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Order, order. Questions to the Minister for the Cabinet Office and | :00:09. | :00:14. | |
the Chancellor of the Duchy of us do. Thank you, may I answer this | :00:15. | :00:27. | |
with question six together. The persistence and ingenuity of those | :00:28. | :00:30. | |
means we need to work even harder to means we need to work even harder to | :00:31. | :00:35. | |
keep pace with the threat which is why we launched a cyber security | :00:36. | :00:39. | |
strategy supported by ?1.9 billion worth of investment in which we set | :00:40. | :00:46. | |
up ambitious steps to respond to that threat. Many local firms | :00:47. | :00:54. | |
struggle to afford the very best in cyber protection and I wonder if the | :00:55. | :01:00. | |
minister could shear what they should do to benefit from the | :01:01. | :01:05. | |
experience of MPs. My honourable friend raises an important point and | :01:06. | :01:10. | |
it is regrettable that increasingly, cyber security is an essential part | :01:11. | :01:14. | |
of normal business operations. That's why we're trying to make it | :01:15. | :01:19. | |
easy. We have got a cyber essential scheme which helps businesses | :01:20. | :01:23. | |
understand what they need to do to protect themselves. We have a cyber | :01:24. | :01:27. | |
exchange which provides information about businesses and directories | :01:28. | :01:32. | |
which can help small businesses, and we have action fraud which is the | :01:33. | :01:35. | |
report malicious activity. Will my report malicious activity. Will my | :01:36. | :01:43. | |
right honourable friend also reassure the host but as well as | :01:44. | :01:49. | |
protecting the infrastructure, the government has taken appropriate | :01:50. | :01:52. | |
steps to protect businesses and individuals from the threat of cyber | :01:53. | :01:59. | |
attacks? I can reassure the house. My honourable friend raises the | :02:00. | :02:02. | |
issue of wider threat to infrastructure. That was the purpose | :02:03. | :02:07. | |
behind setting up the centre, where we bring together all the expertise | :02:08. | :02:12. | |
across government. I'm confident we can do that to a capacity that is | :02:13. | :02:21. | |
world leading. We know that Russian cyber attacks had an impact on the | :02:22. | :02:26. | |
US election, what assessment has MI5 made of cyber attacks in relation to | :02:27. | :02:31. | |
the Brexit output and the Scottish referendum? The honourable gentleman | :02:32. | :02:37. | |
will know that I cannot comment on the operational details of the | :02:38. | :02:40. | |
security agencies but he should be reassured that our agencies have | :02:41. | :02:44. | |
some of the best capacities in the world, they are being funded | :02:45. | :02:48. | |
appropriately and we are making sure that they are doing what they need | :02:49. | :02:56. | |
to do. A cyber attack earlier this month affecting several Internet | :02:57. | :03:01. | |
service providers resulted in over 100,000 people across the UK losing | :03:02. | :03:06. | |
their connection. With the economy becoming ever more reliant on | :03:07. | :03:11. | |
digital infrastructure, what further measures is the government putting | :03:12. | :03:16. | |
in place to protect businesses and consumers? The honourable lady is | :03:17. | :03:27. | |
right to point out the threat to not only businesses but individuals. | :03:28. | :03:31. | |
That is why the National Security Centre has been set to engage with | :03:32. | :03:37. | |
business as early but where there is a cyber attack, ensure that | :03:38. | :03:42. | |
customers are alerted early something is done about it, and we | :03:43. | :03:48. | |
are able to learn from those attacks and make sure they don't happen in | :03:49. | :03:59. | |
other parts of the economy. MI5 for wind of a threat from eastern Europe | :04:00. | :04:04. | |
of packages of measures to subvert the economic process. If | :04:05. | :04:08. | |
government fully prepared to defend government fully prepared to defend | :04:09. | :04:16. | |
the UK from such attacks? We are. It would not be for me to add to the | :04:17. | :04:20. | |
words of the director of the security services but it is | :04:21. | :04:23. | |
important we protect the integrity important we protect the integrity | :04:24. | :04:27. | |
of our democracy and he can be sure that all agencies in this country | :04:28. | :04:32. | |
are prized of the necessity of doing just that. In light of the Russian | :04:33. | :04:41. | |
intervention in the US election and the credible threat to the German | :04:42. | :04:47. | |
election recognised by Chancellor Merkel, will he give a guarantee | :04:48. | :04:52. | |
that no cyber attacks have been carried out on the UK which could | :04:53. | :04:57. | |
have impacted on our democracy, and assure the house of what measures | :04:58. | :05:04. | |
his government will be implementing to defend the UK from such attacks | :05:05. | :05:15. | |
in the future? I am gratified that we are told register is one of the | :05:16. | :05:23. | |
secure but we need to protect the integrity of the democratic process | :05:24. | :05:25. | |
which is why we will be making sure our systems are secure as possible. | :05:26. | :05:31. | |
Grateful to those people working in the centre for the work that they | :05:32. | :05:35. | |
do. A lot of it is very difficult than technical and that is why we | :05:36. | :05:38. | |
are better protected than most countries around the world and I | :05:39. | :05:41. | |
intend to make sure that capability and capacity increases and improves. | :05:42. | :05:52. | |
Single departmental plans represent this procedure. We track progress | :05:53. | :06:05. | |
against manifesto commitments and encourage greater efficiency in | :06:06. | :06:11. | |
government. The Cabinet Office is encouraged to oversee cross | :06:12. | :06:15. | |
government implementation of its proposals. Can I ask my right | :06:16. | :06:21. | |
honourable friend what steps he is taking to ensure it is a priority | :06:22. | :06:25. | |
for each department? I am grateful for it to be raised. I know that it | :06:26. | :06:31. | |
is close to her heart. It is very important that we coordinate this | :06:32. | :06:33. | |
matter across government because it's not just a matter for the | :06:34. | :06:36. | |
Department of Health although I should just say my right honourable | :06:37. | :06:42. | |
friend is taking this as a personal issue. Our purpose is to make sure | :06:43. | :06:51. | |
government so that this is a government so that this is a | :06:52. | :06:55. | |
response across government by the whole of government to something | :06:56. | :06:58. | |
which affects everyone in this country. In order that benefits are | :06:59. | :07:10. | |
seen and enjoyed across the UK can he give a commitment to discussions | :07:11. | :07:17. | |
with devolved legislature to ensure that best practice is enjoyed by | :07:18. | :07:22. | |
everyone, irrespective of where they live in the UK. Special advisers are | :07:23. | :07:38. | |
an important part of ministers. The government is committed to making | :07:39. | :07:42. | |
the most of patient use of public money and will keep under review the | :07:43. | :07:50. | |
cost of the service. While the Prime Minister has introduced a salary | :07:51. | :07:54. | |
cap, the Times has reported the Prime Minister's own special | :07:55. | :08:00. | |
advisers are not subjected to this. Oh can you reassure the public that | :08:01. | :08:10. | |
the costs are being controlled? We are required to publish a number on | :08:11. | :08:13. | |
the cost and we will publish one shortly. We will provide the total | :08:14. | :08:21. | |
payment for special advisers and severance costs. | :08:22. | :08:33. | |
The government is clear that the House of Lords cannot continue to | :08:34. | :08:38. | |
grow indefinitely however comprehensive reform of the House of | :08:39. | :08:42. | |
Lords is not a priority for this parliament. Given the number of | :08:43. | :08:48. | |
pressing priorities elsewhere, where there are measures that can command | :08:49. | :08:52. | |
consensus across the house the government welcome working with | :08:53. | :08:55. | |
peers to look at how to take them forward. Even the House of Lords | :08:56. | :09:00. | |
thinks the House of Lords is too big thinks the House of Lords is too big | :09:01. | :09:03. | |
so how can it be the priority to reduce the elected house by 50 | :09:04. | :09:08. | |
members went under David Cameron it expanded by 260? I'm grateful for | :09:09. | :09:16. | |
the honourable member raising the excellent debate which took place. | :09:17. | :09:32. | |
I manifesto set out it would be a priority. It is absolutely critical | :09:33. | :09:43. | |
to save money across Parliament and increase constituencies. | :09:44. | :09:50. | |
I don't think anybody is concerned about the size of Lord spot the | :09:51. | :09:55. | |
possibles. David Nuttall. Does my honourable | :09:56. | :10:03. | |
friend agree with me that whilst reform of the House of Lords may not | :10:04. | :10:07. | |
be a priority at the moment, if their lordships try to frustrate the | :10:08. | :10:13. | |
will of the British people over Brexit, reform of the House of Lords | :10:14. | :10:20. | |
should become a top priority. A debate took place last week in which | :10:21. | :10:28. | |
there was an interesting consensus positing the solution, while | :10:29. | :10:37. | |
ensuring we look for new expertise... It is importantly the | :10:38. | :10:40. | |
House of Lords has a critical part in our constitution as a revising | :10:41. | :10:48. | |
chamber. I hope that will continue. Last week, we witnessed the | :10:49. | :10:51. | |
outrageous spectacle of Tory peers trying to filibuster plans which | :10:52. | :11:00. | |
would have removed the archaic principle of the hereditary peer | :11:01. | :11:03. | |
by-election that takes place in the House of Lords, where a small number | :11:04. | :11:06. | |
of privileged lords decide which among their number will join the | :11:07. | :11:10. | |
legislator. With the Minister not agree that makes a laughing stock of | :11:11. | :11:13. | |
the House of Lords and underlines the need to engage in serious | :11:14. | :11:19. | |
reform? It is a shame that there were no SNP members taking part in | :11:20. | :11:25. | |
that debate. This party refuses to engage in the democratic process and | :11:26. | :11:30. | |
let stand the people of Scotland by not allowing them adequate | :11:31. | :11:37. | |
representation. There was a vote in 2014 where 2 million people voted to | :11:38. | :11:40. | |
remain as part of the UK, and this party continues to frustrate the | :11:41. | :11:47. | |
will of the Scottish people. I am sure that the minister will share my | :11:48. | :11:50. | |
view that it was disappointing when there was an opportunity to reform | :11:51. | :11:53. | |
the House of Lords on government time in this chamber, and the main | :11:54. | :11:58. | |
opposition party decided to frustrate that. Would he agree that | :11:59. | :12:02. | |
any reform needs to be linked to wider reform that delivers a whole | :12:03. | :12:06. | |
package, not just setting a particular number on existing | :12:07. | :12:10. | |
membership? What is important when it comes to the reform of the House | :12:11. | :12:14. | |
of Lords is that it is led by the Lords themselves. There is clearly | :12:15. | :12:21. | |
an appetite for that to take place. Around 50 peers have retired. I | :12:22. | :12:25. | |
welcome the fact the Leader of the House of Lords suggested that she | :12:26. | :12:27. | |
would like to consider whether setting up a more practical step of | :12:28. | :12:37. | |
a consultative group overseen by the Speaker the House of Lords... I look | :12:38. | :12:41. | |
forward to these plans. How can the government justify the idea of | :12:42. | :12:44. | |
having more than 800 unelected members of the House of Lords, and | :12:45. | :12:52. | |
they are reducing the elected House, the House of Commons, from 650 to | :12:53. | :12:58. | |
600? There are that many people now in the House of Lords, they are | :12:59. | :13:03. | |
running short of toilets! I'm not sure about the toilets is | :13:04. | :13:07. | |
you, but I refer back to a comment made by the Labour peer, Baroness | :13:08. | :13:12. | |
Taylor Bolton, one of his colleagues. She stated that while | :13:13. | :13:16. | |
there are 845 members of the House of Lords, average attendances about | :13:17. | :13:24. | |
497. Let's come back to the boundary changes. He knows that when you look | :13:25. | :13:28. | |
at the constituencies in this House, you have some constituencies that | :13:29. | :13:34. | |
have 95000 and some 30 8000. That discrepancy has been a discrepancy | :13:35. | :13:40. | |
first picked up around the charter. 200 years ago we had the working | :13:41. | :13:46. | |
class organisation demanding change and we will deliver that. I thank | :13:47. | :13:53. | |
the Minister for his history lesson, which he is in a good position to | :13:54. | :13:55. | |
provide. But we must move on. We have had | :13:56. | :14:03. | |
lots of words from the Minister. Like can't he understand that it is | :14:04. | :14:07. | |
just untenable to have a blunted a revising chamber with substantially | :14:08. | :14:11. | |
more members than we have in this elected chamber, and this coming at | :14:12. | :14:18. | |
a time when he is ploughing ahead with his plans to reduce the size of | :14:19. | :14:23. | |
this place. He may not think reform of the House of Lords is a priority. | :14:24. | :14:27. | |
Their Lordships do. So what is he going to do about it? It is up to | :14:28. | :14:35. | |
the House of Lords to provide cross-party consensus across this | :14:36. | :14:40. | |
House. There are Labour members willing to get involved. Let's talk | :14:41. | :14:44. | |
about priorities. The language of priorities is the language of | :14:45. | :14:48. | |
politics. Our priorities ensure we deliver the will of the British | :14:49. | :14:51. | |
people in leaving the European Union. His seems to be frustrating | :14:52. | :14:57. | |
the Brexit process and taking of our legislative time talking about the | :14:58. | :15:01. | |
House of Lords. Mr Speaker, we are committed to | :15:02. | :15:16. | |
ensure that digital systems -- assistance is always available to | :15:17. | :15:20. | |
those not online. Also, since we will have the means of access for | :15:21. | :15:23. | |
those not able to use the online service. Thank you. I am encouraged | :15:24. | :15:29. | |
by my right honourable friend's answer. Whiley continues to improve | :15:30. | :15:34. | |
access to service online, Willie ensure that is done in a way that | :15:35. | :15:41. | |
avoids excluding those who are unable to access such services? I | :15:42. | :15:45. | |
will be able to give my honourable friend the reassurance. We have | :15:46. | :15:50. | |
travelled a great distance in the last six years. Online services are | :15:51. | :15:54. | |
now immeasurably better in terms of access than they were in 2010. We | :15:55. | :15:58. | |
want to make sure that everybody has the ability to gain access to | :15:59. | :16:01. | |
government services and will provide alternative routes online to those | :16:02. | :16:07. | |
who can't do so. The Minister will know that if we have online access, | :16:08. | :16:11. | |
it has got to be of the highest quality. Some of the experienced | :16:12. | :16:16. | |
government -- experiences, the Department have had has not been | :16:17. | :16:19. | |
reassuring. Could you look at some very real talented people on the | :16:20. | :16:24. | |
autism spectrum who are actually very good at this? And could he | :16:25. | :16:27. | |
recruit many of them to get these online services better than they | :16:28. | :16:34. | |
are? The honourable gentleman is right to point to former failures of | :16:35. | :16:42. | |
accessibility in online services. We make sure that all services are | :16:43. | :16:52. | |
accessible by design. How is progress on his excellent verify | :16:53. | :16:59. | |
system preceding? It is proceeding well. It is not proceeding well | :17:00. | :17:03. | |
enough fund I would like to see it go faster. It is most impossible to | :17:04. | :17:10. | |
get a physical address to write two on the government website. Is this | :17:11. | :17:15. | |
deliberate? It is not delivered but if he wants to show me the examples | :17:16. | :17:19. | |
I will make sure I corrected. Would he agree that giving the skill base | :17:20. | :17:24. | |
of the UK and our creativity in digital services, there is an | :17:25. | :17:27. | |
opportunity for the government to be a world leader in the proviso -- | :17:28. | :17:33. | |
provision of services? We are already the world leader. We have | :17:34. | :17:35. | |
the finest government digital service in the world. Comparable | :17:36. | :17:41. | |
organisations have also said that. We can still do better. I look out | :17:42. | :17:46. | |
for a forthcoming strategy on this important matter. | :17:47. | :17:51. | |
Topical questions. Douglas Carswell. Number one, please. The purpose of | :17:52. | :18:00. | |
the Cabinet office is to deliver democracy that works for everyone. | :18:01. | :18:02. | |
Supporting the design and delivery of government policy and delivering | :18:03. | :18:08. | |
efficiencies and reforms to make government work better. Since 2008, | :18:09. | :18:15. | |
many select committees have held pre-appointment hearings. Would the | :18:16. | :18:20. | |
minister consider making a routine for a select committees to hold a | :18:21. | :18:23. | |
formal confirmation hearings, particularly when the position | :18:24. | :18:28. | |
requires substantial control over tax payer money? I'm not -- I'm not | :18:29. | :18:35. | |
sure why he has two phrase every question he asks with an insult. -- | :18:36. | :18:41. | |
to phrase. We will ensure that select committees have even more | :18:42. | :18:47. | |
influence in scrutinising government policy and I will take is careful | :18:48. | :18:51. | |
and wise comments on board. WoodMac right honourable friend please | :18:52. | :18:54. | |
update the house as to what progress is being made to make a single point | :18:55. | :19:02. | |
of complaint for users of public services? Last week I public -- | :19:03. | :19:06. | |
published the draft paper on this bill. The draft bill sets out how | :19:07. | :19:13. | |
you will create a single point of contact, make the system simpler, | :19:14. | :19:16. | |
more efficient and give the new ombudsman a wider role. The Minister | :19:17. | :19:28. | |
will no doubt be aware of the 2014 Electoral Commission survey which | :19:29. | :19:31. | |
found there were 7.4 million people are missing from the electoral | :19:32. | :19:36. | |
register. And that young people were identified as being particularly | :19:37. | :19:39. | |
underrepresented. When he committed to introducing a schools | :19:40. | :19:42. | |
registration scheme along the lines of the initiative in Northern | :19:43. | :19:45. | |
Ireland, which has resulted in the increase in the number of young | :19:46. | :19:51. | |
people registered to vote? As part of our commitment to a democracy | :19:52. | :19:55. | |
that works, I have been touring the country, I am investigating how we | :19:56. | :19:58. | |
can ensure that we get more than people actively engaged in politics. | :19:59. | :20:02. | |
I held a round table with youth organisations last week to discuss | :20:03. | :20:07. | |
our strategy going forward. The Northern Ireland example is not | :20:08. | :20:10. | |
something we wish to take forward. The idea of compulsion on schools | :20:11. | :20:14. | |
doesn't work. There must be local ownership of schemes to ensure that | :20:15. | :20:17. | |
civil society groups canning courage young people to join the register | :20:18. | :20:21. | |
when they turn 18. Can I welcome the government's race | :20:22. | :20:27. | |
disparities audit seeking to address the geographical disparities, | :20:28. | :20:35. | |
including in some of the most deprived communities in the country. | :20:36. | :20:40. | |
Can he update the House on progress? We are making very good progress | :20:41. | :20:43. | |
with the audit. I thank my honourable friend for raising it. As | :20:44. | :20:48. | |
the Prime Minister said, if you are a white working-class boy you are | :20:49. | :20:51. | |
less likely than anybody macro else in Britain to go to university. That | :20:52. | :20:55. | |
is why we are looking at these disparities so carefully. | :20:56. | :21:04. | |
A victim of a cyber attack in my Wrexham constituency went to North | :21:05. | :21:07. | |
Wales police for help and was referred to me to speak to a human | :21:08. | :21:14. | |
being to get information about the case. Can the City of London police, | :21:15. | :21:18. | |
who have control of these matters, that human beings at the end of the | :21:19. | :21:23. | |
line to assist people who are, after all, victims of crime. --? I regret | :21:24. | :21:28. | |
the experienced the honourable gentleman's constituent had. We have | :21:29. | :21:34. | |
said up a group to look after victims of cybercrime. He and his | :21:35. | :21:39. | |
constituents should attend to them first. We have ensured the National | :21:40. | :21:43. | |
cyber centre is providing a personal security to business. I will take up | :21:44. | :21:48. | |
this issue personally to make sure it is corrected. | :21:49. | :21:55. | |
Is my right honourable friend aware that sometimes a cyber attack is | :21:56. | :21:58. | |
inadvertent? Is he aware that the register and other magazines are | :21:59. | :22:03. | |
reporting that a Microsoft download and update has massed disconnection | :22:04. | :22:09. | |
of computers to the Internet, particularly those running Windows | :22:10. | :22:13. | |
eight and Windows ten? Does the government have a role to advise | :22:14. | :22:17. | |
people about how that sort of thing can be corrected? My honourable | :22:18. | :22:25. | |
friend is a far more astute reader of IT journals than I am. I can say | :22:26. | :22:28. | |
that we are aware of responsibilities. Have set up the | :22:29. | :22:33. | |
cyber essentials website. I will relay his Commons back to the people | :22:34. | :22:38. | |
who know more about it than I do, to reflect on them. For what specific | :22:39. | :22:48. | |
reason, for what specific reason is the government blocking the bill to | :22:49. | :22:53. | |
end the ludicrous situation of elections to her registry peerages? | :22:54. | :23:01. | |
-- hereditary. As I have stated already, the government is | :23:02. | :23:04. | |
absolutely committed to ensuring we go forward with a consensus in the | :23:05. | :23:08. | |
House of Lords on Lords reform and the size of the House of Lords. The | :23:09. | :23:13. | |
debate demonstrated there is a consensus and the Leader of the | :23:14. | :23:16. | |
House of Lords is working to establish that committee. That is | :23:17. | :23:18. | |
the approach the government is taking. | :23:19. | :23:24. | |
Mr Speaker, the ministers have talked about creating a democracy | :23:25. | :23:28. | |
that works for everyone. With a look further at making sure that first | :23:29. | :23:31. | |
past the post is rolled out for mayoral and police Commissioner | :23:32. | :23:37. | |
elections? I sat in on the ten minute rule Bill last week, which I | :23:38. | :23:41. | |
listened to with good intent. I have to say that while this government is | :23:42. | :23:44. | |
absolutely committed to first past the post as an electoral system, we | :23:45. | :23:49. | |
need to ensure that we had -- when we have elections that are set out | :23:50. | :23:52. | |
by legislation, we ensure the conduct of those elections is | :23:53. | :24:00. | |
carefully managed. Where is John Cryer? Dear, oh dear. Danny King. I | :24:01. | :24:08. | |
appreciate this is a devolved matter. Surely there has to be a | :24:09. | :24:13. | |
process that the Cabinet office can hold of the Northern Ireland | :24:14. | :24:17. | |
executive over 400 million being wasted of all of our money on the | :24:18. | :24:24. | |
renewable heat initiative? The honourable gentleman does say it is | :24:25. | :24:28. | |
a devolved matter. And it is. It would not be right for me to | :24:29. | :24:35. | |
comment. Tomorrow, this House will debate the Broadband universal | :24:36. | :24:38. | |
service obligation. Does the Minister agree that we must | :24:39. | :24:42. | |
complement the excellent work of the government digital service with a | :24:43. | :24:45. | |
real commitment to superfast broadband wherever we can take it? | :24:46. | :24:51. | |
Is right and that is why our manifesto was the most ambitious of | :24:52. | :24:56. | |
all the main parties in terms of the roll-out of superfast broadband. | :24:57. | :24:59. | |
He will be hearing more about it in the weeks to come. Order, questions | :25:00. | :25:01. | |
to the Prime Minister. This I had the ministerial | :25:02. | :25:17. | |
colleagues and others in addition to my duties in this House, and I shall | :25:18. | :25:19. | |
have further such meetings later today to talk can I take the | :25:20. | :25:25. | |
opportunity to wish you, Mr Speaker, and all members of the House a merry | :25:26. | :25:33. | |
Christmas. In the light of the | :25:34. | :25:34. |