Tag: Steven Paterson

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, who is leading the team which will undertake the national security checking of the text of the Iraq Inquiry report.

Matthew Hancock

The following Departments will be involved in National Security checking: Cabinet Office, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Defence and the Intelligence Agencies.

National Security checking will ensure that the Government meets its obligations under Article 2 of the European Convention of Human Rights so that on publication the lives or safety of individuals are not put at risk. It will also ensure that publication of the report will not compromise national security.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-07-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with Ministers of the Scottish Government on City Deals in Scotland.

Andrew Percy

The UK and Scottish Government have worked together to agree ambitious City Deals in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness over the past two years.

Building on these deals we will continue to work together to consider any proposals from Scottish cities or regions that seek to drive economic growth. Most recently My Noble Friend Lord Dunlop met Keith Brown on 30 June to discuss this agenda.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2015-10-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to his Department was of maintenance of facilities at (a) Prestwick, (b) RAF Benbecula, (c) RAF Buchan, (d) RAF Lossiemouth, (e) RAF Tain, (f) RRH Saxa Vord, (g) HMNB Clyde, (h) Redford Barracks, (i) Dreghorn Barracks, (j) Glencorse Barracks, (k) Fort George (l) Kinloss and (m) Leuchars in each of the last five years.

Mark Lancaster

Reliable information on maintenance costs is only held since financial year (FY) 2012-13 as shown in the following table:

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2015-12-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the threat posed to the Trident nuclear weapon system by cyber-attacks; and what steps he is taking to ensure that system is secure against such attacks.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Ministry of Defence audits the integrity of the UK’s nuclear deterrent regularly for all threats and hazards and acts to ensure that it maintains the highest possible standards. The Strategic Defence and Security Review acknowledges the growing cyber threat and the importance of investing in cyber security across all of our capabilities. The Government has invested £860 million in new technology and capabilities since 2011 and will invest £1.9 billion over the next five years in protecting the UK from cyber attack and developing our sovereign capabilities in cyberspace. Our approach to protecting Defence capabilities against and mitigating the impact of cyber attacks spans technical, organisational, procedural and physical measures benefiting many different systems and networks, and investment is integrated across these measures. Submarines operate in isolation by design, and this contributes to their cyber resilience. I will not discuss further details for reasons of safeguarding national security.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to help small and medium-sized enterprises protect themselves against cyber-attack.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The Government’s National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP) aims to tackle cyber crime and make the UK the safest place in the world to do business in the world. This includes the Cyber Essentials Scheme to protect businesses against common cyber threats and the cyber streetwise campaign which offers simple cyber security advice to small businesses and consumers. In addition to the £860 million investment under the NCSP between 2011-2016, in November 2015 the Chancellor announced a new five year £1.9 billion investment in cyber security to make the UK one of the best protected countries in cyber space.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what criteria will be used to decide what material will be redacted from the Iraq Inquiry report during the national security checking process.

Matthew Hancock

The following Departments will be involved in National Security checking: Cabinet Office, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Defence and the Intelligence Agencies.

National Security checking will ensure that the Government meets its obligations under Article 2 of the European Convention of Human Rights so that on publication the lives or safety of individuals are not put at risk. It will also ensure that publication of the report will not compromise national security.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans that the Multi National Headquarters for the command of EU military operations will remain at Northwood.

Mike Penning

The European Union (EU) Staff employed at Northwood within the EU Operational Headquarters (OHQ) and the NATO Maritime Commander (MARCOM)’s Headquarters provide vital support to Operation ATALANTA (a Counter-Piracy mission off the Horn of Africa) and broader NATO Maritime Operations.

The requirement for the OHQ, its location, and its EU Staff depend on a continuing mandate (expected to be extended until December 2018) and decisions of the EU; and the UK supports continued NATO – EU cooperation including that through MARCOM.

There are are no current plans to relocate the OHQ or EU staff from Northwood.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2015-11-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on HMS Artful.

Mr Philip Dunne

The first three Astute class submarines were ordered as a single batch. Separate construction costs for Artful are, therefore, not held by the department. As such, it is not possible to determine how much the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has spent on HMS Artful individually; nor what the MOD expected the specific cost of HMS Artful to be, when commissioned.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-01-14.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the Barnett consequentials are for Scotland of the additional £1.5 billion allocated to the Better Care Fund in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015.

Greg Hands

The Spending Review made social care funds available for local government from April 2017, rising to £1.5 billion by 2019/20. This grant will be paid from the Department for Communities and Local Government to local authorities on condition that they add it to the Better Care Fund, where the money will support integration of health and social care.

The Barnett Formula was applied to DCLG’s Spending Review settlement in the usual way.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-02-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the budget of the Defence Cyber Operations Group was in each of the last five years.

Penny Mordaunt

The Defence Cyber Operations Group was designed to deliver cyber capability and mainstream cyber security throughout Defence by establishing a federation of cyber units. As this work matured it resulted instead in the formation of the Joint Forces Cyber Group in May 2013.

The Joint Forces Cyber Group (JFCyG) plans and co-ordinates cyber operations, and develops new tactics, techniques and plans to deliver military capabilities to confront high-end threats. It comprises Joint Cyber Units at Cheltenham and Corsham, the Joint Cyber Unit (Reserve) and Information Assurance Units.

I am withholding details on the JFCyG as their disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.