Written questions by Onwurah.

Innovation and Technology, whether her Department requires the use of open‑source software, open standards or open interfaces as part of its oversight and approval of major IT procurement across Government.

As of February 2025, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), through its incorporation of the Government Digital Service (GDS), requires full consideration be given to the use of open standards and open-source software. DSIT oversight and approval processes for major IT spend is governed by the requirements and guidance contained in several key GDS publications:Technology Code of Practice (TCoP): This is the primary set of criteria used for government digital and technology spend controls. It explicitly requires departments to "be open and use open source" and to build technology using open standards to ensure interoperability and avoid vendor lock-in.The Service Standard: Point 12 requires teams to "make new source code open" and available for reuse across government, while Point 13 mandates the use of and contribution to open standards and common components.Open Standards Principles: The government's open standards principles state that the standards must be used for software interoperability, data, and document formats unless a specific exemption is granted.Oversight Mechanismsv.6 Government Digital and Technology Controls are in place until 31 March 2026: all unexempted digital and technology spend proposals that fall within scope, must obtain DSIT Digital spend control approval prior to committing spend.In scope spend for public-facing digital services is whole life cost above £100,000.In scope spend for all other technology is whole life cost above £1,000,000.To obtain spend approval, departmental assurers (and, according to risk, GDS) benchmark the spend proposal against the requirements and guidance contained with the three key publications cited at section 2 above.From 1 April 2026 onwards, each department is accountable for applying all functional standards as set by DSIT, regarding Digital, Data and Technology spends. Functional assurance will only be conducted by DSIT where the spend exceeds the Department’s Delegated Authority Limit (DAL) set by HM Treasury.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the UK’s level of dependence on foreign manufactured Common Information Models (CIMs); and what steps his Department is taking to ensure the resilience and sovereignty of UK infrastructure that depends on CIM‑enabled connectivity.

Common Information Models are used across a range of UK CNI sectors. This includes telecommunications, where CIMs enable interoperability between different network management and operational systems. They support efficient operation and automation in complex, multivendor networks, but do not themselves control telecommunications networks.The Government keeps under review the resilience and security of the UK’s telecommunications infrastructure, including potential dependencies on overseas technologies and suppliers.As the government set out in its response to the Telecommunications Supply Chain Diversification (TSCD) Advisory Council report, security and resilience risks can arise when critical network functions may rely on a limited range of suppliers or technologies, including software based systems used for network monitoring, configuration and management.The Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021 and the National Security and Investment Act 2021 provide frameworks through which the Government can assess and address national security risks in the telecommunications sector, including risks associated with hostile state interference. The government response to the TSCD Advisory Council report also sets out the steps the government is taking to manage the risks associated with vendor concentration in UK telecoms networks.The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will strengthen the resilience of the UK's critical infrastructure, including by strengthening duties on operators of essential services to manage risks in their supply chains. The Bill will also provide the Secretary of State with a power of direction, enabling the government to act where necessary and proportionate to address national security risks to regulated entities.The government works closely with the National Cyber Security Centre to assess and manage risks to UK critical national infrastructure, including those arising from dependence on foreign-manufactured technologiesThe Government seeks to build sovereign capability in critical technologies, as set out in the June 2025 Modern Industrial Strategy and the accompanying Digital and Technologies Sector Plan.More broadly, on the development of global digital standards, the UK supports an open, inclusive, multistakeholder approach and is actively engaged to ensure our interests and values are well-accounted for. DSIT, NCSC and other government departments and agencies engage directly in standards development where the UK has critical interests to seek to ensure that UK needs are met.

Innovation and Technology, whether she has held discussions with (a) Microsoft, (b) Amazon Web Services and (c) Palantir regarding the potential implications of the (1) US Cloud Act, (2) Patriot Act and (3) entity‑list controls for UK data sovereignty and access to cloud services.

The Secretary of State has not held specific discussions with these companies on these matters.The Government takes a balanced approach to cloud services, ensuring public sector systems are secure, resilient, and effective, while benefiting from global innovation. This is underpinned by data protection law, UK security standards, and established commercial rules.Supplier risks are managed through established security and resilience processes, with procurement decisions based on value for money, security, and the effective delivery of public services, including for critical infrastructure.

Innovation and Technology, what minimum UK capabilities she has identified as necessary across (a) AI computing, (b) cloud infrastructure, (c) cybersecurity and (d) data governance to reduce dependence on foreign technology providers.

The Government has identified the need to strengthen capability across a range of critical technologies, as set out in the Modern Industrial Strategy (2025) and the Digital and Technologies Sector Plan (2025), including building UK capacity in AI computing through investment in advanced compute infrastructure.Alongside this, we are developing a National Cloud Strategy, as outlined in the Roadmap for Modern Digital Government (2026). It will assess how to strengthen the security and resilience of UK cloud infrastructure and improve the cloud ecosystem.These efforts are supported by robust data governance structures, such as the UK's data protection legislation and Data and AI Ethics Framework, which help protect UK interests while enabling innovation.

Innovation and Technology, how many projected jobs for each AI Growth Zone are (a) tied to building and construction of data centres, (b) permanent on-site operational jobs in data centres, (c) data-centre roles that can be done remotely either (i) within the UK or (ii) overseas and (d) other jobs that are expected to be created indirectly in the area.

Through AI Growth Zones (AIGZs), we aim to crowd-in tens of billions of pounds in private investment and drive growth, with AIGZs announced so far expected to create over 15,000 jobs.AIGZs are designed to accelerate data‑centre build‑out and attract substantial private investment, creating construction roles, permanent operational jobs, and wider indirect employment through supply‑chain growth and skills pathways. Each AI Growth Zone will also receive £5 million to support local AI adoption and upskilling, helping ensure communities benefit directly from new opportunities.Five AI Growth Zones have been designated to date, all expected to contribute to regional regeneration and the UK’s long‑term compute capacity. We do not make specific assumptions about the nature or geographical nature of jobs indirectly related to AI Growth Zones.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of her Department's (a) capital investment exposure to, (b) potential capital spending requirements resulting from and (c) overall investment portfolio resilience from an equity price correction in US stock markets.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) does not hold any direct capital investments in companies listed on US equity markets.DSIT’s capital portfolio consists of investments approved on a case‑by‑case basis against agreed criteria, and is primarily focused on UK‑based research, innovation and infrastructure programmes, as well as government‑sponsored bodies. DSIT's investments are monitored on a portfolio basis, including assessing market and valuation risks and considering any indirect effects global market movements on the Department’s assets.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with Ofcom on (a) tackling the proliferation of fake AI generated Auschwitz photographs on social media and (b) the potential impact of those photographs on our understanding of the Holocaust.

The government is deeply concerned about the spread of antisemitic content and dealing with it is a priority for this government. We recognise that AI-generated content can undermine trust and spread hate online. Under the Online Safety Act (OSA), enforced by Ofcom, regulated services must tackle AI-generated content that is illegal (including that which stirs up racial hatred, is threatening or abusive, or otherwise meets criminal thresholds), or harmful to children. This includes where content is antisemitic. The Secretary of State wrote to Ofcom in October and November 2025 asking them to do everything possible under the Act to tackle this content.The department is exploring how to improve detection and transparency around AI-generated material, including through the Deepfake Detection Challenge 2026. We are also improving media literacy, encouraging critical engagement with and awareness of divisive and misleading content.The government continues to work with community groups and partners to challenge hatred and protect public understanding from harmful content.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December to Question 96656, if she will make an assessment of the a) the proportion of chatbots which use search and b) the characteristics of chatbots which use search.

Chatbots that use search capabilities are designed to generate responses for users by actively searching the live web. This functionality means they would be captured by the Online Safety Act’s duties as a search service.The Secretary of State confirmed in Parliament that the government is considering how AI chatbots interact with the Act and has also urged Ofcom to use its existing powers to ensure that AI chatbots are safe for children.As part of this work, the government continues to assess the prevalence and nature of chatbot services.

Innovation and Technology, what information her Department holds on the proportion of chatbots deployed in the UK that use search-based functionality as part of their responses; and what assessment she has made of the whether AI chatbot users in the UK are adequately protected from harmful content.

Generative AI services, including chatbots, that allow users to share content with one another or that search live websites to provide search results are regulated under the Online Safety Act and must protect users from illegal content and children from harmful and age-inappropriate content.The Secretary of State confirmed in Parliament this week that the government is considering how AI chatbots interact with the Act and also urged Ofcom to use its existing powers to ensure that AI chatbots are safe for children.Where evidence demonstrates that further action is necessary to protect children and the wider public, we will not hesitate to act.

Innovation and Technology, whether Innovate UK will resume its Smart Grants funding stream to support innovation-led start-ups.

The Smart grants programme has been paused while Innovate UK redesigns its funding programmes to best suit the needs of innovative businesses and align to the objectives of the Government’s Industrial Strategy.However, Innovate UK has launched a new £130 million ‘Growth Catalyst’ Innovate UK scheme focused on scaling innovative businesses in Industrial Strategy growth sectors. This offers grants, aligned private sector investment, and tailored support to companies, and this approach has a track record of driving 10:1 follow-on investment.

Innovation and Technology, with which countries does the UK operate international science partnership funds; and how much and what proportion of the funding for the partnership with Japan is from (a) public and (b) private sources and (i) domestic and (ii) foreign contributors.

The International Science Partnership Fund currently operates in:United States of America, Japan, Canada, India, South Korea, Switzerland, Australia, Germany, Israel, Taiwan, China, Ireland, France, Netherlands, New Zealand, Denmark, and Latvia (non-ODA)South Africa, Kenya, Malaysia, Thailand, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Philippines, Vietnam, Turkey, and Ghana (ODA)Information on spend in Japan is not provided under the exemptions in the Ministerial Code that cover information that is not currently held and where there would be a disproportionate cost to gaining it.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with science and discovery centres on their financial resilience since the covid-19 pandemic.

The Government recognises the important role these centres play in engaging the public with science and inspiring young people. As set out in the answer of 29 October 2025 to Question 84033, Minister Vallance has followed up with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to explore a coordinated approach to supporting these centres. I refer my honourable friend to that answer for further detail.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the impact of the AWS outage on 20 October 2025 on Government Digital Services.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is leading Government’s response to the AWS outage that took place on Monday 20 October 2025. DSIT continues to work across government and with businesses to understand the full impacts of the outage. All AWS services were restored on Monday evening and DSIT is in contact with AWS to understand how such events can be mitigated in the future.The outage affected a number of suppliers and departments, and it will take some time to fully understand the scale of the impact. DSIT will be gathering a full picture of the impact on government in the coming weeks.The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology will publish the Government Cyber Action Plan this Winter, which will set out a clear approach for the Government and the Wider Public Sector to manage cyber security and resilience incidents.

Innovation and Technology, what proportion of Government cloud services are hosted on (a) AWS, (b) Google and (c) Microsoft infrastructure.

The State of Digital Government report estimates up to 60% of the government estate is currently hosted on cloud platforms, mostly using AWS, Microsoft and Google. More granular data on the split between AWS, Google and Microsoft infrastructure is not currently held. However, the Government Digital Service in DSIT is developing a cloud consumption dashboard to provide government with greater visibility of cloud usage and costs across the public sector.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the resilience of Government Digital Services to outages.

In the 2025 State of Digital Government review, cyber security and digital resilience risks were identified as critically high across the public sector, and we are taking immediate action to make Government services more secure, resilient and reliable.Government has a robust set of policies that ensure there are well-defined and tested incident management processes in place, providing continuity of essential functions in the event of system or service failure.Furthermore, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) will publish the Government Cyber Action Plan this Winter, which sets out a clear approach for Government and the public sector to manage cyber security and resilience incidents.

Innovation and Technology, when her Department plans to publish the Government Digital and AI Roadmap.

The Roadmap for a Modern Digital Government will be published this autumn.The roadmap will outline how the Blueprint for a Modern Digital Government, launched in January 2025, will be delivered, building a modern digital government that makes life easier, drives growth and delivers smarter, more efficient public services.

Innovation and Technology, what discussions his Department has had with Innovate UK on (a) when it plans to open the next Biomedical Catalyst grant awards and (b) steps being taken to ensure a wide range of biomedical businesses can apply for grants via that programme.

The Biomedical Catalyst has a suite of competitions designed to support small and medium sized businesses to progress projects at different stages of development.There is currently one grant opportunity open - Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst Accelerator – Hospital to Community - which closes on the 31st of October. The next round of industry-led R&D funding is under preparation and expected to be launched early Nov and open for 4 weeks.Innovate UK promotes R&D funding opportunities through social media and other communication channels. Biomedical Catalyst also utilises Business Connect services to engage with UK businesses by offering bespoke, sustained 1:1 support as well as providing advice and access to resources that can help promote Biomedical Catalyst, and support with applications and funding.

Innovation and Technology, whether he science and discovery centres fall within the remit of his Department.

The UK’s Science and Discovery Centres have an important role in engaging the public, with science and technology and in inspiring young people, particularly those from underrepresented groups, to consider studying STEM subjects and related careers.However, while some centres do carry out research in addition to their informal science learning activities their primary role is as visitor centres focussed on the role of science in the UK’s culture. While the department and partners such as UKRI have provided support for particular programmes managed by science centres, as institutions they do not fall within DSIT’s remit.DSIT is currently planning to engage with DCMS to discuss how government’s relationship with these important institutions can best be supported going forward.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to provide funding for research into the (a) prevention and (b) treatment of arthritis and musculoskeletal disease in UK universities.

The Government does not generally ringfence funding for particular areas of research but has funded a significant amount of applicant-led funding on arthritis and musculoskeletal disease.In 2024, UKRI’s Medical Research Council (MRC) committed over £17 million to research on these topics, including over £4 million for the University of Oxford, within UKRI’s £28.5 million Functional Genomics Initiative, to establish a research cluster focused on the use of functional genomics techniques to improve musculoskeletal health and disease.UKRI delivers a substantial portfolio of research with wider relevance, including in immunology and pain relief, and plays a key role in funding underpinning discovery research.

Innovation and Technology, if he will steps to ensure that the proposed Cyber Security and Resilience Bill supports the establishment of common levels of cyber security with the UK's international partners.

The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will better safeguard UK national security by strengthening our cyber defences and ensuring the essential and digital services people and businesses rely on every day are better protected.Cyber threats do not respect borders, and the nature of digital technology means we are all fundamentally interconnected. The UK is tackling similar challenges to those faced by governments across the globe. Businesses operating across borders are also reckoning with this threat and adjusting practices to comply with regulation in other jurisdictions as well as in the UK.The Bill is being designed with these issues in mind and government is continuing to actively engage with our international partners on its development and on our shared cyber issues. We will continue to seek harmonisation and commonality in cyber security and risk mitigation where appropriate through the design and implementation of the Bill.