Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many government cyber security roles were vacant on 4 February 2025; and what steps he is taking to recruit more people into cyber security roles.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government Security Group gathers data from cyber security teams across government through planned bi-annual commissions, providing updates on vacant roles in our workforce. In 2023, 251 cyber roles were reported vacant.
The 2025 Government Security Workforce Commission, being undertaken currently, will provide updated data on current vacancy levels.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to improve the cyber security of government digital infrastructure.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
We are committed to strengthening security across all aspects of the Government digital estate.
The Government Cyber Security Strategy sets a clear target for all government organisations to be resilient to known vulnerabilities and common attack methods by 2030.
The recent report from the National Audit Office into Government Cyber Resilience showed that the response needs to be accelerated given the changing threat picture. Its recommendations include development of a whole of government approach, addressing the long-standing shortage of cyber skills, strengthening accountability for cyber risk, and better managing the risks posed by legacy IT. We welcome this report and are taking immediate steps to address its recommendations.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the value of investments in the UK that are held by the sovereign wealth funds of each state in the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 3rd February is attached.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to help support the Northern Ireland Executive to prepare for extreme weather events.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The UK government is committed to working closely with the devolved governments to support climate adaptation across the UK and build resilience to risks such as those from extreme weather. Adaptation is a devolved matter, and the Northern Ireland Climate Change Adaptation Programme sets out the steps being taken to build resilience to climate risks in Northern Ireland. The policies and actions in the third National Adaptation Programme include those taken by the UK Government for the UK as a whole on reserved matters.
The UK government also has an important role to play in coordinating the response to the impacts of extreme weather on the UK as was most recently seen during and after Storm Éowyn. Where UK Ministers and officials were in close contact throughout the response with their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive to facilitate the deployment of support as needed.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Institution of Civil Engineers' Roundtable Discussion on the Construction Playbook, published on 15 May 2024, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of aligning other initiatives with the Playbook.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Cabinet Office officials regularly engage with the ICE and other industry leading organisations, many of which are signatories to our ‘Compact with Industry’. The Construction Playbook is regularly refreshed in collaboration with industry and the public sector, ensuring it remains relevant and effective. The revised version of the Construction Playbook is expected to be published in Q2 2025.
The Construction Playbook brings together best practice from across the public and private sectors. This includes highlighting the importance of a wide range of programmes and initiatives that the sector is taking forward. As part of any future iteration of the playbook, the Cabinet Office will review and assess the potential merits of highlighting or aligning any other initiatives that can drive value for the taxpayer.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with the Institution of Civil Engineers on releasing a new edition of the Construction Playbook.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Cabinet Office officials regularly engage with the ICE and other industry leading organisations, many of which are signatories to our ‘Compact with Industry’. The Construction Playbook is regularly refreshed in collaboration with industry and the public sector, ensuring it remains relevant and effective. The revised version of the Construction Playbook is expected to be published in Q2 2025.
The Construction Playbook brings together best practice from across the public and private sectors. This includes highlighting the importance of a wide range of programmes and initiatives that the sector is taking forward. As part of any future iteration of the playbook, the Cabinet Office will review and assess the potential merits of highlighting or aligning any other initiatives that can drive value for the taxpayer.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate the Office of National Statistics has made of spending on (a) alcohol and (b) narcotics in each of the last five years; and what proportion of this spending is estimated as being illegal.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 18 December is attached.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate the Office of National Statistics has made of total spending on tobacco products in each of the last five years; and if they will make an estimate of what proportion of this spending is on illegal tobacco.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 18 December is attached.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of extreme weather events on critical infrastructure assets in the next five years.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The government is committed to working closely with Critical National Infrastructure operators to ensure resilience and preparedness.
Extreme weather events pose a serious risk to UK resilience, reflected in their inclusion in the National Risk Register. They are included in the Third National Adaptation Programme, which sets out government action to respond to impacts arising from climate change. These products consider risks over a 2-5 year timeframe and enable relevant bodies to undertake proportionate planning.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the joint sex and age-at-death distribution was for Covid-19 deaths in 2020 in England that were subject to inquest and have since been registered with ONS for which the interval from date of death to date of registration as a Covid-19 death was (a) one year or less, (b) one to two years and (c) more than two years.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 4th November is attached.