Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how many operators of Critical National Infrastructure have used the National Cyber Security Centre’s new 'Knowledge Base' tool to map the UK’s Critical National Infrastructure and its interdependencies.
Answered by Lord True - Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
Personnel with a responsibility for Critical National Infrastructure sectors from Lead Government Departments and agencies have been engaging closely with the National Cyber Security Centre to develop the Knowledge Base tool and provide validation of the content.
This work will enable government to better understand risks to CNI and prioritise efforts more effectively. The majority of departments responsible for CNI sectors have already been able to benefit from the Knowledge Base’s analytical capabilities through the support provided by NCSC.
Lead Government Departments have primary responsibility for the designation and governance of Critical National Infrastructure in their respective sectors, and will have access to the Knowledge Base tool, along with other relevant parts of HM Government. Due to the sensitivity of the amalgamated information stored within the tool, operators and companies will not have direct access.
It is not possible to not share further details around usage of the tool due to security considerations.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government who are the members of the ministerial group tasked with cohering cyber decision-making across Government, as set out in The Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, published in March 2021.
Answered by Lord True - Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
The Ministerial Cyber Steering Group is chaired by the First Secretary of State. Other members are the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (currently delegated to the Paymaster General), the Home Secretary, the Defence Secretary and the Culture Secretary. Other ministers are invited to attend depending on the topics being discussed and senior officials from intelligence and law enforcement also attend. The meeting is supported by the National Security Unit in the Cabinet Office.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to update the National Cyber Security Strategy, last published on 11 November 2016.
Answered by Lord True - Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
The Government's Integrated Review set out an objective to cement the UK's position as a leading responsible and democratic cyber power. To support this, the Government intends to adopt a new comprehensive cyber strategy, considering the full range of our capabilities and critical cyber technologies, as well as international action to influence the future of cyberspace. Work is well underway to develop this strategy and it will be published later this year, succeeding the National Cyber Security Strategy 2016-21.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money they are spending on the (1) development, and (2) construction, of a Situation Centre in 70 Whitehall.
Answered by Lord True - Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
£9.3m has been allocated in the 2021/22 spending review for development of a National Situation Centre, spanning establishing a permanent team, data and analytic capabilities, and physical build.