Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the governments of other countries regarding the resilience of the UK's subsea cables.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
By their nature, sub-sea telecommunications cables are international. The Government engages with international partners and organisations on a wide range of cable issues to inform our national arrangements and to ensure the effective operation of the global telecommunications network.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the resilience of subsea cables will be considered in the new National Resilience Strategy; whether they plan to designate subsea cables as critical national infrastructure; and if not, what steps they are taking to increase the resilience of the UK's subsea cables.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Due to their sensitivity, the Government does not comment on assets, facilities, systems, networks or processes that are classified as Critical National Infrastructure. However, the Government takes the security and resilience of sub-sea cables very seriously and work is ongoing to take these considerations into account throughout the development of a National Resilience Strategy, as set out in the Integrated Review published earlier this year.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is the lead department for sub-sea telecommunications cables and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy for sub-sea energy cables. Both departments consider, on a case-by-case basis, assets considered critical infrastructure, including sub-sea infrastructure. Operators have arrangements in place to ensure a prompt response to damage or disruption. The departments work closely with the operators, regulators and others to assess risks and ensure there are appropriate resilience and mitigation measures in place.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made as to whether Global Marine Group is the only UK-based company that (1) lays, and (2) maintains, communications cables; and what discussions, if any, they have had with the firm about this capability.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Cable laying and operation is a global enterprise which includes UK-based companies. The Government has regular contact with the industry including Global Marine Group. The government understands that the US-owned Global Marine Group is the only UK-based company that can both lay and maintain subsea telecommunications cables.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) Australian, and (2) Canadian, subsea cable maintenance regimes.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Government maintains an interest in subsea cable operating regimes to inform our national arrangements.
By their nature, subsea telecommunications cables are international, and the UK engages with international partners on a range of issues pertaining to cables, including environmental, fishing, trade and regulatory aspects.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how many repairs to subsea cables have needed to be undertaken, and (2) what was the average time taken to complete such repairs, in each of the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government takes the security and resilience of cables very seriously and we focus on the full range of threats and risks, including supply chain and repair arrangements. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is the lead department for the energy sector, including subsea energy cables. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is the lead department for telecommunications policy, including the security and resilience of telecommunications subsea cables.
Subsea cables are privately owned and operated. Operators have arrangements in place to ensure a prompt response to damage or disruption. These arrangements draw upon national and international cable laying and repair companies. The departments work closely with the operators, regulators and others to assess risks and ensure that the appropriate mitigation measures, including the provision of specialist capabilities (such as installation and repair), are in place to enable an effective response to actual or potentially disruptive incidents. We keep these capabilities and the regulatory framework under review and engage with industry as part of this.
Information on cable repairs is not held but departments regularly engage with industry to keep informed.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with organisations responsible for repairing critical subsea cable infrastructure.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government takes the security and resilience of cables very seriously and we focus on the full range of threats and risks, including supply chain and repair arrangements. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is the lead department for the energy sector, including subsea energy cables. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is the lead department for telecommunications policy, including the security and resilience of telecommunications subsea cables.
Subsea cables are privately owned and operated. Operators have arrangements in place to ensure a prompt response to damage or disruption. These arrangements draw upon national and international cable laying and repair companies. The departments work closely with the operators, regulators and others to assess risks and ensure that the appropriate mitigation measures, including the provision of specialist capabilities (such as installation and repair), are in place to enable an effective response to actual or potentially disruptive incidents. We keep these capabilities and the regulatory framework under review and engage with industry as part of this.
Information on cable repairs is not held but departments regularly engage with industry to keep informed.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK supply chain for submarine cable maintenance; and what steps they are taking to protect that supply chain.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government takes the security and resilience of cables very seriously and we focus on the full range of threats and risks, including supply chain and repair arrangements. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is the lead department for the energy sector, including subsea energy cables. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is the lead department for telecommunications policy, including the security and resilience of telecommunications subsea cables.
Subsea cables are privately owned and operated. Operators have arrangements in place to ensure a prompt response to damage or disruption. These arrangements draw upon national and international cable laying and repair companies. The departments work closely with the operators, regulators and others to assess risks and ensure that the appropriate mitigation measures, including the provision of specialist capabilities (such as installation and repair), are in place to enable an effective response to actual or potentially disruptive incidents. We keep these capabilities and the regulatory framework under review and engage with industry as part of this.
Information on cable repairs is not held but departments regularly engage with industry to keep informed.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is a requirement for a sovereign capability to repair and maintain undersea cables in UK waters; and how many UK companies are able to conduct such operations.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government takes the security and resilience of cables very seriously and we focus on the full range of threats and risks, including supply chain and repair arrangements. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is the lead department for the energy sector, including subsea energy cables. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is the lead department for telecommunications policy, including the security and resilience of telecommunications subsea cables.
Subsea cables are privately owned and operated. Operators have arrangements in place to ensure a prompt response to damage or disruption. These arrangements draw upon national and international cable laying and repair companies. The departments work closely with the operators, regulators and others to assess risks and ensure that the appropriate mitigation measures, including the provision of specialist capabilities (such as installation and repair), are in place to enable an effective response to actual or potentially disruptive incidents. We keep these capabilities and the regulatory framework under review and engage with industry as part of this.
Information on cable repairs is not held but departments regularly engage with industry to keep informed.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to introducing mandatory UK sovereign repair coverage 24/7, 365 days a year, to protect critical subsea cable infrastructure.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government takes the security and resilience of cables very seriously and we focus on the full range of threats and risks, including supply chain and repair arrangements. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is the lead department for the energy sector, including subsea energy cables. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is the lead department for telecommunications policy, including the security and resilience of telecommunications subsea cables.
Subsea cables are privately owned and operated. Operators have arrangements in place to ensure a prompt response to damage or disruption. These arrangements draw upon national and international cable laying and repair companies. The departments work closely with the operators, regulators and others to assess risks and ensure that the appropriate mitigation measures, including the provision of specialist capabilities (such as installation and repair), are in place to enable an effective response to actual or potentially disruptive incidents. We keep these capabilities and the regulatory framework under review and engage with industry as part of this.
Information on cable repairs is not held but departments regularly engage with industry to keep informed.
Asked by: Lord West of Spithead (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which organisations have responsibility for the maintenance of subsea cables into the UK; and what steps they have taken to ensure that such services are available in a time of crisis.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government takes the security and resilience of cables very seriously and we focus on the full range of threats and risks, including supply chain and repair arrangements. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is the lead department for the energy sector, including subsea energy cables. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is the lead department for telecommunications policy, including the security and resilience of telecommunications subsea cables.
Subsea cables are privately owned and operated. Operators have arrangements in place to ensure a prompt response to damage or disruption. These arrangements draw upon national and international cable laying and repair companies. The departments work closely with the operators, regulators and others to assess risks and ensure that the appropriate mitigation measures, including the provision of specialist capabilities (such as installation and repair), are in place to enable an effective response to actual or potentially disruptive incidents. We keep these capabilities and the regulatory framework under review and engage with industry as part of this.
Information on cable repairs is not held but departments regularly engage with industry to keep informed.