Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Cyber-crime

Thursday 22 January 2026 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The UK Government is investing 187 million in the TechFirst programme to enhance digital skills and AI learning.
  • Cyber-crime and fraud now account for about 50% of all offences in the UK, costing the economy billions of pounds annually.
  • The Government provide free guidance, tools, and incident response advice to victims of cyber-crime through the National Cyber Security Centre.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Nick Smith Lab Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney
Science & Technology
Context

The context is the increasing offshoring of cyber-support roles and the production of skilled cyber-security professionals at Ebbw Vale college. There is a focus on developing home-grown workforce to reduce risks from cyber-attacks.

Question

There has been a tendency to offshore much cyber-support, but we are producing excellent cyber-security talent at Ebbw Vale college to protect our digital infrastructure. Will the Minister please outline what is being done to develop our home-grown workforce and security resilience to help reduce the risks from cyber-attacks in future?

Answer from Dan Jarvis (Minister of State, Cabinet Office)

Skills are the foundation of the UK’s cyber-security, and the Government are investing £187 million in the TechFirst programme. That initiative will bring digital skills and AI learning into classrooms and communities, and aims to reach 1 million students by 2026 and provide a thousand annual scholarships. Those skills projects will help bridge the gap in our cyber-resilience.

Answered
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Q2 Jim Shannon DUP Strangford
Crime & Law Enforcement Education Science & Technology
Context

Cyber-crime and fraud have become the most common crimes in the UK, accounting for about 50% of all offences. This issue costs the economy billions of pounds per year, highlighting the need for additional funding to train professionals.

Question

May I thank the Minister for his answers? They are always very helpful. Cyber-crime and fraud are now the most common crime in the UK, accounting for some 50% of all offences and costing the economy billions of pounds per year. Will he please discuss with Cabinet colleagues providing additional funding to ensure that our universities and colleges can provide high-level training in cyber-security, and to ensure—if he does not mind my saying so—that Belfast’s title of cyber-security capital is retained?

Answer from Dan Jarvis (Minister of State, Cabinet Office)

I am very grateful to the hon. Gentleman, as I always am, for the important points that he raises. I think he knows how seriously we take these issues. We are doing a lot of work to support the victims of cyber-crime and providing free guidance, tools and incident response advice through the National Cyber Security Centre, alongside targeted awareness campaigns.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The request for additional funding for university courses was not directly addressed.

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