Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the (a) role and (b) annual cost is of the Counter Disinformation Unit.
Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
In October 2023 the Counter Disinformation Unit became the National Security and Online Information Team (NSOIT). The name more accurately reflects the team’s revised remit and function, which is to tackle the greatest national security risks facing the UK from mis and disinformation, specifically looking at threats posed by foreign states, risks to elections and from the use of AI and deepfakes. This revised remit is kept under regular review.
It would not be appropriate to publicly comment on NSOIT’s funding levels, as doing so would give malign actors insight into the scale of the Government’s capabilities in this area. Nevertheless, DSIT continues to account to parliament for the use of public funds in relation to the NSOIT and other teams within the department.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with relevant industry stakeholders on the progress towards switching off the public switched telephone network by 2025.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The Department engages regularly with relevant stakeholders to ensure there are adequate plans in place to inform consumers and protect the most vulnerable consumers. This includes, but is not limited to, quarterly progress meetings with individual providers, quarterly meetings with Communications Providers and all government departments, and quarterly meetings with Ofcom. The Minister for Media, Data and Digital Infrastructure also convened a roundtable with the largest providers in January 2023.
Ofcom, the UK’s telecommunications regulator, is also monitoring the progress of Communications Providers. Ofcom is responsible for ensuring telecoms providers adhere to their regulatory obligations throughout the migration process.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of migrating households from the public switched telephone network to the Digital Voice service.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Ofcom is responsible for ensuring telecoms providers adhere to their regulatory obligations throughout the migration process. Ofcom has published guidance which states that providers must take steps to identify and protect at-risk consumers who are dependent on their landline. Providers have a range of solutions to ensure vulnerable consumers receive additional support. These options include, among others, free battery back-up units to engineer supported installations or hybrid landline phones. The Government is working together with Ofcom to ensure customers receive appropriate levels of communication and vulnerable consumers are protected.
Furthermore, the Department meets regularly with Communications Providers to discuss the progress made in migrating their customers, and to ensure they have adequate plans in place to inform and protect vulnerable consumers.
While the PSTN migration is an industry-led process, industry is accountable to Ofcom in ensuring the security of any new technologies used in their network.
The Government is committed to ensuring the security and resilience of the UK’s telecommunications networks and services. Since October 2022, public telecommunications providers have been required under the Communications Act 2003 (as amended by the Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021) to identify and reduce the risk of a wide range of security compromises. The specific requirements providers must follow are set out in the Electronic Communications (Security Measures) Regulations 2022, with accompany technical guidance in a code of practice. Ofcom has also been given powers and duties to investigate, rectify, and penalise any infringement of the statutory security and resilience obligations of network providers.
DSIT also works closely with the National Cyber Security Centre, the UK’s technical authority for cyber security, on issues related to the cyber security of the UK's telecoms network. The NCSC is responsible for helping to protect the UK’s critical services from cyber attacks, manage major incidents, and improve the underlying security of the UK's telecoms networks through technological improvement and advice to citizens and organisations. The NCSC issues a range of guidance on its website to support organisations in ensuring secure design and management of their networks.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Innovation, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of a cyber attack on the rollout of the Digital Voice services.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Ofcom is responsible for ensuring telecoms providers adhere to their regulatory obligations throughout the migration process. Ofcom has published guidance which states that providers must take steps to identify and protect at-risk consumers who are dependent on their landline. Providers have a range of solutions to ensure vulnerable consumers receive additional support. These options include, among others, free battery back-up units to engineer supported installations or hybrid landline phones. The Government is working together with Ofcom to ensure customers receive appropriate levels of communication and vulnerable consumers are protected.
Furthermore, the Department meets regularly with Communications Providers to discuss the progress made in migrating their customers, and to ensure they have adequate plans in place to inform and protect vulnerable consumers.
While the PSTN migration is an industry-led process, industry is accountable to Ofcom in ensuring the security of any new technologies used in their network.
The Government is committed to ensuring the security and resilience of the UK’s telecommunications networks and services. Since October 2022, public telecommunications providers have been required under the Communications Act 2003 (as amended by the Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021) to identify and reduce the risk of a wide range of security compromises. The specific requirements providers must follow are set out in the Electronic Communications (Security Measures) Regulations 2022, with accompany technical guidance in a code of practice. Ofcom has also been given powers and duties to investigate, rectify, and penalise any infringement of the statutory security and resilience obligations of network providers.
DSIT also works closely with the National Cyber Security Centre, the UK’s technical authority for cyber security, on issues related to the cyber security of the UK's telecoms network. The NCSC is responsible for helping to protect the UK’s critical services from cyber attacks, manage major incidents, and improve the underlying security of the UK's telecoms networks through technological improvement and advice to citizens and organisations. The NCSC issues a range of guidance on its website to support organisations in ensuring secure design and management of their networks.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what estimate she has made of the number and proportion of the public switched telephone network that has been retired as of August 2023.
Answered by John Whittingdale
According to Ofcom’s latest figures, as of August 2023, more than 50% of the UK’s 30 million premises have been moved from the PSTN. The premises that are no longer on the PSTN have moved to various technological options, including 8 million (27%) that have moved to a broadband based Digital Voice solution.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many and what proportion of households have been switched to the Digital Voice service as of August 2023.
Answered by John Whittingdale
According to Ofcom’s latest figures, as of August 2023, more than 50% of the UK’s 30 million premises have been moved from the PSTN. The premises that are no longer on the PSTN have moved to various technological options, including 8 million (27%) that have moved to a broadband based Digital Voice solution.