Lord Clement-Jones

The Telecommunications Security Code of Practice provides technical guidance for public telecoms providers on how they can comply with their security requirements as set out in the Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021 and the Electronic Communications (Security Measures) Regulations 2022.

A full impact assessment was carried out for the telecoms security framework when it came into effect in 2022. The estimated cost of the framework on Tier 1 and Tier 2 public telecoms providers was assessed in the frameworks impact assessment (The Electronic Communications (Security Measures) Regulations 2022).

A full Regulatory Impact Assessment was not prepared for the revised Code of Practice. The revised Code provides additional guidance on how public telecommunications providers may demonstrate compliance with existing statutory security duties under the Act. The updates to the Code do not introduce new statutory duties or regulatory requirements and do not constitute a regulatory provision under the Better Regulation Framework.

An assessment on the costs to industry of the proposed updates to the Code was carried out, details of which are included in the explanatory memorandum. Indicative estimates suggest potential one-off implementation costs in the order of £1.9 million to £3.2 million per provider, with ongoing annual costs of approximately £285,000 to £445,000 per provider. When considered in the context of the scale and revenues of the UK telecommunications sector, the Government considers these costs to be relatively minor.

The Regulators’ Pioneer Fund (RPF), delivered by the Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO), supports regulators and local authorities to develop and test innovative regulatory approaches that help accelerate innovation across a range of sectors and regions of the UK. In October 2025, the RIO awarded up to £7.9 million to 14 regulator and local authority-led projects through the fourth round of the Fund. These projects are due to conclude by the end of the 2026.

At London Tech Week in June 2026, the Government announced that the RIO would allocate approximately £70 million to regulatory innovation funding over the current spending review period. RIO is now developing the funding mechanisms, delivery model and supporting processes needed to deploy this funding effectively and maximise its impact.

The Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) investigations are conducted independently under its own statutory powers. Individual government departments are responsible for responding directly to the CMA’s information requests.

The Cabinet Office continues to facilitate engagement with the investigation by raising awareness and encouraging departments to participate through existing Government Commercial Function (GCF) and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) communication channels.

The CMA expects to publish provisional findings in late 2026, triggering a public consultation. Departments will then be encouraged to review these findings and submit evidence on the potential impact of proposed remedies on government digital projects.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

The Lord Clement-Jones CBE

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

28 April 2026

Dear Lord Clement-Jones,

As Permanent Secretary of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I am responding to your Parliamentary Questions, asking whether the UK submitted any nominations for the UN Consultative Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, and what steps they are taking to ensure UK expertise contributes to the Board's global mandate(HL16600); what, if any, financial or human resources they plan to contribute to the UN Statistics Division to support the operations of the UN's Consultative Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics (HL16601); whether the UK Statistics Authority will outline the national mechanisms in place in the UK to resolve issues regarding adherence to the UN's Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, in light of the UN Consultative Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics' principle of subsidiarity (HL16602); how the UK Statistics Authority plans to engage with the UN's Consultative Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics to ensure that UK statistical producers adopt the Board's forthcoming updated implementation guidelines (HL16603) and how the UK Statistics Authority plan to assist the UN's Consultative Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics in its mandate to raise global awareness and facilitate dialogue sessions with policymakers to build trust in official statistics (HL16604)

The UK was involved in the development of the Consultative Advisory Board and its terms of reference, alongside like-minded partners, to ensure it is relevant and impactful for those who request its support. The ONS was not asked to be a member of the board, and its membership was nominated by the Bureau of the UN Statistical Commission. It is worth noting that membership rotates and the UK will have the opportunity to join in the future.

The UK continues to support the work of the UN Statistical Division, as it is one of the most prominent organisations working in global statistics. We are a member of the wider UN Statistical Commission’s membership and have been since its creation1. We continue to provide resource through our engagement and chairing of UN working groups and bureaus, leading the delivery of projects relevant to the production and dissemination of statistics.

The Code of Practice for Statistics2 sets standards that producers of official statistics should commit to and is already consistent with the UN Fundamental Principles. This is maintained by the Office for Statistics Regulation, the regulatory arm of the UK Statistics Authority.

The ONS will engage with the work of the Consultative Advisory Board through the usual member state engagement conducted for updates to manuals and guidelines produced by the UN Statistical Commission, the UN Statistical Division, or its regional commissions. This process is outlined with the terms of reference3 for the board.

Finally, the ONS regularly assists in efforts to highlight the importance of the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, taking part in events to increase their profile, including its 30th anniversary events in 20244. In addition to this, as mentioned above, we will oversee the work of the Advisory Board, engaging directly with its annual reports, and we will play an active role in the review of the Board’s work that is expected to be completed after its first year. This will help to ensure the work is impactful and relevant for statistical producers, whose outputs policy makers rely upon.

Yours sincerely,

Darren Tierney

1. https://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/57th-session/documents/Membership-2026.pdf

2. https://code.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Code-of-Practice-for-Statistics-3.0.pdf

3. https://unstats.un.org/UNSDWebsite/statcom/session_57/documents/BG-3a- FPOS_CAB_Background_document_rev3-E.pdf

4. https://unece.org/FPOS30#accordion_6

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

The Lord Clement-Jones CBE

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

28 April 2026

Dear Lord Clement-Jones,

As Permanent Secretary of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I am responding to your Parliamentary Questions, asking whether the UK submitted any nominations for the UN Consultative Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, and what steps they are taking to ensure UK expertise contributes to the Board's global mandate(HL16600); what, if any, financial or human resources they plan to contribute to the UN Statistics Division to support the operations of the UN's Consultative Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics (HL16601); whether the UK Statistics Authority will outline the national mechanisms in place in the UK to resolve issues regarding adherence to the UN's Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, in light of the UN Consultative Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics' principle of subsidiarity (HL16602); how the UK Statistics Authority plans to engage with the UN's Consultative Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics to ensure that UK statistical producers adopt the Board's forthcoming updated implementation guidelines (HL16603) and how the UK Statistics Authority plan to assist the UN's Consultative Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics in its mandate to raise global awareness and facilitate dialogue sessions with policymakers to build trust in official statistics (HL16604)

The UK was involved in the development of the Consultative Advisory Board and its terms of reference, alongside like-minded partners, to ensure it is relevant and impactful for those who request its support. The ONS was not asked to be a member of the board, and its membership was nominated by the Bureau of the UN Statistical Commission. It is worth noting that membership rotates and the UK will have the opportunity to join in the future.

The UK continues to support the work of the UN Statistical Division, as it is one of the most prominent organisations working in global statistics. We are a member of the wider UN Statistical Commission’s membership and have been since its creation1. We continue to provide resource through our engagement and chairing of UN working groups and bureaus, leading the delivery of projects relevant to the production and dissemination of statistics.

The Code of Practice for Statistics2 sets standards that producers of official statistics should commit to and is already consistent with the UN Fundamental Principles. This is maintained by the Office for Statistics Regulation, the regulatory arm of the UK Statistics Authority.

The ONS will engage with the work of the Consultative Advisory Board through the usual member state engagement conducted for updates to manuals and guidelines produced by the UN Statistical Commission, the UN Statistical Division, or its regional commissions. This process is outlined with the terms of reference3 for the board.

Finally, the ONS regularly assists in efforts to highlight the importance of the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, taking part in events to increase their profile, including its 30th anniversary events in 20244. In addition to this, as mentioned above, we will oversee the work of the Advisory Board, engaging directly with its annual reports, and we will play an active role in the review of the Board’s work that is expected to be completed after its first year. This will help to ensure the work is impactful and relevant for statistical producers, whose outputs policy makers rely upon.

Yours sincerely,

Darren Tierney

1. https://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/57th-session/documents/Membership-2026.pdf

2. https://code.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Code-of-Practice-for-Statistics-3.0.pdf

3. https://unstats.un.org/UNSDWebsite/statcom/session_57/documents/BG-3a- FPOS_CAB_Background_document_rev3-E.pdf

4. https://unece.org/FPOS30#accordion_6

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

The Lord Clement-Jones CBE

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

28 April 2026

Dear Lord Clement-Jones,

As Permanent Secretary of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I am responding to your Parliamentary Questions, asking whether the UK submitted any nominations for the UN Consultative Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, and what steps they are taking to ensure UK expertise contributes to the Board's global mandate(HL16600); what, if any, financial or human resources they plan to contribute to the UN Statistics Division to support the operations of the UN's Consultative Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics (HL16601); whether the UK Statistics Authority will outline the national mechanisms in place in the UK to resolve issues regarding adherence to the UN's Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, in light of the UN Consultative Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics' principle of subsidiarity (HL16602); how the UK Statistics Authority plans to engage with the UN's Consultative Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics to ensure that UK statistical producers adopt the Board's forthcoming updated implementation guidelines (HL16603) and how the UK Statistics Authority plan to assist the UN's Consultative Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics in its mandate to raise global awareness and facilitate dialogue sessions with policymakers to build trust in official statistics (HL16604)

The UK was involved in the development of the Consultative Advisory Board and its terms of reference, alongside like-minded partners, to ensure it is relevant and impactful for those who request its support. The ONS was not asked to be a member of the board, and its membership was nominated by the Bureau of the UN Statistical Commission. It is worth noting that membership rotates and the UK will have the opportunity to join in the future.

The UK continues to support the work of the UN Statistical Division, as it is one of the most prominent organisations working in global statistics. We are a member of the wider UN Statistical Commission’s membership and have been since its creation1. We continue to provide resource through our engagement and chairing of UN working groups and bureaus, leading the delivery of projects relevant to the production and dissemination of statistics.

The Code of Practice for Statistics2 sets standards that producers of official statistics should commit to and is already consistent with the UN Fundamental Principles. This is maintained by the Office for Statistics Regulation, the regulatory arm of the UK Statistics Authority.

The ONS will engage with the work of the Consultative Advisory Board through the usual member state engagement conducted for updates to manuals and guidelines produced by the UN Statistical Commission, the UN Statistical Division, or its regional commissions. This process is outlined with the terms of reference3 for the board.

Finally, the ONS regularly assists in efforts to highlight the importance of the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, taking part in events to increase their profile, including its 30th anniversary events in 20244. In addition to this, as mentioned above, we will oversee the work of the Advisory Board, engaging directly with its annual reports, and we will play an active role in the review of the Board’s work that is expected to be completed after its first year. This will help to ensure the work is impactful and relevant for statistical producers, whose outputs policy makers rely upon.

Yours sincerely,

Darren Tierney

1. https://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/57th-session/documents/Membership-2026.pdf

2. https://code.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Code-of-Practice-for-Statistics-3.0.pdf

3. https://unstats.un.org/UNSDWebsite/statcom/session_57/documents/BG-3a- FPOS_CAB_Background_document_rev3-E.pdf

4. https://unece.org/FPOS30#accordion_6

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

The Lord Clement-Jones CBE

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

28 April 2026

Dear Lord Clement-Jones,

As Permanent Secretary of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I am responding to your Parliamentary Questions, asking whether the UK submitted any nominations for the UN Consultative Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, and what steps they are taking to ensure UK expertise contributes to the Board's global mandate(HL16600); what, if any, financial or human resources they plan to contribute to the UN Statistics Division to support the operations of the UN's Consultative Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics (HL16601); whether the UK Statistics Authority will outline the national mechanisms in place in the UK to resolve issues regarding adherence to the UN's Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, in light of the UN Consultative Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics' principle of subsidiarity (HL16602); how the UK Statistics Authority plans to engage with the UN's Consultative Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics to ensure that UK statistical producers adopt the Board's forthcoming updated implementation guidelines (HL16603) and how the UK Statistics Authority plan to assist the UN's Consultative Advisory Board on the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics in its mandate to raise global awareness and facilitate dialogue sessions with policymakers to build trust in official statistics (HL16604)

The UK was involved in the development of the Consultative Advisory Board and its terms of reference, alongside like-minded partners, to ensure it is relevant and impactful for those who request its support. The ONS was not asked to be a member of the board, and its membership was nominated by the Bureau of the UN Statistical Commission. It is worth noting that membership rotates and the UK will have the opportunity to join in the future.

The UK continues to support the work of the UN Statistical Division, as it is one of the most prominent organisations working in global statistics. We are a member of the wider UN Statistical Commission’s membership and have been since its creation1. We continue to provide resource through our engagement and chairing of UN working groups and bureaus, leading the delivery of projects relevant to the production and dissemination of statistics.

The Code of Practice for Statistics2 sets standards that producers of official statistics should commit to and is already consistent with the UN Fundamental Principles. This is maintained by the Office for Statistics Regulation, the regulatory arm of the UK Statistics Authority.

The ONS will engage with the work of the Consultative Advisory Board through the usual member state engagement conducted for updates to manuals and guidelines produced by the UN Statistical Commission, the UN Statistical Division, or its regional commissions. This process is outlined with the terms of reference3 for the board.

Finally, the ONS regularly assists in efforts to highlight the importance of the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, taking part in events to increase their profile, including its 30th anniversary events in 20244. In addition to this, as mentioned above, we will oversee the work of the Advisory Board, engaging directly with its annual reports, and we will play an active role in the review of the Board’s work that is expected to be completed after its first year. This will help to ensure the work is impactful and relevant for statistical producers, whose outputs policy makers rely upon.

Yours sincerely,

Darren Tierney

1. https://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/57th-session/documents/Membership-2026.pdf

2. https://code.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Code-of-Practice-for-Statistics-3.0.pdf

3. https://unstats.un.org/UNSDWebsite/statcom/session_57/documents/BG-3a- FPOS_CAB_Background_document_rev3-E.pdf

4. https://unece.org/FPOS30#accordion_6

The Competition and Markets Authority is responsible for operating the digital markets regime. The length of Strategic Market Status investigations can vary due to a number of factors but must be completed within the statutory time limits imposed by the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2025. The CMA has stated its intention to publish a roadmap.

The CMA expects to publish its final decision report on the Strategic Market Status investigation into Microsoft’s business software by February 2027. The CMA has already taken action in the cloud market outside of the investigation and secured voluntary commitments from Amazon and Microsoft, which will improve interoperability, reduce data egress fees and make switching easier in cloud services.

The Competition and Markets Authority is responsible for operating the digital markets regime, including when to implement any conduct requirements. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 does not prevent the CMA from designing remedies in parallel with Strategic Market Status investigations.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is responsible for gathering evidence relevant to its Strategic Market Status investigations and engages with a wide range of stakeholders. Government departments will assist the CMA as far as possible where the CMA requests that they do so, including providing evidence to the CMA where appropriate.

In July 2025, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published its final report on the UK cloud market. The key recommendation was for the CMA Board to prioritise commencing investigations under the digital markets regime and to consider designating the two largest providers —Microsoft and AWS — with strategic market status in relation to cloud services. The CMA is independent of Government and any decisions on initiating strategic market status investigations are for the CMA Board.

While HMG has not issued a formal, comprehensive assessment of the Social Market Foundation's July 2024 report, Clearing the Air, its findings remain highly pertinent to ongoing digital market regulatory efforts.

This report was submitted as evidence to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to support its in-depth investigation into competition within the UK's public cloud infrastructure services market. These insights are currently being reviewed to help shape future public sector commercial practices and guidance.

Furthermore, public sector procurement continues to align with the Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) Playbook. The playbook establishes essential policy reforms aimed at safeguarding against vendor lock-in and maximizing value for money.

The Telecommunications Security Code of Practice provides technical guidance for public telecoms providers on how they can comply with their security requirements as set out in the Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021 and the Electronic Communications (Security Measures) Regulations 2022.

The government is committed to continuously evaluating the effectiveness of the UK’s telecoms security framework, and the Draft Revised Code of Practice strengthens security guidance to public telecoms providers to reflect evolving technology and emerging security threats.

The government ran a consultation on proposed updates to the Telecommunications Security Code of Practice 2022 from 28 August 2025 to 22 October 2025, and an additional cost survey which ran from 25 November 2025 until 28 January 2026.

Cost related feedback received from the consultation, and the additional cost survey, informed the resulting assessment on costs to industry included in the explanatory memorandum for the Draft Revised Code of Practice, published on GOV.UK on 3 June.

Indicative estimates suggest potential one-off implementation costs of the proposed updates to the Code being in the order of £1.9 million to £3.2 million per provider. Estimates for the ongoing annual costs are approximately £285,000 to £445,000 per provider. The Government considers these costs to be relatively minor, given the critical importance of good security and the current scale and revenues of the UK telecommunications sector.

Underlying cost data from individual providers has not been published, to protect commercial confidentiality and mitigate the risk of exposing vulnerabilities in UK telecoms networks.

The figures are set out below:

Access to the AI Research Resource (AIRR) is governed by binding contractual and operational conditions to ensure that publicly funded compute is used responsibly and in line with UK law, including UK copyright law.

All users are required to enter into formal access agreements with the relevant host institutions and funders. The AIRR is currently delivered through systems hosted by the University of Bristol (Isambard‑AI) and the University of Cambridge (Dawn), with funding provided by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) on behalf of the Government. DSIT have been clear that copyright rules should also be respected: use of copyright works to train AI in the UK will require a licence unless an exception applies.

Where there is evidence or reasonable suspicion of breach of the AIRR conditions of use, remedial actions may include investigation by the host institution, suspension or termination of access, withdrawal of compute allocations, and, where appropriate, the application of contractual remedies.

The Sovereign AI Fund operates on a commercial basis and within the UK’s existing legal framework. Companies receiving equity investment through Sovereign AI undergo due diligence before receiving funds or other support and are expected to comply with all applicable laws, including UK copyright law.

The Government has been clear that copyright rules should be respected. Use of copyright works to train AI in the UK requires a licence unless an exception applies. Companies supported by the Sovereign AI Fund are expected to comply with applicable UK law.