Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Government Response to the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament Report 'IRAN', published in September 2025, CP 1403, what information the Government holds on whether hostile actors from Iran have infiltrated Parliament through parliamentary staffers.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
HMG does not routinely comment on the details of operational matters or specific threats.
However, we take all threats to national security, including those from Iran, incredibly seriously. Whilst the security of Parliament is a matter for the Parliament, HMG will do whatever is needed to help keep our democratic institutions safe from foreign interference and espionage threats.
This includes protecting them from malign Iranian influence activity in the UK, including placing the whole of the Iranian State- including Iran’s intelligence services- on the enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme. This means that those who are directed by Iran to conduct activities in the UK must register that activity, whatever it is, or face 5 years in prison.
On 13 October, MI5’s National Protective Security Authority published new guidance to better protect the UK’s democratic institutions from all foreign interference and espionage threats.The guidance is designed to help MPs, peers, councillors, Parliamentary staff and candidates understand the threat and take simple, effective steps to protect themselves, their teams, and the integrity of the UK’s democracy.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason the publication of a joint intelligence committee report into the destabilising impact of the climate and nature crises on national security has been delayed.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra routinely conducts and updates assessments on a range of threats. HMG publishes assessments in the National Risk Register and Chronic Risks Analysis, including on biodiversity loss and its interactions with ecosystems, on GOV.UK
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the press release of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament of 1 May 2025, and pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2025 to Question 54011 on Intelligence and Security Committee, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department’s policies of the Committee's representation to the Government that safeguards against conflicts of interest have now been comprehensively dismantled.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare
Established processes are in place to monitor and manage actual and perceived conflicts of interest.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will provide the Intelligence and Security Committee with intelligence assessments conducted as part of his Department’s China audit.
Answered by Catherine West
The Foreign Secretary has invited the Intelligence and Security Committee to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to receive a briefing from his senior officials on the China Audit.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to paragraph 442 of the Intelligence and Security Committee's report entitled Iran, published on 10 July 2025, what steps he is taking to update the Government's strategic approach to Iran.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government thanks the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) for its independent report on Iran. The Government will respond fully to the recommendations and conclusions in the report, in due course.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Intelligence and Security Committee’s report entitled Iran, published on 10 July 2025, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on whether the Government plans to change its Counter State Threats Strategy to address the concerns in paragraph 12; what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the steps the Government plans to take to support the intelligence community in improving its understanding of the Iranian threats listed in paragraph 15; what steps his Department is taking to help support Israel to defend itself against Iranian threats; and what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on steps to counter the risk of an increased threat from the Iranian Intelligence Services to the Government as set out in paragraph 106.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government thanks the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) for its independent report on Iran. The Government will respond fully to the recommendations and conclusions in the report, in due course.
Asked by: Priti Patel (Conservative - Witham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Intelligence and Security Committee's report entitled Iran, published on 10 July 2025, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on steps to help counter threats from Iran to compromise UK academic institutions.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government thanks the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) for its independent report on Iran. The Government will respond fully to the recommendations and conclusions in the report, in due course.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 22 May 2025, to Question 53205, on Intelligence and Security Committee, whether the Prime Minister will meet with the Intelligence and Security Committee before the summer recess.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare
The Prime Minister met the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) on 14 July. The Prime Minister was pleased to have the opportunity to reset the relationship between the Government and the ISC, and discuss a range of important issues pertaining to national security and the Committee’s remit.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the membership of the Cabinet Office's (1) Investment Committee, (2) People and Operations Committee, and (3) Resilience and Security Committee, and how many times each of those committees has met in the past 12 months.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Between 8 July 2024 and 7 July 2025, the Investment Committee met 12 times. The current membership of the Cabinet Office Investment Committee is:
Cabinet Office Chief Operating Officer (Chair);
Cabinet Office Chief Finance Officer;
Cabinet Office Commercial Director;
Cabinet Office Chief People Officer;
Cabinet Office Strategy Director; and
Cabinet Office Chief Digital Information Officer.
Between 8 July 2024 and 7 July 2025, the People and Operations Committee met 10 times. The current membership of the People and Operations Committee is:
Cabinet Office Chief Operating Officer (co-Chair)
Government Chief Property Officer (co-Chair)
Cabinet Office Chief People Officer;
Cabinet Office Chief Digital Information Officer;
Director, Modernisation and Reform;
SCS Diversity and Inclusion Champion;
SCS Race Champion;
SCS Gender Champion;
SCS Disability Champion;
SCS Social Mobility Champion;
Professional Head of Intelligence Analysis, Joint Intelligence Organisation;
Director, Functional Strategy, Performance and Capability, Government People Group;
Director, Defence and Nuclear, National Security Secretariat;
Cabinet Office Strategy Director;
Head of Cabinet Office and Civil Service Communications; and
Representative from Cabinet Office Race Equality Network (associate member).
Between 8 July 2024 and 7 July 2025, the Resilience and Security committee met 4 times. The current membership of the Resilience and Security Committee is:
Cabinet Office Chief Operating Officer (co-chair);
Director General, Propriety and Constitution Group (co-chair);
Government Chief Security Officer;
Cabinet Office Chief Digital Information Officer;
Cabinet Office Chief Financial Officer;
Cabinet Office Chief Information Security Officer, Government Digital Service;
Chief Operating Officer, Government Property Agency;
Cabinet Office Commercial Director;
Director, Intelligence and Security, National Security Secretariat;
Professional Head of Intelligence Analysis, Joint Intelligence Organisation;
Director, Propriety and Ethics, Propriety and Constitution Group;
Deputy Director, Corporate Services at No 10 and Cabinet Office; and
Chief Digital Information Officer, Crown Commercial Service.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament will be given a full copy of the China Audit; whether it will be shared with HM Opposition on Privy Council terms; and if he will publish a security redacted version.
Answered by Catherine West
It is right that Parliament should have the opportunity to scrutinise the work of the Government, as its responsibility. There are mechanisms in place for certain parliamentarians to have access to classified Government material, such as parts of the Audit. It is not unusual that our China strategy - or that of any other country - remains internal. This is consistent with our Five Eyes partners.