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1713851

registered interest
date	25/04/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Cybercrime: Public Sector
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a ban on public sector bodies paying a ransom to criminal groups in exchange for decryption.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
uin	23743
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2024 answer text <p>Cyber crime is a significant threat to the security and prosperity of the UK. The most recent Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) estimated that there were 984,000 ‘computer misuse’ offences against individuals in England and Wales in the year ending December 2023. The Government recognises ransomware as the most significant national security cyber threat.</p><p>The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) discourages paying ransoms, noting that such payments rarely ensure data recovery. The UK Government neither pays ransoms nor condones the payment of ransoms to criminals, always advising against such substantial concessions to hostage-takers or extortionists.</p><p>At the Counter Ransomware Initiative (CRI) summit in Washington last year, we led a joint statement signed by 46 countries and Interpol, which pledged that “relevant institutions under the authority of our national government” should not be used to pay a ransomware demand. This was the first international statement of its kind. Our joint statement was a major milestone in achieving international consensus around the non-payment of ransoms.</p> answering member constituency Tonbridge and Malling answering member printed Tom Tugendhat question first answered 30/04/2024 14:34:35 answering member 4462 label Biography information for Tom Tugendhat
tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

1713472

registered interest
date	24/04/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Telephone Services: Fraud
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department is taking steps to support (a) businesses and (b) other organisations whose numbers are used by (i) nuisance callers and (ii) criminals in number spoofing scams.
tabling member constituency	Ceredigion
tabling member printed	Ben Lake
uin	23543
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2024 answer text <p>A central pillar of the Government’s Fraud Strategy is blocking individuals and groups from attempting to impersonate other organisations and institutional bodies. As part of this work, the Government has introduced a new measure to the Criminal Justice Bill to strengthen law enforcement capabilities to tackle scam text messages. The Bill will create a new offence for supplying or possessing “SIM farm” devices (which allow criminals to send scam texts to thousands of individuals and businesses at the same time), without good reason or undertaking adequate due diligence.</p><p>In addition, the Government and Industry have signed the Telecommunications Fraud Sector Charter, a voluntary agreement to improve counter-fraud efforts. As a result of the Charter, the sector has introduced firewalls that detect and stop scam texts from reaching customers. Since January 2022, the firewalls have stopped 960 million scam text messages.</p><p>Law enforcement are also working tirelessly to tackle criminal number spoofing operations at source. Last year, Operation Elaborate led by the Metropolitan police took down iSpoof, a website that was used to make 10 million spoof calls impersonating individuals and businesses. The international joint action led to 142 arrests and the main administrator of the website was sentenced to 13 years and 4 months of imprisonment.</p><p>In April this year, in another successful joint operation codenamed Stargrew, the Met took down LabHost; a major criminal website, which fraudsters used to create over 40,000 fake phishing websites impersonating businesses. So far the operation has led to 37 arrests, and over 25,000 victims in the UK have been contacted.</p> answering member constituency Tonbridge and Malling answering member printed Tom Tugendhat question first answered 30/04/2024 13:59:44 answering member 4462 label Biography information for Tom Tugendhat
tabling member	4630 label Biography information for Ben Lake

1713585

registered interest
date	24/04/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	National Security: Press Freedom
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure that the police have due regard to protecting the freedom of journalistic (a) photography and (b) other activity when implementing powers under the National Security Act 2023 relating to activity in the vicinity of prohibited places.
tabling member constituency	Easington
tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
uin	23458
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2024 answer text <p>The prohibited places measures were included under the National Security Act to safeguard the United Kingdom’s most sensitive sites from hostile activity. The accompanying police powers enable the police to protect these sites by requiring people to not engage in certain conduct and to move away from these places where they have a reasonable belief that doing so is necessary to protect the safety or interests of the United Kingdom.</p><p>Recognised journalists conducting activity on or near prohibited sites – for example, a journalist taking photos from outside a prohibited place – where they do not have a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the UK and there is nothing to suggest taking photographs is not permitted, such as signage or other distinguishing marker, would not commit an offence.</p><p>The police have access to comprehensive guidance on how officers should use the powers in relation to prohibited places under the National Security Act 2023. We do not routinely publish internal guidance, however, further resources and information on the prohibited places regime are available on gov.uk.</p> answering member constituency Tonbridge and Malling answering member printed Tom Tugendhat grouped question UIN 23459 question first answered 29/04/2024 16:03:33 answering member 4462 label Biography information for Tom Tugendhat
tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

1713586

registered interest
date	24/04/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	National Security: Press Freedom
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish the guidance his Department issues to the police on the implementation of powers under the National Security Act 2023 with regard to protecting journalistic (a) photography and (b) other activity in the vicinity of prohibited places.
tabling member constituency	Easington
tabling member printed	Grahame Morris
uin	23459
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2024 answer text <p>The prohibited places measures were included under the National Security Act to safeguard the United Kingdom’s most sensitive sites from hostile activity. The accompanying police powers enable the police to protect these sites by requiring people to not engage in certain conduct and to move away from these places where they have a reasonable belief that doing so is necessary to protect the safety or interests of the United Kingdom.</p><p>Recognised journalists conducting activity on or near prohibited sites – for example, a journalist taking photos from outside a prohibited place – where they do not have a purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests of the UK and there is nothing to suggest taking photographs is not permitted, such as signage or other distinguishing marker, would not commit an offence.</p><p>The police have access to comprehensive guidance on how officers should use the powers in relation to prohibited places under the National Security Act 2023. We do not routinely publish internal guidance, however, further resources and information on the prohibited places regime are available on gov.uk.</p> answering member constituency Tonbridge and Malling answering member printed Tom Tugendhat grouped question UIN 23458 question first answered 29/04/2024 16:03:33 answering member 4462 label Biography information for Tom Tugendhat
tabling member	3973 label Biography information for Grahame Morris

1712661

registered interest
date	22/04/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Immigration Controls: Republic of Ireland
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the border between the UK and Republic of Ireland is secure against the passage malign foreign actors.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	22945
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2024 answer text <p>We continue a high level of cooperation on border security with Ireland; working closely together to identify and tackle those who seek to abuse arrangements from entering the Common Travel Area.</p><p>Schedule 3 to the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019 allows a Counter-Terrorism Police Officer to stop, question and, when necessary, detain and search, individuals and goods travelling through UK ports and the “border area” for the purpose of determining whether the person (or the goods) appears to be someone who is, or has been, engaged in hostile activity.</p><p>In Northern Ireland, a place is within the “border area” if it is no more than one mile from the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland or it is the first place at which a train travelling from the Republic of Ireland stops to let passengers off.</p><p>Individuals who seek to abuse the Common Travel Area arrangements are liable to be detained, and if unlawfully entering the UK, removed.</p> answering member constituency Tonbridge and Malling answering member printed Tom Tugendhat question first answered 30/04/2024 14:25:09 answering member 4462 label Biography information for Tom Tugendhat
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1702431

registered interest
date	19/04/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Undocumented Migrants: English Channel
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people arriving in the UK aboard any floating structure have been stopped under Schedule 7 Terrorism Act powers since the enactment of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Kemptown
tabling member printed	Lloyd Russell-Moyle
uin	22780
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2024 answer text <p>The Home Office publishes data covering the use of the powers under Schedule 7 to the Terrorism Act 2000 on a quarterly basis.</p><p>This data can be found via the following link: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/operation-of-police-powers-under-the-terrorism-act-2000." target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/operation-of-police-powers-under-the-terrorism-act-2000.</a></p> answering member constituency Tonbridge and Malling answering member printed Tom Tugendhat question first answered 29/04/2024 16:08:13 answering member 4462 label Biography information for Tom Tugendhat
tabling member	4615 label Biography information for Lloyd Russell-Moyle

1702432

registered interest
date	19/04/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Undocumented Migrants: English Channel
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people arriving in the UK aboard any floating structure who have been stopped under Schedule 7 Terrorism Act powers since the enactment of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 have had a lawyer present during a stop.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Kemptown
tabling member printed	Lloyd Russell-Moyle
uin	22781
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2024 answer text <p>The Home Office publishes data covering the use of powers under Schedule 7 to the Terrorism Act 2000 on a quarterly basis.</p><p>This data can be found via the following link: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/operation-of-police-powers-under-the-terrorism-act-2000." target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/operation-of-police-powers-under-the-terrorism-act-2000. </a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Tonbridge and Malling answering member printed Tom Tugendhat question first answered 29/04/2024 16:05:19 answering member 4462 label Biography information for Tom Tugendhat
tabling member	4615 label Biography information for Lloyd Russell-Moyle

1702210

registered interest
date	18/04/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Fraud: Internet and Text Messaging
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to enhance cybersecurity infrastructure to help tackle phishing scams through (a) text messaging and (b) fake payment websites.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	22627
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2024 answer text <p>The Criminal Justice Bill will introduce a new offence of supplying or possessing “SIM farm” devices, which allow criminals to send scam texts to thousands of people at the same time, without good reason or undertaking adequate due diligence.</p><p>In addition, the Government and Industry have signed the Telecommunications Fraud Sector Charter, a voluntary agreement to improve counter-fraud efforts. Under the Telecommunications Charter, the sector has introduced firewalls that detect and stop scam texts from reaching customers. The firewalls have stopped 960million scam text messages since January 2022.</p><p>Furthermore, domain registrars, Internet infrastructure (IIPs) and service providers (ISPs) operate robust voluntary arrangements for filtering, blocking and takedown of malicious websites, which is supported by the operational work of our agencies and law enforcement. NCSC also works in collaboration with industry partners to present ISPs with real-time threat data that enables them to instantly block access to known fraudulent or malicious websites. This has a major impact in protecting citizens from cyber- and cyber-facilitated crimes.</p><p>Where voluntary arrangements prove unsuccessful, we are introducing a new legislative power will provide law enforcement and investigative agencies with a formal process to suspend IP addresses and domain names that are being used to facilitate serious crime. This power will also be introduced as part of the Criminal Justice Bill.</p> answering member constituency Tonbridge and Malling answering member printed Tom Tugendhat question first answered 26/04/2024 15:12:58 answering member 4462 label Biography information for Tom Tugendhat
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1702211

registered interest
date	18/04/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Fraud: Internet and Text Messaging
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the financial loss to UK residents due to (a) fraudulent text messages and (b) fake payment websites.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	22628
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2024 answer text <p>The Fraud strategy estimates that in 2019/20 the financial loss from fraud offences was £3.1bn.</p><p>A link to the Fraud strategy can be found here: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64539087faf4aa0012e132cb/Fraud_Strategy_2023.pdf" target="_blank">Fraud Strategy 2023</a></p> answering member constituency Tonbridge and Malling answering member printed Tom Tugendhat question first answered 26/04/2024 15:15:11 answering member 4462 label Biography information for Tom Tugendhat
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi

1702212

registered interest
date	18/04/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Cybercrime
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he is considering legislative proposals to strengthen the ability to tackle (a) phishing, (b) online payment fraud and (c) other cybercrime.
tabling member constituency	Slough
tabling member printed	Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi
uin	22629
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2024 answer text <p>Crimes such as phishing and online payment fraud are already criminalised under the Fraud Act [2006] and the Computer Misuse Act 1990 (CMA). To ensure that online platforms are doing all they can to further protect the public the Government passed the Online Safety Act (OSA) in November 2023. Fraud is included as a priority offence under the Act, which means tech companies are now required to tackle fraudulent content on their platform that is ‘user-generated’ or face the possibility of significant fines. The Act’s fraudulent advertising duty will also require certain categories of companies to stop fraudulent advertising appearing on their platforms.</p><p>The Government published the Online Fraud Charter in November 2023; a voluntary agreement with the largest companies in the tech sector, designed to raise best practice across the sector and deliver a much quicker and more targeted response than regulation. As part of the Charter, signatories have committed to supporting the Government’s <em>Stop! Think Fraud</em> campaign. This was a major campaign – across TV, radio, social media and billboards – that aim’s to improve public awareness by streamlining and amplifying messaging. The campaign, and supporting website, will make it easier for the public to recognise fraud and take steps to protect themselves, their family and friends.</p><p>Furthermore, the Government is committed to ensuring that the CMA, the UK’s key piece of cybercrime legislation which criminalises unauthorised access to computer systems and data remains up to date and effective to tackle criminality. We are currently reviewing the CMA, and the Home Office will provide an update to Parliament on any proposals that we will take forward in due course.</p> answering member constituency Tonbridge and Malling answering member printed Tom Tugendhat question first answered 29/04/2024 15:05:21 answering member 4462 label Biography information for Tom Tugendhat
tabling member	4638 label Biography information for Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi