Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to establish a formal recognition scheme for British (a) citizens and (b) organisations undertaking (i) humanitarian and (ii) medical work in Ukraine.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are proud of the fast, flexible and responsive support provided to Ukrainians living through Russia's invasion, including by British nationals, British organisations, and through projects initiated or funded by the UK. We pay tribute to the humanitarian and medical workers who are key to delivering that support. Many continue to operate in high-risk environments to reach those most in need, often in the most challenging circumstances. We continue to reflect on how best to recognise the efforts of those working in such challenging conditions.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, who currently fulfils the responsibilities of the position of Minister for Asia and the Pacific.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The Rt Hon. Dr Andrew Murrison is temporarily covering the Asia & Pacific Ministerial portfolio.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will conduct a survey of its embassies and residencies to determine whether physical Huawei telecoms equipment is utilised within those embassies and residences.
Answered by Alan Duncan
There are no plans to conduct such a survey. Where communications are sensitive, data is encrypted to a suitable level, thereby safeguarding the information.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK (a) embassies and (b) residences use Huawei equipment for their (i) internal and (ii) external communications.
Answered by Alan Duncan
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office provides communications to its diplomatic premises around the world through the ECHO network delivered by Vodafone. The department does not keep a register of equipment used in the ECHO network. Many official residences also make use of ECHO connectivity, or contract local communications providers. The department does not keep a central register of equipment used for non-ECHO networks. Where communications are sensitive, data is encrypted to a suitable level across the ECHO network, thereby safeguarding the information.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many vacancies there in the National Cyber Security Centre.
Answered by Alan Duncan
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 disclose further information on staff numbers and vacancies.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many people have been recruited by the National Cyber Security Centre in each of the last two years.
Answered by Alan Duncan
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 and recruitment.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many people were employed by the National Cyber Security Centre in each of the last two years.
Answered by Alan Duncan
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 and recruitment.
Asked by: Jo Platt (Labour (Co-op) - Leigh and Atherton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the average tenure is of a cyber specialist working at (a) GCHQ and (b) the National Cyber Security Centre.
Answered by Alan Duncan
For reasons of national security, we are unable to disclose a breakdown of average tenures for cyber specialists working at Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).