Are politicians turning to AI?
Clive Brooke, a Labour peer, wrote to the government earlier this month to ask 'whether artificial intelligence is used to reply to written parliamentary questions and, if so, what is the extent of this'.
Have government ministers been using AI to answer parliamentary questions from MPs and peers? It's a question one member of the House of Lords has posed – and the answer's still not entirely clear.
On Tuesday, he received a response from Angela Smith, the leader of the House of Lords. She wrote to Lord Brooke: 'All written parliamentary questions are considered on a case by case basis. The Government does not have a specific policy on the use of AI for responding to written parliamentary questions, however staff do have access to AI software tools to support the drafting process.
'All responses are reviewed by policy officials to ensure accuracy and consistency with government policy, and parliamentary questions are signed off by Ministers.'
Which not only doesn't really settle the question – but the answer itself sounds exactly like it has been written by AI. Are our robot overlords already in charge? If so, Rats in a Sack for one welcomes them.
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Western Telegraph
37 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Reeves announces £6 billion to provide millions of NHS tests and procedures
New scanners, ambulances and urgent treatment centres are among the things which the additional cash will pay for, with the aim of providing up to four million more tests and procedures over the next five years. The announcement comes after the Chancellor put NHS funding at the heart of her spending review on Wednesday, raising its budget in a move worth £29 billion a year. This comes, however, at the expense of other areas of public spending. The new £6 billion funding will help to meet the Government's target of reducing NHS waiting lists in England, the Chancellor claimed. 'Over a decade of underinvestment from the previous government put the NHS on its knees, with people across the country unable to get the care they need. We are investing in Britain's renewal, and we will turn that around,' Ms Reeves said. She added: 'Part of our record investment will deliver four million tests, scans and procedures, so hard-working people can get the healthcare they and their families need. 'There is no strong economy without a strong NHS, and we'll deliver on our Plan for Change to end the hospital backlog, improve living standards and get more money in people's pockets.' The latest spending commitment will help patients get access to diagnostic scans and treatment in places such as shopping centres and high streets, speeding up their diagnoses. The Government hopes this will help to cut NHS waiting lists, meeting Labour's goal of ensuring the health service carries out 92% of routine operations within 18 weeks. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: 'Since taking office we have been relentless in our drive to cut waiting times for patients, delivering over 3.6 million extra elective care appointments and reducing the overall waiting list by over 200,000. 'The £6 billion investment we are announcing today will generate millions more vital diagnostic tests, scans and procedures for patients across the country.' On Wednesday evening, Ms Reeves said the Government was 'confident' it could meet its pledge to reduce waiting lists after giving the NHS a 3% annual increase in funding at the spending review. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves during a visit to St Thomas' Hospital in London, following the spending review (Carl Court/PA) Some health leaders are, however, sceptical that the Government will meet its target, despite the funding boost provided at the spending review. Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents all health organisations, warned 'difficult decisions will still need to be made as this additional £29 billion won't be enough to cover the increasing cost of new treatments, with staff pay likely to account for a large proportion of it'. He added: 'So, on its own, this won't guarantee that waiting time targets are met.' Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of the King's Fund charity, said: 'The Chancellor said she wants the public to have an NHS there when they need it. 'It is hard to see how all the things she mentions: faster ambulance times, more GP appointments, and adequate mental health services and more can be met on this settlement alone. 'Particularly when large parts of this additional funding will be absorbed by existing rising costs, such as the higher cost of medicines, which are currently being negotiated, and covering staff pay deals.'
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
NHS to receive £6bn to provide millions more tests and procedures, Reeves confirms
Rachel Reeves has pledged a £6bn investment aimed at accelerating tests and treatments within the NHS, following substantial year-on-year budget increases for the health service. The additional funding will facilitate new scanners, ambulances, and urgent treatment centres, with the goal of delivering up to four million more tests and procedures over the next five years. This announcement follows the chancellor's emphasis on NHS funding in her recent spending review, where she allocated an additional £29bn annually to the NHS budget. However, this increase comes at the expense of other areas of public spending. The £6bn boost is intended to support the Government's objective of reducing NHS waiting lists in England, according to the chancellor. 'Over a decade of underinvestment from the previous government put the NHS on its knees, with people across the country unable to get the care they need. We are investing in Britain's renewal, and we will turn that around,' Ms Reeves said. She added: 'Part of our record investment will deliver four million tests, scans and procedures, so hard-working people can get the healthcare they and their families need. 'There is no strong economy without a strong NHS, and we'll deliver on our Plan for Change to end the hospital backlog, improve living standards and get more money in people's pockets.' The latest spending commitment will help patients get access to diagnostic scans and treatment in places such as shopping centres and high streets, speeding up their diagnoses. The Government hopes this will help to cut NHS waiting lists, meeting Labour's goal of ensuring the health service carries out 92 per cent of routine operations within 18 weeks. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: 'Since taking office we have been relentless in our drive to cut waiting times for patients, delivering over 3.6 million extra elective care appointments and reducing the overall waiting list by over 200,000. 'The £6bn investment we are announcing today will generate millions more vital diagnostic tests, scans and procedures for patients across the country.' On Wednesday evening, Ms Reeves said the Government was 'confident' it could meet its pledge to reduce waiting lists after giving the NHS a 3 per cent annual increase in funding at the spending review. Some health leaders are, however, sceptical that the Government will meet its target, despite the funding boost provided at the spending review. Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents all health organisations, warned 'difficult decisions will still need to be made as this additional £29bn won't be enough to cover the increasing cost of new treatments, with staff pay likely to account for a large proportion of it'. He added: 'So, on its own, this won't guarantee that waiting time targets are met.' Sarah Woolnough, chief executive of the King's Fund charity, said: 'The chancellor said she wants the public to have an NHS there when they need it. 'It is hard to see how all the things she mentions: faster ambulance times, more GP appointments, and adequate mental health services and more can be met on this settlement alone. 'Particularly when large parts of this additional funding will be absorbed by existing rising costs, such as the higher cost of medicines, which are currently being negotiated, and covering staff pay deals.'
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Rachel Reeves pumps cash into NHS with 4m more tests and procedures to cut waits
The NHS and defence were big winners from the Chancellor's Spending Review as Rachel Reeves set out the Government's spending plans for the rest of the decade Rachel Reeves turned on the spending taps today with a £300billion package to renew Britain. The Chancellor said "destructive" Tory austerity had inflicted misery on ordinary Brits and damaged the economy, and vowed: "My choices are different". The NHS and defence were big winners from the Spending Review as Ms Reeves set out the Government's spending plans for the rest of the decade. The NHS was handed an extra £29billion-a-year, a 3% increase for day-to-day running costs over the next three years. Tonight, the Chancellor promised up to 4 million additional NHS tests and procedures would be delivered over the next five years to help slash waiting lists. New scanners, more community diagnostic centres, ambulances and Urgent Treatment Centres will be put in place, with increased capacity in community care to reduce pressure on hospitals. The Chancellor pumped an additional £190billion into day-to-day spending, with Government budgets set to grow by 2.3% per year across the period 2023/24 to 2028/29. And she announced £113billion for infrastructure projects, including £39billion for affordable homes over the next decade, £15.6billion for transport networks outside of London and £16.7billion for nuclear power. Some £30 billion will also be invested over the next five years in maintenance and repair of the crumbling NHS estate, with more than £5 billion dedicated to the most critical repairs. Keir Starmer told the Cabinet that it marked "the end of the first phase of this government, as we move to a new phase that delivers on the promise of change for working people". In a statement to MPs, Ms Reeves said her plans were a far cry from Tory austerity, where public spending was cut by 2.9% per year in 2010. She said: "Let's be clear, austerity was a destructive choice for the fabric of our society. And it was a destructive choice for our economy too, choking off investment and demand, creating a lost decade for growth, wages and living standards." She added: "My choices are different. My choices are Labour choices. The choices in this spending review are possible only because of my commitment to economic stability and the decisions that this Government has made." Ms Reeves said Labour was "renewing Britain", adding: 'I know that too many people in too many parts of our country are yet to feel it. This Government's task, my task as chancellor, and the purpose of this spending review is to change that, to ensure that renewal is felt in people's everyday lives, in their jobs and on their high streets." Defence spending will hit 2.6% of GDP by 2027 - including cash for intelligence - made up by a raid on the foreign aid budget. But no details were given on when the Prime Minister will meet his ambition of hiking it to 3%. A massive £86billion will be spent on the science and technology sector by the end of this Parliament, including funding research into drug treatments. The Chancellor also promised to set out plans for Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), a scheme to improve rail services between Liverpool and Leeds. There was also £3.5 billion more funding for the TransPennine Route Upgrade between York and Manchester, as well as £445million for rail in Wales over the next 10 years, and funding for a new line between Oxford and Cambridge. Schools will see their budgets swell by £2 billion, with per pupil funding to grow by 1.1% a year. Some £2.3 billion per year will go to fixing "crumbling classrooms" and £2.4 billion per year to rebuild 500 schools. But the Institute for Fiscal Studies warned that paying for an expansion of free school meals to another 500,000 children whose families claim Universal Credit next year means a real terms freeze to school funding. Labour will stop housing asylum seekers in hotels by the end of this Parliament, saving the taxpayer £1billion a year. But policing is expected to feel the squeeze as the Home Office grapples with cuts exceeding the asylum savings. The National Police Chiefs' Council warned a projected £1.2 billion shortfall in funding is expected to grow, leaving forces facing further cuts. There will also be £7 billion to fund 14,000 new prison places and up to £700 million per year for probation reforms. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Transport and Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are all in line for real-terms cuts. Much of the funding has been front-loaded to the start of this Parliament, which means the average increase falls to around 1.5% from 2025-26. Stephen Millard, interim director of the NIESR economic research institute, said: "The Chancellor has yet again said that her fiscal rules are 'non-negotiable'. But, given the small amount of headroom at the time of the spring statement and the increases in spending announced since then, it is now almost inevitable that if she is to keep to her fiscal rules, she will have to raise taxes in the autumn budget." Health leaders said the cash boost for the NHS would not guarantee waiting time targets can be met. Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, warned that "difficult decisions will still need to be made as this additional £29 billion won't be enough to cover the increasing cost of new treatments, with staff pay likely to account for a large proportion of it".
