Lack of cyber security experts in Whitehall should ‘send chill down government’s spine’, MPs warn

Published

2 years ago

September 13, 2023

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A lack of cyber security experts in Whitehall should “send a chill down the government’s spine”, according to a new report.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said there was a “digital skills shortage” across departments, with just 4.5% of the civil service made up of tech professionals – compared to between 8% and 12% in the private sector.

And it said the lack of expertise – with some of it “self-inflicted” due to job cuts – could end up costing more in the long run as “opportunities to transform are foregone” and legacy systems fail.

Chair of the cross-party committee, Labour’s Dame Meg Hillier, said: “Digital must not be treated merely as a side-line, but must sit right at the heart of how government thinks about delivery.

“Without swift and substantial modernisation, opportunities to improve services for the public will continue to be lost.”

But the government insisted it had a “comprehensive programme in place” for recruitment and training.

According to the PAC, there were fewer than half of the digital, data and technology professionals than were needed across Whitehall, including data architects and info security pros.

Pay constraints were one of the major factors in the recruitment failure, as when it came to those professionals who can demand a premium – especially cyber security experts – public sector budgets could not compete with private company job offers.

However, the committee said the skills shortage had also been “self-inflicted through counter-productive staffing cuts”, with the number of digital employees “rationed” across departments – especially apprenticeships.

The report said the government was “trying to improve pay for specialist roles, and considers that this is improving the situation”.

But the MPs said their aims would “not be achieved and the cost to government will be much more over the longer term if opportunities to transform are delayed or foregone and reliance on legacy systems is prolonged”.

Of the tech services the government did provide, just 10 of the top 75 were described as “great” when it came to ease of use and efficient provision – but 45 “require significant improvement”, and there was a lack of a “single point of accountability” for each one.

And with infrastructure already aging, failing to tackle all the above would lead to increased costs in the future and risks to IT security.

“Our inquiry has found that Whitehall’s digital services, far from transforming at the pace required, are capable of only piecemeal and incremental change,” said Dame Meg.

“Departments’ future-proofing abilities are hobbled by staff shortages, and a lack of support, accountability and focus from the top. In particular, a lack of cyber-security experts should send a chill down the government’s spine.

“The government talks of its ambitions for digital transformation and efficiency, while actively cutting the very roles which could help achieve them.

“Our inquiry leaves us unconvinced that these aims will be achieved in the face of competing pressures and priorities.”

A Cabinet Office spokesperson said the government had a “comprehensive programme in place for recruiting and retaining technical skills and training civil servants in the vital digital skills needed to deliver modern public services”.

They added: “This includes increasing the size of the specialist digital, data and technology function across departments by over 10%, boosting access to digital training and improving specialist digital and data pay through reinvesting efficiency savings.

“We’re stepping up our cyber security skills through increasing training and investment in developing cyber security skills at all levels, including Cyber Boot Camps and uptake in computer science.”

Politics

Washington’s second-biggest city, Spokane, bans crypto ATMs

Published

2 hours ago

June 18, 2025

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Washington’s second-biggest city, Spokane, bans crypto ATMs

Spokane City Council has banned crypto ATMs to curb rising scams, giving operators 60 days to remove machines amid concerns over fraud and vulnerable residents.

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Archetyp dark web market shut down, but ecosystem adapts: TRM Labs

Published

2 hours ago

June 18, 2025

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Archetyp dark web market shut down, but ecosystem adapts: TRM Labs

The Archetyp dark web market had over 600,000 users, a total transaction volume of at least $287 million and over 17,000 listings, mainly offering drugs for sale.

Politics

Battle to convince MPs to back benefit cuts to more than three million households

Published

5 hours ago

June 18, 2025

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Battle to convince MPs to back benefit cuts to more than three million households

Plans for cuts to benefits which will impact more than three million households will be published today – as the government faces a battle to convince dozens of Labour MPs to back them.

Liz Kendall, the welfare secretary, has set out proposals to cut £5bn from the welfare budget – which she has said is “unsustainable” and “trapping people in welfare dependency”.

Disabled people claiming PIP, the personal independence payment which helps people – some of them working – with the increased costs of daily living, face having their awards reviewed from the end of next year.

An estimated 800,000 current and future PIP recipients will lose an average of £4,500 a year, according to a government assessment.

The government also intends to freeze the health element of Universal Credit, claimed by more than two million people, at £97 a week during this parliament, and cut the rate to £50 for new claimants.

Under pressure from Labour MPs concerned particularly that changes to PIP will drive families into poverty, Ms Kendall will announce new protections in the bill today.

Sky News understands they include a 13-week transition period for those losing PIP; a higher rate of Universal Credit for people with the most serious conditions; and a commitment that disabled people who take a job will not immediately lose their benefits.

Some 40 Labour MPs have signed a letter refusing to support the cuts; and dozens of others have concerns, including ministers.

Ms Kendall is determined to press ahead, and has said the number of new PIP claimants has doubled since 2019 – at 34,000, up from 15,000.

Ministers say 90% of current claimants will not lose their benefits; and that many people will be better off – with the total welfare bill set to continue to rise over this parliament.

To keep the benefit, claimants must score a minimum of four points out of eight on one of the daily living criteria.

Ministers say claimants with the most serious conditions, who cannot work, will not face constant reassessments.

A £1bn programme is proposed, intended to give disabled people who can work tailored support to find jobs.

Some Labour MPs have angrily opposed the reforms – which will be voted on later this month.

Last night in a parliamentary debate, Labour MP for Poole Neil Duncan-Jordan disputed the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) figures.

He said: “We already know that PIP is an underclaimed benefit. The increase in claims is a symptom of declining public health and increased financial hardship disabled people are facing.

“We have the same proportion of people on working-age benefits as in 2015. This is not an economic necessity, it’s a political choice.”

Rachael Maskell, Labour MP for York, called the proposals “devastating “. She said: “We must change direction and not proceed with these cuts.”

Disability groups say they fear an increase in suicides and mental health conditions.

The government’s own assessment forecast an extra 250,000 people could be pushed into poverty – including 50,000 children. It did not include the impact of people moving into work.

Ms Kendall was urged by MPs on the Commons Work and Pensions committee to delay the reforms, to carry out an impact assessment, but wrote back to the committee saying the reforms were too urgent to delay – and that MPs would be able to amend the legislation.