Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the National Security and Investment Act 2021 in preventing hostile foreign influence on UK national infrastructure projects; and what safeguards are currently in place to prevent investment from countries with geopolitical interests and activities which conflict with the UK’s national security.

The National Security and Investment (NSI) Act 2021 provides powers for the Government to scrutinise and, where necessary, intervene in acquisitions which could present a risk to the UK’s national security. If required, the Government has the ability to impose conditions, block or unwind acquisitions. The Act provides legally defined timelines and processes for decisions from the Government.

The Government welcomes investment as part of our mission to boost growth, but only where it meets our regulatory requirements and does not compromise our national security. We will not hesitate to use our powers to protect national security where we identify concerns.

The latest NSI Act annual report, published in July, can be found on GOV.UK, and shows that the National Security and Investment system is continuing to operate well to protect sensitive sectors, whilst supporting investment.