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Written Question
Cybersecurity
Friday 1st March 2024

Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Crewe and Nantwich)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen cyber security.

Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The National Cyber Strategy 2022 sets out how the UK will continue to be a leading responsible and democratic cyber power, able to protect and promote our interests in and through cyberspace. It is supported by more than £2.6 billion of investment over three years with a particular emphasis on improving the government’s own cyber security.

The Strategy is delivering a step-change in the UK’s cyber resilience with the government leading the way, adopting a more proactive and sustained campaign approach to deter our adversaries, putting cyber power at the heart of the UK’s foreign policy agenda, whilst protecting and pursuing a competitive advantage in the underpinning technologies that are critical to cyberspace. It also emphasises a whole-of-society approach calling on all parts of society to play their part in reinforcing the UK’s economic and strategic strengths in cyberspace.

In August 2023 the Government published its first annual report on progress implementing the Strategy. The report highlighted the success in the last twelve months in improving cyber resilience through the NCSC Cyber Action Plan and Cyber Essentials as well as disruptions such as the first tranche of cyber sanctions and the takedown of the GENESIS marketplace, a go-to service for cyber-criminals.


Written Question
National Security
Friday 1st March 2024

Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Crewe and Nantwich)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen national security.

Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office leads and coordinates the UK’s national security crisis response through the Cabinet Office Briefing Room (COBR), and national security policy through the National Security Council structures. This includes the National Cyber Strategy, National Security and Investment Programme, and the Biological Security Strategy, all of which the department is taking essential steps to deliver.

Key successes in 2023 included publishing the Integrated Review Refresh, passing the National Security Act, launching the Emergency Alerting service, and delivering the Atlantic Declaration and risk elements of the AI Summit. So far in 2024, we have launched a new Strategic Dialogue on Biological Security with the US and continued to coordinate the response to the conflict in Gaza and Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.


Written Question
Emergencies: Planning
Friday 1st March 2024

Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Crewe and Nantwich)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent progress his Department has made on strengthening national resilience.

Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Strengthening national resilience is a key priority for the Government.

In December 2023, the Deputy Prime Minister delivered the first Annual Statement to Parliament on risk and resilience and published the 2023 Implementation Update, which is available on GOV.UK. The update sets out the progress we have made to strengthen the UK’s national resilience since the publication of the Resilience Framework with context of the current risk landscape we face.

On 6 February 2024, we convened the UK Resilience Forum to garner insight from key stakeholders from across the resilience system and drive a whole of society approach. Details from the meeting are available on GOV.UK.

Later this year, the Deputy Prime Minister will report to Parliament on the progress made implementing the UK Biological Security Strategy which was published in June 2023.


Written Question
Broadband: Rural Areas
Tuesday 19th December 2023

Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Crewe and Nantwich)

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to improve rural connectivity.

Answered by John Whittingdale

The Government is committed to improve digital connectivity in rural areas. Project Gigabit is the Government’s £5 billion programme to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to rural and hard-to-reach communities across the UK. Alongside suppliers’ commercial rollout plans, our target is to achieve 85% gigabit coverage of the UK by 2025, and then nationwide coverage by 2030. Over 79% of UK premises can now access gigabit-capable broadband, which represents significant progress since January 2019, when coverage was just 6%.

We now have 16 contracts in place, and combined with our procurements running across the country, we have made over £2 billion of funding available to support the deployment of gigabit-capable broadband to over 1.1 million premises in hard-to-reach areas across the UK.

Support is also available for homes and businesses in some rural areas through the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme. Over 108,00 vouchers have been used to connect rural homes and businesses with fast, reliable broadband.

For very hard to reach premises, in April 2023, the Government announced a capital grants scheme to provide up to 35,000 premises with help to access Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite equipment to improve their connectivity. More information on this scheme will be announced in the new year.

To improve 4G coverage in rural areas, the government is working with the UK’s four mobile network operators (EE, Three, VMO2 and Vodafone) to deliver the Shared Rural Network. This agreement will see the Government and industry jointly invest over £1 billion to increase outdoor 4G mobile coverage across the UK to 95% by the end of 2025. The programme targets areas of the country with partial or no 4G coverage, and will significantly improve mobile coverage for an extra 280,000 premises and 16,000km of roads. 4G coverage across the UK is approaching 93%, which is up from 91% when the Shared Rural Network deal was signed in March 2020.

Alongside the Shared Rural Network, the Government’s Wireless Infrastructure Strategy, published in April 2023, set out further steps to improve connectivity across the UK, including a new ambition for nationwide coverage of standalone 5G in all populated areas by 2030.

Finally, Simon Fell MP has been appointed as the Government’s Rural Connectivity Champion. His role will be to ensure that rural communities and businesses can access and adopt the connectivity that they need.


Written Question
Defence: Technology
Tuesday 19th December 2023

Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Crewe and Nantwich)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support innovative defence technology.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 September 2023 to Question 199358.


Written Question
Disability and Chronic Illnesses: Employment
Tuesday 19th December 2023

Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Crewe and Nantwich)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to encourage people who are economically inactive due to long-term sickness and disability into work.

Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Government delivers an extensive programme of initiatives to support disabled people and those with health conditions, including those with long-term sickness, to start, stay, and succeed in work.

These initiatives include: the Work and Health Programme, Access to Work grants, Disability Confident, a digital information service for employers, Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres, Employment Advice in NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care.

Building on existing provision and the £2 billion investment announced at the Spring Budget, we announced a new package of support in Autumn Statement 2023 to: double the number of places on the Universal Support employment programme, launch WorkWell in approximately 15 pilot areas to provide light touch work and health support, explore new ways of providing individuals receiving a fit note with timely access to support, and establish an expert group to advise on a voluntary national baseline for Occupational Health provision.

Alongside this, the Health and Disability White Paper announced plans to abolish the WCA. This reform will ensure those who are able to can progress in or towards work, without the worry of being reassessed and losing their benefits, giving claimants confidence they will receive support, for as long as it is needed, regardless of whether they are working.

Ahead of the White Paper reform, we have announced changes to the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) from 2025, that will continue to protect those with the most severe conditions while ensuring those that can work are supported in doing so. Alongside this, a new ‘Chance to Work Guarantee’, will effectively abolish the WCA for most existing claimants who have already been assessed and are not expected to look for or prepare for work. This will remove the fear of reassessments and give people the confidence to try work, while providing continuity of service for vulnerable claimants.


Written Question
Global Combat Air Programme
Tuesday 19th December 2023

Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Crewe and Nantwich)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress he has made on the Global Combat Air Programme.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

On 14 December 2023, the Secretary of State met with his Japanese and Italian counterparts in Tokyo to sign the GCAP Treaty, signifying a landmark milestone in the Global Combat Air Programme.

This Treaty will establish the GCAP International Government Organisation (GIGO), which will work to support timely programme delivery and an in-service date of 2035. The GIGO, to be located in the UK, will be responsible for delivering vital military capability, strengthening each country’s combat air industrial capability, and achieving value for money.

A transcript for the statement made on 18 December 2023 by the Defence Secretary on the Global Combat Air Programme Treaty can be found here - https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2023-12-18/debates/774DA45D-51D9-42C7-A050-5C5C9F5CADCD/GlobalCombatAirProgrammeTreaty


Written Question
Defence: Employment
Tuesday 19th December 2023

Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Crewe and Nantwich)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support defence jobs.

Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The most recent estimate shows that MOD investment supports 209,000 jobs in industries across the UK.

We continue to support UK businesses through research and development, exports and supply chains.


Written Question
Long Term Unemployed People
Tuesday 19th December 2023

Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Crewe and Nantwich)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support the long-term unemployed into work.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Government recently announced further steps to stem flows into long term unemployment and inactivity through the Back to Work Plan.

As part of the Plan, the Restart Scheme will be extended for two years, and eligibility will be expanded to those who have been on Universal Credit in the IWS regime for more than 6 months rather than 9 months (as is the case currently). Restart provides customers with up to 12 months of intensive, tailored employment support.

The expansion of the Restart Scheme means that people will be able to benefit from the support offered by Restart earlier in their customer journey. The extended Restart Scheme will provide support for around 500,000 UC customers in the IWS regime.

The Back to Work Plan also set out that UC customers who remain unemployed after support from the Jobcentre and from the 12-month Restart scheme will take part in a claimant review point. This is a new process where a Work Coach will thoroughly review why the customer remains out of work, and what barriers continue to persist. Work Coaches will update Claimant Commitments to reflect what further support is needed to break this cycle of long-term unemployment, considering individual circumstances. Customers will be required to accept a job, undertake time-limited work experience or other intensive support.

From late 2024, these pathways will be tested on a small scale for claimants completing Restart without earnings.


Written Question
Life Sciences
Tuesday 19th December 2023

Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Crewe and Nantwich)

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent progress her Department has made on strengthening the life sciences sector.

Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Recent progress to strengthen the life sciences sector includes a raft of new initiatives and funding announced at the Autumn Statement. These include £520 million for life sciences manufacturing; £51 million for Our Future Health; the launch of a Rare Therapies Launch Pad; and £10 million of investment in a Centre of Excellence in Oligonucleotide Manufacturing Innovation. Additionally, the government has recently published the full response to the Commercial Clinical Trials Review. These announcements build on the £650 million growth package announced in May and reaffirm the government’s commitment to supporting a thriving life sciences sector.