Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Deputy Prime Minister's oral statement of 11 September 2023 on Security Update, Official Report, column 673, whether he has made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of designating the genomics sector as Critical National Infrastructure.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The genomics sector is not currently designated as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI). There is a strict framework for classification: CNI assets and systems are those that have been assessed as having a significant and catastrophic impact to the functioning of the UK – either through the loss of life or limb, on the economy, or national security, defence or the functioning of the state – should they be disrupted or compromised. The threshold is a high bar so that resources are focused on the highest priority, and most critical, assets and systems.
There are strong and sufficient provisions protecting UK genomics databases, including through the UK Data Protection Act (2018), which delivers a data protection framework tailored to the needs of our criminal justice agencies and intelligence services. The relevant genomics data is additionally held within Secure Data Environments, affording further security protections.
As with all parts of the CNI landscape, we commit to keeping this position under review.
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.
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, whether the Government is taking steps ahead of the UK’s Presidency of the G7 in summer 2021 to ensure that (a) the safe reopening of borders and (b) restart of international aviation is a priority of the G7.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
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, with reference to the findings by the Royal National Institute of Blind People in their report entitled Turned out 2019 that 68 per cent of blind postal voters and 22 per cent of partially sighted postal voters at the December 2019 General Election had to use assistance from another person to enable them to vote, what plans he has to review the accessibility of the postal vote system.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The Government is committed to ensuring that elections are accessible for all those eligible to vote and has already been working with the RNIB to improve the voting process for voters with sight loss.
It is important for security purposes that a physical poll card is sent to every elector at the property where they are registered, but we have already considered how electoral information might additionally be made available in more accessible format for those who request it.
Returning Officers already publish details of candidates in the order they will appear on the ballot paper online. We will work with partners in the electoral sector to ensure this information is accessible.
The Government will continue to work with the RNIB, the Electoral Commission and other relevant organisations to make blind and partially sighted voters aware of the support available to them at the polling station, and to consider what additional support could be provided to help blind and partially sighted people to vote including by post.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the timeframe is for the Technology Products 3 framework to be available for private sector cyber security companies to bid for government contracts.
Answered by Oliver Dowden - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Crown Commercial Service intends to publish the OJEU notice for the Technology
Products and Associated Services framework agreement (the successor to Technology
Products 2) later this month.
Further information about the procurement process and associated documentation can be
found at the following link: https://www.crowncommercial.gov.uk/agreements/RM6068.
Cyber security services will not be provided through the Technology Products and
Associated Services framework agreement, but these services are already provided
through another CCS framework agreement, Cyber Security Services 2