Written questions by Carden.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of adopting the legislative framework championed by Animal Free Research UK known as Herbie's Law.

Awaiting answer.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the level of funding for astronomy and space science.

The Government keeps the level of funding for astronomy and space science under regular review to ensure it supports the UK’s strategic priorities and delivers value for money. Funding comes from a range of sources, primarily the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) under UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), and the UK Space Agency (UKSA).Government is investing a record £86bn into R&D over the next four years, including £38.6 billion through UKRI. UKRI must ensure allocation decisions are informed by meaningful consultation with the scientific research community and a robust assessment of potential consequences for the UK’s scientific capability and international standing. STFC is currently working with the sector to model different spending scenarios for particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics and no final spending decisions have been made.Beyond UKRI funding, UKSA funds space science through our £511 million commitment to the European Space Agency's core budget at the Council of Ministers in November 2025. Further detail on UKSA funding plans outside of ESA will be detailed in due course.

Innovation and Technology, how much his Department has spent on consultancy fees in each year since 2021.

DSIT was created by a Machinery of Government (MOG) change on 7 February 2023, we have not provided data prior to DSIT becoming a fully operational department. Departmental Group consultancy spend in financial year 23-24, as disclosed in 2023-24 Annual re...

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to tackle online (a) disinformation and (b) misinformation.

The Online Safety Act (OSA) will be the Governments key tool in combatting online mis- and disinformation. It sets out a clear regulatory framework to tackle both mis- and disinformation where it constitutes illegal content or harmful content to children. In addition, we are educating and empowering users through our work on media literacy to increase society’s resilience to mis- and disinformation. Officials also regularly meet with major platforms, about disinformation activity, emerging risks and platforms’ responses.