Written questions by Obese-Jecty.

Innovation and Technology, what steps the Government is taking to prevent the use of denudifying apps used to create pornographic deepfake images.

The Government made a manifesto commitment to ban the creation of sexually explicit deepfake images, as part of the government’s commitment to halve the prevalence of violence against women and girls (VAWG) within the decade.We are bringing forward provisions in the Crime and Policing Bill to meet that commitment. This will make this behaviour criminal, so that perpetrators can be brought to justice.The sharing of or threatening to share a deepfake intimate image without consent is already a criminal offence under the Online Safety Act and was designated as a priority offence in November 2024. Companies in scope of the Act’s illegal safety duties will be required to proactively tackle this type of content, preventing its proliferation online.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to prevent the use of denudifying apps by children in the creation of pornographic deepfake images.

Where an adult or a child uses generative AI to make sexual images of a child, that content is child sexual exploitation and abuse material, and is illegal.We are also bringing forward provisions to ban the creation of sexually explicit deepfakes images of adults without consent in the Crime and Policing Bill, making this behaviour criminal so that perpetrators can be brought to justice.The sharing of or threatening to share a deepfake intimate image without consent is already a criminal offence under the Online Safety Act and was designated as a priority offence in November 2024. In-scope services will be required to proactively tackle this type of content, preventing its proliferation online.

Innovation and Technology, whether he has made a recent assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals on regulating the use of AI in the context of food bios

AI is a general-purpose technology, with a wide array of applications. The vast majority of AI systems should be regulated at the point of use, and the UK's existing expert regulators are best placed to do this.The Department for Science, Innovation and T...

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with the Science and Technology Facilities Council on research into food biosecurity since July 2024.

I refer the Hon Member to the reply I gave in UIN 16568

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with the Natural Environment Research Council on research into food biosecurity since July 2024.

I refer the Hon Member to the reply I gave in UIN 16568

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with the Medical Research Council on research into food biosecurity since July 2024.

I refer the Hon Member to the reply I gave in UIN 16568

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Geospatial Commission on research into food biosecurity.

The Government recognises the importance of food biosecurity and the role of geospatial data in preventing the spread of disease-causing agents and protecting the safety of food, animals, and humans. The Department engages regularly with geospatial data p...

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the domestic opportunities through Horizon Europe for research into food biosecurity.

The UK’s association to Horizon Europe means that UK researchers and businesses can participate in the world’s largest programme of research cooperation, worth £80bn+, alongside their EU colleagues and those from other Associated Countries. UK researchers...

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with Research England on their approach to support for research into food biosecurity since July 2024.

I refer the Hon Member to the reply I gave in UIN 16568

Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with Innovate UK on research into food biosecurity since July 2024.

I refer the Hon Member to the reply I gave in UIN 16568

Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to extend funding for the Smart Infrastructure Pilots Programme beyond March 2025.

Through the Programme, six local authorities are installing "smart" multi-purpose columns or lampposts, to test the benefits of this hosting multiple services, such as mobile connectivity, electric vehicle charging, Wifi and CCTV.The Government ...

What discussions he has had with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on how to accelerate the acceptance of data generated in non-animal methods for drug safety decision making.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) attended a ministerial roundtable on accelerating the adoption of alternatives to using animals for drug development earlier this year.

Innovation and Technology, if he will publish a detailed timeline of the steps he intends to take to phase-out animal testing.

The Government has committed to partnering with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the requirements for phasing out of animal testing and we are currently engaging with the sector as to how to take this commitment forward. It is no...

Innovation and Technology, whether he is taking steps to ensure that the (a) end-to-end process and (b) regulatory landscape for pre-clinical animal testing is better understood by the public.

The Government is committed to supporting the uptake and development of alternative methods to the use of animals in science.Non Government Organisations such as The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), the National Centre for the Re...

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking with international partners to change International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use policy to allow results

The Government has committed to work towards phasing out of animal testing, including supporting the development and testing of new medicines.The Government is working with pharmaceutical industry partners and through our medicines regulatory agency (MHRA...

Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to progress the approval of existing unapproved non-animal methods of pharmaceutical testing via the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

The Government has committed to partnering with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the requirements for phasing out of animal testing.It is not yet possible to replace all animal use due to the complexity of biological systems and ...

Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to implement the Non-Animal Methods strategy.

The Government is committed to supporting the uptake and development of alternative methods to the use of animals in science. The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasin...

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to secure external funding for the further development of non-animal methods of pharmaceutical testing.

The Government is committed to supporting the development and uptake of alternative methods to the use of animals in science and we are engaging with the pharmaceutical industry and regulatory authorities on how to take this commitment forward. The Govern...