1-20 of 1,260 results for primarymember:"Greg Clark"
Librarians' tools
- Search time
- 0.406 seconds
- Solr query time
- 0.006 seconds
- Search query
- primarymember:"Greg Clark"
- We searched for
- primaryMember_ses:299733
Type
House
Session
Year
Department
More
Member
More
Primary member
Answering member
More
Legislative stage
Legislation
More
Subject
More
Publisher
The Secretary of State knows that leading AI developers are expected imminently to release new, more sophisticated AI models. Can she confirm that our AI Safety Institute has had access to those models, as was agreed at Bletchley Park? Is it the case that the developers have made changes to their models where they have been requested by the institute?
The Secretary of State knows that leading AI developers are expected imminently to release new, more sophisticated AI models. Can she confirm that our AI Safety Institute has had access to those models, as was agreed at Bletchley Park? Is it the case that the developers have made changes to their models where they have been requested by the institute?
I know that my right hon. Friend shares my passion and enthusiasm for this topic, as well as a desire to make sure we grip the risk. Our institute is
the first in the world to be doing pre and post-deployment testing, in line with the agreement we made at Bletchley Park. I cannot get into the specifics of which models we are testing, as I am sure he will understand, as that is highly commercially sensitive information, but I can assure him and the House that where risks are found, we expect relevant action to be taken. The responsibility of developers is to ensure that their models are safe, but the Government are committed to holding them to account.
Last September my private Member’s Bill, which made public sexual harassment a criminal offence, received Royal Assent. Will the Minister say when that Act of Parliament will be commenced and when guidance to police forces will be issued?
Last September my private Member’s Bill, which made public sexual harassment a criminal offence, received Royal Assent. Will the Minister say when that Act of Parliament will be commenced and when guidance to police forces will be issued?
I thank my right hon. Friend for his question. It was a pleasure to support his Bill as it went through the House. I cannot say exactly when it will be commenced, but I hope he will be reassured to hear that I had a meeting with officials about commencement earlier this month.
On 1 January this year, the UK became an associate member of the Horizon Europe programme and Copernicus. Given
our delayed start, could the Secretary of State say what steps she is taking to encourage participation by UK universities and businesses?
On 1 January this year, the UK became an associate member of the Horizon Europe programme and Copernicus. Given
our delayed start, could the Secretary of State say what steps she is taking to encourage participation by UK universities and businesses?
My right hon. Friend is absolutely right. I welcome the news shared just last week by Commissioner Ivanova, who said the early signs of uptake are absolutely excellent. Indeed, some programmes are projecting an increase of over 50%. We are not being complacent. We have launched a comprehensive international marketing campaign, introduced a pump-priming scheme with the British Academy and already started on roadshows.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the incident at Sellafield Nuclear site on 28 November 2023.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the incident at Sellafield Nuclear site on 28 November 2023.
The Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 imposes duties on employers to protect employees and other persons against ionising radiation arising from working with radioactive substances and other sources of ionising radiation. These duties have been used to create safe working procedures at Sellafield which are regulated by the Office of Nuclear Regulation. The adequacy of these procedures are the subject of regular review by the Office for Nuclear Regulation. There has been no impact to the public or the environment as a result of this event. Safety is the overriding priority at Sellafield.
Just before Christmas, the EU institutions declared that they had agreed to a new EU AI Act. What assessment has the Secretary of State made of that? How does her intended approach in the UK differ?
Just before Christmas, the EU institutions declared that they had agreed to a new EU AI Act. What assessment has the Secretary of State made of that? How does her intended approach in the UK differ?
I welcome my right hon. Friend’s work in this space. The EU has taken a slightly different tack from us. We want to foster innovation in AI, seize the opportunities for our public services and ensure that the jobs are located here in the UK. That is why we have our domestic track—we will produce a White Paper shortly—and also why we introduced an international track and convened the entire world for the first ever global AI safety summit. We are certainly leading in this area.
It is clear from the Chancellor’s autumn statement yesterday that we will need to make savings in public sector budgets for some years to come to overcome the impact of inflation, so can the Minister say how artificial intelligence will play a role in that in the public sector and what efforts he is making to procure the necessary systems?
It is clear from the Chancellor’s autumn statement yesterday that we will need to make savings in public sector budgets for some years to come to overcome the impact of inflation, so can the Minister say how artificial intelligence will play a role in that in the public sector and what efforts he is making to procure the necessary systems?
My right hon. Friend makes an excellent point. We are still coming to terms with the potential of artificial intelligence to speed up Government processes,
improve productivity and deliver value for money for the taxpayer. While we have procurement frameworks at present that help Departments across Government identify good AI systems they might wish to secure, we are also interested in developing our own AI within Government. My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister announced earlier this week that we would hire more people with the highest levels of innovative skill to come into Government to build those systems for us and deliver value for money.
The Deputy Prime Minister played a prominent role at the artificial intelligence summit in Bletchley Park earlier this month. One big question is whether open source should be encouraged and perhaps even required, in order to encourage openness and innovation, or whether it should be restricted, to keep the models in the hands of known actors. What is the direction of his thinking on that?
The Deputy Prime Minister played a prominent role at the artificial intelligence summit in Bletchley Park earlier this month. One big question is whether open source should be encouraged and perhaps even required, in order to encourage openness and innovation, or whether it should be restricted, to keep the models in the hands of known actors. What is the direction of his thinking on that?
As ever, my right hon. Friend raises an erudite question. My disposition, and that of the Government, is that open source AI is an important basis upon which we can build many world-leading applications. We can see companies in this country growing at a fast pace by developing innovative AI off the back of open source. Of course, there are risks associated with it, but there is a high bar to be met before the Government would start imposing additional regulatory burdens on open source AI, given the associated benefits for economic growth.
I welcome the Minister to her well-deserved appointment. She will be aware of the case of David Fuller, who, as well as murdering two women, abused the corpses of over 100 women and girls in the mortuaries of the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust. For these crimes, he will rightly die in prison. However, the current legislation is shockingly inadequate on the abuse of dead bodies. It covers only penetrative sexual assault and not other acts of sexual assault on dead bodies. Will the Minister meet me, my hon. Friend the Member for Chatham and Aylesford (Tracey Crouch) and other colleagues to discuss how we can rectify that in the Criminal Justice Bill, which comes before the House next week?
I welcome the Minister to her well-deserved appointment. She will be aware of the case of David Fuller, who, as well as murdering two women, abused the corpses of over 100 women and girls in the mortuaries of the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust. For these crimes, he will rightly die in prison. However, the current legislation is shockingly inadequate on the abuse of dead bodies. It covers only penetrative sexual assault and not other acts of sexual assault on dead bodies. Will the Minister meet me, my hon. Friend the Member for Chatham and Aylesford (Tracey Crouch) and other colleagues to discuss how we can rectify that in the Criminal Justice Bill, which comes before the House next week?
I thank my right hon. Friend for his question. The David Fuller case is appalling, and I send my deepest sympathies to the families of his victims. It is unbelievably dispiriting that we are even having to talk about these acts, and of extending the definition of abuse to meet the width and depravity of his crimes.
As my right hon. Friend will know, the offence he is referring to is dealt with in section 70 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. As a result of the David Fuller case, the Ministry of Justice is now reviewing both the maximum penalty and the scope of the law to ensure that what my
right hon. Friend describes is adequately captured. Of course, I will have a meeting with both him and my hon. Friend the Member for Chatham and Aylesford (Tracey Crouch) in due course.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to tackle shortages in the ADHD medication supply.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to tackle shortages in the ADHD medication supply.
We are aware of disruptions to the supply of medicines used for the management of Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), primarily driven by issues which have resulted in capacity constraints at key manufacturing sites.
We understand how frustrating and distressing medicine shortages can be and we want to assure patients that we are working with the respective manufacturers to resolve the issues as soon as possible and to ensure patients have continuous access to ADHD medicines in the United Kingdom, in the short and long term.
We have issued communications to the National Health Service to advise healthcare professionals on management of patients whilst there continue to be disruptions to supplies. Patients are advised to speak to their clinician regarding any concerns they have and to discuss the suitability of treatment with alternative medicines.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to help strengthen global supply chains of ADHD medications to help prevent shortages in the supply of those medications.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to help strengthen global supply chains of ADHD medications to help prevent shortages in the supply of those medications.
We are aware of disruptions to the supply of medicines used for the management of Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), primarily driven by issues which have resulted in capacity constraints at key manufacturing sites.
We understand how frustrating and distressing medicine shortages can be and we want to assure patients that we are working with the respective manufacturers to resolve the issues as soon as possible and to ensure patients have continuous access to ADHD medicines in the United Kingdom, in the short and long term.
We have issued communications to the National Health Service to advise healthcare professionals on management of patients whilst there continue to be disruptions to supplies. Patients are advised to speak to their clinician regarding any concerns they have and to discuss the suitability of treatment with alternative medicines.
I warmly congratulate my hon. Friend on his appointment and welcome him to the Dispatch Box.
GCHQ this week says that it expects hostile disruption of the next election through deepfakes using AI. Is my hon. Friend absolutely confident that the Electoral Commission has all the powers it needs to prevent that, and why are the Government not implementing their suggestion in the White Paper to introduce the legislation to empower regulators?
I warmly congratulate my hon. Friend on his appointment and welcome him to the Dispatch Box.
GCHQ this week says that it expects hostile disruption of the next election through deepfakes using AI. Is my hon. Friend absolutely confident that the Electoral Commission has all the powers it needs to prevent that, and why are the Government not implementing their suggestion in the White Paper to introduce the legislation to empower regulators?
I thank my right hon. Friend for his kind remarks. As I said, the Government will take this issue incredibly seriously, and I am confident that, through the defending democracy taskforce and election cell, we will be able to do the utmost to protect ourselves from election interference. I offer to meet him to discuss this further and see what else can be done.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average processing time was for an application for indefinite leave to remain in the latest period for which data is available.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average processing time was for an application for indefinite leave to remain in the latest period for which data is available.
Data on asylum applications, indefinite leave to remain and citizenship applications is published as part of immigration statistics (at www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-march-2023) and migration transparency data (at www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-transparency-data).
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of when the contactless pay as you go scheme will be extended to (a) Tunbridge Wells, (b) High Brooms and (c) Paddock Wood Stations.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of when the contactless pay as you go scheme will be extended to (a) Tunbridge Wells, (b) High Brooms and (c) Paddock Wood Stations.
I would like to assure you that our commitment to improving ticketing for passengers by expanding contactless pay as you go (PAYG) does not end with these initial 53 stations we announced this year. We are still developing our proposals for the next phase of contactless PAYG rollout. We will announce further details of any wider expansion of PAYG in due course.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of using fines collected from water companies to support angling societies to replenish fish stocks.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of using fines collected from water companies to support angling societies to replenish fish stocks.
In the Plan for Water, we announced the Water Restoration Fund which will channel environmental fines and penalties collected from water companies into projects that improve the water environment. The Fund will support a wide range of projects to improve the environment such as removing invasive non-native species; creating and restoring water-dependent habitats; removing barriers to enable fish and other species’ natural movement in rivers. Further details will be announced later in the year.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for children with serious mental health problems.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for children with serious mental health problems.
The NHS Long Term Plan commits to investing £2.3 billion extra funding a year in expanding and transforming mental health services by March 2024. This will allow an extra 345,000 more children and young people including those with serious mental illness, to get the National Health Service-funded mental health support they need.
To support the mental health commitments in the NHS Long Term Plan, our aim is to grow the mental health workforce by an additional 27,000 staff by March 2024.
NHS England has consulted on the potential to introduce five new waiting time standards as part of its clinically-led review of NHS Access Standards, including that children, young people and their families, presenting to community-based mental health services should start to receive care within four weeks from referral. As a first step, NHS England has shared and promoted guidance with its local system partners to consistently report waiting times to support the development of a baseline position. NHS England are working on the next steps.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for autism assessments.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce waiting times for autism assessments.
We expect integrated care boards to have due regard to relevant best practice guidelines when commissioning services, including for autism assessments. The waiting time standard recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is for a maximum waiting time of 13 weeks between a referral for an autism assessment and a first appointment.
On 5 April 2023, NHS England published a national framework and operational guidance for autism assessment services. This guidance will help the National Health Service and local authorities improve autism assessment services and improve the experience for people referred to an autism assessment service. Additionally, in 2023/24, £4.2 million is available to improve services for autistic children and young people, including autism assessment services.
Some 800,000 people work indirectly or directly in our car industry, which accounts for 10% of our country’s
exports. I strongly welcome the £4 billion investment by Tata Motors in a battery factory, and the jobs associated with it. Will my right hon. Friend build on that success and pursue a clear plan to get more gigafactories, including in the west midlands, so that we can capitalise on our lead in battery innovation and technology?
Some 800,000 people work indirectly or directly in our car industry, which accounts for 10% of our country’s
exports. I strongly welcome the £4 billion investment by Tata Motors in a battery factory, and the jobs associated with it. Will my right hon. Friend build on that success and pursue a clear plan to get more gigafactories, including in the west midlands, so that we can capitalise on our lead in battery innovation and technology?
My right hon. Friend is absolutely right to highlight the importance of today’s announcement. It is one of the largest-ever investments in the UK auto industry in this country’s history, with billions of pounds and thousands of jobs, and it is a massive vote of confidence in the UK economy.
I congratulate the Secretary of State on her sure-footed discharge of her responsibilities over the past few weeks, which I think end today.
In the White Paper, there is a commitment that
“when parliamentary time allows…we will…strengthen and clarify regulators’ mandates by introducing a new duty requiring them to have due regard to the principles”
of the White Paper. Given the blistering pace of AI deployment and the fact that the forthcoming King’s Speech will be the last opportunity until 2025, will the Government confirm that they will bring forward that legislation in the next Session?
I congratulate the Secretary of State on her sure-footed discharge of her responsibilities over the past few weeks, which I think end today.
In the White Paper, there is a commitment that
“when parliamentary time allows…we will…strengthen and clarify regulators’ mandates by introducing a new duty requiring them to have due regard to the principles”
of the White Paper. Given the blistering pace of AI deployment and the fact that the forthcoming King’s Speech will be the last opportunity until 2025, will the Government confirm that they will bring forward that legislation in the next Session?
I thank the Chair of the Select Committee for his kind words about me. My right hon. Friend the Member for Chippenham (Michelle Donelan) will return later this week. It has been a privilege to help her by conducting her maternity cover at the highest levels.
My right hon. Friend the Chair of the Select Committee is correct that we set out that plan in our White Paper. We said that we anticipate introducing a statutory duty on regulators
“requiring them to have due regard to the principles”,
which I mentioned in my previous answer. He will also know that I cannot commit to the contents of the King’s Speech, but what I have already said this morning is that the Government will be returning to the House with a full update on the conclusion of the consultation on the White Paper.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help community pharmacies manage costs and workforce shortages.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help community pharmacies manage costs and workforce shortages.
We absolutely recognise pressures in pharmacy – that’s why:
- We just committed £645 million, on top of the £100m investment we made last September, so that community pharmacy has the resource it needs
- We have 82% more pharmacists than in 2010, and the Long Term Workforce Plan sets out our plan to increase training places for pharmacists by nearly 50% to around 5,000 by 2031
- We are also undertaking a series of reforms to enable the workforce to do more and use their skills fully.
Several important pharmacies in my constituency, including the one in Hawkhurst, have been experiencing pressures, with long queues of customers sometimes going outside the door. It is said that access to trained pharmacists is proving very challenging. Will the Secretary of State comment on the situation and say what steps he might be able to take to alleviate the pressure?
Several important pharmacies in my constituency, including the one in Hawkhurst, have been experiencing pressures, with long queues of customers sometimes going outside the door. It is said that access to trained pharmacists is proving very challenging. Will the Secretary of State comment on the situation and say what steps he might be able to take to alleviate the pressure?
There are a number of measures in the primary care recovery plan, from how we better use the skills mix within pharmacies to how we deregulate some of the tasks that take up pharmacists’ time, such as the requirement for a pharmacist to be present after drugs have already been prepared or to clip out tablets because they do not match the number prescribed by a GP. There are a number of areas in which we can better use the skills mix, and there are areas where we can take load off pharmacists. We are also funding additional services through Pharmacy First to support the pharmacy model.