Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with representatives of telecommunication firms on preventing potential Russian interference in telecommunications networks.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, as the Lead government department for telecommunications, works closely with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure and with telecoms owners, operators and regulator to assess and promote the security and resilience of the sector. DCMS disseminates best practice guidance, products and policy advice to further enhance the sector's security and resilience.

The NCSC, as the UK’s technical authority on cyber, engages closely with the sector to ensure it is alert to any evolving threats, is aware of the support available from NCSC and is taking the necessary actions to strengthen security postures.

Recent legislation will also enable the government to protect our public telecoms networks and services against security threats, both now and for the future. The Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021 introduces a stronger security framework placing new security duties on public telecoms providers and new national security powers to address the risks posed by high risk vendors. The National Security and Investment Act 2021 protects the UK economy, including the telecoms sector, by giving the government powers to scrutinise and intervene in acquisitions which raise national security concerns by blocking or setting conditions where necessary.