Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the prevalence of imported cellular internet of things modules in equipment used by the Prison Service; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure the security of such equipment.

The UK takes its national security extremely seriously and has taken robust action to secure its critical infrastructure and resilience. For security reasons, we do not comment on specific prison security measures.

The National Security and Investment Act allows the Government to intervene where foreign direct investment is targeted at innovative UK companies. Where such investment is within critical sectors, it is mandatory to notify the Government and this is subject to thorough assessment by the national security community. The Procurement Bill will also provide powers for the Government to exclude and debar companies from public procurement where the Government assesses there to be an intolerable national security risk.

Additionally, the Government has taken specific action on Chinese-made devices on the Government estate. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster published a Written Ministerial Statement in November 2022 detailing instructions for departments to disconnect such surveillance equipment from core departmental networks, where it had been produced by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of China. Government departments have been implementing these policies along with other protective security controls and will not hesitate to take further action if necessary.

The Ministry of Justice keeps the security issues associated with internet facing technology/components under close review as part of its overall approach to security, and in line with GSG, NPSA and NCSC guidance.