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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that smart meter software is secure by design.

The Department has worked with industry and security experts, including GCHQ, to design a smart metering system that has robust security controls in place. System security is based on international standards. It includes encryption of sensitive data, protection from viruses and malware, access control, two-party authorisation of important messages to the meters and system monitoring.

Further information on smart metering security and GCHQ’s role in it can be found on GCHQ’s website: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/articles/smart-security-behind-gb-smart-metering-system