Victoria Collins MP: written questions 2025
508 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Internet: SafetyDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 18 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101583More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential role of app store age verification in improving online safety.
Answer: Under the Online Safety Act, Ofcom has a duty to publish a report on the role of app stores in children accessing harmful content on the apps of regulated services. The report will also assess the use and effectiveness of age assurance on app stores. This...
Answered 9 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordInternet: SafetyDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 17 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101125More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Ofcom's response to harmful content online.
Answer: On December 4, Ofcom released a summary of the tech sector's response to the UK's new online safety rules. While there has been progress, further action is needed, including major services. Ofcom has our full backing in using all available powers to prote...
Answered 8 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordArtificial Intelligence: RegulationDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 17 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101123More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to support a coordinated regulatory framework for artificial intelligence across different regulatory bodies.
Answer: Given the range of applications of AI and the pace of change, the government recognises that collaboration between regulators is key for an effective regulatory framework. Our expert UK regulators are already collaborating extensively, including through t...
Answered 9 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordBritish Business BankDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 17 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101121More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the mandate is for the British Business Bank's direct investment programme in scale-up companies.
Answer: The British Business Bank’s mandate for making direct equity investments in scale-up companies is set out in the Statement of Strategic Priorities issued to the Bank by the Secretary of State and the Chancellor. This was published on 21 October 2025. At t...
Answered 5 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordAI Growth ZonesDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 17 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101120More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what progress she has made on the delivery of AI Growth Zones; how many zones have been formally designated; and whether regulatory reforms have been implemented within those zones.
Answer: AI Growth Zones (AIGZs) are a national mission to give the UK the world-class infrastructure it needs to lead in artificial intelligence, unlock billions in private investment, and drive long-term economic growth.Following a formal application process, we...
Answered 8 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordArtificial Intelligence: CopyrightDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 17 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101118More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of copyright law on the ability of companies to train AI models in the UK.
Answer: The government consulted on several topics relating to the interaction between copyright and artificial intelligence (AI). We have carefully analysed the responses and continue to engage extensively on this issue, including through technical working group...
Answered 9 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPaediatrics: Waiting ListsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101116More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of enabling children waiting over 26 weeks for a paediatric appointment to be seen by alternative NHS-commissioned providers.
Answer: Patients in England have a right to request their local integrated care board (ICB) find an alternative provider when they have been waiting, or expect to wait, over 18 weeks to begin treatment for consultant-led care.ICBs are required to take all reasona...
Answered 5 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPaediatrics: Waiting ListsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101114More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to provide support or funding to NHS Trusts with paediatric waiting times exceeding 26 weeks.
Answer: The Government’s ambition is to restore performance against the NHS Constitutional standard, which requires 92% of patients to start consultant-led treatment within 18 weeks.All waiting lists are subject to clinical prioritisation at a local level. The Na...
Answered 5 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPaediatrics: Waiting ListsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101113More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has issued to Integrated Care Boards on clinically prioritising children whose symptoms are deteriorating while awaiting paediatric referral allocation.
Answer: The Government is committed to ensuring that patient outcomes will be at the heart of building a National Health Service that is fit for the future.National planning guidance sets expectations for systems to prioritise clinically urgent cases and those at...
Answered 5 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPaediatrics: Waiting ListsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101112More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children have waited more than (a) 26 and (b) 40 weeks for an initial paediatric referral triage in the most recent 12-month period for which data is available.
Answer: We do not hold data on how many children have waited more than 26 and 40 weeks for an initial paediatric referral triage in the most recent 12-month period.Published referral to treatment data covers the period on waiting time from referral to first defin...
Answered 5 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordPaediatrics: Waiting ListsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 17 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101111More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is for paediatric referrals in (a) East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, (b) Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB and (c) England; and what steps his Department is takin
Answer: The median average waiting time for paediatric referrals for those that are currently on the referral to treatment waiting list is:- 8.7 weeks for the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust;- 8.7 weeks for the Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care ...
Answered 5 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: LightingDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101110More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether local authorities are (a) encouraged and (b) required to upgrade street lighting to meet British Standards.
Answer: The management of street lighting in England is the responsibility of local highway authorities, who have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the public highways in their charge, including street lighting. Authorities do not have ...
Answered 5 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: LightingDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101108More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding is available to local authorities to improve street lighting in residential areas where safety guidance is not met; and what criteria are used to allocate that funding.
Answer: The management of street lighting in England is the responsibility of local highway authorities, who have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the public highways in their charge, including street lighting. Authorities do not have ...
Answered 5 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordRoads: LightingDepartment for TransportTabled 17 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 101106More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance her Department provides to local authorities on minimum lighting levels required on residential roads.
Answer: The management of street lighting in England is the responsibility of local highway authorities, who have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the public highways in their charge, including street lighting. Authorities do not have ...
Answered 5 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordFraudHome OfficeTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 100016More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, to provide a month-by-month breakdown of the number of people who are victims of (a) online and (b) offline fraud, for each year from 2020 to 2025.
Answer: Fraud is the most experienced crime in England and Wales according to the Office of National Statistics’ (ONS) Crime Survey of England and Wales (CSEW). It accounts for 44% of all estimated surveyed crime committed in England and Wales in the year ending ...
Answered 18 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordArtificial IntelligenceDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 12 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99593More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with Ofcom on its classification system for AI chatbots; and whether her Department plans to review the classification of chatbot services as search service
Answer: Last year, Ofcom published a letter that set out that if an AI service searches the live internet to return its results it will be regulated under the Act as a search service.The Secretary of State has confirmed in Parliament that the government will furt...
Answered 22 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordOverseas Students: Hong KongHome OfficeTabled 12 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99592More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of recent changes to the eligibility criteria for Indefinite Leave to Remain on British Nationals (Overseas) students who have resettled in the UK.
Answer: The Government remains steadfast in its support for members of the Hong Kong community in the UK.BN(O) visa holders will attract a 5-year reduction in the qualifying period for settlement, meaning they will continue to be able to settle in the UK after 5 ...
Answered 22 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordArtificial Intelligence: FraudHome OfficeTabled 8 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97969More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the level of economic loss from AI-enabled fraud and scams.
Answer: The Government does not hold an estimate of the full socio-economic cost from AI enabled fraud. Not all incidents of fraud are reported but reports to Action Fraud which reference the suspected use of artificial intelligence resulted in estimated losses o...
Answered 15 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordArtificial Intelligence: Pilot SchemesDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 5 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97580More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps the Government is taking to showcase departmental AI pilots, including (a) which tools are being used, (b) what safeguards are in place, and (c) what has succeeded or failed;
Answer: The government is promoting departmental pilots through the PM’s Exemplars Programme, which have been established to learn from high potential AI pilots in areas such as health, education and planning, and share learnings of what works or not. AI tools us...
Answered 15 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordArtificial Intelligence: TrainingDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 5 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97579More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what support her Department is providing to enable local authorities to commission AI skills training for SMEs and community groups in their areas.
Answer: The AI Opportunities Action Plan sets out how we can strengthen our AI skills and talent base to ensure AI can be used by workers and the public across the UK. We are providing targeted support to SMEs, training 7.5 million workers with essential AI skill...
Answered 17 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: Artificial IntelligenceDepartment for EducationTabled 5 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97578More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what comparative assessment she has made of disparities in AI training and support between (a) state and private schools, and (b) high-performing and underperforming schools; and what steps she is taking to add
Answer: The department does not publish comparative assessments of artificial intelligence (AI) training between school types, but we monitor sector capability through the Technology in Schools Survey, which informs our programmes. Earlier this year we published ...
Answered 15 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSmall Businesses: Artificial IntelligenceDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 5 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97577More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to develop standards to help with procurement and encourage AI adoption amongst SMEs.
Answer: In July, the SME Digital Adoption Taskforce published ten recommendations to help the UK’s SMEs become the most digitally capable and AI confident in the G7 by 2035. We are now working to deliver these recommendations.We have already partnered with Google...
Answered 10 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordArtificial Intelligence and Defence: Trade CompetitivenessDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 5 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97576More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the level of risk to UK competitiveness from underinvestment in (a) AI and (b) defence technology; and what steps she is taking to ensure that
Answer: In January, we accepted all 50 recommendations of the AI Opportunities Action Plan, setting out the steps we are taking to ensure the UK does not fall behind the advances in AI made by global competitors but rather is an AI maker, not an AI taker.At the S...
Answered 17 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSmall Businesses: Artificial Intelligence and CybersecurityDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 5 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97575More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to support SMEs to (a) implement cybersecurity measures and (b) procure AI systems securely; and whether she will make an assessment of the potential
Answer: Improving the cyber security of our nation’s SMEs is critical to the resilience of the wider economy. The Government provides free tools, guidance, and training to help SMEs implement cyber security measures. This includes the National Cyber Security Cent...
Answered 15 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordArtificial Intelligence: FraudDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 5 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97574More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to lead international efforts to establish agreed standards for AI safety and ethics in fraud prevention; and what assessment she has made of the pot
Answer: The UK is leading international efforts to raise AI safety standards. Through the AI Security Institute we are building world-first public capabilities to test advanced AI systems and share methodologies internationally. We also work with our internationa...
Answered 17 Dec 2025
Original Parliament record
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