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Written Question
House of Lords: Film
Thursday 26th October 2023

Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)

Question

To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what plans the House of Lords has to provide a facility within the Palace of Westminster for Members to organise screenings of high-quality audio-visual work.

Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.


Written Question
Cybersecurity
Wednesday 27th September 2023

Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce legislation relating to cybersecurity practices and offences.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Government keeps the UK’s cyber legislation under regular review to ensure that it can be used to tackle new and emerging threats. The UK’s regulatory framework for cyber resilience is a mixture of: sector-based regulation such the Network and Information Systems (NIS) Regulations 2018; thematic regulation such as the Data Protection Act 2018; and criminal legislation such as the Computer Misuse Act 1990.

The Government has undertaken several amendments to legislation to ensure it keeps pace with the evolving cyber threat, including updating the Computer Misuse Act in 2015 and updating the Network and Information Systems Regulations (2018) in 2020.

In 2022 the Government published proposals to make changes to the Network and Information Systems Regulations and these will be implemented as soon as Parliamentary time allows. The government has also carried out a review of the Computer Misuse Act and is currently considering whether to bring forward legislative proposals.


Written Question
Cybersecurity
Wednesday 27th September 2023

Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote greater awareness of cyberthreats among (1) the civil service, (2) public sector workers, and (3) the general public.

Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Government Cyber Security Strategy, published in January 2022, sets out how we will build and maintain our cyber defences - by building greater cyber resilience across all government organisations and working together to ‘defend as one’ which enables a greater defensive force. A key component of the strategy is that the civil service and the public sector at large will have sufficient cyber security knowledge and awareness to identify and respond to cyber threats. In central government this work is being led by the Security, Education and Awareness Centre which promotes awareness of all security issues, including cyber threat, across government.

The National Cyber Security Centre’s Cyber Aware campaign is encouraging the public to take the necessary steps to improve their online security. The campaign sets out the six behaviours they can adopt to stay safe. These range from creating stronger passwords using three random words to turning on two-step verification.


Written Question
Cybercrime: International Cooperation
Tuesday 26th September 2023

Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what contribution they are making to international efforts to (1) identify, (2) and counter, cybercriminal gangs who target networks and users in the UK.

Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The UK is a world leader in cyber security. Our operational agencies, such as the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and National Crime Agency (NCA) are a source of international best practice, and we strongly support international cooperation to tackle cyber crime. The Government’s approach to countering this threat is set out in the National Cyber Strategy (2022), under the pillar of detecting, disrupting and deterring our adversaries.

Cyber-crime is a global threat. Criminals and the technical infrastructure they use are often based in uncooperative jurisdictions, making international collaboration essential. Across our law enforcement network, we seek to maximise international links as part of our response to criminal activity. Alongside working closely with UK police and regional organised crime units, the NCA have built crucial relationships with partners such as Europol, the FBI, and the US Secret Service to assess cyber crime risks, share intelligence and coordinate action.

The NCA works to identify cyber criminals impacting the UK, wherever they are in the world. Working with international partners to target and disrupt cyber criminal gangs and the illicit cyber crime ecosystem that supports them. For example, in February 2023, we announced sanctions against seven Russian cyber criminals involved in the notorious organised crime group behind many of the most damaging ransomware groups in the last few years involving TRICKBOT, CONTI and RYUK ransomware. A second wave of sanctions was announced in September demonstrating the NCA’s unrelenting targeting of cyber-criminals.

The UK continues to shape the global conversation at multilateral forums and bilaterally to drive cooperation to deter malicious cyber activity. We have promoted the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime since it was agreed in 2001, and we are taking an active role in the development of the proposed UN treaty on cybercrime, to ensure that it supports international cooperation on tackling crimes that all countries face, while protecting human rights.


Written Question
Artificial Intelligence: Safety
Friday 17th February 2023

Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they consider predictive text engines such as ChatGPT and Google's LaMDA BARD to be within the scope of the Online Safety Bill, as currently drafted; and if not, what other measures they will introduce to hold companies responsible for the operation of such software should it be likely to be accessed by children or by vulnerable UK citizens.

Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Online Safety Bill has been designed to be technology-neutral to future-proof it and to ensure that the legislation keeps pace with emerging technologies. It will apply to companies which enable users to share content online or to interact with each other, as well as search services. Content generated by artificial intelligence ‘bots’ is in scope of the Bill, where it interacts with user-generated content, such as on Twitter. Search services using AI-powered features will also be in scope of the search duties outlined in the Bill.


Written Question
Cinemas: Edinburgh
Friday 3rd February 2023

Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are having discussions with the Scottish Government, Creative Scotland, and other partners regarding (1) cultural cinema programme activity in Edinburgh, and (2) the 2023 Edinburgh International Film Festival, following the closure of the Edinburgh Film House.

Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Cultural cinema programme activity in Edinburgh is a matter for the Scottish Government, since this is a devolved policy area. Following the Centre for the Moving Image (CMI) going into administration in October 2022, Screen Scotland purchased the intellectual property for the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

DCMS officials have spoken to the British Film Institute (BFI) about this issue. The BFI operates UK-wide and has a close working relationship with Creative Scotland and its dedicated screen agency, Screen Scotland. Throughout the period covered by the British Film Institute’s previous corporate strategy, British Film Institute 2022, Screen Scotland has been its delivery partner for the National Lottery-backed British Film Institute NETWORK programme, Short Circuit. The British Film Institute’s new strategy, Screen Culture 2033, is UK-wide and Scotland-based applicants are able to apply for applicable National Lottery funds.


Written Question
Internet: Education
Friday 2nd December 2022

Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much Ofcom has spent on its work to promote online media literacy in each of the last three years.

Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Ofcom is operationally independent from His Majesty’s Government and is accountable to Parliament. Information on Ofcom’s budget and funding arrangements can be found in its Annual Report and Accounts, which are lodged in the House of Commons Library and published on Ofcom's website.


Written Question
Internet: Education
Friday 25th November 2022

Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment Ofsted has made of Ofcom's progress towards improving the online media literacy of internet users.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Ofsted is not responsible for evaluating the work of Ofcom and has made no assessment of Ofcom’s progress on this matter.

Ofsted sets clear expectations that schools teach pupils how to understand and recognise risks they may encounter online. This should include a well constructed relationship, sex and health education curriculum that addresses online abuse and harassment, online safeguarding risks, and what constitutes a healthy relationship online. Ofsted also expects schools to act to ensure bullying, discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual abuse, and sexual violence, online or offline, are unacceptable and dealt with quickly, consistently, and effectively should they occur.


Written Question
Internet: Curriculum
Friday 25th November 2022

Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to increasing the time devoted to online media literacy as part of the national curriculum.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The Department continues to support schools to deliver media literacy education. There are many opportunities across the national curriculum for pupils to acquire knowledge of online media literacy. It is taught through the compulsory subjects of computing and citizenship and relationships, sex and health education (RSHE), which was introduced in September 2020. Non-online media literacy is also covered in history and English.

The computing curriculum teaches children how to use technology safely. This includes understanding the internet, using search technologies effectively, and being discerning when evaluating digital content.

Citizenship education equips pupils with the knowledge to explore issues critically, weigh evidence, make reasoned arguments, and take informed action. Pupils are taught the role of responsible journalism in democratic society, enabling them to identify misinformation.

The RSHE curriculum includes online relationships, the implications of sharing private or personal data, including images, online, harmful content and contact, cyberbullying, overreliance on social media, and where to get help and support for issues that occur online.


Written Question
Social Security Benefits: Disability
Wednesday 16th November 2022

Asked by: Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the impact that the practice of stopping and reviewing benefits for disabled people who earn over a certain monthly threshold has had on the advertising industry’s project to increase diversity within the sector.

Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott

The department has not assessed whether benefit rules in relation to earnings have impacted on the advertising industry’s project to increase diversity within this sector.