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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to publish the telecoms security plan.

We have undertaken a comprehensive review of the telecoms supply chain to ensure the security and resilience of 5G and fibre in the UK. The Review, published in July 2019, set out our priorities for the future of telecommunications, and proposed the introduction of a new, strengthened security framework for telecoms and targeted diversification strategy. The final conclusions of the Review in relation to high risk vendors were announced on 28 January, following a robust, evidence-based decision-making process involving security analysis by the UK’s world-leading National Cyber Security Centre.

Legislation will be brought forward at the earliest available opportunity to implement the conclusions of the Review. The decision made regarding the use of high risk vendors has been supported by guidance for the UK’s telecoms operators issued by the National Cyber Security Centre, which has been published online.