Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
What steps his Department is taking to strengthen national security.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office leads and coordinates the UK’s national security crisis response through the Cabinet Office Briefing Room (COBR), and national security policy through the National Security Council structures. This includes the National Cyber Strategy, National Security and Investment Programme, and the Biological Security Strategy, all of which the department is taking essential steps to deliver.
Key successes in 2023 included publishing the Integrated Review Refresh, passing the National Security Act, launching the Emergency Alerting scheme and delivering the Atlantic Declaration and risk elements of the AI Summit. So far in 2024, we have launched a new Strategic Dialogue on Biological Security with the US and continued to coordinate the response to the conflict in Gaza and Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent steps his Department is taking to strengthen national security.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office leads on, and coordinates across government, key elements of the UK’s national security policy. This includes the development and implementation of the Integrated Review Refresh. Published in March, the Refresh updated the government’s security, defence, development and foreign policy priorities to reflect changes in the global context since the Integrated Review 2021. Flowing from this, the Cabinet Office has played a key role in developing and overseeing the National Cyber Strategy, National Security and Investment Programme, and the Biological Security Strategy. The department is taking essential steps to ensure delivery of these and other issues.
Specific recent outcomes include the launch of the National Security and Investment Act call for evidence, and the leading role the department has played in coordinating the government’s response to several international and domestic crises.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what additional support the Government is providing to Armed Forces charities to help increase the capacity and delivery of (a) mental health and (b) suicide prevention initiatives for veterans.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
This government will continue to prioritise supporting veterans with their mental health needs. There is a range of statutory support for veterans across the UK, including the bespoke mental health service for veterans in England: Op COURAGE.
Charities continue to play a vital role in helping veterans with their mental health, and I pay tribute to them for all they do. The Government provided £20m in 2021 to the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust to support Service charities comprising the £10m annual allocation plus extra £10m announced in the 2021 Budget. In addition, we provided £5m through the Afghanistan Veterans’ Fund. These funds included provision for initiatives to improve capacity in mental health and wellbeing provision, and suicide prevention.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of (a) the number of counter terrorist checks expected to be made in 2022, (b) the number of counter terrorist checks expected to be made in 2022 for workers in the aviation sector and (c) the resources to ensure these checks are completed in a timely manner.
Answered by Michael Ellis
To reveal demand and forecasts for National Security Vetting (NSV) is likely to prejudice national security. It would also impact the protective measures employed in safeguarding Her Majesty’s Government (HMG). This information is therefore exempt under Section 24 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Notwithstanding the above, UKSV works closely with customer groups and decision-making authorities to understand their forecasted demand for the provision of vetting services. In turn this allows for an appropriate resourcing forecast.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to require all Government (a) buildings and (b) infrastructure to have a defibrillator.
Answered by Jacob Rees-Mogg
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend, the Member for Swansea East, on 10 March to Question PQ 131244.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the additional support for veterans and military charities announced by the Government on 6 September 2021.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Government is fully committed to helping our veterans receive the support they need. Last month, the Defence Secretary and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care met service charities, academics and other relevant experts to discuss the impact of the withdrawal from Afghanistan on the mental health of veterans and their families. In response to this meeting, the Prime Minister announced an additional £5M for the service charity sector to improve the accessibility of services, and better signpost the range of statutory and charitable support available to veterans, including those affected by events in Afghanistan.
The Cabinet Office, Office for Veterans’ Affairs is working at pace with key partners and the sector to determine how to distribute and use this funding most effectively and efficiently. Charities will be asked to report on the impact of the additional funding they receive.