Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Computer Misuse Act 1990 following the review announced in May 2021.

The Integrated Review committed the UK to fortifying its position as a world-leading and responsible cyber power, taking a new, full spectrum approach to the UK’s cyber capability through keeping our people safe, staying ahead of our enemies and improving the lives of the British people.

Robust domestic legislation is key to achieving this mission and whilst the Computer Misuse Act has proved to be an effective piece of legislation, we need to ensure that it remains able to tackle the ever-changing cyber threat. For this reason, on 11 May, the Home Secretary announced that the Government was to conduct a Call for Information, as part of a review of the Computer Misuse Act.

The Call for Information has now closed and the Home Office is reviewing the proposals made. We will provide an update to Parliament in due course.