To ask the Minister of Education, following his announcement of £10.7 million investment into GenAI licences on 6 May 2026, to detail (i) a breakdown of the organisations providing the different services; (ii) any tender process that was undertaken to appoint the licences; (iii) where the budget has come from for these services; and (iv) any specific outcomes that are attached to licence contracts.

(i) The GenAI capability referenced in the Minister’s announcement is being delivered through a combination of existing frameworks and newly procured licences via a tender process. The two major platform providers are Microsoft and Google.

(ii) The provision of licences has been undertaken in line with public procurement requirements. Where possible, existing contractual arrangements and frameworks have been utilised to enable rapid and compliant deployment. Any additional procurement activity has followed established Education Authority and Department of Finance guidance to ensure value for money, transparency and compliance.

(iii) The £10.7 million investment forms part of allocated funding to support digital transformation within education, including the safe and effective introduction of generative AI technologies. Funding has been drawn from approved departmental budgets, linked to TransformED and aligned to the wider education technology and innovation programme.

(iv) The licences are intended to support a range of educational and operational outcomes, including:

Enhanced teaching and learning through access to AI-assisted tools

Improved productivity for teachers and school leaders

Development of digital skills and AI literacy among pupils and staff

Strengthened safeguards and governance for safe AI use in an education context

Alignment with broader digital transformation objectives across the education sector.

All deployments are subject to appropriate governance, data protection and safeguarding requirements, including ongoing monitoring and evaluation of impact.