Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with the Science and Technology Facilities Council on the impact of the rise of employer national insurance contributions on projects they (a) fund and (b) sponsor since July 2024.

In order to repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the Government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology continues to work with the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the sector to create a sustainable research and innovation environment and discussions are ongoing.UKRI grants are costed on known costs at the time of application. Whilst we recognise there may be impacts for Research Organisations with the increase in employers National Insurance contributions, unfortunately, it is not feasible to respond to every adjusting economic circumstance.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with the Natural Environment Research Council on the impact of changes to employer National Insurance contributions on projects they (a) fund and (b) sponsor.

In order to repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the Government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology continues to work with the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the sector to create a sustainable research and innovation environment and discussions are ongoing.UKRI grants are costed on known costs at the time of application. Whilst we recognise there may be impacts for Research Organisations with the increase in employers National Insurance contributions, unfortunately, it is not feasible to respond to every adjusting economic circumstance.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with the UKRI on the potential impact of the rise of employer national insurance contributions on projects they fund or sponsor since July 2024.

In order to repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the Government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology continues to work with the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the sector to create a sustainable research and innovation environment and discussions are ongoing.UKRI grants are costed on known costs at the time of application. Whilst we recognise there may be impacts for Research Organisations with the increase in employers National Insurance contributions, unfortunately, it is not feasible to respond to every adjusting economic circumstance.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with Innovate UK on the impact of the rise of employer national insurance contributions on projects they (a) fund and (b) sponsor since July 2024.

In order to repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the Government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology continues to work with the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the sector to create a sustainable research and innovation environment and discussions are ongoing.UKRI grants are costed on known costs at the time of application. Whilst we recognise there may be impacts for Research Organisations with the increase in employers National Insurance contributions, unfortunately, it is not feasible to respond to every adjusting economic circumstance.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the NSPCC report entitled Viewing Generative AI and Children’s Safety in the Round, published in January 2025.

Creating a safer online world is a priority for government. The strongest protections in the Online Safety Act are for children - in-scope services must remove illegal content and prevent children from encountering harmful content, including where it is AI generated. We are also committed to tackling the atrocious harm of Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and will bring in legislation to criminalise possessing, creating or distributing AI tools designed to generate this material.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with the Geospatial Commission on the impact of the rise of employer national insurance contributions on projects they (a) fund and (b) sponsor since July 2024.

The Geospatial Commission is now a team inside the Government Digital Service, within the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology. There were no discussions with the Secretary of State on the impact of the rise of employer national insurance contributions on their work.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions the Government has had with Generative AI technology companies to tackle risks to children.

Protecting children online is a key priority for the government, including through the protections in the Online Safety Act. The Act will require in-scope services to remove illegal content and prevent children from encountering harmful content, including where it is AI generated.Government meets with a range of stakeholders, including AI companies, across a range of issues.

Innovation and Technology, whether he has made an assessment of recent trends in the level of public support for ending animal experiments in medical research.

The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”. A survey on public attitudes to animal research was carried out regularly until 2018 but ceased during the pandemic and has not been restarted. We are considering the future of the survey as part of our work to deliver the manifesto commitment.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with the Medical Research Council on the impact of changes to employer National Insurance contributions on projects they (a) fund and (b) sponsor.

In order to repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the Government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology continues to work with the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the sector to create a sustainable research and innovation environment and discussions are ongoing.UKRI grants are costed on known costs at the time of application. Whilst we recognise there may be impacts for Research Organisations with the increase in employers National Insurance contributions, unfortunately, it is not feasible to respond to every adjusting economic circumstance.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with businesses on the potential impact of the rise of employer national insurance contributions on projects they fund or sponsor, by individual business since July 2024.

In order to repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the Government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance. To support growth, we want business to invest in R&D and innovation and regularly discuss with them how we can optimise the R&D system to ensure it is working effectively for businesses of all sizes that want to innovate and grow.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with the Economic and Social Research Council on the potential impact of the rise of employer national insurance contributions on projects they fund or sponsor since July 2024.

In order to repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the Government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology continues to work with the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the sector to create a sustainable research and innovation environment and discussions are ongoing.UKRI grants are costed on known costs at the time of application. Whilst we recognise there may be impacts for Research Organisations with the increase in employers National Insurance contributions, unfortunately, it is not feasible to respond to every adjusting economic circumstance.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with ARIA on the impact of the rise of employer national insurance contributions on projects they fund or sponsor since July 2024.

In order to repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology continues to work with ARIA and the wider sector to create a sustainable research and innovation environment and discussions are ongoing.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council on the potential impact of the rise of employer national insurance contributions on projects they fund or sponsor since July 2024.

In order to repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the Government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology continues to work with the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the sector to create a sustainable research and innovation environment and discussions are ongoing.UKRI grants are costed on known costs at the time of application. Whilst we recognise there may be impacts for Research Organisations with the increase in employers National Insurance contributions, unfortunately, it is not feasible to respond to every adjusting economic circumstance.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council on the potential impact of the rise of employer national insurance contributions on projects they fund or sponsor since July 2024.

In order to repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the Government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology continues to work with the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the sector to create a sustainable research and innovation environment and discussions are ongoing.UKRI grants are costed on known costs at the time of application. Whilst we recognise there may be impacts for Research Organisations with the increase in employers National Insurance contributions, unfortunately, it is not feasible to respond to every adjusting economic circumstance.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with the Arts and Humanities Research Council on the potential impact of the rise of employer national insurance contributions on projects they fund or sponsor since July 2024.

In order to repair the public finances and help raise the revenue required to increase funding for public services, the Government has taken the difficult decision to increase employer National Insurance. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology continues to work with the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the sector to create a sustainable research and innovation environment and discussions are ongoing.UKRI grants are costed on known costs at the time of application. Whilst we recognise there may be impacts for Research Organisations with the increase in employers National Insurance contributions, unfortunately, it is not feasible to respond to every adjusting economic circumstance.

Innovation and Technology, how his Department determined the category 2A threshold of seven million average monthly active UK users in the Online Safety Act 2023.

In March 2024, Ofcom published research and advice on categorisation, as required by the Online Safety Act. Ofcom’s advice can be found at the following web address: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/categorisation-research-and-advice/. In April 2024, Ofcom published a letter which provides some clarification on the approach that Ofcom took to developing its proposals and the results of the testing of threshold options. This letter can be found at the following web address: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/about-ofcom/public-correspondence/2024/04-24-letter-melanie-dawes-categorisation.pdf?v=322334. On 16 December, the Secretary of State laid regulations in line with Ofcom’s recommendations.

Innovation and Technology, how his Department determined the category 2B threshold of three million average monthly active UK users in the Online Safety Act 2023.

In March 2024, Ofcom published research and advice on categorisation, as required by the Online Safety Act. Ofcom’s advice can be found at the following web address: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/categorisation-research-and-advice/. In April 2024, Ofcom published a letter which provides some clarification on the approach that Ofcom took to developing its proposals and the results of the testing of threshold options. This letter can be found at the following web address: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/about-ofcom/public-correspondence/2024/04-24-letter-melanie-dawes-categorisation.pdf?v=322334. On 16 December, the Secretary of State laid regulations in line with Ofcom’s recommendations.

Innovation and Technology, what the evidential basis is for the Category 1 threshold of 34 million average monthly active United Kingdom users in the Online Safety Act 2023.

In March 2024, Ofcom published research and advice on categorisation, as required by the Online Safety Act. Ofcom’s advice can be found at the following web address: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/categorisation-research-and-advice/. In April 2024, Ofcom published a letter which provides some clarification on the approach that Ofcom took to developing its proposals and the results of the testing of threshold options. This letter can be found at the following web address: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/about-ofcom/public-correspondence/2024/04-24-letter-melanie-dawes-categorisation.pdf?v=322334. On 16 December, the Secretary of State laid regulations in line with Ofcom’s recommendations.

Innovation and Technology, whether he has had discussions with the Economic and Social Research Council on (a) their sustainability plans and (b) assessments of the sustainability of projects they (i) fund and (ii) otherwise sponsor since July 2024.

Ministers and officials meet regularly with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) including its constituent councils, on a range of issues. The UKRI Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2020-2025 sets out UKRI’s ambition to protect and enhance the environment across its investments and operations, while ensuring that the research and innovation it supports stays at the cutting-edge. The UKRI Environmental Sustainability Strategy is available at: https://www.ukri.org/publications/ukri-environmental-sustainability-strategy/.As part of this Strategy, UKRI established a carbon fund, which identified and funded quick wins in their research facilities and as of April 2025 will support the implementation of a pilot scheme for carbon budgets.UKRI’s councils provide broad support for research and innovation to improve sustainability, including over £22.7 million funding over five years through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council to support research that drives the transition to sustainable technologies and operations.

Innovation and Technology, whether he has had discussions with UK Research and Innovation on (a) their sustainability plans and (b) assessments of the sustainability of projects they (i) fund and (ii) otherwise sponsor since July 2024.

Ministers and officials meet regularly with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) including its constituent councils, on a range of issues. The UKRI Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2020-2025 sets out UKRI’s ambition to protect and enhance the environment across its investments and operations, while ensuring that the research and innovation it supports stays at the cutting-edge. The UKRI Environmental Sustainability Strategy is available at: https://www.ukri.org/publications/ukri-environmental-sustainability-strategy/.As part of this Strategy, UKRI established a carbon fund, which identified and funded quick wins in their research facilities and as of April 2025 will support the implementation of a pilot scheme for carbon budgets.UKRI’s councils provide broad support for research and innovation to improve sustainability, including over £22.7 million funding over five years through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council to support research that drives the transition to sustainable technologies and operations.