Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Prime Minister's speech in Nottingham on 12 January 2015, what assessment he has made of the implications for the defence industrial sector of changing the rules governing access to encrypted messages; and whether he has discussed those proposed changes with representatives of that sector.

This Government supports encryption, which helps keep personal data and intellectual property safe. It is also vital that the law enforcement and security and intelligence agencies can access unencrypted data to prevent threats to our national security or to prevent or detect serious crime, when it is necessary and proportionate to do so. Ministers have an ongoing and wide-ranging dialogue with the defence industrial sector.