Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times (a) his Department and (b) each agency sponsored by his Department has experienced a cyber attack in each year since 2010; what the cost to the public purse was of each cyber attack; and who the perpetrator was of each cyber attack.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The hon. Member will understand that it is not possible for me to reveal all details of cyber incidents for reasons of volume and security. For the same reason, it is usual practice not to reveal costs of cyber attacks as this is valuable information that our adversaries can use to determine weaknesses in our systems. The Ministry of Defence is the target of interest for the full range of malign cyber actors and has invested heavily in its defensive capabilities.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the eligibility criteria for the Nuclear Test Medal to include UK service personnel who took part in (a) Operation Bagpipes in 1954 and (b) all other US tests.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Nuclear Test Medal was designed to recognise the unique contribution of those personnel who served at the locations in Australia and the Pacific where the UK Atmospheric Nuclear Test Programme, including clear-up operations, took place between 1952 and 1967. In particular, the Medal recognises the contribution made by these personnel to the development of the UK's independent deterrent.
The agreed eligibility criteria for the Medal do not currently include UK personnel who were not present in the defined test areas, personnel who monitored nuclear tests conducted by other nations, or personnel who were present at later, non-atmospheric, tests.
We recognise the sacrifices and the huge contribution that Nuclear Test Veterans have made to the UK’s security. The Secretary of State for Defence has directed the Department to look at the commemorative medal criteria, in consultation with other stakeholders.