Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they assess the risk of terrorist attacks in the UK.

The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre produces regular detailed assessments of the international terrorist threat to both the UK and its interests abroad, which inform the UK’s threat levels. Information on the UK’s threat levels is available online.

More generally, the Government assesses the most significant risks facing the UK over the next five years, including terrorism, through the National Risk Assessment (NRA). The National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies, the public version of the NRA (copy attached), is available online and has been placed in the House of Lords Library. This in turn helps Government and emergency responders to prepare for and respond to potential incidents.

In order to assess the risk of a terrorist attack, Government works with the intelligence community to gather information about the intent and capability of potential adversaries. Together with information about potential targets, this enables the Government to assess how plausible an attack might be and what effects it may have.