Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen defence relationships with Japan.

Answered by James Heappey

I refer the hon.Member to the answer I gave on 15 March to the hon. Member for Crewe and Nantwwich (Dr Kieran Mullan) to Question 159086.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the ongoing upgrades to Ajax armoured vehicles.

Answered by Alex Chalk

User Validation Trials successfully confirmed that the modifications to Ajax vehicles ensure crew exposure to noise and vibration levels remain within legislative requirements. The modifications are now being applied to training vehicles already delivered to the Army and will be applied to all future vehicle deliveries.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to strengthen the UK’s response to cyber threats.

Answered by Jeremy Quin

Our National Cyber Strategy, launched in December 2021, sets out how we will ensure that the UK continues to be a leading, responsible and democratic cyber power, able to protect and promote our interests in the rapidly evolving online world. This includes our approach to making the UK more resilient to cyber attacks and countering cyber threats. It is supported by £2.6 billion of investment up to 2024 - 25.

The UK will do what is necessary to protect ourselves through our world leading capability in this area. We are vigilant to cyber threats, wherever they come from, and ready to defend against them. We are continuing to work to make the UK more resilient to cyber threats and raise the cost for those who would do us harm.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department has had with the National Association of Local Councils on the potential impact of introducing a Protect Duty which requires public venues to protect against the risk of terrorism on parish and town councils.

Answered by Tom Tugendhat

Martyn’s Law, formerly known as the Protect Duty, will be published as a draft Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny this Spring. During the development of this Bill, extensive engagement across all sectors including Local Authorities has taken place.

The Protect Duty consultation received 2,755 responses, during which the Home Office held over 80 engagement events. More recently, a webinar on Martyn’s Law geared specifically towards the public sector was attended by over 2000 individuals, the majority from Local Authorities. Engagement will continue throughout pre-legislative scrutiny and beyond.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department plans to take to (a) support and (b) provide funding for parish and town councils to help them comply with the proposed Protect Duty which would require public venues to protect against the risk of terrorism.

Answered by Tom Tugendhat

Martyn’s Law, formerly known as the Protect Duty, will be published as a draft Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny this Spring. Alongside this, the Home Office will publish an impact assessment and a further, updated, impact assessment will be completed prior to formal introduction of the Bill as parliamentary time allows. The Home Office will also undertake a new burdens assessment and assess any requirements arising from it.

A wealth of support, advice and guidance will be provided for all those captured by Martyn’s Law, should it be passed. This is currently in development and will be published prior to any Royal Assent. ProtectUK has been developed as the new online protective security hub, offering advice and guidance from trusted experts in policing and Counter Terrorism security. The platform is available to industry and the public and will be updated regularly with added information and increased functionality.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve the its workplace culture.

Answered by Andrew Murrison

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the UK Armed Forces are committed to taking action to improve culture and eradicate unacceptable behaviour. This involves a broad range of ongoing interventions, from developing training, carrying out climate assessments, implementing a suite of policies including the 'Zero tolerance to unacceptable sexual behaviour: A victim/survivor focussed approach', and working to better understand why these behaviours occur. We are transforming our approach to Service Complaints and the Service Justice System, improving trust and confidence in those systems so that when unacceptable behaviours arise, they are reported and dealt with seriously and expeditiously.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to increase the number of businesses that apply for Cyber Essentials certification.

Answered by Paul Scully

As part of the government's £2.6 billion National Cyber Strategy, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is committed to improving cyber resilience across the economy and promoting the take-up of accreditations and standards such as the Cyber Essentials (CE) certification scheme. Over 122,000 certificates have now been issued over the lifetime of the scheme, with over 25,000 organisations, including over a third of the UK’s largest organisations, currently holding either a CE or CE Plus certificate.

DSIT is working closely with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), other government departments and industry to increase the uptake of the CE scheme, including through requiring CE certification from suppliers using procurement levers. For example DSIT recently announced a partnership with St James’s Place which now requires its partners to be CE Plus certified.

The NCSC is also leading a three year funding programme, providing support to help organisations work towards certification. Over the past three months 369 support packages have been awarded to small legal aid firms and charities.

Research to date has found 93% of organisations with CE are confident of protection against common cyber attacks, compared to just 71% of non-certified organisations and 83% report a positive impact on customer and investor confidence. Further research is being undertaken to assess the impact of the scheme and will be published shortly.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Cyber Essentials programme.

Answered by Paul Scully

As part of the government's £2.6 billion National Cyber Strategy, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is committed to improving cyber resilience across the economy and promoting the take-up of accreditations and standards such as the Cyber Essentials (CE) certification scheme. Over 122,000 certificates have now been issued over the lifetime of the scheme, with over 25,000 organisations, including over a third of the UK’s largest organisations, currently holding either a CE or CE Plus certificate.

DSIT is working closely with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), other government departments and industry to increase the uptake of the CE scheme, including through requiring CE certification from suppliers using procurement levers. For example DSIT recently announced a partnership with St James’s Place which now requires its partners to be CE Plus certified.

The NCSC is also leading a three year funding programme, providing support to help organisations work towards certification. Over the past three months 369 support packages have been awarded to small legal aid firms and charities.

Research to date has found 93% of organisations with CE are confident of protection against common cyber attacks, compared to just 71% of non-certified organisations and 83% report a positive impact on customer and investor confidence. Further research is being undertaken to assess the impact of the scheme and will be published shortly.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help protect local authorities from cyber attacks.

Answered by Lee Rowley

Local authorities have the primary responsibility for ensuring that their online presence, digital services and internal processes are protected from outside interference. In addition, the Department takes the threat of cyber attacks to councils seriously, including by undertaking a survey of malware and ransomware across all English councils following the previous attack at Redcar & Cleveland and Hackney Councils.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to reduce the cyber skills gap.

Answered by George Freeman

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) commissions an annual survey on the need for cyber security skills across the UK labour market, which suggests an annual shortfall of around 14,000 professionals.

As part of the government's £2.6 billion National Cyber Strategy, DSIT committed to significantly increase the number of people who have the skills they need to enter the cyber workforce. This requires the clarification of pathways into and through a cyber career and getting more people interested in cyber at a young age. In order to create and publicise clear routes into a cyber career DCMS funded the creation of a professional body for cyber, the UK Cyber Security Council, to create professional standards and pathways that will inform employer recruitment and an individual's career development. We deliver extracurricular youth programmes to inspire and develop future talent, including the DSIT ‘Cyber Explorers’ platform targeted at 11-14 year olds. This complements the National Cyber Security Centre ‘CyberFirst’ competitions and degree bursaries. For those already in the workforce, free cyber skills bootcamps are offered through the Department for Education ‘Skills for Life’ scheme and the DSIT ‘Upskill in Cyber’ programme.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support British shipbuilding.

Answered by Alex Chalk

I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 14 December 2022 to Question 104345 and 13 March 2023 to Question 159089 to the hon. Member for Crewe and Nantwich (Dr Kieran Mullan).

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve defence collaboration with industry.

Answered by Alex Chalk

The Ministry of Defence recognises the importance of collaboration, including closer and earlier dialogue with industry. The Defence and Security Industrial Strategy set the framework for a deeper, more sophisticated, and strategic relationship with industry. We are delivering this by strengthening the Defence Suppliers Forum, engaging our largest suppliers through the Strategic Partnering Programme, and focusing on export opportunities through the Defence Growth Partnership. Complementing this work we continue to engage with the defence sector through trade associations, and our outreach activity aimed at Small and Medium Sized Enterprises.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of Ukrainian defence against Russian aggression.

Answered by James Heappey

Ukraine continues to conduct a highly effective defence against Russia's invasion. On the ground, it holds Russian forces along a 1,200km front. In the air, it has effectively neutralised Russia's theoretically overwhelming advantage in air power through the skilled use of ground-based air defences. At sea, Ukraine's limited naval forces have had remarkable success to preventing Russia's Black Sea Fleet from conducting its sea control mission in key parts of the Black Sea. Ukraine has recaptured approximately half of the extra territory Russia seized after 24 February 2022. Ukraine experiences pressures on its own military resources, but it has inflicted huge losses on Russia. The Russian military has suffered up to 200,000 casualties, and nearly 10,000 of its military vehicles have been verified as lost.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support defence jobs across the UK.

Answered by Alex Chalk

The most recent estimate shows Ministry of Defence (MOD) investment supports 219,000 jobs in industries across the UK, including 141,000 direct jobs and 78,000 indirect jobs.

Continued high and focussed investment in defence, along with the changes we are making as part of the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy, means that the MOD is well placed to contribute to economic growth and Levelling Up across the Union.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the security situation in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Answered by James Heappey

Sub-Saharan Africa is facing a complex network of security challenges including a rising threat from violent extremist organisations and terrorism.

The UK is working with our partners across the region to promote regional stability and collaborate on peace support operations. Furthermore, we are increasing our efforts to support African-led multilateral initiatives, such as the Accra Initiative, to encourage African leadership in responding to security challenges. Our efforts are particularly focused on addressing the drivers of insecurity and instability and building resilience among partners’ armed forces.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to develop innovative defence technology.

Answered by Alex Chalk

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 March 2023 to Question 159090 to the hon. Member for Crewe and Nantwich (Dr Kieran Mullan).

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to reduce sewage discharges in Somerton and Frome constituency.

Answered by Rebecca Pow

Last year, Government published the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, requiring water companies to deliver their largest ever infrastructure investment - £56 billion capital investment over 25 years.

In February 2023, I asked water and sewerage companies to set an action plan on every storm overflow in England. I have also announced water companies will face higher penalties that are quicker and easier to enforce.

In Frome and Somerton, the Environment Agency (EA) are scrutinising Wessex Water’s performance and asset management on a number of fronts, including:

• Working with Wessex Water to implement event duration monitoring to understand how often and for how long storm sewage overflows occur. This enables them to address their network performance and reduce spills.
• Continuing to take tough action where water companies cause sewage pollution of our watercourses by incidents, whether through failing assets or poor maintenance. The EA have a number of enforcement cases against Wessex Water pending.

The EA also regulate private discharges from small-scale sewage treatment works in this rural catchment. They have a monitoring programme, and failures in discharge quality are subject to robust follow-up and, if appropriate, formal action to ensure improvements are made.

Found: Harman ; Jamie Stone; Kerry McCarthy; Alison Thewliss; Sir Robert Neill; Alex Davies -Jones; David Warburton