication of Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC) standards this summer, NCSC has published details of how it will help organisations plan their migration to PQC. This complements existing cyber security guidance for data security.NCSC will release further communications over the coming months and continue supporting regulators, such as the Information Commissioner’s Office, to manage these risks within their remits.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 10 October 2024 to Question 5708 on European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts: Finance, whether the contract for construction was advertised.

The contract was procured by the Government Property Agency through a framework (CCS RM6088, Construction Works and Associated Services, Lot 5, Construction Works & Associated Services (£80m+) National Framework) which was itself advertised. As part of this process, contractors on the framework were notified of the opportunity to tender. This approach is in line with The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and usual construction industry practice.

Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to continue the inter-ministerial group on tackling digital exclusion.

Promoting Digital Inclusion is a priority for me and for Government, which is why we believe it was a disgrace that the previous government did not introduce a new digital exclusion strategy for ten years. Digital inclusion is essential to our Missions, particularly in breaking down barriers to opportunity across the UK and kickstarting economic growth by involving more people in the digital economy. Any announcement about inter-ministerial groups will be made in the usual way, but work is ongoing to develop our approach to digital inclusion and ensure coordination across government departments. This will not just involve ministers talking to each other, but effective action to tackle exclusion.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 10 October 2024 to Question 5708 on European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts: Finance, what estimate his Department has made of the construction cost of the project.

The contract is subject to an ongoing commercial process, and it would therefore not be appropriate to share construction cost estimates.

Innovation and Technology, whether he has had meetings with the UK Space Agency to discuss the growth of Scotland’s space ecosystem.

The Secretary of State for the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology is in regular discussion with the UK Space Agency, our key delivery partner, about Scotland's growing space sector as we recognise its crucial role in delivering our national ambitions for space. The UKSA has also opened an office in Scotland which shows its commitment to support the growth of the Scottish space sector.

Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to continue the inter-ministerial group on tackling digital exclusion.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave to question 8498.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to the response made to recommendation 5 in his Department's policy paper entitled Regulating quantum technology applications: government response to recommendations made by the Regulatory Horizons Council, published on 8 October 2024, what other classes of pro-innovation regulatory tools he has identified.

The government response to the Regulatory Horizons Council review outlines a phased and proportionate approach towards quantum regulation in order to support the responsible development of the sector. This includes:Influencing industry-led standards and international governance frameworksConvening a Quantum Regulators Forum to increase the understanding of the opportunities and risks of quantum technologiesSupporting the development of Responsible Innovation principles through industry-led initiatives such as the Responsible Quantum Industry Forum.The government will make announcements about other classes of pro-innovation regulatory tools as appropriate.More broadly, the Regulatory Innovation Office will play a key role in supporting regulators to develop the capability they need to enable innovation and ensuring different regulatory bodies can work together effectively.

Innovation and Technology, whether he has met his counterparts in the EU to discuss the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill.

The Secretary of State met with the European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders on 16 September and 15 October to discuss a new Data Bill and the importance of efficient and safe personal data sharing between our two jurisdictions.

Innovation and Technology, what proportion of his time the Minister of State for Data Protection and Telecoms dedicates to his ministerial role within his Department.

Half.