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

To ask His Majesty's Government who is responsible for coordinating protection of (1) oil and gas installations, (2) pipelines, (3) offshore windfarms, (4) undersea electrical cables and interconnectors, and (5) fibreoptic cables, in (a) UK territorial seas, and (b) UK exclusive economic zones; and where this coordination takes place.

The Government takes the protection and resilience of subsea and offshore infrastructure seriously and departments work together to protect it from malicious and other hazards such as accidental damage. The Cabinet Office is responsible for coordinating interdepartmental efforts. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is the lead department for the energy sector, including subsea energy infrastructure. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is the lead department for telecommunications policy, including telecommunications subsea cables. The Ministry of Defence is responsible for defending UK interests within the UK Marine Area (UK Territorial Waters and Exclusive Economic Zones) and forms part of HMG’s efforts to counter state threats.