Written question asked by Claire Curtis-Thomas (Labour) on Monday, 13 July 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 15 July 2009. It was answered by Lord Hanson of Flint (Labour) on Tuesday, 21 July 2009 on behalf of the Home Office.

Cyber Security

Question: (3) how he plans to reduce the vulnerability of UK interests to cyber warfare operations;

Answer: The Government's Cyber Security Strategy, published last month, announced new governance structures and a cross-government programme of work in pursuit of the UK's strategic cyber security objectives. These objectives include reducing the risks and exploiting the opportunities from our use of cyber space through improving knowledge, capabilities and decision-making.These objectives will be delivered through eight new workstreams, overseen by the Office of Cyber Security and supported by the Cyber Security Operations Centre:"Workstream 1: Safe, secure and Resilient Systems""Workstream 2: Policy, Doctrine, Legal and Regulatory Issues""Workstream 3: Awareness and Culture Change""Workstream 4: Skills and Education""Workstream 5: Technical Capabilities and Research and Development""Workstream 6: Exploitation""Workstream 7: International Engagement""Workstream 8: Governance, Roles and Responsibilities"These workstreams will build on existing work to take forward the Government's plans for reducing the impact on and vulnerability of the UK's interests from cyber attacks. They also describe how the Government would improve knowledge and awareness of the issues and the range of stakeholders who will be involved in the process, including the public.As the Strategy makes clear, this programme will be delivered through a partnership approach comprising Government, organisations across all sectors, and the public.

Secondary information