Lords
Proceedings
13 July 2026
Employment: Artificial Intelligence
I welcome the Government providing a great deal of skills education, but I do not see how the Government know what skills the marketplace is looking for in AI, particularly in the situation in which we find ourselves, where the recruitment marketplace has been so badly damaged by the misapplication …
Lords
Committee Stage
7 July 2026
Trade (Mobile Roaming) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
My Lords, I also welcome the Minister to the Front Bench. I know that the first OQ is one of the most alarming experiences this House has to offer, but I am sure she will be brilliant and I look forward to hearing it.
On these Benches, we are pleased to support this instrument. As has been outlined…
Lords
Committee Stage
7 July 2026
Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 (Directions to OFCOM) (Revocation) Order 2026
My Lords, I too thank the Minister for her introduction. This is indeed a short and straightforward instrument, but certainly one worth a little bit of careful thought because of its real strategic importance. As we have heard, the Government propose to revoke the 2010 directions to Ofcom. The direc…
Lords
Proceedings
23 June 2026
Social Media: Use of X by Government Departments
My Lords, does the Minister not agree that the real threat to reliable information is not news publishers but weaponised disinformation published by our enemies using bots? The scale of that is far in excess of anything that Mr Musk might promote or anything that any individual news provider here mi…
Lords
Proceedings
17 June 2026
Social Media: Substances Unfit for Human Consumption
My Lords, to pick up on the point that was well made by the noble Baroness, Lady Bull, sellers of unapproved SARMs routinely use labels in their advertising such as “not for human consumption”, while simultaneously promoting their physique-enhancing effects elsewhere on social media. Since sophistic…
Lords
Proceedings
16 June 2026
Online Hate Speech
My Lords, online hate speech is not solely created by individual users. It is also generated and amplified by malicious state actors using algorithmic methods to inflame tensions and to undermine our social cohesion. So as the Government prepare to strengthen the Online Safety Act to require platfor…
Lords
Proceedings
16 June 2026
Artificial Intelligence: National Security Implications
My Lords, I very much welcome the proposal of the noble Lord, Lord Tarassenko, for sovereign AI capability here. But I would welcome a great deal more clarity from the Government on what exactly they mean by sovereign AI. Does it mean a complete sovereign stack of hardware, software and data? Does i…
Lords
Proceedings
16 June 2026
Social Media Ban for Under-16s
My Lords, I thank the Minister for the Statement and indeed for alerting me in advance of the announcement, which was much appreciated. This announcement—although coming, I am afraid, rather later than many noble Lords would have hoped—is extremely welcome on these Benches. I thank in particular my …
Lords
Oral Questions
13 April 2026
Artificial Intelligence: Impact on Employment
The noble Viscount has rightly highlighted the importance of responsible AI in recruitment guidance. As he knows, the Government have set out good practice for recruitment practitioners and agencies in procuring and deploying AI systems for HR and recruitment. I am sure that this will be a topic tha…
Lords
Oral Questions
11 March 2026
EU Digital Services Act and Regulation
Ofcom and the EU have an agreement and talk frequently about regulatory co-operation. Ofcom is also a member of a global network of regulators, so it can share best practice and welcome further co-operation.
Lords
Oral Questions
11 March 2026
UK Space Economy
The noble Viscount makes an important point. The two priorities of our space policy are economic growth and national security; they are priorities for the whole of government and are central to our approach to space. I co-chair the Space Ministerial Forum with my colleague from the Ministry of Defen…
Lords
Oral Questions
25 February 2026
AI: Labour Market Changes
My Lords, first, I pay tribute to the noble Lord for his long-standing work in this field and for the consistent attention that he has brought to this very important matter.
We have published the Responsible AI in Recruitment guidance, which sets out good practice for procuring and deploying AI sys…
Lords
Oral Questions
24 February 2026
Quantum Technology
The first thing to say is that I think AI and quantum will come together, so the two technologies will be extremely powerful. We commissioned some work from the Regulatory Horizons Council, which has produced the world’s first approach to regulating quantum, very much in the line of regulating use, …
Lords
Oral Questions
26 January 2026
Superintelligent AI
The Government have forged many extremely successful relationships; as evidenced, for example, by the number of trade deals secured over the past 18 months or so. These relationships with the EU, the US, India, France and many other countries include discussions on AI. In addition, the UK is the co-…
Lords
Proceedings
14 January 2026
Social Media: Non-consensual Sexual Deepfakes
My Lords, the technological capabilities and their misuse that have prompted this Statement are, needless to say, deeply disturbing and demand our careful attention. The use of AI to generate non-consensual sexual imagery of women and children is both grotesque in itself, but also corrosive of trust…
Lords
Oral Questions
8 January 2026
AI Systems: Risks
My Lords, I acknowledge the interest of the noble Lord, Lord Fairfax, in this area of artificial intelligence and congratulate him on securing this important, wide-ranging and timely debate. I thank all noble Lords who have contributed to it. I will use the time available to set out the Government’s…
Lords
Oral Questions
15 December 2025
Technology Adoption Review
The technology review and many others have identified that there is no silver bullet in respect of technology adoption. What is needed in the creative industries is perhaps completely different from what is needed in the energy sector, for example. The review’s approach and its adoption into the ind…
Lords
Oral Questions
15 December 2025
UK Research and Innovation: Ethnic Minorities
Yes, I do agree with that, and that is why it is very clear that there is a focus on excellence in the very scheme that has been referred to, which is among the most excellent in the world in terms of what it searches for. It is worth going back to 2020-21, when the then Science Minister, Amanda Sol…
Lords
Oral Questions
10 December 2025
Children: Social Media
We are focusing on implementation of the Online Safety Act: protecting children from harmful content, backing Ofcom as it goes through the children’s risk assessments of the platform operators, and ensuring that the duties that came in in July are effective. That is the priority for the time being. …
Lords
Oral Questions
9 December 2025
Mobile Phone and Broadband Prices
As part of that merger, there was a commitment to invest £11 billion in infrastructure. That is a very important part of the continued rollout of our digital infrastructure, and it is monitored through Ofcom’s Connected Nations report, which is published regularly.
Lords
Oral Questions
17 November 2025
Artificial Intelligence Legislation
The noble Viscount asks about digital ID, as he highlights a proposal which was announced a few months ago. Digital ID will help make it easier for people to access the services they are entitled to and prevent illegal working. It will streamline interactions with the state, saving time and cutting …
Lords
Oral Questions
3 November 2025
AI: Workforce Training
The noble Viscount has asked the same question that I answered when I replied to the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones. We will be upskilling some 7.5 million workers right across the country. I can also share what we are doing with public sector workers: across the department we are working on AI adop…
Lords
Proceedings
30 October 2025
Protection of Children Codes of Practice
My Lords, I thank noble Lords for their valuable contributions today, and I thank the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, for initiating the debate. I absolutely acknowledge the huge expertise in the Room today. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Russell, for his suggestion of further discussions with individ…