Lord Freyberg

Staff at the British Library are working hard to provide researchers, as far as possible, with alternative means to access the material they need during this period of disruption. The Library’s physical sites remain open to the public and are offering a range of services, including access to the reading room for personal study, some limited ordering of items for manual collection, exhibitions, learning events, business support, and on-site retail. Reference services and curatorial staff are working with individual researchers and academics to support specific enquiries as far as possible including, where appropriate, by directing them to other sources of research material held by other libraries and knowledge institutions. Details of what the public can access are available via the British Library’s social media channels.

The central aim of the Government Cyber Security Strategy is to ensure Government’s critical functions are strengthened against cyber attack by 2025, and that all Government organisations across the public sector are resilient to known vulnerabilities and attack methods by 2030. One of the two core pillars of this strategy is ‘Defend as One’, which focuses on Government organisations sharing cyber security data, expertise, and capabilities to present a defensive force more powerful than the sum of its parts. Since the strategy was first introduced in 2022, ensuring a more co-operative approach to security and intelligence has been a priority.

The British Library is undertaking a forensic investigation of this incident, with the support of the National Cyber Security Centre and cyber security specialists, and has reported it to the Information Commissioner’s Office. This investigation will help to provide a full picture of what happened, and the extent of disruption caused. This will take time, during which the British Library is liaising closely with the Department for Culture, Media & Sport and others to provide updates.

As the sponsor Department for the British Library, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will continue to work closely with the Library to enhance its overall cyber resilience and ensure that the targets set out in the Cyber Security Strategy are met.

The British Library is undertaking a forensic investigation of this incident, with the support of the National Cyber Security Centre and cyber security specialists. This investigation will help to provide a full picture of what happened, and the extent of disruption caused. This will take time, during which the British Library is liaising closely with the Department for Culture, Media & Sport and others to provide updates, including on the financial impacts of the attack.

The British Library is undertaking a forensic investigation of this incident, with the support of the National Cyber Security Centre and cyber security specialists, and has reported it to the Information Commissioner’s Office. This investigation will help to provide a full picture of what happened, and the extent of disruption caused. This will take time, during which the British Library is liaising closely with the Department for Culture, Media & Sport and others to provide updates.

The British Library has taken targeted protective measures to ensure the integrity of its systems, including the quarantining of hardware, the resetting of passwords for all staff, and the installation of additional monitoring and detection software across its estate.

The central aim of the Government Cyber Security Strategy is to ensure that Government’s critical functions are strengthened against cyber attack by 2025, and that all Government organisations across the public sector are resilient to known vulnerabilities and attack methods by 2030. As the sponsor Department for the British Library, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will continue to work closely with the Library to enhance its overall cyber resilience and ensure these targets are met.

The British Library is undertaking a forensic investigation of this incident, with the support of the National Cyber Security Centre and cyber security specialists, and has reported it to the Information Commissioner’s Office. This investigation will help to provide a full picture of what happened, and the extent of disruption caused. This will take time, during which the British Library is liaising closely with the Department for Culture, Media & Sport and others to provide updates.

The British Library has taken targeted protective measures to ensure the integrity of its systems, including the quarantining of hardware, the resetting of passwords for all staff, and the installation of additional monitoring and detection software across its estate.

The central aim of the Government Cyber Security Strategy is to ensure that Government’s critical functions are strengthened against cyber attack by 2025, and that all Government organisations across the public sector are resilient to known vulnerabilities and attack methods by 2030. As the sponsor Department for the British Library, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will continue to work closely with the Library to enhance its overall cyber resilience and ensure these targets are met.

Arts Council England made its decisions regarding its 2023–26 Investment Programme in line with its published guidance and its ten year strategy, ‘Let’s Create’, which covers all art forms, and which can be found on its website at: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/lets-create.

Assessments were carried out by Arts Council England staff, based on balancing criteria published in its funding guidance, and were made by its Area and National Councils, which include both local representatives and people who work in the sector.

More opera organisations will be funded in the new Investment Programme portfolio than in the preceding one, and opera accounts for 40 per cent of funding for music in the new portfolio. His Majesty’s Government will continue to work with Arts Council England to understand the impacts of its investment in arts and culture, including on opera.

Decisions about which organisations to fund, and by how much, through its Investment Programme are taken by Arts Council England at arm’s length from His Majesty’s Government.

Arts Council England has a robust process to determine how funding decisions are made. The decisions were made in line with its published guidance and in response to its ten-year strategy, ‘Let’s Create’. Assessments were carried out by Arts Council England, and decisions were made by its Area and National Councils, which include both local representatives and people who work in the sector.

The London Coliseum is owned freehold by English National Opera and is not under public ownership or control. The property can be used according to the terms as set out in agreements between English National Opera and each of its funders. This includes Arts Council England.

Decisions about which organisations to fund, and by how much, through its Investment Programme are taken by Arts Council England at arm’s length from His Majesty’s Government.

Arts Council England has a robust process to determine how funding decisions are made. The decisions were made in line with its published guidance and in response to its ten-year strategy, ‘Let’s Create’. Assessments were carried out by Arts Council England, and decisions were made by its Area and National Councils, which include both local representatives and people who work in the sector.

The London Coliseum is owned freehold by English National Opera and is not under public ownership or control. The property can be used according to the terms as set out in agreements between English National Opera and each of its funders. This includes Arts Council England.

Decisions about which organisations to fund, and by how much, through its Investment Programme are taken by Arts Council England at arm’s length from His Majesty’s Government.

Arts Council England has a robust process to determine how funding decisions are made. The decisions were made in line with its published guidance and in response to its ten-year strategy, ‘Let’s Create’. Assessments were carried out by Arts Council England, and decisions were made by its Area and National Councils, which include both local representatives and people who work in the sector.

The London Coliseum is owned freehold by English National Opera and is not under public ownership or control. The property can be used according to the terms as set out in agreements between English National Opera and each of its funders. This includes Arts Council England.

According to Ofcom’s latest Connected Nations report, more than 98% of premises in urban areas can access superfast broadband. The Government’s Superfast programme has been instrumental in reaching this level of coverage, with £1.8 billion invested to date. The programme is still ongoing, and future delivery will further increase superfast coverage.

For consumers unable to access download speeds of at least 10 megabits per second, including those on exchange only lines, the Government has legislated to introduce the broadband Universal Service Obligation, which provides households with a legal right to request this minimum speed up to a reasonable cost threshold of £3,400 per premise.

In addition, the Government is committed to delivering nationwide gigabit-capable broadband as soon as possible and has already invested in stimulating demand for gigabit broadband, including in urban areas. The £200 million Local Full Fibre Networks programme has funded projects in urban areas such as Belfast and London, for example.

The Government has also announced that it will invest a further £5 billion to provide gigabit-capable networks in the hardest to parts of the UK. This funding will focus on connecting more rural and remote areas but, alongside this, the Government is also taking action to reduce the barriers to deployment, and make it cheaper and easier for BT Openreach and other operators to roll out broadband commercially, including in urban and suburban areas. For example, we are taking the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill through Parliament, which will make it easier for network builders to access blocks of flats where there is an absent or unresponsive landlord.

Finally, mobile network operators already provide 4G mobile broadband services which provide a viable alternative to superfast coverage in urban areas. In addition, according to Ofcom’s December 2019 Connected Nations report, more than 40 towns and cities already have access to even faster 5G mobile services, and the rollout has developed further since then.

As part of this, the Government has allocated £200 million from 2017 to March 2022 to support the further development of 5G through its 5G Testbeds & Trials Programme, including up to £20 million in the West Midlands 5G (WM5G) Programme (over three years, to March 2022).

According to Ofcom’s latest Connected Nations report, more than 98% of premises in urban areas can access superfast broadband. The Government’s Superfast programme has been instrumental in reaching this level of coverage, with £1.8 billion invested to date. The programme is still ongoing, and future delivery will further increase superfast coverage.

For consumers unable to access download speeds of at least 10 megabits per second, including those on exchange only lines, the Government has legislated to introduce the broadband Universal Service Obligation, which provides households with a legal right to request this minimum speed up to a reasonable cost threshold of £3,400 per premise.

In addition, the Government is committed to delivering nationwide gigabit-capable broadband as soon as possible and has already invested in stimulating demand for gigabit broadband, including in urban areas. The £200 million Local Full Fibre Networks programme has funded projects in urban areas such as Belfast and London, for example.

The Government has also announced that it will invest a further £5 billion to provide gigabit-capable networks in the hardest to parts of the UK. This funding will focus on connecting more rural and remote areas but, alongside this, the Government is also taking action to reduce the barriers to deployment, and make it cheaper and easier for BT Openreach and other operators to roll out broadband commercially, including in urban and suburban areas. For example, we are taking the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill through Parliament, which will make it easier for network builders to access blocks of flats where there is an absent or unresponsive landlord.

Finally, mobile network operators already provide 4G mobile broadband services which provide a viable alternative to superfast coverage in urban areas. In addition, according to Ofcom’s December 2019 Connected Nations report, more than 40 towns and cities already have access to even faster 5G mobile services, and the rollout has developed further since then.

As part of this, the Government has allocated £200 million from 2017 to March 2022 to support the further development of 5G through its 5G Testbeds & Trials Programme, including up to £20 million in the West Midlands 5G (WM5G) Programme (over three years, to March 2022).

According to Ofcom’s latest Connected Nations report, more than 98% of premises in urban areas can access superfast broadband. The Government’s Superfast programme has been instrumental in reaching this level of coverage, with £1.8 billion invested to date. The programme is still ongoing, and future delivery will further increase superfast coverage.

For consumers unable to access download speeds of at least 10 megabits per second, including those on exchange only lines, the Government has legislated to introduce the broadband Universal Service Obligation, which provides households with a legal right to request this minimum speed up to a reasonable cost threshold of £3,400 per premise.

In addition, the Government is committed to delivering nationwide gigabit-capable broadband as soon as possible and has already invested in stimulating demand for gigabit broadband, including in urban areas. The £200 million Local Full Fibre Networks programme has funded projects in urban areas such as Belfast and London, for example.

The Government has also announced that it will invest a further £5 billion to provide gigabit-capable networks in the hardest to parts of the UK. This funding will focus on connecting more rural and remote areas but, alongside this, the Government is also taking action to reduce the barriers to deployment, and make it cheaper and easier for BT Openreach and other operators to roll out broadband commercially, including in urban and suburban areas. For example, we are taking the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill through Parliament, which will make it easier for network builders to access blocks of flats where there is an absent or unresponsive landlord.

Finally, mobile network operators already provide 4G mobile broadband services which provide a viable alternative to superfast coverage in urban areas. In addition, according to Ofcom’s December 2019 Connected Nations report, more than 40 towns and cities already have access to even faster 5G mobile services, and the rollout has developed further since then.

As part of this, the Government has allocated £200 million from 2017 to March 2022 to support the further development of 5G through its 5G Testbeds & Trials Programme, including up to £20 million in the West Midlands 5G (WM5G) Programme (over three years, to March 2022).

The Government's ambition is for nationwide coverage of gigabit capable broadband as soon as possible. Gigabit capable broadband can be delivered by fibre to the premise broadband, as well as other technologies, such as upgraded cable networks.

We believe the best way to deliver nationwide coverage is to promote network competition and commercial investment by BT Openreach and other operators wherever possible, and to intervene with public subsidy where necessary. To deliver this, we are taking action to reduce barriers to commercial deployment including, for example, through the Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold) Property Bill, which will make it easier to connect tenanted properties with an unresponsive landlord. At Budget, we also committed to invest £5 billion to deliver gigabit capable deployment to the hardest to reach areas of the country.

The Government does not have formal powers to mandate the rollout of gigabit capable broadband by a private sector company like BT. However, BT recently announced their ambition to deliver gigabit connectivity to 20 million premises during the 2020s.

Ofcom’s latest Connected Nations update found that, as of January 2020, over 3.5 million premises or 12% of the UK had access to full fibre broadband. This represents a considerable increase from 7% coverage in January 2019. In addition, the independent ThinkBroadband website estimates that around 19% of UK premises currently have access to gigabit capable broadband, including full fibre, but also upgraded cable broadband.

Full fibre figures for London boroughs are generally higher than the UK average. According to Connected Nations, 19 London Boroughs had full fibre coverage above the national average. However, there are notable differences between boroughs, ranging from full fibre coverage of 50.9% in Barking and Dagenham, compared to 1.1% in Bromley.

We are taking action to reduce barriers to commercial deployment and are confident that telecoms providers will step up and deliver gigabit capable coverage across London by 2025.

Ofcom’s latest Connected Nations update found that, as of January 2020, over 3.5 million premises or 12% of the UK had access to full fibre broadband. This represents a considerable increase from 7% coverage in January 2019. In addition, the independent ThinkBroadband website estimates that around 19% of UK premises currently have access to gigabit capable broadband, including full fibre, but also upgraded cable broadband.

Full fibre figures for London boroughs are generally higher than the UK average. According to Connected Nations, 19 London Boroughs had full fibre coverage above the national average. However, there are notable differences between boroughs, ranging from full fibre coverage of 50.9% in Barking and Dagenham, compared to 1.1% in Bromley.

We are taking action to reduce barriers to commercial deployment and are confident that telecoms providers will step up and deliver gigabit capable coverage across London by 2025.

Under the Government’s Superfast Broadband programme, premises that are included in a rollout programme do not need to pay for the upgrade to their broadband speeds. They are, however, liable for the recurring costs associated with taking out a superfast service once the upgrade has been completed. These publicly funded rollout programmes are taking place across the UK. To date £1.8 billion of public funding has been invested into this programme, and a further £836 million of new procurement is underway utilising a variety of public funding sources.

Delivery under the Superfast programme is now utilising Fibre to the Premise (FTTP) technology where possible. This technology provides homes and businesses with a fast, reliable and future-proof connection. Furthermore commercial build operators are also rolling out FTTP to homes and businesses across the UK. This commercial build activity is not utilising public funding.

Through our Rural Gigabit Connectivity Programme (RGC), DCMS runs a voucher scheme that can be used by rural communities across the UK to reduce the cost of installing gigabit-capable connectivity. This provides a voucher worth up to £3,500 for eligible small businesses and vouchers worth up to £1,500 for residents.

Community Fibre Partnerships are an initiative offered by Openreach. Openreach will work with local communities to build a customised fibre solution to bring fibre broadband to homes and businesses. A joint funding arrangement is put in place, which means Openreach will contribute to some of the costs and the rest is funded by the community.

Our vouchers can be used in an Openreach Community Fibre Partnership to reduce the costs borne by the community. It is worth noting, however, that Openreach is not the only supplier offering community fibre solutions, and we have over 700 network suppliers registered on the scheme. Our voucher website enables residents or small businesses to enter their postcode and see which suppliers are active in their area.

The Government is considering the implications of the judgment and will monitor any actions that may follow it, including any further stages in the legal process.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is an independent regulator and has the power to issue guidance under the UK’s data protection legislation. The ICO has stated that it is working on guidance for Data Sharing, Direct Marketing and Journalism. They can produce their own guidance should they have concerns on a specific area of the law.

The Government has no plans to amend the UK’s Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) to replicate those provisions contained in the Republic of India’s Personal Data Protection Bill.

The Government takes the protection of personal data and the right to privacy seriously. The DPA sets standards for protecting personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and ensures that our laws are fit for the digital age in which an ever increasing amount of data is being processed.

The DPA has various exemptions that disapply a number of obligations on data controllers in certain circumstances, for example, the information required to be disclosed in connection with legal proceedings, crime and taxation. These exemptions do not oblige an organisation to disclose personal information.

All data controllers, including public authorities, are required to comply with the DPA. Organisations that collect and use personal data must do so with an appropriate legal basis and apply exemptions to the rules on a case by case basis.

The Government considers that in the UK, data localisation should be limited to cases that are specific and well-justified.

Questions about the machinery of Government are not made at Departmental level, but the Government attaches great importance to the issue of data protection and the role it plays in building a strong and trusted data economy.

The Government is committed to ensuring that the UK’s data protection and rights framework remains fit for purpose and can continue to operate in a fast-changing landscape. The Government and the Information Commissioner’s Office keep legislation under constant review to ensure it keeps pace with technical and societal changes. There are powers in the Data Protection Act 2018, overseen by Parliament, to make changes using secondary legislation where appropriate.

The Department and its agencies have always secured digital and technology products and services in accordance with the requirements of United Kingdom procurement laws and will continue to do so; in responding quickly to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has made direct awards where permitted under regulation 32 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

Under the General Data Protection Regulations 2016, data controllers are under a legal obligation to complete Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) particularly where it involves high risk processing. All National Health Service organisations processing patient data as data controllers are therefore required to complete DPIAs and where necessary, to consult with key stakeholders to ensure risks to privacy are identified and mitigated as far as possible.

A DPIA for the NHS COVID-19 Data Store has been completed and is published on the NHS England website. The data held in the Data Store has gone through a process of pseudonymisation. Identifiable data is not held or made available to users and nor are they permitted to remove the data from the controlled area.

Whilst we have made no specific assessment, the Government is committed to ensure that the United Kingdom continues to be one of the best places in the world for research and innovation and is at the forefront of health and social care research internationally and specifically, global research on pandemics.

The UK has pledged £388 million in aid funding for research into vaccines, tests and treatments which is part of a larger £744 million existing commitment to help end the pandemic and support the global economy. This also includes £250 million for global Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to develop vaccines against coronaviruses. The UK will also provide £330 million a year for the next five years to the Global Vaccine Alliance, readying it to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine in developing countries.

The Data Protection Impact Assessment is already published online by NHS England.

Under the General Data Protection Regulations 2016, data controllers are under a legal obligation to complete Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) particularly where it involves high risk processing. All National Health Service organisations processing patient data as data controllers are therefore required to complete DPIAs and where necessary, to consult with key stakeholders to ensure risks to privacy are identified and mitigated as far as possible. It would be inappropriate for the Government to undertake a DPIA in relation to the health data held by those organisations. It is the responsibility of each of these organisations to protect the confidentiality of patients and to ensure that there is a legal basis for the disclosure of any personal information.

To simplify access to data controlled by the National Health Service and encourage innovation partnerships, the Government is developing a policy framework underpinned by five guiding principles. This will offer support and guidance to NHS organisations that are considering entering into data access agreements with researchers and commercial partners.

The framework is expected to be published later this year and is being developed in consultation with patient representative groups, health and data experts, NHS bodies and industry. To support the NHS in embedding the framework in practice, the Government has set up a National Centre of Expertise in NHSX to provide commercial and legal expertise to NHS organisations on agreeing fair terms when negotiating partnerships.

The Government has also committed funding for the Digital Innovation Hubs Programme which aims to enable a United Kingdom-wide life sciences environment that provides responsible and safe access to rich, research-ready health data, technology and science, research and innovation services.

The duty to have regard to the impact on equalities is an ongoing one.

The Government’s commitment to transparency and accountability is reflected in the duties set out in the Coronavirus Act 2020 to publish a status report every two months; carry out a review every six months with a debate and vote in the House of Commons; and publish a status report for debate in both Houses after one year.

We are considering how best to update Parliament on the equalities impact of the legislation as part of this broader commitment.