Jaguar Land Rover Cyberattack

Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall Excerpts

Tuesday 14th October 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Leong (Lab)]

I thank the noble Lord for that point. As far as private enterprise is concerned, the Government will not interfere in what private business organisations do. However, government can produce the tools and the guidance so that companies can have a more robust and resilient approach to cyberattacks. For example, the Cyber Governance Code of Practice shows a board of directors how effectively to manage the digital risks to the organisation. As I said earlier, all companies, if they have not done so, should conduct a comprehensive risk assessment of their digital and cybersecurity framework. They should apply for Cyber Essentials certification or the various other forms of certification and ensure that they have appropriate cyber insurance.

[Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall (Lab)]

My Lords, I hope that my noble friend has had a chance to read an interesting article in this week’s New Statesman by Oliver Pickup about the people who have so far been arrested in relation to recent cyberattacks, particularly those on Marks & Spencer and Jaguar Land Rover, noting that they are very young and that, on the whole, they have learned their skills in hacking and cybercrime through their engagement with cybergames which they start very young. Will my noble friend have a look at that article if he has not had a chance to read it? Can he tell the House in what way the Government are aware of this issue and how they are addressing it within the education system and engagement with young people?

[Lord Leong (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend for that question. I have not read the article, but I will surely do so. The Government recognise the major role that UK cybersecurity professionals play in enhancing and protecting UK security, and it is vital that we support them. However, the defences are pretty complex, and we need to be very careful. While there are robust safeguards and oversight, we have concerns about how any defence could be exploited by cybercriminals and significantly hinder the successful investigation and prosecution of bad actors, so the Home Office is working closely with the National Cyber Security Centre, law enforcement and industry on this issue and will provide an update in due course.

Employment Rights Bill

Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall Excerpts

Committee stage
Monday 16th June 2025 Lords Chamber

We are also conscious that this matter has not been tested in the courts in relation to the existing protections in the 1992 Act. The law on inducements and detriments is complex and, if change is necessary, any amendment would need to be carefully considered. For these reasons, the Government do not support this amendment at this time. I therefore ask my noble friend Lord Prentis of Leeds to withdraw Amendment 253A.

[The Deputy Speaker (Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall) (Lab)]

Do I take it the noble Lord wishes to withdraw the amendment without further contribution?

[Lord Prentis of Leeds (Lab)]

Yes.

Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 (Amendment) (Provision of Information) Order 2025

Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall Excerpts

Tuesday 25th February 2025 Grand Committee

[Baroness Brinton (LD)]

My Lords, just before I contribute, are we not doing both SIs together?

[The Deputy Chairman of Committees (Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall) (Lab)]

That is not what my brief indicates, but of course, if the noble Lord wishes to do that, he can propose it.

[Baroness Brinton (LD)]

I apologise.

The first reading of this brief regulation and the Explanatory Memorandum is misleading. It appears to be a minor correction to ensure that access to DBS barred list details will now include non-territorial and specialist police officers. Nothing to see here—or is that the case?

Once again, I thank the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee for its 14th report of this Session, in which it set out the real background to this SI and the previous history of errors in law by this department being corrected by regulations—but with Explanatory Memorandums lacking in information to inform those parliamentarians wishing to scrutinise regulations. It points out at least 10 SIs for this period since July 2024 that have been unsatisfactorily presented to your Lordships’ House—referenced by the committee in its third, fourth, eighth and 10th reports. This SI now needs to be added to that list.

The reality of this SI is that highly confidential information under the DBS legislation had been passed on to police bodies even though they were not permitted to receive it. The original Act, passed in 2006 under the previous Labour Government—nearly 20 years ago now—has clearly not been reviewed in detail since then. One must commend the new Government for dealing with not just this issue but the other ones as well. However, it is a real shame that the somewhat underhand tactics of the Explanatory Memorandum, designed to elicit confidence in the reader, are misleading as to be against the spirit of the relationship between a Government and the Parliament that is there to ensure that it can hold that Government to account. Can the Minister say whether the systems have been changed in the Home Office to ensure that this type of obfuscatory approach is now ended and that all such legislation that needs to be updated has been updated?

On the SI itself, the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee raises the issue that the implication of the draft order is that unlawful sharing of data may have happened, even if it did not concern very many people. Individuals on the list may have been affected by being denied a job or made the subject of a protection order. So can the Minister tell the Grand Committee how many individuals—even if the number is small—may have been affected by the unlawful activity, and, perhaps even more importantly, whether those individuals have been told?

Domestic Abusers: Reoffending

Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall Excerpts

Monday 24th February 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall (Lab)]

My Lords, to go back to the original question from the right reverend Prelate about bystander intervention, those of us who travel on public transport in London will be aware that there is a programme currently in operation offering very specific advice to travellers on how to intervene in circumstances where they witness the kind of abuse we are talking about. I wonder whether my noble friend has any information from Transport for London on how successful that programme is and what impact it is having.

[Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab)]

I cannot specifically say today that I have that information for my noble friend, but I will certainly investigate. My noble friend Lord Hendy, the Transport Minister, is sat next to me on the Bench today and will have heard the question. We will negotiate and discuss between us whether there are lessons to be learned and how that programme is of value. I will look into that for my noble friend.

Probation Services: Prisoner Early Release Scheme

Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall Excerpts

Thursday 14th November 2024 Lords Chamber

[Lord Swire (Con)]

My Lords—

[Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall (Lab)]

My Lords—

[Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab Co-op)]

Come on, it is Labour’s turn. We have not had a question.

[Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)]

It is the turn of the Labour Benches now.

[Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall (Lab)]

My Lords, I think my noble friend would agree that the role of a probation officer is complex and requires a high level of skill. He has talked about recruitment. Can he share with the House a bit more about how that recruitment process is being conducted, where the search is going on and what the minimum requirements are for people who might apply for it?

[Lord Hanson of Flint (Lab)]

I am grateful to my noble friend for that question. If I may, I shall reflect on that and raise those points with the Minister, my noble friend Lord Timpson; he will have the detail of the recruitment exercise, which I do not have before me today. I ask her to rest assured that the 1,000 new officers are on track for March 2025, and quality is key to the delivery that those probation officers are seeking to ensure.