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Written question asked by Gordon McKee (Labour) on Monday, 13 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 15 July 2026. It was answered by Kanishka Narayan (Labour) on Monday, 20 July 2026 on behalf of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Cybersecurity: Recruitment and Labour Turnover

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to help improve the recruitment and retention of cybersecurity specialists.

Answer

To improve the recruitment and retention of cyber security professionals across Government, DSIT launched the Government Cyber Profession in February 2026. The profession will introduce a competitive total employee offer, establish a dedicated Cyber Recruitment Hub to streamline recruitment, and create a clear career framework aligned with UK Cyber Security Council professional standards. This will directly address our cyber skills gaps, increase access to and help retain talent, establish cross-government standards, and provide learning and development programmes.

At the national level, the £200 million TechFirst programme is building the UK's domestic cyber talent pipeline, complemented by the UK Cyber Security Council's professional standards which support recruitment and retention across industry.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
18296
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Recruitment Labour turnover Cybersecurity
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk