Contributions
1,892 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDSecurity of Government DevicesI think two different points perhaps arise. One is about apps, and, as I have explained, we have given some central guidance and have also asked government departments to work to…21 Mar 2023HANSARDSecurity of Government DevicesMy Lords, I welcome the welcome for the Statement made by my right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster last week. By way of background, I should explain…21 Mar 2023HANSARDSecurity of Government DevicesMy Lords, as a former executive of Tesco, obviously I was extremely interested to see this at the top of my in-tray, where other things it does often appear. On Chinese cameras, I…21 Mar 2023HANSARDSecurity of Government DevicesI need to tread carefully here because, of course, security in Parliament is independent of government. So this is a matter for the parliamentary authorities. I understand the…21 Mar 2023HANSARDSecurity of Government DevicesI can certainly pass the concerns that have been expressed back to the security authorities in Parliament. I add that we have a Defending Democracy Taskforce, headed up by Tom…21 Mar 2023HANSARDWhatsApp: Ministerial CommunicationsMinisters use a variety of channels of communication. This may include non-corporate communication channels as well as conversations in person and telephone calls, as has long…08 Mar 2023HANSARDWhatsApp: Ministerial CommunicationsOf course. As I have said, if communications are substantive in nature, they need to be captured on government systems. But there is no requirement to retain every single…08 Mar 2023HANSARDWhatsApp: Ministerial CommunicationsI note what my noble friend says and I refer to my previous answer about disappearing WhatsApps. Of course, parliamentarians and indeed Ministers get advice on security and on the…08 Mar 2023HANSARDWhatsApp: Ministerial CommunicationsI will not be drawn on the individual case, but I will point to what the Government are doing and also refer the noble Lord, who is a friend, to the Covid inquiry. My…08 Mar 2023HANSARDWhatsApp: Ministerial CommunicationsThe answer is that it did.08 Mar 2023HANSARDWhatsApp: Ministerial CommunicationsI do not entirely understand the question, but what I can say is that the High Court dismissed challenges to the Government’s policy and practice with regard to non-corporate…08 Mar 2023HANSARDWhatsApp: Ministerial CommunicationsMy noble friend refers to a private arrangement between two parties, which I certainly would not want to comment on. Clearly, we in this country have some of the best…08 Mar 2023HANSARDWhatsApp: Ministerial CommunicationsAs I explained, we have rules about how this is managed. Civil servants and Ministers have government devices that they can use to ask questions on. The Civil Service Code…08 Mar 2023HANSARDRetained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) BillI have committed to write. Whether or not there is a meeting, we will certainly be in communication.08 Mar 2023HANSARDRetained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) BillWe are the UK Parliament. I have said that we will come back to the House on these devolved issues. It may not be possible to do that today, but I thank my noble friend.08 Mar 2023HANSARDWhatsApp: Ministerial CommunicationsAs I have explained, we do have guidance and we are in the process of developing revised guidance on the use of non-corporate communication channels, which we will be publishing…08 Mar 2023HANSARDWhatsApp: Ministerial CommunicationsI feel that that is completely impractical. We live in a modern world, where people use WhatsApp, private mail and SMS. What we need to do is have sensible rules and training for…08 Mar 2023HANSARDRetained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) BillAmendments 133 and 134, tabled by my noble friend Lady McIntosh of Pickering, relate to the power to make consequential provision in Clause 19. I will also address the intention…08 Mar 2023HANSARDRetained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) BillI certainly undertake to write. There are some uncertainties, as the noble Baroness will understand, so I will update her as much as I can. It is important and we need to be as…08 Mar 2023HANSARDWhatsApp: Ministerial CommunicationsWe have obviously been looking at the guidance to bring it up to date with modern methods, to which the noble Baroness refers, and are in the process of finalising that. To the…08 Mar 2023