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Written question asked by John Healey (Labour) on Friday, 9 June 2023, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 13 June 2023. It was answered by James Heappey (Conservative) on Monday, 19 June 2023 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.


Telecommunications Cables: Seas and Oceans

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to provide additional funding to protect (a) undersea cables and (b) critical infrastructure.

Answer

The Government takes the security and resilience of all at-sea infrastructure, including undersea cables and critical, very seriously. The Ministry of Defence continually reviews its capabilities to ensure we can respond to the latest threats.

The Multi Role Ocean Surveillance (MROS) programme envisioned the procurement of two ships to boost the UKs capability in the Underwater Battlespace. The first of these was purchased from the commercial spot market this year and is undergoing a period of militarisation ahead of being generated for operations and service in the RFA. The second MROS ship is part of a larger programme to update the Royal Navy's military data gathering capability. The requirements for the ship are being developed but the programme is in the pre-concept phase and no decisions regarding its capability have been taken.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
188668
Session
2022-23
Subjects
Finance Protection Seas and oceans Telecommunications cables
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk