Written questions by Onwurah.

With reference to the correspondence to the Chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State of 10 April 2025, for what reason the projected £45 billion in annual savings from the digitalisation of public services was not included in the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025.

The figure of £45 billion in annual savings and productivity gains, published in ‘A blueprint for modern digital government’, represents a long-term estimate of the potential benefits for the digital transformation of the public sector. Spending Review 2025 sets out plans for a step change in investment in digital and artificial intelligence (AI) across public services. Over the Spending Review period, the government will build strong digital and technology foundations, tackle urgent cybersecurity and technical resilience risks, modernise public service delivery, and drive a major overhaul in government productivity and efficiency. All departments will deliver at least 5% savings and efficiencies by 2028‑29. The Office for Value for Money has worked closely with departments to agree bespoke and stretching technical efficiency targets, underpinned by credible delivery plans.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing regulatory standards for the marketing of consumer DNA testing kits.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is aware that there are a number of DNA test kits on the market. The majority claim to provide information on ancestry, and in general these would not be regarded as medical devices.However, those that make medical claims in relation to predisposition of medical conditions would be regarded as in vitro diagnostic medical devices and would require the relevant CE mark or a UK Conformity Assessed marking.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle the emergence of deepfake videos depicting government ministers; and whether the forthcoming legislation on deepfakes will include specific provisions to protect public figures from impersonation and misinformation online.

The Government takes the threat posed by harmful deepfakes very seriously. Deepfakes, and other manipulated media, are regulated by the Online Safety Act where they are shared on an in-scope service and constitute either illegal content or content which is harmful to children. For the largest user-to-user services, AI generated content is captured where it contravenes terms of service. The Data (Use and Access) Act, which received Royal Ascent on 19 June, introduces a new offence for the non-consensual creation of sexually explicit deepfakes. It is already a criminal offence to share, or threaten to share, such content without consent.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support a just energy transition in Africa.

Promoting access to clean energy in Africa is vital for supporting growth and reducing poverty across the continent. Through British International Investment, the UK has provided access to clean energy for over 26 million people. We support multilateral initiatives like Mission 300, which aims to connect 300 million people in Africa by 2030.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much of the Official Development Assistance budget is allocated to global health programmes in (a) 2025-26, (b) 2026-27, (c) 2027-28 and (d) 2028-29.

We will publish the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's final 2025/26 Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme allocations in the Annual Report & Accounts in July. Over the coming months, we will work through detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used in future years, informed by internal and external consultation and impact assessments, ahead of publishing indicative multi-year allocations in the autumn.Reducing the overall size of our ODA budget will necessarily have an impact on the scale and shape of the work we do. We will sharpen our focus on humanitarian, health and climate and nature.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to coordinate with other (a) donor governments and (b) implementing country partners to mitigate the potential impact of reductions to the (i) United States Agency for International Development and (ii) other global health funds.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Ministers and officials regularly meet international partners on a number of global health and international development issues, both in the course of their duties and as part of our role as a board member to a number of global health bodies.Discussions will continue to take place through bilateral meetings and other key multilateral fora, including with the G20 under the Presidency of South Africa, with whom we will be co-hosting the Global Fund replenishment later in the year, and at the High-Level Summit on 25 June, where the UK announced our new investment in Gavi.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the (a) data protection and (b) ethical implications of commercial DNA testing services used by minors without age verification.

All companies providing DNA testing kits or DNA testing services must comply with the provisions of the Human Tissue Act 2004 relating to consent. This provides the ethical framework for DNA testing. Under the Act, a person who has not attained the age of 16 years old cannot give consent for a DNA test. Any company failing to appropriately verify that a person using a DNA testing service is legally able to give consent, may be liable for prosecution under the act.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of reductions in Official Development Assistance on lives (a) saved and (b) at risk in (i) low- and (ii) middle-income countries due to (A) malaria and (B) other global health diseases.

Following the recent Spending Review, decisions on the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget are being finalised through consultation and impact assessments. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is committed to ensuring every pound delivers maximum impact. Global Health is a top priority reflecting the UK's commitment to strengthening health systems, tackling global health threats, and promoting equitable access to vaccines and treatments. As part of this, the UK's new £1.25 billion investment in Gavi from 2026 to 2030 will support Gavi's goal to immunise up to 500 million children, save 8 to 9 million lives, and generate over $100 billion in economic benefits.

Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the targeting of Iranian scientists by the IDF on British (a) science and (b) scientists.

Science, innovation and technology are inherently international. The UK continues to work closely with international partners to harness the power of science and tech for global benefit.We remain focused on ensuring stability in the Middle East. It is crucial that we now de-escalate the situation, stabilise the region, and get all parties back around the table to negotiate.We have taken all necessary measures to protect UK interests, UK personnel, and to work with our allies to protect their interests as well. We urge all British Nationals, including scientists, to register their presence and monitor FCDO Travel Advice.

Innovation and Technology, which Government departments work with Meta to (a) identify and (b) remove misinformation.

DSIT is responsible for the government’s relationship with social media platforms, and leads HMG’s domestic mis- and disinformation policy while working closely with other departments. The Online Safety Act’s duties address mis- and disinformation where it constitutes illegal content or content harmful to children, and are now enforceable by Ofcom. DSIT engages with platforms and may refer content which is assessed as likely to violate terms of service and which sits within an agreed national security / public safety remit. Platforms then decide what action to take: government cannot compel platforms to remove legal content.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the placement of sanctions on Bezalel Smotrich on (a) Pearson Engineering Limited and (b) other UK-based companies that are (i) owned and (ii) partially controlled by the Israeli Government Companies Authority.

Our sanctions are carefully designed to minimise unintended consequences within the UK and globally. The sanctions on Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir apply to them in their personal capacities, and not to their ministries, departments or businesses owned or partially owned by the State of Israel.

What plans she has to review (a) the rate of police pay and (b) the adequacy of technical and mental health support provided to police officers.

The Government has received the Police Remuneration Review Body's (PRRB) report for this year, and we are carefully considering the recommendations before providing a response in due course. The Government is still awaiting the report of the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) with respect to Chief Officers.The Government accepted the Review Bodies’ headline recommendation in 2024 of a 4.75% consolidated pay increase.Chief Officers have a duty of care to manage their workforce effectively, including ensuring the wellbeing of all their officers and staff. This Government has been clear that the health and wellbeing of our police workforce is a priority, and we are committed to making improvements in wellbeing support for officers and staff.All officers receive pre-deployment mental health training and through the Police Covenant, all forces now meet the Occupational Health (OH) foundation level standards. Measures are also in place to ensure forces continually develop and improve their OH standards.We continue to fund the National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS), which supports forces in identifying areas of greatest mental health risk, building resilience, and providing timely support. This includes initiatives such as the 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Support Line pilot, designed to offer urgent assistance to officers and staff when they need it the most.

Innovation and Technology, what definition his Department uses for sovereign AI in the AI opportunities action plan.

The Government defines sovereign AI as the UK's ability to access, influence or control the development and deployment of critical capabilities to protect our national interests and unlock economic growth. This encompasses strengthening domestic capacity and capabilities, working in close partnership with the private sector and maintaining positive international collaboration.

Communities and Local Government, what role the Artificial Intelligence Directorate plays in supporting the digital transformation of local government services.

MHCLG’s Artificial Intelligence Directorate supports local government to harness the power of artificial intelligence, data analytics and other digital innovations so that their services are more responsive to the needs of their communities, provide better value for money and are secure. The directorate includes the Local Digital team, which has been working with local government since 2018 to improve digital transformation and cyber resilience across local government.My officials are working closely with local government and key partners across government on this work including with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to ensure that the right to object to targeted online advertising is upheld under consent-or-pay models; and whether his Department plans to provide updated guidance on this issue in the context of the Information Commissioner’s Office’s guidance on consent-or-pay.

The Information Commissioner’s Office’s (ICO) guidance on this matter states that pay and consent models can be implemented in accordance with the data protection legislation, so long as websites ensure that consent to targeted advertising is fully informed and freely given. The guidance sets out a framework of factors that are important to consider when assessing whether a “consent or pay” model meets the required standard of consent.The Government will continue to engage with businesses, the ICO and other stakeholders to monitor operation of these models.

Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions (a) he has and (b) his officials have had with trade unions on the digitalisation of government.

I recently met Prospect Union to discuss our plans for digitising government. My officials met with representatives from the Trade Union Congress (TUC) several times to discuss the Blueprint for Modern Digital Government, both before and after publication. Myself and my officials in DSIT continue to explore opportunities for trade union engagement on emerging technologies and public sector digital transformation.

Innovation and Technology, when he plans to complete the integration of the Government Gateway with the gov.uk one login system.

Government Gateway is a separate, existing authentication and identity service for cross-government digital services and is managed by HMRC. There are no plans to integrate Government Gateway with GOV.UK One Login, but in time services that use Government Gateway will move over to using GOV.UK One Login instead.GOV.UK One Login is the government’s sign-in and identity verification solution, enabling users to create an account, log in, and prove their identity to access government services. Our plan is to onboard all central government services during this Parliament, including those currently accessed through Government Gateway.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to ensure the continuation of UK research in the higher education sector.

The government is protecting record levels R&D investment, allocating £20.4bn across departments in 2025/26. DSIT’s overall R&D budget will be £13.9bn in 2025/26, including £8.8bn for UKRI to support talent, infrastructure, and innovation. This funding ensures the continuation of research in higher education and supports key priorities such as building R&I talent, fostering student startups, and maintaining Quality-Related (QR) funding, which was around £2bn in 2024/25.

What assessment he has made of the capacity of local health committees to respond promptly to local clinical trial requests.

Clinical trial requests are responded to by the Health Research Authority (HRA). The Department routinely monitors the performance of Research Ethics Committee approval timelines delivered by the HRA to ensure these meet targets for clinical trial approvals.Currently, 100% of HRA ethics reviews are completed by committees within the legal timeframe of 60 days. The median review time is consistently less than 40 days, and there is special provision for expedited reviews of urgent studies, such as were seen as part of regulators’ response to COVID-19, with approval being issued within days.Additionally, the HRA and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency are broadly delivering combined reviews for clinical trials within the 60-day target, and backlogs have been cleared since September 2023.The Department is committed to turbocharging clinical research and delivering better patient care, to make the United Kingdom a world-leading destination for clinical research. We are working to fast-track clinical trials to drive global investment into life sciences, improve health outcomes, and accelerate the development of medicines and therapies of the future.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of levels of access to internships and work placements by people from different socio-economic backgrounds.

Our Opportunity Mission will break down the barriers to opportunity for everyone, regardless of their socio-economic background. This means ensuring that everyone can access training opportunities, including internships and work placements, that support them to thrive in work and in life.That is why the Government is following through with our manifesto commitment for two weeks’ worth of work experience for all pupils in secondary school and has recently invested £18m in supported internships for those with SEND. We are embedding work placements within T Levels and we’ve also announced funding for 40,000 industry placements as part of the Construction Skills Package