Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he is taking steps with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) his international counterparts to develop legally-binding international regulations for biological research that poses potential security risks.

The Government published the UK Biological Security Strategy on 12 June 2023. Our vision is that, by 2030, the UK is resilient to a spectrum of biological threats, and is a world leader in responsible innovation, shaping international norms and standards to help improve our lives and the health of the planet. Government departments will work together towards this.

The Government will also continue to use the UK’s wider international influence to encourage appropriate biosafety and biosecurity regulations, including through the International Tech Strategy. This will aim to drive global technical standards, sector-specific regulations and conventions for the safe and reliable uptake and commercialisation of engineering biology.