Availability of digital connectivity underpins the UK’s digital capabilities, including the ability of rural communities to benefit from deployment of agricultural robotics. This is why we are futureproofing the UK’s networks, with a target to deliver gigabit broadband coverage to 99% of premises by 2032 and an ambition for all populated areas to have access to higher quality standalone 5G coverage by 2030.

Ofcom reports that as of January 2026, 69% of rural premises in Buckinghamshire local authority have access to a gigabit-capable connection and standalone 5G is available across 98% of the rural landmass from at least one mobile network operator.

Through the 5G Innovation Regions programme, the Government has funded projects across the UK to demonstrate how a range of connectivity solutions can support modern farming practices and the use of agricultural technologies such as drones, robotics, cameras and sensors.

This Government will assess the success of its investment in agricultural robotics through the Farming Innovation Programme’s long-term evaluation. Metrics will include the volume of technologies developed and commercialised, their uptake by farmers and growers, changes in farm productivity and environmental outcomes, and any wider or unintended impacts. Evidence will be drawn from programme monitoring data, follow-up surveys and longitudinal case studies, recognising that some impacts may take several years to materialise.

Defra recognises that small and medium-sized farms can face barriers to adopting any new technology, including high upfront costs, access to finance, skills requirements, uncertainty over returns, connectivity constraints, and integrating new technologies into existing farm businesses. Through the Farming Innovation Programme and ADOPT, Defra is supporting innovation, testing and adoption.

The Government is supporting the development and adoption of agricultural robotics through the Farming Innovation Programme. Through this programme, farmers, growers, foresters, researchers and businesses across England, including in Buckinghamshire, can apply for funding to develop, test and adopt innovative robotic and automated technologies that improve productivity, sustainability and resilience.

We are committed to increasing long-term labour resilience and robotic and autonomous applications could help with this. A 2025 Checkpoint evaluation of the Farming Innovation Programme, which funds several R&D projects developing robotics for the farming sector, found emerging evidence that supported technologies could help address labour shortages and improve productivity, efficiency and environmental performance. However, most automation projects are still in R&D or trial testing and it is too early to assess their wider impact.

Where pavement robots currently operate, they do so in partnership with the relevant local authority.

The Government announced last week that it will facilitate new trials of pavement delivery robots in new places through powers in the Regulating for Growth Bill. This will be done with a view to creating a clear, lawful route to market for pavement delivery robots which will expand services to new contexts, new areas and with new businesses.

As with other trials of new technologies on our roads, such as the e-scooter trials, local leaders will decide whether they want to trial pavement delivery robots and shape how any trial operates.

In the longer term, licensing powers for shared micromobility schemes in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act could be extended to pavement robots so that local leaders will always decide whether and how these vehicles can operate in their area.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) do not hold any contracts for the provision of goods or services with either (a) Shenzhen Pudu Technology or (b) Pudu Robotics.

The recent Skills England Annual Skills Report and Sectoral Skills Needs Assessments 2026 concludes that the skills system has not kept pace with rapid technological change, with artificial intelligence (AI), automation and digital skills shortages intensifying across the economy.

It highlights growing demand for digital, analytical and AI-related skills, which cannot be met by the current training pipeline alone and requires upskilling and reskilling of the workforce.

The Skills for AI: What works for AI upskilling in the UK research programme finds that AI adoption is outpacing workforce capability, and that skills are being developed unevenly and often informally, with limited time, resources and structured training in many organisations.

In response to these issues government is working with industry to identify and respond to the UK’s digital and AI skills needs.

The UK AI Hardware Plan identifies the skills needs of the UK’s AI hardware sector and how we will develop the skills required to build AI infrastructure.

Skills England are actively working with employers to shape relevant training pathways. We have introduced an AI and automation practitioner apprenticeship and three AI leadership apprenticeship units and are supporting initiatives such as DSIT’s AI Skills Boost programme.

The Government’s TechFirst programme will help boost the pipeline of skilled workers. At least 400,000 students from some of the most disadvantaged schools will be supported to take up AI and tech skills in efforts to tackle skills needs while ensuring opportunities are provided to those who need them the most.

This approach to tackling digital and AI skills gaps is aligned with the Industrial Strategy and associated sector plans and is focused on identifying where demand is greatest and ensuring provision meets employer needs.

The Robotic Assisted Surgery (RAS) Steering Committee has cross-government representation from the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England, the Office for Life Sciences, NHS Supply Chain, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and clinical leads from a range of National Health Service provider trusts. The terms of reference are actively being redrafted to reflect the increased scope of the committee's work.

Decisions on the procurement of RAS are made locally by NHS trusts and integrated care boards, in line with local need and national guidance. The steering committee is developing plans to drive the pace and scale of adoption in line with commitments to expand RAS over the next decade as set out in the 10‑Year Health Plan. A baseline assessment is being undertaken to understand the current provision of RAS and the increase in activity needed to begin to close the gaps. NHS England has funding in place for a national robotic surgery registry, which, once established will provide near real-time data on this aspect.

The Government recognises the current legal framework does not provide the certainty businesses need to invest, which is why we have committed to introduce a new Low-speed Zero Emission Vehicle category to regulate micromobility vehicles, including pavement robots, when Parliamentary time allows. This regulation will also be designed to ensure any negative impacts to blind and partially sighted people are mitigated.

The Micromobility Team in the Department for Transport is responsible for pavement robots, and there are currently no staff dedicated to working solely on delivery robot policy, with work on this policy area being conducted as business-as-usual activity by officials with wider responsibilities.

Initiatives to support manufacture of robotics and autonomous systems include the £99m Made Smarter programme which funds the development and commercialisation of industrial digital technologies, including robotics, and supports their adoption by manufacturing SMEs. The Manufacturing Technology Centre, part of the Catapult network of research centres, has launched an accelerator programme offering a range of support to develop robotics and automation solutions.

In February 2026, Government launched the Robotics Adoption Skills Development Programme which will provide up to £2.5m for projects to develop and deliver course content and materials to support skills, talent and training in robotics. This seeks to address the skills gaps in being able to procure, integrate, operate and maintain robotics and autonomous systems. Other examples include the Manufacturing Technology Centre providing a range of robotics training and skills packages, the UK Atomic Energy Authority offering specialised robotics and remote handling courses and the ACORN accelerator which funds training and collaboration in nuclear robotics.

Government measures to support robotics firms to scale up in the UK includes crowding-in private sector investment via the British Business Bank and National Wealth Fund, both with expanded capitalisations and a mandate to support companies aligned with the Industrial Strategy. The Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO) assesses UK’s approach to regulation to ensure the regulatory system adapts to keep pace with innovation. Robotics is a current priority for RIO which will be assessing where barriers can be removed to accelerate innovation and deployment.

Government measures to support British technology companies, including robotics firms, to scale up in the UK comprises crowding-in private sector investment via the British Business Bank and National Wealth Fund, both with expanded capitalisations and a mandate to support industrial strategy companies. Further support includes the Made Smarter programme which funds the development, commercialisation and adoption of robotics in manufacturing. The Government is also accelerating the adoption of robotics technologies through a new £52m Robotics Adoption Hubs programme to provide businesses with the expertise to understand and use these systems.

Monthly inpatient procedure data is published regularly as part of the Hospital Episode Statistics for Admitted Patient Care, Outpatient and Accident and Emergency dataset. The number of finished consultant episodes with a procedure from January 2024 to February 2026 is included in the table below. Whilst the data is published, it is provisional and may be incomplete or contain errors for which no adjustments have yet been made. Counts produced from provisional data are likely to be lower than those generated for the same period in the final dataset. This shortfall will be most pronounced in the final month of the latest period, in this case February 2026. The following table shows the number of inpatient finished consultant episodes for each month from 2024 to February 2026:

Source: Provisional Monthly Hospital Episode Statistics for Admitted Patient Care, Outpatient and Accident and Emergency data, NHS England.

No formal assessment has currently been made on the contribution of robotic-assisted procedures to achieving the March 2026 target of 65% of patient pathways waiting less than 18 weeks to start first treatment.

The Elective Reform Plan, January 2025, outlined the productivity and modernisation efforts needed to restore 18-week referral-to-treatment standards. We will continue to utilise widespread advances in techniques and technology, including robotic surgery to deliver higher quality care sooner. In February 2026, performance against the standard for 92% of patients to start first treatment within 18 weeks of referral was 62.6%, 3.4% higher than a year earlier.

Data on the current waiting list for pathways involving robotic procedures is not held in the format requested.

The Department and NHS England are working with senior leaders across the health system, including integrated care boards (ICBs), to make sure that procurement of surgical robotic platforms supports innovation, transparency and long-term value.

No guidance has been provided to ICBs at this stage, but equity of access remains a key consideration. The Department and NHS England are working with regional partners to understand how robotics can be deployed in a way that supports equity, productivity and population need. Regional alliances refer to Cancer Alliances, which look at the care and support patients should expect to receive from diagnosis to follow-up across their whole area, so they can address variation and implement best practice. NHS England provides Cancer Alliances with funding for cancer to assist in their work.

Decisions on the procurement of robotic-assisted surgery are made locally by National Health Service trusts and ICBs, in line with local need and national guidance. No specific targets or monitoring arrangements have been set in relation to uptake or implementation of the July 2025 Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) guidance. However, a baseline assessment is being undertaken to understand the current provision of robotic assisted surgery and the increase in activity needed to begin to close the gaps. NHS England has funding in place for a national robotic surgery registry, which, once established will provide near real-time data on this aspect.