Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help the Overseas Territories respond to hybrid threats from hostile state actors in (a) cyber, (b) information, (c) media and (d) political domains.

The UK holds responsibility to support all Overseas Territories to safeguard from threats to their internal and external security. This includes from hostile state actors. The FCDO and the Home Office provide a wide range of support to the Overseas Territories in this regard. This includes a UK police superintendent and temporary Commissioner seconded to Montserrat police; a 16-strong serious crime investigation team deployed in the Turks and Caicos Islands; and establishing a vetting agency in the British Virgin Islands.

The Home Office is also conducting National Cyber Risk Assessments across the Overseas Territories to identify potential vulnerabilities and risks to critical national infrastructure. Recommendations on mitigation of those risks are provided as part of these assessments, as is support for implementation.

We will continue to explore ways in which the Overseas Territories can maintain international support in countering hostile actors.