Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of developing regulations to safeguard against the mis-use of DNA synthetic screening.

In the Integrated Review the Government committed to review and reinforce the cross-government approach to biosecurity. The refreshed UK Biological Security Strategy (BSS), due to be published in late 2022, will outline the 2030 Vision for biological security and the outcomes and deliverables to achieve this vision. Both the Department for Health and Social Care and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have been integral to developing the refreshed strategy and will be key implementation leads for commitments. The BSS will outline the UK Government’s ambition and priorities for responsible innovation, including to safeguard against the mis-use of DNA screening.