Written questions by Hayes.

For what purposes the Government Legal Department has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.The Government Legal Department is making limited use of generative AI (“Gen AI”) powered by large language models. Since December 2024, GLD has been running a trial of Microsoft’s M365 Copilot, which now has 100 participants and will shortly increase to 150. GLD’s AI Programme is considering where AI may be used and provide tangible benefits within specific work areas and processes, including proposed testing of online legal research tools with Gen AI-based capabilities.

For what purposes NHS Blood and Transplant has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.Over the last 12 months NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) has used AI as part of a number of proof of concepts to explore how AI could benefit NHSBT, however none of these are live. This includes an AI agent to answer online donor questions about donating, models to forecast donor attendance at blood collection sessions, and models to help staff collecting blood answer questions on the policy and standard operating procedures.NHSBT can draw on a range of resources, published on the GOV.UK website, to inform AI usage. For example, the AI Playbook for the UK Government, with which NHSBT are aligning work.

How many (a) hotels and (b) other properties are being used to accommodate asylum seekers in Lincolnshire.

Data, published quarterly, on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release. The data can also be broken down by local authority: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab).

For what purposes the Health Services Safety Investigations Body has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.The Health Services Safety Investigations Body has not used AI in the last 12 months. They have set up an internal group to look at both the use of AI internally and to consider how they investigate emerging patient safety risks associated with AI. This work is at an early stage.

If she will publish a list of occupations of people arrested for working illegally in the UK.

The Home Office does not hold a comprehensive list of the occupations for which individuals have been arrested for illegal working but the focus of recent enforcement work has included car washes, nail bars, construction sites ad takeaway restaurants.

For what purposes UK Export Finance has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.UK Export Finance (UKEF) is currently exploring various scenarios and use cases where AI can assist the department. This involves conducting internal trials and learning exercises to better understand AI's potential. Throughout this process, UKEF remains committed to adhering to the government's AI policy and guidance.

How much of the £70 million investment for replacing older radiotherapy machines will be allocated to United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust.

The funding for new radiotherapy machines will support the recovery of cancer waiting times and help ensure that patients have access to the most up-to-date treatments. Those trusts which have been allocated funding for a new machine from this £70 million central fund will be informed soon.The £70 million of central funding is not intended to replace every machine aged 10 years and older, and replacement of radiotherapy machines remains the responsibility of local systems.

Food and Rural Affairs, for what purposes the Environment Agency has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country. The Environment Agency uses artificial intelligence for a number of purposes: We use ‘Hello Lamp Post’, an AI powered chat bot to support our work by sharing information with the public about our role, the benefits our assets provide, information specific to our flood defence projects, and to engage the public in conversations about resilience and adaptation to flooding and coastal change. We have been part of Microsoft Copilot trials investigating the role it can play in achieving productivity gains across the Environment Agency. We also have several ongoing theoretical investigations and practical pilot projects to explore further uses of AI and Machine Learning within the Environment Agency. We draw from a range of existing government guidance to inform our usage and development of AI solutions. This includes the AI playbook for UK Government, Ethics, Transparency and Accountability Framework, the Data Ethics Framework, the AI Opportunities Action Plan and the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard. We also have access to the Government Digital Service, part of the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology, for expert advice.

If she will publish an anonymised list of Non Crime Hate Incidents investigated by police forces in England and Wales.

The Home Office does not currently centrally collate information on non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs) recorded or investigated by individual police forces – this data is held by individual forces.The Home Secretary has been clear that a consistent and common-sense approach must be taken with NCHIs. The Government has also been clear that its top priority for policing is delivering on the safer streets mission to rebuild neighbourhood policing, restoring public confidence, and making progress on the ambition to halve knife crime and violence against women and girls.The Home Office has agreed that the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), supported by the College of Policing, will conduct a review on the use and effectiveness of NCHIs, including looking at force-level data.

For what purposes the UK Hydrographic Office has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country. Over the last 12 months, the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has been assessing and experimenting with a number of AI and machine learning tools for general productivity tasks as well as more targeted hydrographic use cases. These are listed below. Trial and evaluation tools These tools are currently being used and assessed but have not reached production status.The beta Admiralty Virtual Ports product uses Kaedim, a Generative AI tool to create 3-D models from 2-D images of features (e.g., photographs of buildings). This enables the building of a 3-D Digital Twin that can provide richer maritime information. Kaedim is a SaaS solution.The Scientific Analysis Group have been using UKHO developed machine learning models for automated cleaning of bathymetric data. These are mostly used for Defence requests. All outputs are post validated by experts and feedback is being collected where possible.Our Remote Sensing team have been using an internally developed machine learning model for automated extraction of coastline from satellite imagery. This tool has been used for a variety of use cases. Outputs are post validated by experts and feedback is collected where possible.Software developers and Data teams have been using AI coding assistants as part of a central government trial. Quality and testing standards have remained the same to make sure the quality of code matches expectations.The UKHO internal communications and marketing teams have been using the Government Communication Service Assist tool for creating and editing internal communications in line with Cabinet Office guidelines.The marketing team have been trialling an AI-based media monitoring/social listening service named Signal.ai to track media mentions and share of voice across digital social media channels.Working with third-party, the UKHO has used AI tools to generate videos supporting ongoing culture work. Outputs are assessed by our People team.UKHO Data Acquisition, which offers training services to other hydrographic offices, has been trialling an AI tool to detect whether students have used AI to generate material.Initial experiments These are early-stage experiments that may later turn into larger projects dependent on results. Our data science team has been experimenting with large language models for the purposes of extracting pertinent information from incoming textual data. For example, the UKHO ingests numerous Notices to Mariners from around the world, which need to be assessed as part of keeping maritime products up to date.Data scientists and engineers have been working to make the UKHO Mine Hunting Capability machine learning ready. As part of this, there has been initial experiments with machine learning to inform the data and metadata required to support future testing of commercial offerings or tools developed by other government departments.Experiments have run into using large language models for summarising internal information using Retrieval Augmented Generation architecture. Future work around this use case is likely to involve commercial products, e.g., Microsoft Copilot for business.The Strategic Business Intelligence function have been experimenting with Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini to augment horizon scanning and news gathering. The experiments are proving successful although there are some concerns with the veracity of information provided and traditional research is still being used to validate.General usage of AI tools such as those bundled with Microsoft Teams Premium for meeting summarisation and minute taking. Currently, none of these tools have associated ATRS records. The UKHO is working with GDS on our algorithmic transparency approach, as there are a range of established tools and algorithms that are being used that could fall under scope as well as these new tools. An initial mapping has been completed.The UKHO uses several government resources to aid with AI guidance and ensure that AI tools are adopted in a safe way. This includes the Generative AI Framework for HMG, which has been superseded by the AI Playbook for the UK Government, as well as JSP936 covering dependable AI in defence. Additionally, conversations have been taking place with MOD around the results of their trial of Microsoft Copilot for Business, as adoption of this toolset could cover common office productivity use cases that are currently being serviced by several different tools.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what purposes the British Council has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

The British Council has incorporated Artificial Intelligence (AI) into its work to optimise productivity and efficiency. Examples include supply chain management and predictive analytics, automation of recruitment activities, analysis of grant applications, and the use of tools such as Copilot, Perplexity AI and ChatGPT in workplace activities.The British Council released a commercial AI capability last year where AI is used to assess and adapt to English language learners' proficiency in real time. This capability will be incorporated into new learning and assessment initiatives.The British Council is operationally independent from the UK Government.

For what purposes the Government Actuary’s Department has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

The Government Actuary’s Department has made use of artificial intelligence in the last twelve months primarily by focusing on internal efficiencies and department wide communications and team meetings. Where appropriate the Government Actuary’s Department has also used AI to help provide more value to clients, for example by summarising responses to technical consultations. This is compliant with Central Digital and Data Office guidance. The department continues to seek opportunities where the innovative use of artificial intelligence can drive efficiency and add value to clients within Government, whilst safeguarding public data and information.

How many people have been referred by the NHS’s Gender Dysphoria National Referral Support Services for masculinising chest surgery in the last five years.

Referrals for masculinising chest surgery are made by the specialist clinical teams in the NHS Gender Dysphoria Clinics, not by the NHS Gender Dysphoria National Referral Support Service (GDNRSS). The non-clinical role of the GDNRSS is to process the referrals on behalf of the providers.Between 1 April 2020 and 31 December 2024, the GDNRSS received 5,463 requests for masculinising chest surgery.

What steps her Department plans to take to support the provision of sixth form education in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

All young people should have access to high quality education and training that meets their needs and provides them with opportunities to thrive. Over £7.5 billion of 16-19 programme funding will be invested during the 2024/25 academic year.As announced at the Autumn Budget 2024, the government is providing an additional £300 million for further education in the 2025/26 financial year to ensure young people are developing the skills they need to succeed.Local authorities have statutory duties to support young people into education and training, which includes securing sufficient suitable education and training provision. There are currently four secondary schools offering post-16 sixth form provision in the South Holland and the Deepings constituency. All four sixth-form provisions received sub-judgements of good in their latest published Ofsted inspections.

For what purposes National Savings and Investments has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

NS&I is currently making use of artificial intelligence (AI) across its business.NS&I has used AI in the last 12 months for its customer service chatbot, a tool used by NS&I customers to obtain answers to product and service queries that they may have. NS&I has also used AI for a digital voice assistant tool for its telephone serviceIn addition, NS&I has been piloting the use of the Government Communications Service generative AI tool called ‘Assist’, developed to support people working across government in communications roles. NS&I has also used AI to support its coding activities, researching publicly available economic data, and there is an AI component in the wider ongoing work by its operational partners to modernise NS&I's service delivery to customersFurther details about NS&I’s chatbot service will be published in due course online, as part of the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard.

For what purposes the NHS Business Services Authority has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) has identified opportunities for the utilisation of AI tools and services and has categorised those into three areas of opportunity: personal efficiency and productivity; applying Generative AI (GenAI) at a professional level; and GenAI at an organisational or service level.The NHSBSA has therefore used AI in a number of proof of concept pieces over the past 12 months to test its fit for purposefulness in these environments. These include drafting meeting minutes, customer insights and data extraction, job specifications, supporting coding, and chatbot development. The NHSBSA is in enabling discussions with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to work in step with other departmental Arm’s Length Bodies in GenAI development in health and social care, and can draw on a range of resources, published on the GOV.UK website, to inform AI usage.

For what purposes the UK Atomic Energy Authority has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) participates in the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Collaboration (RAICo) to accelerate deployment of robotics and AI in fusion engineering and nuclear decommissioning. Furthermore, to support the use of AI in fusion research, the first of the UK’s AI Growth Zones is proposed to be located at the headquarters of the UKAEA in Culham, Oxfordshire. AI will be critical in further developing fusion technology by processing complex calculations that will accelerate the R&D that is needed to make fusion a reality.

For what purposes the Vehicle Certification Agency has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

The Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) is trialling Microsoft 365 Copilot to support its activities across Microsoft productivity tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams). No other AI or machine learning has taken place.

For what purposes Active Travel England has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Active Travel England (ATE) currently does not use Artificial Intelligence (AI) for any formal decision making. ATE uses some AI tools to summarize large sets of publicly available information and is exploring the use of AI to support administrative tasks relating to case management. ATE does use machine learning and advanced data science techniques in its analytical work, but these techniques lie outside of the commonly accepted definition of AI.

For what purposes the Education and Skills Funding Agency has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.The Education and Skills Finding Agency (ESFA) has aligned to the wider departmental approach in this area. Specifically, the department has been using Microsoft Copilot, an AI-based web chat with commercial protection, for various means, including:​Question answering – searching the web to answer a range of questions from factual, creative to analytical.​Information retrieval and summarisation – for example from a policy or data publication.​Learning new skills – for example, improving writing skills or use of analytical skills.​Pattern recognition and data analysis.Natural language understanding and generation, which is ideal for conversation, content creation, and summarisation.​In addition, 150 people across the department are piloting Microsoft 365 Copilot, which leverages AI to automate and accelerate tasks in Microsoft Products. This work included people from the ESFA. The department is tracking the benefits of this pilot, which currently include:​Increased productivity.​Less time in meetings.​Ability to search and analyse data more effectively.​Less repetitive tasks.​Increased efficiency in drafting.​Ability to be more creative.​User satisfaction.​Since summer 2023, the department has created a secure Microsoft Azure Open AI sandbox environment. The ESFA has also utilised this facility. This allows limited groups of users to build and test AI models based on specific uses cases, in a safe and secure environment. Use cases including those from the ESFA are approved by a technology-led steering group, and this group will ultimately decide on which applications could potentially be moved into production for use more broadly across the organisation.The department draws on a range of resources, published on GOV.UK, to inform our AI usage. For example, the Generative AI Framework, the Ethics, Transparency and Accountability Framework, the Data Ethics Framework, the AI Opportunities Action Plan and the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard. ​The department has also had access to the Central Digital and Data Office, based in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, for expert advice.