Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to bring forward legislation to enable the removal of peerages from those who have been convicted of and imprisoned for serious criminal offences.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
Legislation and Standing Orders provide for the expulsion of peers from the House of Lords who are imprisoned for serious offences. Ultimately, matters relating to the expulsion of a peer is for the House of Lords rather than the Government.
Nobody is under any obligation to address convicted criminals for serious offences by their title.
Whilst Peers may voluntarily stop using their peerage titles, there is currently no formal mechanism for revoking their titles, which would require bespoke primary legislation. The Government currently has no plans to bring forward such legislation.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made in the forthcoming Strategic Defence and Security Review of the threat posed by cyber security; and whether they plan to commit to new spending in this area.
Answered by Lord Bridges of Headley
We regard cyber security as one of the top risks to UK national security. The 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review therefore covers cyber security and will consider what we need to tackle the cyber threat. We cannot speculate on the outcome of the Strategic Defence and Security Review.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, under the process of conducting the forthcoming Strategic Defence and Security Review, they considered creating a new stand-alone government office for National Cyber Security, the purpose of which would be to manage the cyber security programme and continue to develop the public sector–private sector partnership.
Answered by Lord Bridges of Headley
The Strategic Defence and Security Review will look comprehensively at cyber security. We cannot speculate on the outcome of the Strategic Defence and Security Review.
The Government is already focusing its efforts on building partnerships with industry, academia and international partners. The benefits of stable and secure cyberspace show the need for shared responsibility in improving the UK’s cyber security.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the next United Kingdom Cyber Security Strategy will outline the steps they plan to take to address cyber breaches and protect the United Kingdom economy from the threat of cyber attack.
Answered by Lord Bridges of Headley
The UK Cyber Security Strategy, published in November 2011, sets out how the UK will support economic prosperity, protect national security and safeguard the public’s way of life by building a more trusted and resilient digital environment. The next UK Cyber Security Strategy will continue this work and will include steps to address cyber breaches and protect the UK economy from cyber attack.