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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2020 to Question 73828 on Telecommunications Russia, whether the Government has made an assessment of the threat posed by Russia to the integrity and security of the UK's communications networks.

The Government has long recognised there is an enduring and significant threat posed by Russia to the UK and its allies and delivery of the Government’s Russia strategy is coordinated through the HMG Russia Unit and supported by the joint state threats assessment team and wider diplomatic, intelligence and military capabilities.

In support of this strategy, the Government’s approach to securing the UK’s telecommunications networks is underpinned by world-leading security analysis from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). This analysis provides a comprehensive understanding of the risks and threats faced by the UK telecoms sector, and is informed by, inter alia, details of previous attacks on the UK telecoms networks, and the NCSC’s knowledge of global attacks on telecoms systems, regardless of the attacker. The NCSC’s security analysis is subject to constant review as the risks and threats change, and their advice to the government is updated accordingly.