Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of Chinese companies supplying cellular modules for use in the UK’s critical national infrastructure on national security.

The Prime Minister has emphasised that national security is the first duty of our government. The Government has a broad set of tools to safeguard our Critical National Infrastructure, including The Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021, The Network and Information Systems Regulations 2018, The Procurement Act 2023 and The Product Security and Telecommunications Act 2022.

The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will also be introduced when parliamentary time allows, to deliver a step change in the UK’s national security, requiring essential and digital services in scope to have robust cyber security practices and standards. This will include empowering regulators to designate critical suppliers, ensuring that the most important suppliers to essential and digital services are subject to the regulatory regime.

Any device with a cellular module that is incorporated into the network or systems of UK Critical National Infrastructure will need to comply with that network’s cyber security practices and standards and as such should have robust security controls in place. If such a device falls within scope of The Product Security and Telecommunications Act 2022 then it will also need to comply with the requirements of that Act.