Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if her Department will issue guidance to businesses to protect against cyber-attacks.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government has written to Chairs and CEOs of the largest UK companies and asked them to better identify and protect themselves from cyber threats by making cyber a board-level priority by using the Cyber Governance Code, signing up to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) Early Warning service, and requiring Cyber Essentials in supply chains. These actions are relevant to all businesses, who can also help protect themselves by using the wide range of free advice, training and tools available on the NCSC website, including the check your cyber security tool and the Cyber Action Toolkit for small businesses.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many cables his Department has recorded as damaged or suspected of being damaged by Russian ships in (a) the North Sea, (b) the English Channel, (c) the Irish Sea and (d) the North Atlantic in each of the last 24 months.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Accidental cable damage from industrial maritime activity is part of the cable operating ecosystem. There are 65 cables systems connecting to the UK, with 45 of those cables connecting internationally. The large continental shelf and busy maritime sector in the UK mean there are a high number of accidental breaks each year, 12-15 mainly caused by industrial fishing and some from anchor drags or drops, and a small amount by underwater seismic activity. In the UK we have an exemption from permitting for emergency repairs meaning we have the fastest repair time in the world at 5-7 days. The cables provide redundancy for each other as data is diverted along other cables while a cable waits for repair.
We are aware Supporting cable repair industry and working with international partners to deter this activity through initiatives such as the Joint Declaration on cooperation to protect energy and telecommunications infrastructure in the North Sea, NATO’s Baltic Sentry and the Joint Expeditionary Forces Nordic Warden.