Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what checks are in place to monitor the safeguarding of UK national security each time a foreign firm invests in the UK.

Under the Enterprise Act 2002, the Government has powers to intervene in mergers on the grounds of national security. The Act sets out the processes which are followed in such cases.

More generally, the Government considers carefully any national security issues raised by foreign investments on a case by case basis.

The Government published a Green Paper, ‘National Security and Infrastructure Investment Review’, on Tuesday 17 October setting out its review of current powers and how these might be amended in the short, and long, term to ensure national security is protected. The Government welcomes respondents’ views on its proposals and options for reform.

The Green Paper is available on Gov.uk and in the Libraries of the House.