Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Government's press release of 14 October 2018, Leading tech companies support code to strengthen security of internet-connected devices, what account was taken of the proposed EU Cybersecurity Act during the drafting of the code of practice.

The Code was drafted throughout 2017 and 2018 in cooperation with industry, consumer groups and academia. DCMS has engaged with EU bodies and Member States throughout that period and has led on the negotiations of the EU Cybersecurity Act on behalf of the UK. Those negotiations have been informed by our Secure by Design programme.

We have recently begun the process of developing a global standard through the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) based on our Code of Practice and through that process we are engaging with numerous EU industry and government partners. The proposed EU Cybersecurity Act promotes the use of such internationally recognised standards.

DCMS are reviewing options to create a voluntary labelling scheme for consumer Internet of Things (IoT) products to aid consumer-purchasing decisions. We are working closely with other international governments and EU institutions to share evidence.