Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total cost to date of the removal of Hikvision cameras from Whitehall departments; and what estimate they have made of the cost to local authorities of removing Hikvision cameras from local council buildings.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
It is a long-standing policy that the Government does not comment on security arrangements including the details of security systems. However, the UK takes national security extremely seriously and has taken robust action to secure and protect its national security infrastructure.
Following Royal Assent of the Procurement Act on 26 October 2023 the Government committed to publishing a timeline for the removal of surveillance equipment supplied by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of China from sensitive sites within six months. This timeline is due to be published by 26 April.
Sensitive sites were defined “as any building or complex that routinely holds secret material or above; any location that hosts a significant proportion of officials holding developed vetting clearance; any location which is routinely used by Ministers; and any government location covered under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005.”
While local authorities may choose to follow the lead of central government in removing surveillance equipment they are under no obligation to do so. We encourage all organisations to follow NCSC supply chain security guidance when selecting a technology supplier. This guidance clearly sets the security standards that suppliers should meet and the considerations that organisations should be making during the procurement process.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the resilience of the supply chain across the UK and to reduce friction at the borders.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
In January the government published the Critical Imports and Supply Chains Strategy, setting out the actions we are taking to protect supply chains vital to the UK's economic prosperity, national security, and essential services. These include sharing more information and guidance with businesses on key risks; introducing a way for businesses to tell us about barriers affecting critical imports; and working with international partners to tackle shared supply chain challenges.
The Border Target Operating Model, published in August 2023, sets out our new global regime of border controls that makes better use of technology and data to reduce friction and costs for businesses and consumers. It will create a radically simpler yet secure experience for traders moving goods across the UK border.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Coalition on Secure Technology, Chinese cellular (IoT) modules: Countering the threat, published in March, and its conclusions that Chinese-made cellular internet of things modules should be banned from UK critical national infrastructure.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The security of the UK's critical national infrastructure is of utmost importance to the Government. We continue to monitor potential security threats, including the unique challenges posed by cellular internet-of-things (IoT) modules. The National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) and The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) produce advice and guidance on the security implications of internet connected components, which the Government follows where appropriate.
Existing legislation such as the Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021 and Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act (PSTI) 2022 are designed to address the emerging security threats posed by IoT technologies. These include a range of measures that can be employed even in an evolving threat landscape. Any action is only taken after a rigorous assessment.
The UK's approach to China is to enhance our national security protections, align with our partners, and to engage where it is in the UK's national interest.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure transparency and cost-effectiveness in the procurement of defence equipment, given the increasing complexity and expense of modern military hardware.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence is implementing a new Integrated Procurement Model to drive pace in delivery of military capability to UK forces on the front line, so that we stay ahead of our adversaries in a fast changing strategic environment.
A key feature will be a Defence-wide portfolio to prioritise requirements at the departmental level to ensure we achieve greater effect from the available budget.
Spiral development, the delivery of a minimum deployable capability quickly which is then iterated in the light of experience and advances in technology throughout its in-service life, will be supported by new commercial pathways to increase speed and value for money.
As part of a new alliance with industry we will be more transparent about Defence's future acquisition pipeline to help shape markets, focus R&D efforts and build resilience into our industrial base.
In addition, the Procurement Act 2023 will deliver a step change in transparency and openness, with notices mandated for direct awards and publication requirements extended from planning to termination, including contract performance. A single central platform for contract data will give everyone access to certain procurement information, although there will be occasions when information will be withheld from publication on national security grounds.
Finally, we have reformed the Single Source Contract Regulations which provide regulatory assurance on value for money where we procure in the absence of competition. These reforms, which come into effect on 1 April, introduce simplifications and flexibilities to ensure the Regulations continue to adapt to changes in what we buy and how we buy it.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of spending on the Human Performance and Protection programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019-20.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Dstl works with industry, academia and Government to make sure the UK has the right defence science and technology capabilities, and to deliver work for our customers in the Ministry of Defence and the rest of Government.
Dstl provides summary information on its Science and Technology Programmes on its website to inform the public of the nature of the work it is undertaking. Detailed Programme costs cannot be provided in the interests of National Security.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of spending on the High Level Decision Support programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019-20.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Dstl works with industry, academia and Government to make sure the UK has the right defence science and technology capabilities, and to deliver work for our customers in the Ministry of Defence and the rest of Government.
Dstl provides summary information on its Science and Technology Programmes on its website to inform the public of the nature of the work it is undertaking. Detailed Programme costs cannot be provided in the interests of National Security.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of spending on Future Workforce and Training programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019-20.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Dstl works with industry, academia and Government to make sure the UK has the right defence science and technology capabilities, and to deliver work for our customers in the Ministry of Defence and the rest of Government.
Dstl provides summary information on its Science and Technology Programmes on its website to inform the public of the nature of the work it is undertaking. Detailed Programme costs cannot be provided in the interests of National Security.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of spending on the Hypersonics programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019-20.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Dstl works with industry, academia and Government to make sure the UK has the right defence science and technology capabilities, and to deliver work for our customers in the Ministry of Defence and the rest of Government.
Dstl provides summary information on its Science and Technology Programmes on its website to inform the public of the nature of the work it is undertaking. Detailed Programme costs cannot be provided in the interests of National Security.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of spending on the communications and networks programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019-20.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Dstl works with industry, academia and Government to make sure the UK has the right defence science and technology capabilities, and to deliver work for our customers in the Ministry of Defence and the rest of Government.
Dstl provides summary information on its Science and Technology Programmes on its website to inform the public of the nature of the work it is undertaking. Detailed Programme costs cannot be provided in the interests of National Security.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of spending on the Defence Science and Technology Futures programme at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019-20.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Dstl works with industry, academia and Government to make sure the UK has the right defence science and technology capabilities, and to deliver work for our customers in the Ministry of Defence and the rest of Government.
Dstl provides summary information on its Science and Technology Programmes on its website to inform the public of the nature of the work it is undertaking. Detailed Programme costs cannot be provided in the interests of National Security.