Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill (Second sitting)

Freddie van Mierlo Excerpts

Committee stage
Tuesday 3rd February 2026 Public Bill Committees

[The Chair]

I call Freddie van Mierlo. You have one minute.

[Freddie van Mierlo (Henley and Thame) (LD)]

Q I shall be brief. One of the things we heard this morning is that, by its very nature, companies who require and also supply these kinds of digital services are not geographically bound. They are cross-border. How do you, as regulators in the UK, manage and understand the need to regulate companies that operate cross-border?

Ian Hulme: Certainly from an ICO perspective, many IDSPs that we currently regulate are operating across boundaries. From our perspective, the focus is on the outcome. If they have operations in other jurisdictions that are providing services into the UK, our focus is on the outcome and getting to understand the UK side of things more than anything else.

Natalie Black: This is a challenge for us every day. Many of the companies that we regulate have a footprint in the UK or multiple footprints around the world. The issue is in making sure that the UK requirements are as clear as possible to give them no excuse to argue exceptionalism. That is why we really welcome the opportunity to get into the detail through secondary legislation, which will be very important in holding all the companies to account that we think need to be held to account.

[The Chair]

That brings us the end of the allotted time for the Committee to ask questions. On behalf of the Committee, I thank our witnesses for their evidence.

Examination of Witness

Chung Ching Kwong gave evidence.