Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Topical Questions

Wednesday 14 May 2025 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Laura Kyrke-Smith met with Jess and Hannah from Aston Clinton, who are working to encourage parents to delay giving their children smartphones.
  • Alan Mak questioned the Labour government's cancellation of Britain's new national supercomputer at the University of Edinburgh, which was fully funded by the Conservatives.
  • John Slinger highlighted the challenges faced by older and vulnerable constituents who cannot use smartphones or access the internet, emphasizing the need for digital inclusion.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Laura Kyrke-Smith Lab Aylesbury
Culture, Media & Sport Mental Health Children & Families
Context

The question arises from Laura Kyrke-Smith's meeting with Jess and Hannah from Aston Clinton, who are encouraging parents to delay giving their children smartphones due to concerns about excessive use. The Minister for Digital had previously agreed that such usage is detrimental to young people's health.

Question

I met Jess and Hannah from Aston Clinton in my constituency, who are doing brilliant work to encourage parents to delay giving their children smartphones. Responding on Second Reading of the safer phones Bill, the Minister for digital, my hon. Friend the Member for Rhondda and Ogmore (Chris Bryant), agreed that excessive smartphone usage is detrimental to the physical, mental and spiritual health of young people, and confirmed that the Government intend to act in this area. Can the Secretary of State share what his next steps will be?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology (Peter Kyle)

I agree with my hon. Friend; excessive smartphone use is detrimental to children, as it is to MPs across the House. I can assure her that I am commissioning evidence on the impact of social media use on children. I am looking particularly closely at the addictive nature of some of the algorithms being deployed, and at how we can act to keep children safe and benefit their welfare.

Answered
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Q2 Alan Mak Con Havant
Economy Science & Technology
Context

The cancellation of a national supercomputer project funded by the Conservatives at the University of Edinburgh has raised concerns about damage to research capability and economic growth. The university warns that not reversing this cancellation could be disastrous.

Question

Labour has cancelled Britain’s new national supercomputer at the University of Edinburgh, damaging our research capability and economic growth. That project was fully funded by the Conservatives, and the university says that it will be a disaster if the cancellation is not reversed, so will the Government reinstate that supercomputer, or will it be another victim of the Chancellor’s failed economic experiment?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology (Peter Kyle)

It surprises me that the hon. Gentleman continues down this path. One of the first decisions I had to take after becoming Secretary of State was how we deal with an unfunded commitment for hundreds of millions of pounds where the money never existed—the Treasury had not committed it. Not a single letter had gone to my Department from the Treasury, yet the previous Government spent years making verbal commitments. We will deliver a compute strategy that is fit for purpose, that will get our country where it needs to be—

Partly answered

Not addressed: Avoided direct commitment on reinstating the supercomputer project.

How: Downplaying Previous Commitments, Blaming Lack Of Funding

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Q3 John Slinger Lab Rugby
Social Care Standards & Ethics
Context

Some older and vulnerable constituents are worried about being left behind due to their inability to use smartphones or access the internet. John Slinger is liaising with Citizens Advice, the local council, Age Concern, and others to take action locally.

Question

There are incredible dividends from digital for government administration and service delivery, but some older and vulnerable constituents tell me that they cannot use smartphones or are not online and are worried about being left behind. I am liaising with Citizens Advice, the local council, Age Concern and others to take action locally to help them. Can the Minister reassure me that sufficient advice, support and funding will be made available to my constituents to ensure digital inclusion as we rightly seek to utilise digital far more effectively?

Answer from The Minister for Data Protection and Telecoms (Chris Bryant)

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. There are older people, and others for that matter, who either have no online access or do not have a smartphone, who would not be able to access things in a digital world. That is why we introduced a digital inclusion plan, and that is one of the key differences between a Labour Government and a Tory Government: they did not have any interest in digital inclusion and they did not have a plan for 10 years, and we brought one in.

Answered
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