Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) cyber security experts required to implement the National Cyber Security Strategy and (b) such experts working in the UK; and what steps the Government is taking to encourage people studying computer science to pursue careers in cyber security.

The National Cyber Security Strategy 2016-2021 outlines the government’s ambition to deliver a self-sustaining pipeline of talent providing the skills to meet our national needs across the public and private sectors. This is needed to close the gap between supply and demand for cyber security experts, estimated to reach over 40,000 by 2020 without intervention.

Ensuring the UK has the cyber security experts it needs is a key government priority. Our Cyber First programme inspires and supports students from age 11 to pursue careers in cyber security.