Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 22 May 2018 to Question 143809, what discussion his Department had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the decision to merge the Cyber Innovation Fund with the National Security Strategic Investment Fund prior to that decision formally being made.

During conversations with potential private sector investment partners and the British Business Bank over the course of 2017 on how best to deliver the Cyber Innovation Fund, the decision was taken to integrate the funding available into the National Security Strategic Investment Fund (NSSIF).

The objectives were aligned and this approach will deliver greater economies of scale and return on investment. The original £10m allocated is still available and will be invested in addition to the NSSIF funding. There were no conversations with the Secretary of State for Defence prior to this decision being taken.