Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many suppliers have adopted the cyber security standards set out in paragraph 5.3.11 of the National Cyber Security Strategy.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
On 1 October 2014, Government required all suppliers bidding for specified sensitive and personal information handling contracts to be certified against the Cyber Essentials scheme. Cyber Essentials is a government-backed scheme to help organisations protect themselves against common cyber attacks whilst demonstrating their compliance with appropriate cyber security standards.
As of August 2017 there have been 7,907 Cyber Essentials certificates issued to UK businesses. We do not specifically track the number of certified government suppliers.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of people in Torfaen constituency worked in the public sector in each year for which data is available.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans the National Cyber Security Centre has to help universities (a) fight organised cyber-crime and (b) further prevent a cyber-attack.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
We launched our five year National Cyber Security Strategy in 2016 to ensure that the UK has the right capability and capacity to defend our people, businesses, and assets; deter our adversaries; and develop the skills and capabilities we need across all sectors.
The NCSC regularly publishes advice and guidance for securing organisations’ networks operating in the UK, including universities, and it works closely with law enforcement partners to tackle all forms of cyber-crime.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, in what ways the National Cyber Security Centre interacts with Government Departments; and whether that Centre meets regularly with those Departments.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) regularly works with Government Departments and agencies to provide authoritative and coherent advice on how to protect their networks and manage the cyber risks to the data they hold. The NCSC has dedicated engagement teams which cover all economic sectors and departments. The NCSC draws on these relationships when coordinating the government’s response to national level cyber security incidents.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to measure the effectiveness of the National Cyber Security Centre; and whether any targets have been set by his Department.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) reports quarterly to the Cyber and Government Security Directorate (CGSD) of the Cabinet Office on the delivery of its objectives against the National Cyber Security Strategy (NCSS). CGSD manages the five-year National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP), and sets policy for Government.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will ensure that regular reviews of the National Cyber Security Centre take place and the outcomes of those reviews are placed in the Library.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) reports quarterly to the Cyber and Government Security Directorate (CGSD) of the Cabinet Office on the delivery of its objectives against the National Cyber Security Strategy (NCSS). CGSD manages the five-year National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP), and sets policy for Government.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans are in place for the National Cyber Security Centre to assist companies in fighting against organised cyber-crime and preventing cyber-attacks.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The cyber security of the UK is a top priority for Government. The Government are investing £1.9 billion in the National Cyber Security Strategy and have opened the National Cyber Security Centre who work with law enforcement and with public and private sector organisations to make the UK the safest place for everyone to live and do business online.
The NCSC provides guidance and advice on its website to a wide range of organisations including companies of all sizes. Advice is tailored to the type and size of company, with specific guidance being produced for small businesses. NCSC works closely with the National Crime Agency (NCA), Regional Organised Crime Units in awareness raising and, for example, NCA and NCSC recently published a joint assessment on the Cyber Threat to UK Business. NCSC also partners with Law Enforcement in responding to and investigating serious instances of cyber crime.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans are in place for the National Cyber Security Centre to assist schools in fighting against organised cyber-crime and preventing cyber-attacks.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The cyber security of the UK is a top priority for Government. The NCSC provides guidance and advice on its website to a wide range of organisations including schools. NCSC technical experts provide a range of advice and guidance on the website on topics such as passwords, ransomware, malicious advertisements, phishing, and device security. This guidance and advice will continue to be developed in response to technological changes, assessment of risk and cyber security incidents.
NCSC is also building for the future, working with DCMS and DfE to grow a skills pipeline via its CyberFirst initiatives.
Asked by: Nick Thomas-Symonds (Labour - Torfaen)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people are employed at the National Cyber Security Centre; and what estimate he has made of changes to that number in each of the next five years.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) was established formally on 3 October 2016. At that time, the NCSC had a team of approximately 700 people. For reasons of National Security, we will not be providing further releases on staff numbers.