Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what machinery of government is responsible for identifying what constitutes the UK's critical national infrastructure; and if he will make a statement.

The Government defines the UK’s Critical National Infrastructure as the critical elements of infrastructure (facilities, systems, sites, property, information, people, networks and processes), the loss or compromise of which would result in major detrimental impact on the availability, delivery or integrity of essential services, leading to severe economic or social consequences or loss of life.

The Government has designated 13 sectors as critical to the daily functioning of the UK. Each sector has a lead government department responsible for the resilience and security of their sectors and for designating the critical elements of infrastructure. The elements of the national infrastructure designated as critical are reviewed periodically. The Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS) in the Cabinet Office has a coordination and assurance role across all sectors and oversees the Government's infrastructure security and resilience objectives.