Asked by: Lord Elliott of Ballinamallard (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what actions they are taking to secure and protect communications cables in the Atlantic Ocean which either (1) go directly from the UK, or (2) go from the UK through the Republic of Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government works closely with international partners and industry to ensure the security and resilience of trans-Atlantic subsea telecoms cables. At the UK-Ireland Summit in March 2025, both countries committed to collaborating on maritime security with an emphasis on safeguarding critical undersea infrastructure. For example, the Government is already working with Irish counterparts to improve our emergency response procedures. The Government also recently unveiled Atlantic Bastion, the Royal Navy's plan to secure the North Atlantic for the UK and NATO. It will exploit advances in autonomy and artificial intelligence to deter the growing underwater threat in light of a modernising Russian submarine force.